Today is the Feast of Saint Nicholas, the father of the Christmas stocking and the origin of the traditional “Father Christmas” and “Santa Claus.”  He was a bishop in Turkey, possibly being of Greek origin. On this day in Holland, Germany, Hungary, and many other countries, Saint Nicholas himself visits houses leaving presents for children.  Give yourself the present of good health and long life. Stay with the Fasting Lifestyle today, even though you celebrate a Feast Day with a breakfast from Holland and a dinner from Greece.

Dutch Breakfast    308 calories     6 g fat       10.7 g protein       22 g carbone 2-oz egg, hard-boiled or coddled HINT: the hardboiled egg can be made days before                                        [that’s a baked egg in the photo]                           ½ oz ham, low-fat from the deli                                                                                           ½ of an Arnold Multi-grain Sandwich Thin [50 cal] OR ½ slice 70-cal bread [35 cal]                                                         OR one “Holland Rusk” [35 cal]                                                   1/8 oz [1/2” cube] cheese if you used less bread, you could have more cheese                     2 oz melon or apple or pear                                                                                               5-6 oz fruit smoothie [March 15, 2015] or green smoothie [June 10, 2015] or unpasturized apple cider        blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water

Warm the ham in a skillet, toast the bread, brew your beverage, slice the fruit, cube the cheese. Prepare the smoothie or take the other half of the smoothie recipe from ‘fridge and shake it to mix.

Meze Meal  297 calories  10 g. fat   36 g protein   21.8 g carb   PB GF ‘Meze’ is the Greek equivalent of Spanish Tapas. Very ‘Mediterranean Diet.’ Well, we don’t live on a vast inland sea, but we’ll take good low calorie, low fat, delicious food where ever we can find it. There are lots of good recipes in the book Meze by Rosemary Barron.

1/4 cup white beans    &   ½ Tbsp capers                                                                      1 oz marinated mushrooms                                                                                                3 oz tomato, cubed   &   generous pinch Greek oregano                                            3 oz cooked shrimp [or 2 oz cooked chicken breast]                                                           1 oz mozzerella cheese [or use feta, same amount]                                                      1 ½ oz lemon-marinated carrots                                                                        marinade: 1 tsp olive oil + 1 tsp lemon juice + pinch of granulated garlic + pinch oregano

Combine the white beans with the capers in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the tomatoes and the oregano. Slice the carrots into small logs or coins and cook until tender. Drain and combine with the marinade in a small jar with a lid. Shake well, remove the lid and let the carrots cool in the marinade. Attend to the shrimp by cooking it and removing the shells, if necessary. Drain the marinade from the jar and pour it over the shrimp. Plate the ingredients to please the eye. Look at photos of the Agean Sea….and try to imagine Santa Claus in that setting.