How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Thursday, eat the meals that will be posted on Wednesday.  Eat sensibly the other days of the week.  That’s it.  Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

Every summer for the past 25 years, we have gone to the Canadian Maritimes for vacation.  We love it there.  We have stayed in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland [even thought it is not technically one of the Maritimes].  But most of our time has been in Prince Edward Island. The food, the people, the music, the scenery: all are memorable but today we’ll focus on the food. SEAFOOD!! And enough fresh fruit in the summer to wallow in it from June to October. But in October, we bid a fond farewell, vowing next summer to return.

Maritime Bake:   296 calories   6.8 g fat  3.1 g fiber   22 g protein  35 g carbs   246 mg Calcium PB GF   To us, the Maritimes of Canada are all about seafood, potatoes, local cheese, and lots of the herb Savory, winter or summer. Then there are the strawberries: June/July in Nova Scotia; July in PEI; August in Newfoundland. Good people, good food.

1 two-oz egg                                                                                                                                                              1/2 oz salt cod , buy it in a bag or in a box                                                                                                         1/8 oz Cheddar OR ADL brand “Old/Fort”, grated                                                                                       1 tsp dried savory                                                                                                                                                   1/2 Tbsp dry potato flakes + 1 Tbsp water                                                                                                pepper to taste                                                                                                                                                                2 oz strawberries                                                                                                                                          blackish coffee or tea or lemon in hot water                                                                                                  5-6 oz fruit smoothie or green smoothie or unpasturized apple cider

The night before: 1] stir the potato flakes and water together in a small bowl and let sit to moisten. 2] cover the salt cod with water and soak 30 minutes. Drain and flake into small pieces. TIP: Many recipes tell you to soak the cod again and again to get rid of the salt, but I think that makes the cod taste bland. Use your judgement.

Next morning: Spritz a ramekin with cooking spray. Set the toaster oven at 350 degrees F. Combine the potato, cod, and savory and put into the ramekin. Whisk the egg and pour over the cod. Top with grated cheese and bake 12-15 minutes. Prepare your beverages as you like them and plate the berries.

Mussel Gratin:  267 calories   14 g fat   2.3 g fiber   30 g protein   16 g carbs   354 mg Calcium PB GF –if using GF flour   When we steam mussels for a feast, there are often some left over. Removed from their shells, the meat can easily be frozen in the cooled cooking broth. A wonderful item for a quick future meal.

3 oz cooked mussels, removed from shells [when you click the link, be sure to read all the comments  incurred by saying that PEI cultured mussels are not the best you can get.]                                                                                               4 Tbsp mussel broth [from cooking the mussels]                                                                                           2 tsp flour [I use King Arthur unbleached]                                                                                                   ½ oz Gruyère cheese, grated                                                                                                                             ½ tsp curry powder                                                                                                                                                     3 oz green beans

Warm the mussel broth and whisk in the flour. Heat over low until thickened. Add curry powder and cheese. Whisk until cheese is melted and sauce is well combined. Add the mussels. Spritz a ramekin with non-stick spray and scrape the mussels and sauce into the ramekin. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes while you cook the beans.