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.

Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, who’s Feast Day is November 17, must have had it in for the Netherlands, formerly called Holland. On November 19, 1404, a huge storm surge flooded many towns in parts of Holland and Flanders called Brabant. New dikes were built afterward, but they were not complete. On November 17, 1421, heavy rains had swelled the rivers and a north-westerly storm pushed sea water on land. Catastrophic floods resulted, somewhere between 2000 and 10,000 people died, and 30 towns were destroyed. And if that weren’t enough, there was a third event on November 18, 1424. Each of these inundations, due to their occurrence near the Feast Day, were called “Saint Elisabeth Day Floods.” The horror of those times is told in the story of the baby and the cat. During the flood, a man in Dordrecht saw a wicker cradle floating by on the wind-whipped water. The waves tipped the cradle to this side and that, yet it did not tip over. Inside the cradle was an infant girl and on top of the cradle was a cat. When the cradle tipped, the cat leaped to the other side, balancing the small vessel with its weight. The man pulled the cradle to safety and the cat ran away. There was nothing to identify the baby, and no one came to claim her. The City of Dordrecht adopted the girl, named her Beatrix [meaning “happy”], and paid for her upbringing and education. She grew up to marry a Jakob Roerom, and gave birth to three children. I hope she had a special place for cats in her home. Oddly, St. Elisabeth was known for helping flood victims during her lifetime…

The farm families of Brabant loved to eat and their fertile land provided their needs. The breakfast features bread, eggs, cheese, and ham — always on hand on the farm. At dinner, autumn vegetables shine in a marvelous pie. The cheese for both these meals should be Gouda or Edam or another fine Dutch cheese of your choosing.

Breakfast Casserole:  192 calories 6 g fat 2 g fiber 14 g protein 13 g carbs 69 mg Calcium  NB: The food values shown are for the plated items only, not for the optional beverages.  PB GF – if using GF bread This is my take on strata-type breakfasts. It is hearty, flavorful and very satisfying. HINT: This receipe makes enough for two [2] breakfasts. If serving one person, enjoy the rest of the casserole as a lunch or breakfast later in the week.

1¼ oz 70-cal. whole-grain rye bread, cut in ¼” dice two 2-oz egg + 1 egg white [1.5 Tbsp] ¾ oz minced 3%-fat ham 2 Tbsp Gouda cheese, grated ¼ c milk, skimmed herbs/seasonings of your choice ½ tsp mustard  per person: 2 oz apple  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] 

Spray an oven-safe dish or two ramekins with non-stick spray. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with milk, seasonings, and mustard. Stir in the bread, ham, and cheese. Stir ingredients together and pour into the dish. HINT: you should prep this the night before so that the bread will asorb the wet ingredients. Cover the ramekin and pop it in the ‘fridge for morning. Bake at 350º for 18-20 minutes. While it is baking, prep the fruit, and prepare your optional beverage.

Vegetable Pie: prepared with LATTICE + cheese: 1 Serving= 236 calories 9.4 g fat 4.6 g fiber 7 g protein 44 g carbs 115.6 mg Calcium   PB GF – if using GF puff pastry. This excellent recipe is from allrecipes.com. To make it more Fast-friendly, I removed most of the oil and half of the puff pastry, and it still tastes wonderful. The grated cheese is my addition. HINT: This recipe makes enough for 3 servings.  To serve 2, I used 2/3 of the cooked vegetables in an 8” casserole dish.

Sv 3: 1 Sv= 1¼ cup	Preheat oven to 425 F /220 C
1 tsp oil + 1 tsp water ½ c onion 4 oz mushroom 1 clove garlic	Chop the vegetables. Heat oil+water in a large skillet/ saucepan. Add the vegetables and cook 3-5 mins, stirring often.
1 lg carrot, peeled ¼ pound potato, peeled one 7” stalk celery 1 c. cauliflower ½ c green beans 1½ c veg broth rosemary + thyme 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp black pepper	Dice carrots and potato. Slice celery and beans into 1” pieces. Cut cauliflower into florets. Add all vegetables to pan, then add broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook until vegetables are barely tender, ~5 mins. Season with salt and pepper.  TIP: I added fresh thyme and rosemary, more salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of za’atar.
1 Tbsp cornstarch 1 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp water	Mix until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir into vegetables, and cook until sauce thickens, ~3 minutes. TIP: can do day before. For 2 servings, remove 1¼ c of vegetable mixture, and freeze for a later meal
1 oz Gouda cheese, grated ½ sheet puff paste OR ¼ sheet, cut for lattice	Pour filling into a baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Roll out puff pastry and arrange over filling. If not using lattice, cut slits in the crust to vent steam.
	Bake until crust is brown and filling is bubbly, ~30 mins

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

1 two-oz egg	1.5 two-oz eggs
tomato puree + parsley + onion	variety of fresh herbs
Bell pepper + cayenne	grapes or melon or strawberries
applesauce or apple
Optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

4 oz mackerel in two filets	one 16-oz can red beans + onion
tomatoes + lees	one 16-oz can diced tomatoes + green bell pepper
grainy mustard	cumin + chili powder
oregano + coriander	Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese + melon
Sparkling water	Sparkling water