My department has a tradition of bringing treats to our monthly meetings. However, all the women in the group have gone on diets and have made it known that they will not be partaking. While I salute this choice, I would also like to bring something to our meeting that they would enjoy. What are some fun things I can bring in lieu of treats?
(Yes, I’ve thought of low-cal stuff, and it will do in a pinch, but I’m trying to be creative here.)
It’s spring! I would love a flower in a vase for my desk. How many are you talking about here? A carnation in a plastic vase could be done for less than a buck.
That…might…just…work.
Good idea!
How about some cheap games that can be played on breaks? Uno, Boggle or Bananagrams, for instance?
Are treats defined as pastry-like substances? Would a fruit assortment be well received?
Stickers! 
Bubbles!
Perhaps an assortment of the latest in fortified waters, green tea soda ish things, veg/fruit beverages. They are always dear, and they might enjoy the opportunity to try some of them! Plastic cups so they can all taste everything!
That was the first thing I thought of, but we get a good bit of that here.
Not at work. I don’t want to be responsible for bad things happening.
My wife always takes grapes or other cut up fruit to those types of things. She will take the grapes and snip them into little pieces that have like 8-10 grapes on them. That way it is a sweet snack but still a healthy snack. She never comes back with any so I assume they are appreciated!
Bless you so much for thinking of your dieting coworkers. Really, that is very thoughtful.
Scratch & sniff stickers!
Gum.
Thank you! I am so tired of having to watch others eat yummies at my weekly meetings.
I love the idea of different flavored waters/teas. Or even an assortment of tea bags, and a carafe of hot water.
I got some of these with my Think Geek points, and took them in to work on a safety meeting day with lemons and sour-patch kids for everyone to try. Even the perpetually-avoiding candy types (like me, actually) were happy to try because it was for SCIENCE!
why bring anything? If you can’t predict who you’re going to offend, then don’t do anything.
on the flip side, why should they be allowed to fuck it up for everyone else? aren’t the “dieting coworkers” the thoughtless ones?
If you want to bring a heathier treat here is a recipe for a low calorie banana date oat cookie. I have made them a few times and my toddler loves them. No added suger and only about 50 calories each. You could even replace the oil with apple sauce.
Timely. One of the headlines on the front of today’s Wall Street Journal is: “How your colleagues are making you fat.” So, thanks for bucking that trend, OP! Anyway, I’d come in here to suggest stickers, but the flower idea would really raise the bar significantly. (Do you do this every month, or rotate with others? If you rotate, and you brought flowers, whoever’s next in line might kinda hate you. 
)
We rotate, but every other member of the department is a woman, so I’m sure they’ll put their own spin on it.
Oh, hey - the OP is back! Soooooo … whadja bring?
Firecrackers.