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 Henrietta Watson and pkpostpage who are now Following.

Lucas Maler was born on October 4, 1472 in the town of Kronach in Franken, now Germany. He studied art with his father Hans, learning wood-cutting, printing, and painting. Thirty years later, he turned up in Vienna, Austria, as a popular portraitist. This lands him a life-time gig with Frederick the Wise, as artist and style maven in charge of everything visual in the court at Wittenberg. By this time, the Protestant Reformation is just beginning. Lucas, now with the last name ‘Cranach’ after his birthplace, became great friends with Martin Luther, the leader of the German protestants. Cranach is known as the ‘Painter of the Reformation’ for his many portraits of Luther, making the reformer look human and humble. He established a studio with a large staff trained in his style. This left him free for his many other interests: local politics, local businesses. His studio cranked out work quickly, producing some 1500 existing works. One of his best is Adam and Eve: lovely to behold and filled with symbolic animals. Good psychology too — you can see Eve saying, “Here, Honey, try this fruit.” while Adam says, “Well, I don’t know…” Compare to the work of his rival and friend, Albrecht Durer. Cranach trained his sons in his workshop and Lucas, aka ‘The Younger,’ became known in his own right. He produced many works, perpetuating his father’s style and influence well into the 1500s.

For Cranach the Elder’s birthplace in Franken, aka Franconia, a breakfast of favorite flavors of that State. The dinner is popular in Franconia, but variations of pork-and-onion dishes are found all over Germany. I wish I could have included a winged serpent somehow… That was Cranach’s heraldic emblem with which he signed his work after 1508. That was useful in art history class when we were shown a work we had not seen before and had to identify the artist, style, and date. I could say, “Winged snake! Cranach! 1530!”

Franconian Breakfast: 163 calories 4.4 g fat 4 g. fiber 13 g protein 22.5 g carbs 117 mg Calcium  NB: These values are for the plated items only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF– if using GF bread  Here some favorite flavors of the German State of Franconia come together for breakfast. My stars!! This is delicious!

1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread 1 oz smoked trout 2 oz plum 2 Tbsp small-curd cottage cheese + 1 Tbsp snipped chives   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]   Optional: 3 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [44 calories]

Lightly toast the bread. Stir together the cottage cheese and chives, and spread on the toast. Plate along with the trout and plum. Some might prefer to place the trout on the bread and eat it thus, which is a great way to do it.

Zweibel, the Bamberg Onion: 282 calories 8 g fat 6.5 g fiber 24 g protein 37 g carbs 91 mg Calcium Onion and pork are a fine combination, and very popular across Germany. This unusual recipe is from Bamberg, Franconia.  HINT: Serves two [2] people.  Recipe is adapted from one offered by Bamberg’s historic Schlenkerla Brewery.

2 large onions, 6 oz each after trimming + peeling	Peel onions, cut off both ends. Scoop out the onion until the sides are two layers thick.
112 g/4 oz raw pork   44 g/1½ oz cooked smoked pork/ham	Put pork and smoked pork/ham with the insides of the onion through meat grinder/processor.
Salt & pepper ½ tsp each mace & marjoram 1½ ounce egg 1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread chopped parsley	Mix meat-onion with the eggs, bread, spices and parsley to form a stuffing/filling.
	Fill onions with stuffing. NB: I had stuffing left over.** Roast in a skillet with some water, uncovered ~25 mins at 200C./400F.
1 slice smoked bacon	Fry bacon in another skillet until partially cooked — not crisp. Remove from frypan and cut in half. Put a ½-slice on each onion and return to oven. Bake 20 mins.
**left-over stuffing	Meanwhile, form remaining meat filling into two equal patties, and cook gently in the bacon fat until done. Place in center of serving plate. Add the drippings from this skillet to the next step.
4 Tbsp brown meat stock 2-4 tsp whole-wheat flour pinch mace + pinch cloves	Remove onions from skillet and place on top of the meat patties. Add stock, flour, spices to drippings from both skillets. Heat on stovetop, stirring, to form a thick gravy.
2 oz carrot coins per person	Serve surrounded with carrots and topped with gravy.