Slicing and dicing

I like fruit, really I do. But I have this bad habit of buying a few apples/bananas/pears/etc and letting them sit around till they become putrid, instead of enjoying them at their prime. As much as I am not proud to admit it, I realized this stems from sheer laziness. Or mental block, depending on how you look at it.

There is a certain activation energy for me to pick up a piece of fruit - especially an apple-type fruit - and want to eat it. There is this mental obstacle that comes from some inexplicable place that causes a wave of disgust to rise inside me when I think of eating an apple directly off the core. Maybe it stems from getting apple skin caught in my teeth when eating that way, or maybe it's the stream of apple juice and detritus that dribbles down my arm, but either way there it is - I can't bring myself to do it.

It has taken me this long to realize my obstacle, and finally do the obvious thing: cut the darn apples before you actually want to eat them! I devoured 2 whole shingo pears over the past few days because I took the time to prep them for easy eating. And I LOVE that fruit too!

Part of the motivation for all this fruit-eating pleasure is the crazy diet that J and I are on for Lent again this year. We gave up refined sugar and refined flour, as well as red meat and caffeine, which leaves this girl's sweet tooth unsatisfied. We are allowed honey and agave nectar, which have been lifesavers when that craving was too great, but so far it hasn't been nearly as bad as last year's experiment. Granted, last year we also tried giving up white rice - which meant no sushi, and that was pretty much unacceptable, so we modified the restrictions a bit this time!

Back to the point, though, fresh fruit has been a really nice dessert option for us during this season that may actually continue past Lent this year. Some frozen berries (thawed, with a drizzle of agave) and plain yogurt have also been a delicious, and healthy, substitute for those nights when we would otherwise have had some chocolate or ice cream. (That being said, I look forward to having chocolate again. I am a girl, after all)