Make the right choice when the urge to splurge hits

We all have the urge to splurge now and then.

We rarely plan to do it, but when we do, we don't want to go completely off the deep end. No. If you're like me, you want your splurge to feel decadent but still within limits.

Here's a quick quiz to see how well you'd do if caught in a splurge-tempting zone with no way to know the calorie, fat or sugar count. Answer each question honestly (don't skip ahead) and see how well you'd do.

1. You're in a restaurant bar waiting for a table and casually look at the drink menu. Margarita or Bloody Mary? Your server walks up and asks for your order, which is the healthier option?

2. You're at a fast-food restaurant, you've ordered the salad with low-calorie dressing, but it has been a while since you've had french fries or onion rings. You decide you'll splurge on one; which will do less diet damage?

3. You've promised yourself to not grocery shop hungry, but it's been seven hours since lunch, and here you are rolling your cart by the freezer case. You've always liked Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream and see B&J's Cherry Garcia low-fat frozen yogurt. You also spy Edy's Slow Churned Rich & Creamy Black Cherry and Vanilla Yogurt. You don't have time to read and compare labels, which one do you toss in your cart?

4. It's the middle of the afternoon and that homemade green, leafy all-salad lunch just wasn't enough. You stroll by the company vending machine and see a York Peppermint Pattie (1 large patty) and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (2 cups). You can't see their nutrition labels, which button should you push?

5. You're at the mall and you catch a whiff of a Cinnabon. On the way toward it you spy Auntie Anne's cinnamon sugar pretzel. What's it going to be, the cinnamon pretzel or a classic cinnamon roll?

The answers: If you ordered the Bloody Mary you made the healthier decision. An 8-ounce Margarita brings 500 calories and 32 carbohydrate grams (from the high-fructose corn syrup in the bar mix), while an 8-ounce Bloody Mary delivers only 140 calories and 8 carbohydrate grams.

• Based on Burger King's information, medium-sized onion rings contain 310 calories and 15 fat grams, while BK's medium fries bring 420 calories and 20 fat grams to your lunch.

• If you tossed the Edy's into your cart you did well, since a standard -cup serving delivers 100 calories and 3 fat grams. The same Ben & Jerry serving equals 170 calories coming from 50 percent more sugar than Edy's.

• Even though they're exactly the same size, if you pushed the York button you did the right thing, since it has 50 fewer calories and 9.5 less fat grams than the Reese's choice.

• You knew this one: Almost everyone's heard that Cinnabon's cinnamon roll's a 720-calorie bomb with 24 fat grams. Pass on the butter smear and Aunt Annie's cinnamon pretzel becomes a real dietary delight at 110 calories (you could safely have two).

How'd you do? If you got four out of five correct, you did well and should feel comfortable knowing you're probably going to make the right decision when your next urge to splurge hits.

If you got less than that right, be more cautious when you feel like veering off your weight loss or maintenance path; only eating what you know for certain works for you. Try this recipe: I've always enjoyed a cool and creamy macaroni salad in the summer. I turned that side into a main-course salad that I can scoop over tomato slices or stuffed into a large green pepper. Give it try.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, shared recipes and makeover requests for your favorite dishes. Address them to Don Mauer, Daily Herald Food section, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or don@theleanwizard.com.

Macaroni, Cheese and Baby Peas Salad

1 pound elbow macaroni (preferably whole-wheat or high fiber)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups nonfat mayonnaise dressing

½ cup reduced-fat sour cream

6 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (use no-sugar-added relish, if available)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

3 packets artificial sweetener

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

Pinch cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 ½ cups frozen baby peas, thawed

8 ounces 2-percent sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I prefer Cracker Barrel)

small red onion, minced

1 rib celery, minced

¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves (I prefer Italian flat leaf)

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot; add 1 tablespoon salt and macaroni and cook according to package directions (firm is better than too soft). Drain in colander and rinse with cold water until cool, then drain briefly so that macaroni remains moist. Transfer to large bowl, add olive oil and with a large rubber spatula stir and fold until coated. Set aside.

To a medium mixing bowl add mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle relish, mustard, vinegar, artificial sweetener, black pepper, garlic powder and cayenne; whisking together until combined. Set aside.

To the macaroni add peas, cheese, onion, celery, parsley and mayonnaise dressing. Using a rubber spatula fold and stir salad until evenly coated with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for one hour to allow flavors to blend.

Serves 12 (about 1¼ cups each).

Cook's note: Set aside a half-cup of the macaroni cooking water and let it cool. If the salad seems too dry when it comes out of the refrigerator, use some or all of that cooking water to moisten the salad.

Recipe nutrition: Nutrition values per serving: 281 calories (20.7 percent from fat), 6.4 g fat (3.1 g saturated fat), 43.2 g carbohydrate, 4.1 g fiber, 12.2 g protein, 5 mg cholesterol, 599 mg sodium.