People who are new to Fasting often pose the questions: “Can I really eat ‘anything I want’ on a Slow Day?” and “What should I eat on Slow Days?” To answer those questions, I have decided to add some blog posts to show some of the foods we eat on what the world calls NFDs [non-fast days] but which, in our house, we call ‘Slow Days.’ This feature will appear sporadically. 

Now for the answers. Can you really eat ANYTHING you want on a Slow Day? Not really. If you eat too many calories every Slow Day, you will not lose weight. There are many questions asked on the FastDiet Forum which attest to that. Once in a while you can splurge, as long as it isn’t everyday. For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet. As for how we eat, an example follows.

When I was growing up, my mother served chicken for dinner every Sunday. It was delicious. When Dear Husband and I moved to the country [our dirt road looks much more ‘suburban’ after 40 years], we decided to raise chickens: for eggs and for meat. Since then, we have always had a supply of chicken: whole roasters and parts. We are very lucky to be so well fed. When our sons were in residence, we would eat chicken every other Sunday: roasted and served with mashed potatoes, gravy, and a side of peas. Classic. And then there were left-overs. Now that the boys are off on their own, a chicken goes a lot farther. Here is the tale of one chicken. [no, we don’t give them names nor are they our pets]

We’ll draw the veil of secrecy between chicken in-the-straw and chicken in the freezer. Dear Husband roasts a darned good chicken, with his herb and spice flavorings, and the carrots and onion in the cavity. Once it has been roasted and carved, one is left with a carcass that still has plenty of meat.

Savory Roll, a recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, is a favorite use for cooked chicken. One and a half cups of shredded chicken meat, along with the vegetables, plus some gravy or stock for moistening, some dark leafy greens, chutney, egg, and bread crumbs: all goes into the Food Processor to produce 2 cups of ground filling.

A pie crust or biscuit dough is then rolled out, and the filling placed down the middle of the dough, log-shaped. The log of filling is then encased in the dough, sealing the edges.

Baked in a hot oven until the dough is brown and cooked, the Savory Roll is now done. This time, I sliced it and served it like a ‘country pate’, with mustard and side vegetables. When encased in biscuit dough, it can be napped with gravy.

What’s next? Chicken stock [some call it ‘bone broth’] from cooking the carcass in seasoned water until, as Julia Child would say, ‘It has given its all.’ I then pressure can it to store in the pantry until it is time to make soups.