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.

“Cornscateous” is one of the favorite weather words of the Old Farmer’s Almanac. They define it as ‘hot humid weather that is good for growing corn.’ Corn is native to the Americas and was cultivated extensively by First Nations people. Field Corn is for animal feed. Indian or Flint Corn is for grinding and for Autumn decorations. Sweet Corn, in all its variety, is for EATING! When I was a child, our family would have a ‘corn dinner’ every summer — the entire meal consisted of ears of sweet corn, all you could eat. Even the cat liked it.

Here are 4 recipes for corn: two for breakfast, two for dinner. Two made with fresh corn, two made with corn meal. Enjoy it while it is ripe.

Ham-Cup Egg with Corn: 140 calories 6.7 g fat 1.3 g fiber 10 g protein 11 g carbs [10 g Com-plex] 36.8 mg Calcium PG GF Ham and corn are such a grand combination. Easy to prepare ahead for a quick breakfast. 2-oz egg + red bell pepper + slice ham + fresh polenta + watermelon For the full recipe, see Scout + Jem

Hoe Cakes with Two Toppings 183 calories 5.6 g fat 5.4 g fiber 9.7 g protein 23 g carbs [17.4 g Complex] 44 mg Calcium PB GF This recipe harks back to Colonial Days in the Ameri-can South. Everyone from enslaved people to President George Washington ate hoe cakes. HINT: This recipe makes 6 hoecakes – enough for 2 servings. Originally this would be made with white cornmeal, but the yellow has more nutrition. NB: Hoe cakes were never ‘cooked on a hoe’ by farm workers, as some will tell you. Silly notion.

3 Tbsp yellow corn-meal [even polenta meal would do]  2.5 Tbsp hot water	Combine by stirring well to make a mush. Let sit for 15 minutes
1 oz egg white ¼ tsp yeast	Stir into the warm cornmeal mush and let sit for 1 – 12 hours This was 125 ml in volume
2 Tbsp cornmeal 2 Tbsp water ¼ tsp salt	Mix into the cornmeal mush. If you take some up on a fork, it will sit on top with a little batter dribbling through. If it is not like this, add more cornmeal or more water. This was ½ cup in volume.
	Using 2 tbsp of batter per cake, drop onto a hot griddle sprayed with non-stick spray. This should make 6 cakes. Cook on both sides. Best if eaten while fresh.
¼ cup raspberries 1 tsp honey one 2-oz egg	Put the fruit and honey in a small dish and microwave for 30 seconds. Fry the egg.
Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]	Plate 2 of the Hoecakes with the egg and the other with the berry syrup.

FRESH POLENTA: 1 serving = 1/3 cup = 80 calories  fresh or frozen corn kernels + unsalted butter + freshly-ground pepper + salt From Jacques Pepin, this is excellent served with a simply prepared fish. For the complete recipe, see Second Fiddles I-9-’19

POLENTA: makes 6 slices 1 slice: 51 calories 0.2 g fat 0.6 g fiber 1.8 g protein 10 g carbs 26 mg Calcium A fine side dish for poultry or fish. Polenta corn meal + skimmed milk + Italian herbs For the full recipe, see SIDEKICKS II 4-Oct-2017

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

1 two-oz egg	1.5 two-oz eggs
tuna, fresh or canned + melon	apple + cinnamon
frozen spinach + anchovy	light cream
mediterranean vegetables	sugar + butter
Optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

halibut + spinach	pork tenderloin + broccoli
shallot + Thai red curry paste	apples + chicken stock
chicken broth + scallion	Bechamel sauce
light coconut milk + lime juice	carrot + thyme + sage
Sparkling water	Sparkling water