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. Welcome to freeketodiet and fraidycatfinance and morningfatmelter14 who are now Following.

Sandro Boticelli [born March 1, 1445 as Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, but called ‘boticelli’ or ‘little barrel’] was yet another of the great artists of Florence, under the patronage of the Medici Family. He painted in the Renaissance style from 1470 to 1500. True to his time, he depicted religious themes, figures from Greek mythology, and society people in the style of Classical figures. His paintings are full of light and motion and beautiful people. He had many patrons and his skills were in great demand, but Sandro fell under the spell of the ascetic clergyman Savonorola, and he began to consider his mythological scenes to be irreverent. Some say he burned them, some say he refused to take new commissions. For whatever reason, Sandro’s style changed; he was not hired so often, and he was eclipsed by his contemporaries until his death in 1510. His posthumous legacy was obscured as well, until the late 1800s when there was a resurgence of interest in Florentine Renaissance art, permitting Boticelli again to take his place among the greats.

One of Boticelli’s most famous works is Primavera, an enormous painting showing the Goddess Venus with a retinue of Springtime characters. Off to the right, the cold winds of winter attempt to disrupt the revels but to no avail. This painting is on display in the Uffizi Gallery’s Boticelli Room along with The Birth of Venus, the other most-famous of Sandro’s works. It shows the nude Venus being wafted across the water on a giant scallop shell, new-born of the sea’s foam. Our breakfast is all about Spring [even though it will be a few weeks until the Equinox], and our dinner features sea scallops, of course.

Vernal Equinox Bake:  249 calories 8.4 g fat 2 g fiber 14 g protein 17 g carbs [5.5 g Complex] 212 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  For the change of seasons, a breakfast with cured meat [to represent Winter] and artichokes [to stand in for Spring]. Simple and flavorful.

1 two-oz egg 1/4 oz uncured capicola, diced 3/4 oz artichoke hearts, marinated and purchased in a jar 1 Tbsp reduced-fat cottage cheese 1/4 cup blueberries or strawberries + 2 Tbsp plain, fat-free yogurt   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]

Drain the artichokes and chop them. Spritz an oven-proof dish with non-stick spray and sprinkle the capicola and artichokes on the bottom. Whisk the egg with salt and pepper, pour it into the dish, and bake at 350F. 12-15 minutes. Combine the fruit with the yogurt in a ramekin and plate with the egg bake. Serve with optional beverages and gaze upon Primavera by Sandro Boticelli.

Scallops with Peas: 260 calories 9 g fat 5 g fiber 26 g protein 11 g carbs 153 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF flour in the Bechamel  Salty scallops and sweet green peas are a wonderful combination. Very simple to prepare. Low enough in calories to add a Side Salad if you wish.  Perch a picture of Birth of Venus on the table so you can see it as you dine.

¼ pound dry sea scallops 1½ Tbsp chives, chopped ¼ c Bechamel sauce, no cheese ½ cup frozen green ‘English’ peas 1 tsp lemon zest 1½ Tbsp Romano cheese, grated   Optional: side salad

Put the frozen peas in a bowl or cup to thaw. Pat the scallops dry and cut them in half along the equator. Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray and heat the pan over medium-high. Pan-sear the scallops, 1-2 minutes per side, adding some salt and pepper. Turn the heat to low. Add the Bechamel, zest and chives to the pan, along with a little water or white wine to increase the liquid. Add the peas and most of the grated cheese. Heat thoroughly but gently and spoon into scallop shells or ceramic baking shells. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and briefly broil or bake to melt the cheese on top. Serve with Side Salad, adding 36 calories.