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.

The Thursday before Easter [as a ‘movable feast,’ it has no set date] is Maundy Thursday, when Christians observe the occasion of ‘The Last Supper.’ Jesus, knowing that he would be arrested that night, was going to have a special dinner with his friends. He had told his disciples many times that he would be arrested and killed, but they did not believe him. In this modern era, one hears of a prisoner on Death Row being offered a last meal of his choice. What would you order for such a meal? The imagination runs wild! But the original Last Supper was not a meal of favorite or luxurious foods. It was the first night of Passover, so naturally this group of Jews would have a Seder meal: a set menu enshrined by tradition. That was the special dinner with his friends, not a farewell feast, but a religious observance. The sense of foreboding that Christians have when reading this story lead to its depiction by many artists. Da Vinci’s painting is probably the most famous, showing the moment when Jesus tells the group that one of them will betray him; sometimes the artist shows the washing of the apostles’ feet; sometimes we see an empty chair or Judas departing to alert the Roman guards. Always, we see the bread and wine on the table in front of Jesus, ready to be blessed and shared. What these images do not show is an accurate portrayal of the table. The Romans had borrowed heavily from Greek culture, and those customs were assimilated by conquered nations. Thus, instead of sitting upright in chairs, all on one side of the table [‘Everyone on this side for the photo!’], Jesus and the 12 apostles would have been reclining, Roman-style, all around the table. [The pre-Roman denizens of Italy, the Etruscans also reclined.] The washing of feet was a ritual in Jewish, Greek, and Roman cultures. The offering of wine at the end of the meal was the ancient Greek and Hebrew custom of libation. The meal as depicted in the Gospels is a combination of many cultures, even though their meaning is lost to us in modern times. But the rituals remain, to guide and reassure us through our own troubled days.

The meals presented here contain the elements of Passover foods, interpreted for breakfast and for dinner.

Passover ScrOmelette: 143 calories 7.5 g fat 1 g fiber 10 g protein 8.4 g carbs 56 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  The flavor combinations of Passover are too good not to enjoy at breakfast.

1½ two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week  1 Tbsp diced beets [I used pickled beets] 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped 1 tsp horseradish 1.5 oz unsweetened applesauce, sprinkled with ½ tsp cinnamon Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Whisk the horseradish and salt/pepper to taste with the eggs. Pour into a pan which has been sprayed briefly with cooking spray. When the bottom of the eggs have just set, add the beets and parsley. Scramble to your heart’s content or fold like an omelette. Prepare the optional coffee/and smoothie. The applesauce with cinnamon will be delicious with the sweet beets and tangy horseradish.

Lamb Salad [Aka Seder Salad]: 261 calories 15 g fat 3 g fiber 21 g protein 26 g carbs 85 mg Calcium   PB GF If a previous dinner could involve a leg of lamb, save a few slices to make this salad. This meal is great for sharing with a guest, as it doubles well.

1 cup salad greens 1 Tbsp fresh parsley 3 Tbsp celery, diced 1½ oz apple, cubed 2 oz cooked lamb, from the leg or other lean cut 4 walnut halves 1 hardboiled egg 1½ tsp horseradish dressing

Chop the walnut into large pieces and toast in a dry skillet until fragrant. Cut egg into wedges; slice the lamb and celery; cube the apples. Toss the greens, celery, apples, and parsley with the dressing and arrange other ingredients to suit the eye.

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

1 two-oz egg + green pepper	2%-fat cottage cheese
cottage cheese + pear	plain, fat-free yogurt
celery + onion	mango + clementine
Tabasco sauce + cajun seasoning	granola
Optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

22-25 mussels	wonton wrappers + turmeric + ginger
bechamel sauce with cheese	garlic + soy sauce + carrot
Cheddar cheese + scallion	cabbage + scallion + onion + raw chicken breast
Broccoli + Triscuit/whole-grain crackers	yogurt + curry powder + chili sauce + catsup
Sparkling water	Sparkling water