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.   Welcome to kmwhitaker who is now Following.

Philadelphia, The City of Brotherly Love.   In 1682, William Penn received a charter from English King Charles II to establish a colony in the American wilderness.  Penn envisioned a haven for his fellow Quakers who were distrusted at home because they would not adhere to the Church of England.  The new colony became Pennsylvania [‘Penn’s Woodland’] and the initial settlement was on the banks of the Delaware River.  True to his peaceful principles, Penn made a treaty with the local native people instead of treating them with contempt. [Depicted in Edward Hicks’s famous Peaceable Kingdom.] Quakers and other religious dissenters flooded to the colony, and by 1787 Philadelphia was the largest city of the new  land. Few cities are so tied to the emergence of our nation, and today tourists flock there to see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the Franklin Institute. Modern attractions include the Philadelphia Museum of Art [Rocky ran up the steps], the public parks, the colleges and universities, the sports franchises, and the long list of locals of movies filmed there.

When the topic is food, two things come to mind: scrapple [a mixture of cornmeal and pork which is sliced and pan-fried] and Philly Cheese-Steak. Our breakfast eggs will be flavored with scrapple, a simple treat.  The Cheese-Steak, a favorite since the 1930s, is always served on a hoagie roll often with Cheese-Whiz.  But the roll has got to go on a Fast Day, and Provolone was the original  cheese in the meal, [besides, I wouldn’t have Cheese-Whiz in the house!] so we cook it in the traditional way and serve it en casserole with a cut-out of famous Pennsylvania bread on top in the shape of the famous Liberty Bell.

Scrapple Bake:  290 calories  7.4 g fat  6 g fiber  14 g protein  39 g carbs  220 mg Calcium GF Scrapple is one of the specialty foods of the “Pennsylvania Dutch” people of South Eastern Pennyslvania.  Excellent for breakfast, served as a side dish like sausage or combined with eggs in this bake.

1 two-oz egg                   1/2 oz scrapple, baked until cooked                ½ oz scallion, chopped                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ½ cup raspberries + 1 Tbsp fat-free vanilla yogurt                       blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water            5-6 oz fruit smoothie, green smoothie or natural apple cider

The night before, bake the scrapple in the oven until firm. Dice it and combine with the scallion.                                                                                                                                                                     In the morning, set the toaster oven at 350° F. Spritz a ramekin with oil or non-stick spray. Scatter the scrapple and scallion in the ramekin. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper and pour over the scrapple. Bake 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, portion the berries and dollop the yogurt on top. Brew the hot beverage and pour the smoothie. A fine, homey breakfast.

Philly Cheesesteak en Casserole: 264 calories  11 g fat  1.2 g fiber  33.7 g protein   11.3 g carbs [8.9 g Complex]  263 mg Calcium     The iconic street food of Philadelphia has been made over for Fast Day.  Goes together in minutes.

1 oz onions, sliced              2-1/2 oz rare roast beef, shaved by the deli                                                                                                            0.8 oz Provolone cheese [2 thin slices]       1-1/2 oz broccoli florets                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     1 slice 80-calorie whole-grain bread, from which you will cut a 3-4” bell

In a small skillet sprayed with non-stick spray, cook the onions in a little water until they are limp but not browned and set them aside. Take a slice of Martin’s potato bread and cut out a bell shape using a 3-4” cookie cutter. Lightly toast the bread. Add the beef to the pan and cook the meat while chopping at it with a metal turner. Add the onions when the beef is grey-colored and soft. Boil/steam the broccoli while the meat cooks. Lay the cheese over the meat and take off the heat. The cheese will melt onto the beef. Make room in the pan for the broccoli and top with the bread bell. Enjoy your taste of Philadelphia while you hum the theme to Rocky.