PEANUT BUTTER DELIGHT

I awoke this morning earlier than usual and salivating for a PB sandwich! I say I awoke "earlier than usual" -- but that doesn't mean a thing. You were probably washing your luncheon dishes by that time unless, like me, you use lots and lots of paper plates!

I've started using a CPAP machine at night -- one of those crazy machines that's supposed to help you sleep better! Baloney! They say it takes anywhere from four to six weeks to get accustomed to using the cumbersome things, and I believe it! My primary physician says if I lose 10 lbs., or maybe 20 (Why doesn't she come right out and tell me I need to lose at least 50 pounds?) -- anyhow, with some weight loss, I may be able to sleep without the use of the CPAP machine.

Well, that was incentive enough to get me started on weight loss beginning with eating more fiber. So I started with 100% whole wheat bread -- not plain old whole wheat, but 100% whole wheat the diet book said. You have to read labels! I'm just starting the regimen and, to my great delight, peanut butter is recommended! Wow! So my breakfasts these days consist of one slice 100% whole wheat toast slathered with peanut butter and a small banana split into thirds for a fabulous sandwich! The banana takes care of the complex carbohydrates needed to satisfy my Vitamin C portion of the diet! Add to that Vitamin D foods (such as veggies) and foods rich in Omega 3 and you have it. And I've lost seven pounds in seven days. Wonder how long I can keep that up?

Potatoes -- any kind of potatoes -- are my downfall. Know what else I learned? Cauliflower, cooked until soft, real soft, then mashed is almost as good as mashed potatoes! Hey, I'm learning.

And know what else I learned? I can eat bacon, crispy bacon, that is, with all the fat cooked out of it. So my noon lunches are as unique as my breakfasts. I make a sandwich using leaf lettuce for bread. For filling I use two slices cheese (I have to cheat a little bit, you know!) and two slices of bacon. Then top it off with more peanut butter! At least I don't get hungry afterwards.

But what really ticked me off on the necessity of dieting was the pictures we had taken last week for our church directory. They made me look like the broad side of a barn! My husband was a sweetheart, though. He never once said, "I told you so!"

Preacher's Kid

P.S. Did you ever try making a peanut butter open-faced sandwich like the one I described above only instead of putting sliced banana on it, sprinkle it with chocolate chips and nuke it in the microwave a few seconds! Now that's a sandwich to die for!