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

Every December the sun stands still.  HUH?? Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the days have been getting shorter and the sun is lower and lower in the sky at noon.  Then the sun stops going lower and becomes higher in the sky every day. The time at which this occurs is called a “Solstice‘ from the latin words for ‘sun stands.’  In ancient times, people feared the winter darkness and rejoiced with feasting and fires on the day of the Solstice.  How did they know when it would occur? That’s what solar calendars like Stonehenge are for.  Light a fire if you wish, and then celebrate by eating quiches that look like little suns and a dinner from sunny Senegal.  And now the days get longer.

Breakfast Quiche:  281 calories   7.7 g fat   3.3 g fiber   15 g protein  37.6 g carbs   350 mg Calcium PB GF This versital recipe can be prepared for breakfast, as shown here; can be used at dinner; or can be tripled [to make 12 mini-quiches] to serve as part of a brunch. TIP: Each quiche clocks in at 68 calories, so one serving is two quiches.

1 two-oz egg                                                                                                                                                                                          1 Tbsp ricotta, drained if too liquid                                                                                                                        2/3 oz mozzerella cheese, grated                                                                                                                      2/3 oz Jarlsburg cheese, grated                                                                                                                                        1 oz broccoli                                                                                                                                                                                                1/3 oz onion                                                                                                                                                                              herbs, salt, pepper to taste                                                                                                                                           1.5 oz melon, cubed  +   2 Tbsp blueberries                                                                                                                     black coffee or black tea or lemon in hot water                                                                                             5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie

Get out your mini-muffin pan and spray 2 holes with non-stick spray. If the vegetables are raw, chop them and put into a microwave-safe dish with some water. Cook on high for 45 seconds or until tender. Drain water and put vegetables into the muffin pans. Top with grated cheeses. Whisk the egg with the ricotta and seasonings. Pour into the muffin pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. Prepare the beverages and fruits. So pretty.

Senegal Tuna-Avocado Salad:   264 calories   14.6 g fat   6.4 g fiber   13.2 g protein  18 g carbs 29.8 mg Calcium  PB GF   This is my version of Avocat Creole which I enjoyed at Bissap Baobab, an excellent Senegalese restaurant in Oakland, CA. 2.5 oz white/Albacore tuna                                                                                                                                    2 Tbsp celery, minced                                                                                                                                       pinch or 2 ground ginger                                                                                                                                       ½ tsp lime juice                                                                                                                                                 Sriracha sauce                                                                                                                                                         ¾ oz apple, diced  TIP: most recipes use mango, but the apple is wonderful!                              1/2 tsp mayonnaise made with olive oil                                                                                                                   2 oz avocado                                                                                                                                                               2 Tbsp radish or alfalfa sprouts   [optional]                                                                                                                        4 oz cherry tomatoes                                                                                                                                                          ¼ oz [½ cup] baby spinach leaves                                                                                                                   aioli:  1 tsp mayonnaise made with olive oil + Sriracha

Lightly combine the tuna with the celery, ginger, dash of Sriracha, lime juice, apple, and ½ tsp mayonnaise. Arrange the spinach leaves in the center of the plate and mound the tuna on top. Slice the avocado and layer on top of the tuna. Mix remaining mayonnaise with Sriracha to taste and drizzle the aioli over the avocado. If the cherry tomatoes are not bite-sized, cut in half. Place tomatoes around the edge of the plate and sprinkle with sprouts. A fine meal when you want a taste of lands where the sun shines brightly.

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

Dinner, single portion: