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.

There is a popular American folk song entitled “Home on the Range.” I’m sure every school child learns it at some point. The words were written by a homesteading doctor in 1872, to express his delight in the country life in Kansas. The tune was written by the author’s friend. By 1925, sheet music was printed and the origin of the song was temporarily obscured. Then came recordings by the likes of Bing Crosby [who’s version is supposed to be the best], Frank Sinatra and John Denver. It is the State Song of Kansas. The song is nostalgic for a close-to-nature life [low population density and wandering wildlife right outside your door] which the Homestead Act, by encouraging people to move to the plains, was designed to wipe out.

To be ‘home on the range’ also refers to cooking your own food, often from scratch. [A ‘range‘ is an older term for a cook surface with an oven below it.] Many of the ills of being over-weight could be solved if people would cook their own food from fresh ingredients. That way one can control the amount of salt and sugar and fat in the recipe. Purchased food is often ultra-processed food and that creates a host of problems. If you really want to deal with your weight, change the way you cook: from calories to quantity of portion. And home-prepared food can cost less! Good reasons to try cooking at home.

To get you to be home on the range, try these recipes to remind you of the ‘roaming buffalo’ and the deer playing in the fields. Bison meat can be a revelation, so try to find it. And nothing says ‘open prairies’ like chili for dinner.

Bison ScrOmelette: 147 calories 8g fat 0.4 g fiber 14.5 g protein 4 g carbs [2 g Complex] 48.5 mg calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. GF Bison meat is a fine source of protein and is more healthy than beef. You should try it.

1 ½ two-oz eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.  0.6 oz ground, cooked bison ½ Tbsp [0.1 oz] sliced scallion ½ Tbsp spaghetti sauce 1 oz melon Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or lemon in hot water Optional: 3 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [44 calories]

Briefly warm the bison and scallion in a saute pan spritzed with non-stick spray. Whisk the eggs with the spaghetti sauce and pour over the meat/scallion in the pan. Cook in your desired way: scramble or omelette. Plate with the melon and listen to Bing Crosby sing ‘Home on the Range.’

Venison Chili: 299 calories 3.8 g fat 10.4 g fiber 30 g protein 45.6 g carbs 146 mg Calcium  PB GF  HINT: This is enough for 2 one-cup servings. Save the remaining chili for another dinner later or invite a fellow-Faster for dinner.

6 oz ground venison 16 oz canned tomatoes – in chunks or diced 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 cup red onion, chopped 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped 3/4 cup canned red beans, drained and rinsed 2-4 tsp chili ¾ tsp salt ½ – 1 tsp ground cumin  per serving: a small slice of melon, as a garnish

Cook the venison, onion, garlic, and green pepper in some of the tomato juices until vegetables are tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook gently until the chili is hot throughout. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning. Serve one cup for dinner tonight with the melon on the side.

Ingredients for next week:  Breakfast, single portion for Monday ………………… single portion for Thursday:

1 two-oz egg	1.5 two-oz eggs
chèvre cheese	hummus
Mediterranean Vegetables Sidekicks II, 4 -Oct-2019	Mediterranean Vegetables Sidekicks II, 4 -Oct-2019
melon + herbes de Province	strawberries
Optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

romaine lettuce + cherry tomatoes	Lamb + mint/cilantro
green beans/haricots + salmon	Moroccan Spices
black olives + hard-boiled egg	canned white beans
white wine vinegar + olive oil	peas + Moroccan seasoning
Sparkling water	Sparkling water or mint tea