How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

December 4th is the Feast of Saint Barbara. I have always liked this saint, partly because of frequently seeing the lovely young woman holding a tower during classes in Northern Baroque art; partly because my dear sister-in-law is named Barbara. Living in Heliopolis, Syria, Saint Barbara’s wealthy Roman father wanted to keep his beautiful daughter safe from men who might prey on her, so he locked her in a tower for her own good. In the years she was thus cloistered, Barbara became interested in religions other than the Roman pantheon. The new Christian religion appealed to her, so she studied it secretly and became an adherent. When at last her father chose a husband for her, Barbara rejected him because he was not a Christian. Enraged, her father cut off her head. Is Barbara the pre-cursor of Rapunzel? IDK.  Eid il-Burbara, the Feast of Saint Barbara is celebrated in Christian families in Lebanon.

In some Levantine Christian cultures, barley or wheat is sprouted in shallow trays of soil on December 4. The greenery is used around the Christmas crêche, then in February it is plowed into the fields to bless the crop. In that tradition, our breakfast features bean sprouts. Since a coastal city in California is named after her, we will enjoy “Santa Barbara Salad” from that fair realm for dinner.

Sprouted Bake:  156 calories…   9.7 g fat…   2.5 g fiber…   10 g protein…   9 g carbs…   47 mg Calcium…  PB GF   Time to get the sprouts out of the sandwiches and into the breakfast.

++1 two-oz egg +++ ¼ c radish or alfalfa or mung sprouts ++++1 oz avocado ++++ 1 Tbsp 2%-fat cottage cheese ++++  ¼ cup blueberries ++++ optional: blackish coffee or blackish tea ++++ optional:  5-6 oz fruit smoothie, green smoothie or natural apple cider 

Mash the avocado and mix with the cottage cheese. Heat the toaster oven to 350 degrees F.  Spritz a 1-cup ramekin with cooking oil or spray and put the sprouts in it. Whisk the egg with the avocado mixture and pour over the sprouts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Portion the fruit and pour the beverages. Rich and smooth.

Santa Barbara Salad:  280 calories…   13.3 g fat…   5.7 g fiber…   16 g protein…   21.3 g carbs…   105.8 mg Calcium…   PB GF   From a Washington Post food column, this salad sings of California. Truly delicious. HINT: This amount serves 2 [two]. Invite a friend or save for lunch later in the week.

++ ½ head Boston or buttercrunch lettuce++++1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved ++++ ½ medium apple, cored and diced ++++½ cup diced chicken breast ++++¼ cup chickpeas++++ 1 oz soft goat cheese ++++1.5 tsp pinenuts ++++1 Medjool date ++++ 1 hardboiled egg, sliced in rounds ++++  per serving: 1.5 tsp cinnamon dressing**                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

First prepare the dressing and refrigerate. Next, toast the pinenuts in a heavy skillet until they just begin to brown. Take off heat and set aside. Shred the lettuce and put in a bowl along with all the other ingredients. Toss with 1.5 tsp dressing per serving, sprinkle with pine nuts, and arrange the sunny sliced eggs on top.  Play a Beach Boys song and wear your sunglasses.

 **Cinnamon Dressing:     makes 4.5 tsp [you will have some leftover]                                                   ++ ½ shallot [¾ oz]++++1 Tbsp olive oil ++++1.5 tsp balsamic vinegar or raspberry vinegar ++1/8 tsp cinnamon ++                                                 Shake together in a jar. Refrigerate until needed.