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 for another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.
Winter + Soup — was there ever a more perfect pairing? Here in Northern New England, we do winter. Robert Frost [Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening] winters. John Greenleaf Whittier [Snowbound, A Winter Idyl] winters. And in our household, we enjoy the season. If you don’t like winter, move to a different latitude instead of griping about it. Winters are dangerous but they are often beautiful and they are good for our local environment. Plus, Spring and Summer are even more enjoyable after a hard winter. The calendar might say that Spring is on the way, but we know better. Live in the moment and appreciate the weather where you are. During Winter, eat soup. Today’s meals include a Japanese breakfast soup with a ‘Hot Spring Egg’ and a French dinner soup. Each will warm your innards.
Japanese Onion Soup with Onsen Tamago Egg: 195 calories 5 g fat 1.6 g fiber 15.6 g protein 24 g carbs [9 g Complex] 43 mg Calcium PB GF Our Younger Son prepared this for us one morning after a day of heavy eating and it was a revelation: light yet hearty and so delicious. “Onsen Tamago” means ‘hot spring’ and it is a very different [to me] way to cook a soft egg. HINT: This recipe is enough for 2 servings. Easy to save for another breakfast or lunch one or two days from now.
2 two-oz eggs ½ cup sweet onions 2 cups chicken or beef broth 3 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp mirin 1 oz dry Japanese noodles, such as soba @ 95 calories/ounce Sriracha, to taste garnish: scallions, chopped 2 oz melon blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or lemon juice & hot water NO SMOOTHIE
Onsen Tomago Egg: HINT: The eggs can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. 2 whole eggs in shells 1 liter water + 1 cup cold tap water Bring 1 liter of water to a boil. Once it boils, remove it from the heat, and add 1 cup of cold water. Using a slotted spoon, place eggs into the hot water and cover. Let sit for 17 minutes, then remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Serve hot or refrigerate for up to 2 days. NB: You can cook up to 4 eggs with this same volume of water.
Onion Soup: Cook noodles according to package, shock in cold water and put in serving bowls. Place sliced onions and stock into pan and bring to boil. When stock comes to boil, reduce heat to a strong simmer and cover. Cook until onions are soft (they should not be rigid when you pick them up with chopsticks). When onions are almost finished, add soy sauce, mirin, and sriracha and stir. If the liquid has reduced noticibly, add water. When the onions are finished, pour the onion and broth over noodles. Carefully crack onsen tamago egg into broth. Garnish with green onion and serve the melon on the side. Eat with chopsticks and a Japanese spoon.
Cabbage-Sausage Soup: 264 calories 11 g fat 5 g fiber 14 g protein 25.5 g carbs [22 g Complex] 66 mg Calcium PB GF Since this is Jacques Pepin’s recipe, I’ll let him say it: “When the weather gets cooler in the fall, I make soup. I generally cook up a big batch and freeze some for whenever I need it. This one, with sausage, potatoes, and cabbage, is hearty and good for cold weather.”
8 ounces mild Italian sausage meat 1 ½ cups onions, sliced 6 scallions, cut into ½-inch pieces (1¼ cups) 6 cups water 1 cup chickpeas 16 oz potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks 8 ounces savoy cabbage, chopped/sliced 1¼ teaspoons salt
Chef Pepin continues, “Break the sausage meat into 1-inch pieces and place it in a saucepan over high heat. Sauté, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to keep the meat from sticking, for 10 minutes, or until the sausage is well browned. Add the onions and scallions and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the water, chickpeas, potatoes, cabbage, and salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 45 minutes.” Portion for storage or serving. One serving = 1 cup.
Breakfast, single portion for Monday: ……….. single portion for Thursday:
| watercress or microgreens | 10-Grain Cereal, Bob’s Red Mill |
| plain yogurt, low-fat + honey | applesauce + maple syrup |
| Golden Berries or Blue Berries | reduced fat cottage cheese |
| Camembert cheese | nutmeg + cinnamon |
| Whatever you need for your smoothie | Whatever you need for your smoothie |
| Whatever you need for your hot beverage | Whatever you need for your hot beverage |
Dinner, single portion for Monday: …………….. single portion for Thursday:
| rabbit meat + onions + herb savory | salt cod + garlic cloves |
| 3% fat ham + chicken broth + thyme | olive oil + boiling potato + cauliflower |
| portobello mushrooms + potato starch | milk + carrots + black pepper |
| Arnold Sandwich Thin or whole-grain bread + carrots | fennel seed + tomato slices |
| Sparkling water | Sparkling water |
Eating well, with creative recipes, to follow the Fasting Lifestyle according to Michael Mosley's "Fast Diet." 