In the middle of a long, snowy winter, you look forward to a meal — that’s why people overeat in February. They think they are going to hibernate. Then there is Valentine’s Day… And Mardi Gras — you know that translates as ‘Fat Tuesday’ don’t you? But it doesn’t mean boring food to battle the bulges. Tomorrow’s menu really tastes good! [sorry about the formatting — it would not change for me]

PowderMill Scramble       247 calories       9.3 g fat      17.6 g protein         34.3 g carbo          This recipe is straight out of Jerry Willis’ Powder Mill Pond Restaurant where it was a favorite. Alas, brunch is not served at Jerry’s Marzano’s Tratoria, but you can enjoy this at home. Can’t believe the flavor of this!

1 ½ 2-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Beat up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next Thursday.                                                                                                                             ½ oz smoked salmon                                                                                                                                         1 Tbsp chopped chives or scallion greens                                                                                              1 clementine OR 1 ½ oz apple                                                                                                                                                   5-6 oz fruit smoothie or pure apple cider                                                                                     black coffee, black tea, lemon in hot water

Whisk the eggs [salt and pepper may not be needed depending on the seasoning of your salmon]. Pour into a pan which has been sprayed briefly with cooking spray. Before the eggs set, add the salmon and scallions. Scramble to taste. Brew your beverage and take the previously-made smoothie from ‘fridge. Plate with fruit of choice.  HINT: This would be a wonderful dinner, as long as you didn’t eat eggs for breakfast.

Baltic Hot Dog Dinner:     302 calories    12.1 g fat      11 g protein      27.3 g carbs             Believe it or not, this is adapted from the book Two Fat Ladies Obsessions. The meal has wonderful Eastern European flavors and is so simple to prepare that I assembled it in 16 minutes since the ingredients are ‘off the shelf’ :                                                                                               2 low-fat hot dogs [I like Hebrew National reduced-fat @ 100 calories each]                         ½ cup canned sauerkraut, drain it but save ~1/2 c. liquid                                                                                                                        ¼ c pickled beets                                                                                                                                        ¼ c sliced onions                                                                                                                                         ½ tsp horseradish from a jar                                                                                                                     2 Tbsp white beans, drained and rinsed     

Put the hot dogs [frozen or thawed] and onions in a saucepan with a little water or some juice from the sauerkraut. Let cook until the dogs are cooked and most of the liquid is evaporated. Remove the dogs and add remaining ingredients to the pan to heat. Add more liquid if needed. Cut the hot dogs into 5-6 pieces and put them back in the pan until all ingredients are heated through.