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.

As a child, I loved to go sledding. [That’s ‘coasting’ to some of you.] A prized Christmas gift was a Flexible Flyer sled and I used mine every chance I got. Some children liked the saucer-style sleds, but not I. Although I longed to have a sledding party for my birthday, mid-January always brought a thaw. Sigh. The Flexible Flyer sled was manufactured in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Samuel Leeds Allen in 1889. Since his company made farm equipment all winter, he wanted a product to keep his skilled employees busy in the summer. The design of the sled was innovative: the steel runners could be twisted by a steering bar, thus allowing control of the sled’s path. Initially the sled was not a good seller, but Allen wisely waited and interest picked up. During winters of the early 1900s, hundreds of sleds were sold daily. Sleds were made in many sizes and could be steered with the hands, while lying down, or with the feet, while sitting up. I have two Flexible Flyers, both in the ‘Airline’ model designed in 1935. One is the ‘Junior’ at 51 inches long and the other is the ‘Racer’ at 60 inches long, given to me by an aunt who sledded with her husband. In my Golden Years, I have rediscovered the joys of sledding, especially when the air is crisp and the full moon is making the snow sparkle. That’s a treat.

The smooth mound of white dairy products in the breakfast is like a sledder’s dream hill on a snowy day. And after a long day of sledding, there is nothing like a warming bowl of home-made soup for dinner.

Citrus Breakfast: 149 calories 1.5 g fat 1.5 g fiber 15.5 g protein 19 g carbs [5.5 g Complex] 118 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF  Banish any thoughts that this classic ‘diet meal’ will leave you hungry. Delicious, nutritious, and filling, this is a great breakfast for anyone, any day. And it has tons of Vitamin C and A and D.

½ cup reduced-fat cottage cheese 2 Tbsp fat-free French Vanilla yogurt 1 clementine, peeled and sectioned OR 2 oz orange segments 2 Tbsp black currants OR blueberries Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]

TIP: Sometimes the cottage cheese and yogurt can benefit from sitting in a sieve for 20 minutes to drain off extra whey. Combine all the dairy and scoop it onto the plate. Pour fruit on top and watch it roll down the snowy hill. If you plan for a busy morning, combine everything the night before and refrigerate it. Great for a grab-and-go meal. It is a vitamin-blast.

‘Therapeutic’ Chicken Soup: 278 calories 3.4 g fat 5 g fiber 18.5 g protein 36 g carbs [26 g Complex Carbs] 78 mg Calcium   PB  The recipe is from It’s All American Food by David Rosengarten. Simple, filling, and Granma says it is good for you.  NB: Food values are for one serving of 2 cups of soup! One cup is a very hearty serving.

1½ cups excellent chicken broth, homemade or purchased 2 oz [½ cup] parsnips, diced 1 oz [¼ cup] carrots, in coins ¼ cup celery 2 oz cooked chicken breast, cut in ½” cubes ½ oz Pennsylvania Dutch noodles   3 Tbsp parsley

Prepare the vegetables. Cook the noodles in water until just underdone. Heat the stock to a simmer and add 3-4 Tbsp water, which will boil away as you cook. I added the parsnips first and cooked for about 5 minutes, then added the carrots. After another 5 minutes, I put the celery in the soup. Cook until all the vegetables are tender, then adjust the seasoning of the broth. Add the pasta and chicken. It will need extra flavor now since the pasta will have used it up. Add the parsley and cook about 5 minutes longer.

Airline Series:  The Airline sleds came out in 1935 with the ends of the runners turned back to the top of the last cross support.  This major change was meant to prevent other sledders from impaling themselves on the sharp end of another’s sled when running into them.  There were numerous Airline models, each with its own name: Ace (37″); Pilot (41″); Patrol (44″); Pursuit (47″); Junior (51″); Chief (55″); Racer (60″); Cruiser (65″); and (108″).  The Airline names were eventually dropped with a number/letter replacing them, but with the same lengths as before, and the length being the model number.

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

whole-grain bread, 70-calories/slice	1.5 two-oz eggs
applesauce + almond flour/meal	tomato sauce
ham slice/Canadian Bacon/back bacon	bell pepper + garlic
0% fat French Vanilla yogurt + fresh fruit	parsley + apple or pear
Optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

1.5 two-oz eggs + uncured bacon	2 buckwheat galettes
fingerling potatoes, purple or red-fleshed	3%-fat ham
chèvre + chives or green onions	bechamel sauce, no cheese
side salad with blueberries	Jarlsberg cheese + side salad
Sparkling water	Sparkling water