It’s Labor Day which means two things:

1. The perfect excuse to wash down a burger with an ice cold beer.
2. Summer is officially over.

I could use this space to share BBQ survival tips with you, but somehow that just doesn’t sit well with me. It’s a holiday; whether we’re enjoying the day with family or a bunch of frat guys with a grill, we should enjoy ourselves.

I’ve dished on all sorts of stuff this summer: my radical lifestyle change, what it’s like to be unhealthy, and even a few tips on how to stay healthy. But there’s one big topic I missed: how to stay happy. And with summer just about to fade away, I am sure us ladies can use all the happy we can get.

Let me briefly compare how I spent last summer to how I spent this summer:

Last summer I used my time off to “monitor” my eating, meticulously.
This summer I used my time off to make extra cash, read good books, and bask in the sun.

Last summer I ate the exact same thing for breakfast (a bowl of oatmeal), lunch (a turkey sandwich on wheat with a yogurt cup and applesauce), and dinner (a bowl of romaine lettuce with one chicken tender cut up in it) every day.
This summer I ate ice cream, hamburgers, waffles with Nutella, and channa masala. (Only sometimes in that order).

Last summer I never went out because socializing = food. The only thing worse than eating “bad” food was trying to talk my way around why I wasn’t eating.
This summer I met up with old friends and family members over chai lattes and gyros.

Last summer I spent hours every day on the elliptical machine, in my un-air conditioned loft.
This summer I did yoga, went for long walks, or used the stability ball — whatever felt good for me on a given day. I even took days off.

Last summer ended with me being a ball of nerves as I worried about going away to school and not having anything to eat in the dining hall.
This summer I am refreshed and ready to pick up some carrot sticks, pita bread, and hummus for lunch.

So, girls, it might have taken a very long time, but I believe I am finally understanding this “moderation” business. It’s tricky. I know how great it is to lose weight and feel good about yourself, and how scary it is to think about eating normal food. You will never go back to the way you were, believe me. Treats once in awhile will not hurt you. We ladies have to worry about a million different things in our lives. Do not fear food.

Whether you’re wrapping up summer internships, leading orientation, or chilling in your parents’ house right now, please enjoy one last treat before this semester really gets nuts.

OMFG! Did you hear that it’s Girl Scout Cookie season!? Hell yeah! I walked past a table of those delectable little cookies cute little troopers yesterday on my way to class. And let’s just say I enjoyed a few (Ok, an entire box of) Tagalongs during a 2 hour lecture.

I don’t know who came up with these treats, but my hat is off to you!

There is something for everyone – even the health conscious out there. And you don’t even have to feel bad about eating them, because you are doing a good deed just by buying them! There are so many different kinds that I feel bad choosing a favorite (kinda like my parents…who obviously chose me), but I definitely have a soft spot in my heart – and on my ass – for the Peanut Butter Tagalongs. So. effing. good.

Which ones are your favorites?

As the Backstreet Boys song says (and yes I am actually quoting them) “My Love is All I Have To Give.” So with that throwback, here are this week’s list-worthy things…]

1. Tis the Season for fabulous gap commercials. Is it just me or have they brought back this striped sweater/scarf ensemble every. Single. Year. Since 1998? When it all started with the multicolored one? At least this year, Jason Biggs, Freddy Rodriguez and Romany Malco make it look oh so cute. Scroll through a variety of ads with your favorite celebs, and pick up some cozy sweaters to boot.

2. ScanMyPhotos - Unfortunately, (or in my case, fortunately) the photos you have laying around your house pre-digi cam and pre-selfies are usually one of a kind. If you lose it, use it in a project, burn it in a séance, etc., it is gone forever. Ideally, you would like to scan every single one of your photos from your 8th grade field trip when you finally held hands with Benjamin. But that takes forever and stalking on Facebook wins out every single time.

Thankfully, this genius company will do all the labor for you. Sure it’s a little disconcerting to send every single hard copy you have away, but it’s well worth it. Every single photo comes back to you plus a disc with every single photo scanned. Now that 4th grade picture of you as a not-so-little kid will be around FOREVER. Case in point: that lovely picture of me to the right. That my brother got scanned. Then loaded onto Facebook. And tagged me in it. Spe-cial.

3. Adorable and affordable party dress. While doing this week’s Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, I came across this fabulous find. It’s metallic without being overly sparkly, it’s sexy without being overly whoreish and it’s the perfect ensemble for your Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year’s party. And if you need to conservative-ify it even more, just throw a black long sleeve shirt and opaque black tights underneath it and now it’s something both you and your dad will love.

4. Nothing says holidays like treats. Especially choclatey candy cane treats. Basically anything that makes your pants so tight that by the time New Years Rolls around you swear you are going to hit the gym “like at least twice a day.” It’s what makes the world go round. So what kind of citizen would I be if I didn’t bring you a recipe for peppermint chocolate fudge? Not a very good one I say.

5. Just when you thought you couldn’t love Pumpkin Spice any more… Philosophy proves you wrong. After a stressful finals study session, take a bath with this delectable Pumpkin Spice Muffin bath and shower gel and forget about that bad grade your TA gave you. What does he know anyway? Not English, that’s for sure.

Take advantage of the cool fall nights– they are more fun (and can be more romantic) than you think!

Have a bonfire

Summer bonfires make you sweat. Fall bonfires keep you warm without overheating. It’s the perfect time to gather your friends, cozy up around some flames, and reminisce about the “good old days”– like the time you got so drunk you passed out in your dorm stairwell (which may have been last weekend). If you’re still in the creepy Halloween mood, you can pull a “Summer Camp” and recite urban legends under the moon, or you can pass around a couple of forties and see where the story-telling gets you. Bonfires are a great way to set the mood in a group setting, so if you’ve been feeling shy around someone special, it’s the perfect opportunity to initiate something.

Go on a Hayride

Nothing screams “Autumn” like sitting on a bale of hay and being taken around a farm on a horse-drawn wagon. After being cooped up in stuffy lecture halls all day, a hayride is literally a breath of fresh air. If you’re feeling stressed from school, go on a clear night, sit back, relax, and be one with nature… and the twenty other people crammed into the cart! Besides, sharing a bale of hay on a cool night with a guy is a great excuse to snuggle up. Got energy to burn? Try a corn maze instead!

Be Creative.

Make leaf rubbings. Make a scarecrow to scare creepy dudes away from your room. Carve a pumpkin. Trace your hand and make it a turkey. String some acorns, or make an apple doll. If you can’t think of things to make, call your mom and ask her what kind of junk you used to bring home from kindergarten art class. Recreate it, and see if you’ve gotten any better.

Play in Leaves.

In case you haven’t noticed, the things on this list are things you may have thought you’d outgrown since the autumn days of yesteryear. Think again. Life is short, and the days are getting shorter… put your inhibitions aside and jump in a pile of leaves on your way home from the dining hall. If you wait much longer, you’ll be forced to jump into snowbanks, and you might end up with frostbite or ice in your shirt. Note: If you play in leaves on your Friday stumble home from the bar, you may or may not be reported for domestic disturbance, so keep the noise down.

Eat. Everything.

Everything fall-related that is. I’m talking candy corn, pumpkin pie, caramel apples, popcorn balls– and wash it down with hot apple cider! You don’t need a fall holiday as an excuse to indulge in some of the season’s finest sweets and treats. Grab the girls and have a fall picnic on the quad– you won’t have to worry about summer’s pesky mosquitoes or the smell of citronella candles. Besides, you can multitask and eat these goodies while you engage in any of the above activities!

While Halloween now is more closely associated with finding a (slutty) costume and drinking Halloween inspired beverages, as a kid, there was nothing better than going door to door loading up on enough candy to last you till the 4th of July.Only problem is, my mom – the smart woman that she is – knew her life would be torturous through July if she let her three hyper children keep that much sugar around.

So every year, my two older brothers and I would have to dump all of our coveted, prized candy into the middle of the table. My mother then carefully separated the candy into piles – Milky Ways in one pile, Twix in another, Candy Corn in another, and so on. She then handed a bucket to each of us and, one by one, we would go around taking our pick and filling our buckets.

Once they were filled, the rest of the candy went to inner-city kids whose neighborhoods were too dangerous to trick-or-treat in (which now I see was a very noble thing but at the time I couldn’t understand why they deserved my candy gold. After all, I spent three long hours in the cold with clown makeup on my face, saying stupid poems at people’s doors while they filled my bag up with all that deliciousness).

Going around that table, each taking our turn, made our piles of crack candy like a game of Monopoly. 100 Grand (because of its rarity) was like Park Place, while Apple Sauce (I mean really WHO GIVES OUT APPLE SAUCE ON HALLOWEEN?!) was like Baltic Ave. Having spent so much time pouring over every. last. piece of candy, I think I’ve become somewhat of an expert. So, I bring you my list of the all time Top 5 BEST Halloween Trick-or Treat Treats.

1) 100 Grand: It’s like a Nestle crunch bar meets a Milky Way meets Amazingness.

2) Peanut Butter Twix and Peanut Butter M&Ms. No explanation needed.

3) Double Stuffed Oreo’s with the Bright Orange Frosting. I’m not even sure if they make these anymore, but nothing says childhood like playing the Oreo game.

4) Skittles. The non chocolate version of M&Ms. Note to self: Don’t stick them up your nose…

5) Whatchamacallits. Mainly because I love the name and still find it slipping into my vocabulary. You know, while playing games of Concentration or jumping around on my Skip-It.

And an honorary spot has to go out to any big candy bar given. Those houses were the BEST. They were few and far between, but they were total jackpots. I bet if you drove through your old neighborhood now you could point out the houses that gave out the full sized Snickers.

Oh and I totally ate those before I got home, or hid them in my room… it took too much room up in the bucket and there was no way those other children were getting their paws on that treasure.

What are your favorites?

Fortunately, thanks to some recipes from Hungry Girl (nutritionist Lisa Lillen), I’ve compiled a few seriously good low-cal cocktails and other yummy drinks that won’t make you feel deprived, but won’t wreak havoc on your diet.

“Magical Low-Calorie Margarita”

Ingredients:

6 ounces diet lemon-lime soda

1 1/2 ounces of tequila

1 packet (two 5-cal) servings of sugar-free powdered lemonade drink mix (use half if you want your drink less sweet!)

2 tablespoons lime juice

5-8 ice cubes or 1 cup of crushed ice

Optional: lime wedge (for a cute garnish!)

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together, except for the ice. For a frozen drink, place mixture in a blender with the ice and blend until smooth. Or, you can just pour the mixture over ice and sip away!

Makes 1 serving

Per Serving: 115 calories, 0g fat, 55mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein

(Typical Margarita = 740 calories… ouch)

“Pina Colada Freeze”

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces coconut rum

1 1/2 ounces sugar-free coconut syrup

1/4 cup fat-free vanilla ice cream

1 tablespoon canned crushed pineapple in juice

1 no-calorie sweetener pack

5 to 8 ice cubes or 1 cup crushed ice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds (until the mixture is completely blended). Pour out and enjoy!

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 156 calories, less than 0.5g fat, 41mg sodium, 18g carbs, 0.5 g fiber, 12g sugars, 2g protein

(Typical Pina Colada = 650 calories)

“Kickin’ Cranberry Cosmo”

Ingredients:

5 ounces Diet Ocean Spray Cranberry Spray juice drink

1 1/2 ounces vodka

1 teaspoon lime juice

5-8 ice cubes

Optional: splash of diet lemon-lime soda, lime wedge (for garnish)

Directions:

Combine vodka, cranberry juice drink, and lime juice. Stir thoroughly. Combine mixture with ice, put it in a shaker (or a glass with a lid), cover tightly, and shake well. Strain drink into a large martini glass. If you’d like, top with a splash of soda and garnish with lime wedge.

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 100 calories, 0g fat, 32 mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 1g sugars, 0g protein

(Typical Cosmo = 150 calories)

And here are a couple fun non-alcoholic ones (you can also subtract the alcohol from any of the above recipes, too)

“Freakishly Good Frozen Hot Chocolate”

Ingredients:

One 25-calorie packet of diet hot cocoa mix

3 ounces of hot water

1/4 cup light vanilla soymilk

1/2 ounce sugar-free calorie-free syrup (white chocolate or vanilla… you can get the vanilla at a local Starbucks, btw)

1 teaspoon sugar-free chocolate syrup

2 no-calorie sweetener packets

2 tablespoons Fat Free Reddi-Whip

5-8 ice cubes or 1 cup crushed ice

Directions:

Place hot cocoa mix, chocolate syrup, and sweetener in a glass, and stir in 3 ounces of hot water. Next, add soymilk and sugar-free syrup and stir again. Place mix in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes or until cool. Pour mix into a blender and add ice. Blend on highest speed for about 45 seconds or until well-blended. Pour into a tall mug. Finish off with whipped topping.

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 58 calories, 0.5g fat, 184mg sodium, 10g carbs, 1g fiber, 5g sugars, 3g protein

(This recipe was inspired by the AMAZING frozen hot chocolate at NYC’s Serendipity3, which has 850 calories!)

“Mint Mocha Freeze”

1 ounce sugar-free calorie-free peppermint syrup

1 tablespoon sugar-free chocolate syrup

2 teaspoons Coffee-mate Fat Free French Vanilla powdered creamer, dissolved in 1 ounce of warm water

1 teaspoon instant coffee

5-8 ice cubes or 1 cup crushed ice

2 tablespoons Fat Free Reddi-wip

6 ounces water

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender, except for the Reddi-wip. Add 6 ounces of water. Blend on high speed for 30-45 seconds, or until completely blended. Pour into a tall glass and top with Reddi-wip.

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 55 calories, less than 0.5g fat, 37mg sodium, 13g carbs, 0g fiber, 4g sugars, 0g protein

(Starbucks Mocha Mint Frap = 470 calories)

“Creamy Orange Dreamfloat”

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Cool Whip Free, frozen (good swap for ice cream!)

1 can diet orange soda (or you can substitute with diet root beer, too)

1 flexy straw

Directions:

Pour soda into glass. Top off with 1/2 scoop of the Cool Whip. Insert straw and enjoy!

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 60 calories, 1g fat, 150 mg sodium, 12g carbs, 0g fiber, 4g sugars, 0g protein

I know some of the sugar-free ingredients may be out of the way to get, but they are well worth it because many are toppers and mix-ins! For example, sugar free chocolate syrup tastes delicious on your favorite fruit, lowfat ice-cream, or frozen yogurt. We all deserve a treat once in awhile, but definitely not one that we would regret!

[Picture from Hungry Girl and recipes from book Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World]

It is a treat fit for a queen.

The perfect indulgence for anyone with the XX chromosome combo. And even with a $25,000 price tag, this sweet treat is worth every last penny.This indulgent treat is what happens when chocolate meets gold and then pairs up with diamonds. And unlike the stuff that only looks like chocolate, this is 100% edible. As if there could be anything better for a woman (except, maybe, the same combination in a fat free version).

The genius behind the Frrrrozen Hot Chocolate at the famed New York eatery, Serendipity III, has joined forces with a luxury jeweler to create this couture dessert. And what exactly makes up a $25,000 dessert?

“The dessert…is infused with 5 grams (0.2 ounces) of edible 23-karat gold and served in a goblet lined with edible gold. At the base of the goblet is an 18-karat gold bracelet with 1 carat of white diamonds.

The sundae is topped with whipped cream covered with more gold and a side of La Madeline au Truffle from Knipschildt Chocolatier, which sells for $2,600 a pound.

It is eaten with a gold spoon decorated with white and chocolate-colored diamonds, which can also be taken home.”

This gives new meaning to the clean plate club. When I was young the only thing I ever got for cleaning my plate was permission to leave the table! But a diamond bracelet? Pass that sundae over here. And its not like finishing this sundae would be hard, anyway; the ingredients are some of the best in the world. The tennis bracelet at the bottom is simply an amazing bonus. Sorta like a happy meal for the rich and female.

People have always said I was born with a golden spoon in my mouth. Perhaps now is the time to upgrade to the diamond version. If only I could find someone to indulge me.

You may not be able to tell based on the recent increase in the size of my ass, but I am a calorie counter. In fact, some test even claimed that I might be slightly obsessed with my weight. I weigh my chicken before I put it in my salad, I measure out my fro yo and I always use sugar alternatives in my coffee.

Sometimes, though, I lose track of my goals and fall off the Diet Train. After weeks of avoiding anything battered, fried, or totally tasty, I may be found at the nearest BK picking up some fries. And a milkshake. And an apple pie, or two. Half an hour later, I will find myself feeling totally guilty and yelling at myself in the mirror before heading off to the gym to attempt to work off a fraction of the calories I just inhaled.

What? Is that not normal? Am I the only one who does that?

Yet even I, a self proclaimed crazy/calorie Nazi, do let myself enjoy a few delectable treats now and then. 100% totally guilt free. There are just some things in life that are too good to pass up, like sales at Marc Jacobs and wildly passionate sex….

Or these 5 Treats Totally Worth Eating No Matter How Much Weight You Need to Lose to Look Good In That New Bathing Suit:

1. Fried Oreos: If you have never had one of these you need to get up, buy a ticket to the Indiana State fair and get one. Yes, they are even worth traveling to the Midwest and fraternizing with Carnies. I can’t explain the goodness except to say that I ate 3 and did not feel guilty. For a second. I mean, come on, could there be anything better than frying an amazing cookie? I didn’t think so.

2. Olive Garden Breadsticks: The toasty bread and the smooth butter all tied together with a perfect blend of seasonings. MMM. I get hot just thinking about it. You don’t even need the soup or salad (though they are a nice helping of veggies to ease your carb-guilt). These sticks are worth every freaking calorie.

3. Costco Sheet Cake: Better than any cake ever. And so cheap! Plus big enough to let you really indulge (I think it feeds like 40 people). The butter cream frosting is perfection and the layer of chocolate mousse through the middle; to. die. for.

4. Coldstone’s PB Cup Perfection: I have a biiig soft spot for anything peanut butter, so this little ditty totally gets me going. And do I think about the size of my thighs as I am chowing down on this mix of chocolate ice cream, peanut butter, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cut and fudge? Hell no.

5. Yogurt Flips: Sure chocolate covered pretzels are good, but nothing compares to the beauty that is a pretzel smothered in sweet TCBY yogurt. These puppies are so good you will forget why you were watching your calories in the first place.

What is life without a few sinful moments? After all, everyone deserves a little indulgence once in awhile and, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself, carrots and ranch do not cut it. If you are looking for something worth every single gram of fat, these 5 things are definitely the place to start. And end. Whenever you need em.