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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.
The Runaway Bunny, 1942. The Little Fur Family, 1946. Mr Dog, 1949. Goodnight, Moon, 1947. Did you love those books as a child? Did you read them to your own children? [I read the Runaway Bunny so often to our older son that I memorized it. Our younger son would not take a nap unless Mr Dog was read to him.] Those titles and almost 100 others are the work of the author Margaret Wise Brown who was born on May 23, 1910. After college, she trained as a writer then became an editor of children’s books at Harper. Although she famously once said, “I don’t particularly like children,” she clearly understood the sort of book would appeal to them: books with adventure, independence, and the reassurance of home. And then there were the wonderful illustrations by Clement Hurd, Garth Williams, and others. She was not, as an NPR article put it, “the quiet old lady whispering ‘hush’.” Brown was ever questing and out of the box. Her love affairs might have shocked the parents who bought her books. Just as she was getting ready to settle down, she had emergency surgery in Nice, France. Upon release from bed rest, she executed an exuberant high kick, dislodged a blood clot, and died. Good night, Margaret. And yet, as James ‘Pebble’ Rockefeller, her fiancé, said of her, “her light is burning ever brighter.” To celebrate her birthday, we will eat colorful foods [The Color Kittens, 1949] and foods from Southern France, which she toured before her death.
Spinach Fritatta: 131 calories 9.4 g fat 1.5 g fiber 17.2 g protein 24 g carbs 311.5 mg Calcium PB GF Long an item in food magazine brunch articles, it was time to take it to the Fasting table. Worth the wait: delicious and filling.
1 two-oz egg 1 egg white 1 Tbsp cottage cheese 1/4 oz Manchego cheese, grated 2 Tbsp scallions, chopped ½ clove garlic, minced 3 Tbsp cooked spinach pressed, drained, chopped salt to taste + nutmeg + garlic powder 2 oz kiwi/strawberry Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or lemon in hot water Optional: 3 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [44 calories]
Combine the cheeses, mushrooms, garlic, spinach, and flavorings. Spritz a 4” custard cup with non-stick spray and spread the cheese mixture evenly in the bottom. [I was cooking for 2 and used an oval 5×7” baking dish] HINT: do this the night before and leave on the counter. Set the oven for 375° F. Beat the eggs until broken up and frothy. Pour over the spinach/cheese mixture and bake for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the optional beverages and plate the fruit. Breakfast is great.
Chicken Ratatouille Galettes: 267 calories 7.6 g fat 5 g fiber 24 g protein 38 g carbs 321 mg Calcium PB Galettes/Crêpes are wonderful to have on hand for use with a variety of fillings. If you had the galettes/crepes and the filling previously-made, then the meal goes together in no time.
2 galettes [that’s the name for a buckwheat crêpe] [see Sidekicks I, Sept 17, 2017] 1.5 oz chicken breast, cooked ½ cup Mediterranean Vegetables [see SIDEKICKS II Oct 4, 2017] 1 Tbsp goat cheese + 1 oz mozzerella cheese herbes de Province OR tarragon
If making crepes/galettes from scratch now: prepare the batter and let stand 30+ minutes. If using frozen crêpes, put them in a plastic bag on the counter and let them thaw. Turn on the oven to 250 F.. Cut or shred the chicken into small pieces. Put into pan with the Med.Veg. and heat enough to warm the vegetables, to reduce the liquids, and to cook the chicken. Take off heat. Prepare the crêpes/galettes: either cook them now from batter or finish the thawing process by putting them in a warm oven. Add cheeses to mixture in the pan, and stir to combine. Toss in lots of herbes de Province or fresh herbs and taste for seasoning. Arrange the galettes on a cookie sheet and divide the filling among them. Fold over, pressing down gently. Heat in the warm oven.
Breakfast, single portion for Monday ………………… single portion for Thursday:
| 1 two-oz egg | 1.5 two-oz eggs + ham |
| 1 buckwheat crepe | cooked pork, |
| roasted green chiles | Swiss cheese |
| pear | dill pickle |
| 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:
| halibut + olive oil + scallion | salad greens + chicken |
| spinach + shallot + chicken broth | grapefruit + avocado |
| Thai red curry paste | 1 egg + lime-flavored oil |
| lite coconut milk + lime | white wine vinegar |
| Sparkling water | Sparkling water |
Eating well, with creative recipes, to follow the Fasting Lifestyle according to Michael Mosley's "Fast Diet." 