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.

Tomorrow marks the birthday of A. A. Milne in 1882. He was, of course, the actual father of Christopher Robin and the literary father of Winnie the Pooh.  After an education at most of the right schools, Milne became a writer for the popular magazine Punch.  WWI saw him serving on the Somme and returning with PTSD.  Following the war, Milne enjoyed long rambles with his son and the teddy bear which of course became the duo made famous in the books; much to the rue of the son and the father who were both over-shadowed by their association with a stuffed toy.                                                                   The appeal of the Pooh books is the depiction of a simple time and place, where toys can talk and life is idyllic.  Pooh did struggle with his weight.  “A bear, however hard he tries, grows chubby without exercise…”  Bearing this in mind, we will continue the Fasting Lifestyle with foods suitable for a comfortable cottage in the 100-Acre Wood.  No Hunny.

Cottage Breakfast:   278 calories  3.8 g fat  4.8 g fiber  10.2 g protein  24.2 g carbs   181 mg Calcium  PB   I wanted a breakfast that evoked a cottage in the English country-side, so here it is. The pan muffins are very good.

1 pan muffin **                                                                                                                                                               ½ c. raspberries                                                                                                                                                         1 Applegate sausage [or a 33 calorie equivelent]                                                                                                       5-6 oz fruit smoothie or green smoothie or natural apple cider                                                   blackish coffee, blackish tea, or lemon in hot water

HINT: I prepared 8 griddlecakes from the 10-grain mufffin batter, cooked them, and froze them. I made the rest into muffins to eat on Slow Days. Take one griddlecake from the freezer the night before and let it thaw. Cook the sausage in the microwave or warm it in a non-stick pan along with the griddlecake. Dish the berries, brew the hot beverage, pour the smoothie. What a sweet and easy meal.

**10-Grain Muffin Batter: 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill 10-grain hot cereal mix                                                       1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk [combine cereal + milk and let sit while preparing other ingredients.                     1/3 cup butter           7 Tbsp sugar           1 cup unbleached flour                                                                       1 tsp salt         1 tsp baking powder         1 tsp baking soda

Cream the butter and sugar; mix in the egg. Add the dry ingredients and the cereal/milk mixture.                Stir until just combined. Use 2 Tbsp batter for each griddlecake                                                                     [use 4 Tbsp batter to make each muffin for Slow Day breakfasts]

Steak & Mushroom Pie:  277 calories  4.8 g fat   6.9 g fiber   27 g protein   25.6 g carbs   34 mg Calcium     Two very compatible flavors together again, topped [not encased] in puff pastry. Similar to a meal enjoyed at The Sign of the Angel in Lacock, Wiltshire, England. A real treat.  HINT: recipe serves 2 [TWO], photo shows one serving.

4 oz grilled sirloin steak [leftover from a previous meal, restaurant or home-based]                                                                      1.5 cups mushrooms, chopped it very large                                                                                                    1 Tbsp red wine                                                                                                                                                        ¼ cup creamed onions                                                                                                                                         ½ tsp thyme + salt & pepper to taste                                                                                                               1/6 sheet puff pastry [Pepperidge Farm frozen sheets are easy to find and use]                                             per person: 1/3 cup peas

Thaw the frozen puff pastry for 40 minutes on the counter. Remove one of the sheets, unroll it carefully, and cut the sheet into 6 squares. Return the other sheet, wrapped, to the freezer. [TIP: stack the remaining 5 pieces with waxed paper or cling wrap between the layers. Pop into a zipper bag and freeze for later use.] Cut the steak into 1/2”-1” cubes. Combine the meat with the mushrooms, wine, onions, seasonings in an oven-proof dish just large enough to hold the meat mixture yet large enough to be topped with the puff pastry. Heat the meat mixture until it is warm. Lay the puff pastry on top, decoratively slitting the crust. Bake at 400° F. about 15 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned. Cook the peas and imagine that you are in what Americans imagine as an English pub.

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

1 two-oz egg	1 two-oz egg
Cheddar cheese	Tattie Scone:  mashed potato, milk, egg white, white whole wheat flour, baking powder
low-fat ricotta cheese
apple
raspberries	1 oz apple or pear
Whatever you need for your smoothie	Whatever you need for your hot beverage
Whatever you need for your hot beverage	Whatever you need for your smoothie

Dinner, single portion:

4 oz white fish or salmon	lamb liver
olive oil  +  chicken stock	ground lamb
onion  +  scallions  + garlic	onions  +  coriander
diced tomatoes	rolled oats
can of chick peas	6″ spring roll wrappers
	lettuce  + vinaigrette dressing
Sparkling water	Sparkling water