For reasons I promise I will finally get around to discussing soon, I was taken to dinner several times while in Minnesota last week. Fine meals were eaten here and here, an excellent dinner was had here, and a top-three-of-all-time dining experience was enjoyed here.

If I lived in Minneapolis, I would eat at Murray's constantly. I would be a regular who has her own table, with a standing weekly reservation. I would tempt bankruptcy and heart disease eating a $41.50 filet accompanied by artery-clogging potatoes au gratin that melt on my tongue. Although I would be quite full, I would forge ahead and order the raspberry pie. Because it's pie and raspberries and whipped cream and really, how can you go wrong with that?

While the raspberry pie was delicious, Manny's was the hands-down winner when it came to dessert. The establishment's web site advertises: "Our hot fudge and caramel-covered macadamia nut brownie a la mode will satisfy at least 4 to 6 people." There were 11 of us and we could not finish it. This photo doesn't begin to capture its enormity - I think it's a serving from the actual dessert. And again, despite being stuffed from a large meal of meat and potatoes, I ignored the pleas of my stomach and ate to the point of discomfort.

Given this spate of gluttony, upon my return to the swamps of Jersey I decided it was time to step off the Bellybuster Bus and reintroduce fruits, vegetables and grains to my gastrointestinal tract.

How's that working out?

Today, I had breakfast at McDonald's, followed by pizza and ice cream cake for lunch. I tried to make something healthy for dinner, but that failed miserably and was spit into the trash, and resulted in a supper of hummus, two ears of corn on the cob and an ice-cream sandwich.

Hey, at least I snuck in a vegetable.