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. 

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” This 360-year-old saying is about being fooled or tricked in a business transaction, rather than a harmless prank. One who tries to cheat another for money deserves shame indeed. But if the one who is tricked does not learn to be more wary from the encounter, then shame on him/her/they for being such a fool. There’s a lot of that going around these days: telemarketers on the phone, products offered on late-night television, pop-up ads on the internet, misinformation abounds and people get duped. Check your facts, people! Tomorrow will be April Fool’s Day, when the emphasis is on fooling people, but in a kindly, jesting way.

I’m not fooling you to say that the breakfast recipe is unusual in flavor and pretty to behold. I had fun creating it and indeed fooled Dear Husband. To prepare breakfast, he took the filled ramekins out of the ‘fridge and popped them in the oven, thinking they were both eggs to be baked. Ha! Because tomorrow is Maundy Thursday, the dinner takes on a more somber note: a meatless, hearty ‘peasant’ soup [that’s not a slam of ‘peasants’ since their food is often flavorful and healthy].

Trompe l’Oeil: 135 calories 6 g fat 2 g fiber 10.5 g protein 9.6 g carbs 128 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF   Here is a meal to fool the eye and tickle the palate with its combination of the cold soup and the hot egg. The soup, which is good as a lunch in larger portions, comes from cuisine actuelle.fr

½ cup Cucumber Soup*** + 0.9 oz ball of cantaloup melon one 2-oz egg + 1 tsp grated Parmesan + 1 Tbsp whole milk

Spritz an oven-safe ramekin with non-stick spray and break the egg into it. Sprinkle the Parmesan around the yolk. Spoon the milk around the yolk. Add salt and pepper. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, scrape the soup into a similar ramekin. Nestle the melon ball in the soup. Plate them side by side and smile.

***Cucumber Soup  makes 3 cups, easy to cut in half

two 8” cucumbers [total mass = 21 oz	Slice off both tips of the cucumber and remove half of the green peel. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Dice the cucumber.
A bunch of mint	Remove leaves from stems and chop the leaves coarsely.
Piment d’esplette [or paprika or Aleppo pepper] to taste salt & pepper to taste	Put the cucumber, mint, and seasonings in a food processor. Run the machine until the cucumber is very finely chopped.
200 grams/ 7 oz Fromage Blanc or plain Greek yogurt	Add cheese/yogurt and run the processor long enough to combine. Adjust seasonings.
1 Tbsp-sized cantaloup balls	Place in a ramekin, garnished with one melon ball per serving

Czech Garlic Soup Česneková polévka: 194 calories 5 g fat 4 g fiber 9 g protein 27 g carbs [18 g Complex] 84 mg Calcium PB GF – if using GF rye bread What could be better on a chilly night than a cozy bowl of soup? This is a classic from czechcookbook, but feel free to make it your own. The calorie count is so low that you could add other vegetables or low-fat meat.  HINT: This recipe makes 8 cups of soup. One serving = 1 cup

1 Tbsp unsalted butter OR bacon fat     7 cloves garlic	Chop garlic and saute in butter/fat in a stock pot.
7 cups water OR Chicken OR Beef Broth 1½ tsp salt 3 cups cubed potatoes  3 cups cubed parsnips	Peel potatoes and parsnips and cut in cubes. Add to broth and salt in the stock pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are just under-done. Remove ½ cup soup stock and cool.
1 egg 1 tsp marjoram	Whisk the egg, then whisk it into the reserved ½ cup of soup stock. Return to the stockpot, stirring, and add marjoram. Taste for seasoning. Let sit 8-24 hours.
Per person: ¼ oz rye/whole wheat bread, cubed Per person: ¼ oz Swiss cheese Per person: side salad	Portion the soup for dinner and freeze the rest. Toast the cubes of bread. Grate the cheese over them while hot. Use to garnish the reheated soup at serving time.

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

1 two-oz hard-boiled egg	1.5 two-oz eggs
ricotta cheese + Siracha	cooked chicken meat
70-calorie whole-grain bread	Rogan Josh sauce
tomato + strawberries	strawberries
Optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

onion + fresh ginger + parsley + turmeric	pork tenderloin + fresh ginger + garlic
Indian curry powder + garam masala + plum tomatoes	red+ green bell peppers + carrot
mushrooms + plain yogurt + lemon juice	peanut butter + dark soy sauce
2-4 hard-boiled eggs + brown rice	Sriracha + crushed red pepper + honey
Sparkling water	Sparkling water