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: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to ____ who are now Following.

To say that politics in France in the early 1400s were ‘troubled’ would be a polite way of saying ‘What a mess!!!’ There was no France as we know it. There was no king. Charles VI had been deposed by the English, who declared that English King Henry V and his heirs were next in line for the throne of France. The English controlled one third of what we now think of France, about half the region was controlled by French loyalists, and another portion was the Duchy of Burgundy, independent but favoring the English. Charles, son of Charles VI, should have been crowned but he was weak and lacked authority. Enter a teenager from Lorraine, a duchy just outside of eastern France. Saints had visited her since she was 13 years old, she said, and told her to go to Charles and to save France. This unassuming girl talks local leaders into introducing her to Charles because she says she can get him crowned king. Although Charles hides amid his courtiers, the young shepherdess picks him out of the crowd. The girl, of course, is Jeanne d’Arc, nicknamed ‘La Pucelle’ [‘the Maiden’], and the year is 1429. Charles tests her further by sending her with an army to wrest the city of Orleans from the English. And she does. On the strength of that, Charles and Jeanne went to Reims, the traditional place to crown a French king, to establish him as the head of the nation. The battles went on, Jeanne’s army won often. In May, 1430, she was captured by the Duke of Burgundy’s men and was ‘sold’ to the English. Imprisoned and put on trial, Jeanne was abandoned by Charles VII, by France, and by the church — the pro-England Roman Catholic Church called her a heretic and excommunicated her. On May 30, 1431, Jeanne d’Arc was burned at the stake in front of the Cathedral of Rouen. Twenty-five years later, new inquiries were held, overturning her trial. Jeanne’s restoration was complete in May, 1920 when she was declared a saint, the Patron Saint of France. May seems to be the Month of the Maiden.

Domremy, where Jeanne was born, is in the Lorraine part of France. Lorraine is known as the origin of quiche. In honor of Jeanne’s birthplace, a nod to Quiche Lorraine. Jeanne was killed in Rouen, Normandy, where crepes and galettes are part of the diet. In recognition of Rouen’s role in Jeanne’s death, a meal of galette and local seafood. The life of Jeanne d’Arc impressed me greatly when I read a biography of her in 6th grade. I still am in awe of her courage, her faith, and her life.

Bake Lorraine: 180 calories 11 g fat 1 g fiber 12.5 g protein 7.6 g carbs [4.4 g Complex] 193 mg Calcium  NB: The food values shown are for the egg bake and the fruit, not for the optional beverages.  GF  You’ve heard of Quiche Lorraine? Well, here it is, crustless, yet with all the flavor intact. Very do-able for breakfast. Make sure your next meal has lots of fiber, as this has next to none.

1 two-oz egg ½ slice uncured bacon 3 Tbsp whole milk ½ oz Swiss cheese [Emmentaler, Gruyere] pinch cayenne pepper + pinch nutmeg 2 oz strawberries Optional: blackish coffee[53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Dice the bacon and cook it until crispy. Grate or finely chop the cheese. Spray an oven-proof dish with non-stick spray and put the cheese on the bottom. Whisk together the egg, milk, and seasonings. Pour over the cheese, then sprinkle the bacon on top.  HINT: I did all this the night before. Bake in a 350F oven for 17 minutes. Plate with the fruit. A creamy, delicious treat!

Seafood Galettes: 269 calories  7 g fat 3 g fiber  18 g protein 19 g carbs [10 g Complex]   142 mg Calcium   PB  This recipe is a terrific idea for a quick meal – IF you have Bechamel sauce and galettes in the freezer.  HINT: This recipe makes enough to serve 2 [two] people.

7 oz Ahi tuna fillet OR mixed seafood, cooked and cut in ½” bits 1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese  2 buckwheat galettes  6 Tbsp bechamel sauce without cheese 2-3 Tbsp fish stock 1.5 oz cauliflower florets 1 oz carrot ‘coins’ 2 oz zucchini slices

If your tuna isn’t cooked, poach it gently in fish stock – enough to come half-way up the fillet. Reserve the stock as you will use some of it later. Cut the fish into small chunks. Gently heat and whisk the bechamel with 2 Tbsp fish stock and the cheese until the cheese melts. Add the fish/seafood to the sauce, adding more stock if you wish. Prepare the vegetables and begin to cook them. Warm the galettes, wrapped in tea towel, in the microwave. When the fish and sauce are warm and the vegetables are cooked, plate the vegetables and place the galette on the plate too. Divide the fish and sauce between the two galettes and serve. Delicious!