Truth be told, I’ve never visited Province, the sunny South of France.  But we have all read A Year in Province, Toujours Province, and all those other books by Peter Mayle. Who hasn’t yearned for a trip to the locales painted with such love by Cezanne and Van Gogh? Maybe a couple of meals from Province will help.

Herb Scrambled Eggs w/ toast 291 calories                PB  GF if you use gluten-free bread3 two-oz eggs of which you will use 1 ½ eggs per person HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week                                                                                                                                                            1 Tbsp chopped herbs: chives, rosemary, oregano, thyme, lavender                                                               salt & pepper to taste                                                                                                                                      ½ piece of 70-cal whole-grain bread                                                                                                          5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie                                                                                              hot beverage of choice                                                                                                                                    3 oz strawberries or 2 oz grapes

Whisk the eggs with salt & pepper to taste. Pour into a hot pan sprayed lightly with cooking oil. When bottom of eggs are set, sprinkle the herbs over the eggs, fold, and plate. Toast the bread, brew the beverage, pour the smoothie, and gaze at a print of Van Gogh’s exuberant “Sunflowers” while you eat.

Chicken Provinçal:     270 cal         7.6 g fat        24.4 g protein      19.4 g carbs         GF    This recipe is from the Culinary Institute of America, with a few tweeks by me.

3 oz chicken breast, boneless & skinless                     1 Tbsp flour             1 tsp olive oil                  1 garlic clove, minced                             1 anchovy fillet, oil rinsed off                      1 Tbsp dry white wine                        ½ c tomatoes, chopped, juice retained                  2 Tbsp chicken stock                         2 cured black olives, sliced                                      2-3 oz broccoli florets

Fillet the chicken breast meat by cutting it along the thin side to create 2 slices. These will cook faster, as well as looking like more food on the plate! Sprinkle the flour over the chicken to coat it lightly. Heat the oil in a small non-stick skillet and cook the chicken on one side. Turn once to cook the other side, remove from pan. Put the garlic, anchovy, and wine in the pan, mashing the solids with a spoon as they heat. Momentarily, add the chicken stock and olives to warm them and cook until the sauce thickens. Return the chicken to the pan to heat it briefly. If the sauce is in danger of cooking off, add some water or more stock. Cook the broccoli and enjoy your meal from southern France.