I willingly admit to having issues with chocolate and peppermint. Issues like I don't think I've ever met any concoction made with those two that I didn't like. So as I was leaving a shopping center parking lot and saw a strategically placed banner for Chocolate Peppermint Milk Shakes available at the corner Burgerville, somehow the mini-van turned right into that Burgerville lot.

I went in literally complaining outloud about how the darned Chocolate Peppermint milkshake was going to play havoc with today's calorie count.

Apparently if you just let people know, sometimes they're more than willing to help. The nice man at the counter offered me an alternative of their Chocolate Peppermint smoothie. He guaranteed I'd like it just as well or he'd trade me right on the spot for a milkshake.

Oooh, baby. With little flecks of peppermint candy blended in, it was heaven in a cup. A very small cup. I have a tiny bit of discipline. And the counter guy was so pleased with himself by the time I was ready to walk out the door, he'd calculated the calories and fat grams I'd saved: because the smoothies are made with fat-free yogurt, over 30 grams of fat and over 400 calories.

Lesson learned:
it will never hurt to ask if there are lower calorie options available.