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.

On July 11, 1960, Harper Lee‘s novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published. What a sensation it made! The writing lovingly evoked a childhood passed in a sleepy Southern town, oppressed by heat, humidity, and racism. As the narrator describes the events surrounding a sensational trial in the town, tensions unfold that are scarcely understood by young Scout Finch and her brother Jem. Since her own father is the defense attorney, things could turn dangerous for the family, not to mention for the wrongly-accused defendant. My mother said how much she liked the book and that Scout reminded her of me. When I went to the library to get the book for myself, I was told to go back to the Children’s Section for my reading material. In 1962, the story was reintroduced, this time as a movie starring Gregory Peck as Scout’s father. It was made into a stage play and a new version is on Broadway. Harper Lee’s story of Scout’s childhood deserves to be told again and again. Reread it soon.

Calpurnia, the Finch family’s cook/nanny/housekeeper, would surely have combined ham and corn and eggs for a meal. And here they are at breakfast. And on hot summer nights, nothing beats a BLT [Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato] sandwich with a 3-Bean Salad. Very Southern.

Ham-Cup Egg with Corn: 140 calories 6.7 g fat 1.3 g fiber 10 g protein 11 g carbs [10 g Complex] 36.8 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PG GF  Ham and corn are such a grand combination. Easy to prepare ahead for a quick breakfast.

1 two-oz egg 1 slice “Cottage Ham” [4” diameter thin slice of ham] I used North Country Smoke House brand at 21 calories/slice 1 Tbsp fresh polenta [see Second Fiddles I-9-’19] 1.5 tsp red bell pepper, diced dash or two of Sriracha 3 oz watermelon

Fit the ham into an oven-proof container that measures 3.25” in diameter and 1.25” deep. [I used a cleaned tuna can. It was perfect.] You will need to snip the ham on 2 sides and overlap the meat to make it fit better into the mold. Combine the polenta with the diced pepper and season with Sriracha/salt/pepper to taste. Whisk in the egg and pour into the ham cup. HINT: I did this the night before and put it in the ‘fridge.Turn on the toaster oven to 350 F and bake the ham cups for 20+ minutes, until the filling is puffed and set. Prepare the optional beverages and the melon. Use a wide knife to loosten the ham cups from the mold before plating. Some of the egg will have oozed into the mold as it baked, but that is easy to remove too. This is a real treat!

BLT: 291 calories 10 g fat 4 g fiber 14.4 g protein 34 g carbs [22 g Complex] 231 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF bread Until I worked out the calories, I wouldn’t have believed that this would be fit for a Fast Day. But it is! Go ahead, enjoy.

2 slices whole wheat bread at 60 calories/slice 2 slices uncured bacon 1 oz lettuce 2-oz sliced tomato 1/3 cup 3-bean salad, see Sidekicks I, Sept 17, 2017 ½ button original Baby-Bel cheese

Lightly toast the bread. Cook the bacon until crispy. Assemble the sandwich: lettuce, bacon, tomato, lettuce. Plate with the salad and cheese. A real treat.

Ingredients for next week: 

Breakfast — single portion for Monday ………………… single portion for Thursday:

1 two-oz egg	1.5 two-oz eggs
slicing tomato	crushed tomatoes
Arnold multigrain sandwich thin	cheddar spread
Canadian Bacon, 20 calories/slice	horseradish + clementine
Optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

Dinner– single portion for Monday: …………………………. single portion for Thursday:

firm-fleshed fish + butter	bulk sausage meat
eggplant + yellow bell peppers	chickpeas + onion
cherry tomatoes + fresh corn	scallion + potato
salad ingredients [Second Fiddles, 9-Jan-’19	Savoy cabbage
Sparkling water	Sparkling water