Going Bananas

As this long & busy holiday weekend winds down and I prepare myself for the upcoming work week, I find myself needing a motivational boost--and a tasty treat.

First...here's the treat:

A Baked Banana

1 underripe medium banana
Dash lemon juice
4 tsp artificial sweetener
Dash ginger

Bake banana in its skin at 375F about 25 minutes. Peel skin; sprinkle with lemon juice and sweetener; add dash of ginger.

(Why is this such a rare treat? Well, because on the 1972 Retro WW Plan--although fruit is required 3 times per day--bananas are one of the "limited" fruits which is only permitted once per week! Also included on this list? Grapes and Cherries. That's just the rules, folks--don't try to understand it.)

Next...here's the motivational boost:

A Jean Nidetch Quote

The beautiful thing about losing weight, and I think probably any other kind of accomplishment that takes some sustained effort, is that it lets you know you can succeed at anything you really want to do. I am here to tell you that there is no limit to what you can accomplish, but you have to commit yourself to following your dream...Those who are successful with the program are the ones who tell themselves that they are not going to let anything stand in their way. People who say they can't succeed spend the rest of their lives proving it.

--Jean Nidetch, The Jean Nidetch Story 2009

Ahhh! There's nothing quite like a Tasty Baked Banana Treat and a Good Ol' Jean Nidetch Quote to get your week started on the right foot. Thanks Jean. Now I am ready to face the world.

PS: Stop back later this week to check out my atrocious yet entertaining experiment involving an unsuspecting bunch of celery, a jar of pimentos and some dental floss! You know you're curious...