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.

Who was the premier historian of Medieval England? The Venerable Bede. Who was the leading authority on scripture in Medieval England? The Venerable Bede. Who wrote the first translation of Saint John’s Gospel into ‘English’? The Venerable Bede. Who was this guy?? Bede was born near Jarrow, England in 673, a time when the Romans had departed, the Vikings had not yet arrived, and England was a melting pot of Angles, Saxons, Jutes. At age seven, his parents turned him over to the Benedictines for his education. Young Bede was a voracious learner and very devout, so at age 19 he was ordained as a deacon although he did not become a priest until he was 30. As a monk, Bede lead daily Mass, worked in the bakery, at the farm, and still had time for scholarship. To Bede, prayer and fasting were important parts of his devotion, but he maintained that loving one’s neighbor was as important as loving God. Despite invitations to visit and preach at other monasteries, Bede was almost like an anchorite in his refusal to leave the Jarrow area. He even turned down an invitation to visit the pope in Rome. So the world came to him. From all over England and parts of Europe. Through it all, Bede studied. He wrote 45 books on scripture and his seminal text: the five volume Ecclesiastical History of Britain in 731. Bede worked to solve the thorny issue of knowing the date for Easter and he was the first to discuss time based on years since the birth of Christ [Anno Domini]. Much as he loved learning, Bede said that “It is betters to be a stupid and uneducated brother who, working at the good things he knows, merits life in heaven, than to be one who –  though being distinguished for his learning in the Scriptures, or even holding the place of a teacher – lacks the bread of love.” We should all remember that.

The residents of monasteries ate a lot of fish. To meet a year-round need, fish was smoked or brined or dried to preserve it. Today’s meals rely on smoked fish for their flavor.

Kippered Yorkshire Pudding:  226 calories 5 g fat 6 g fiber 11 protein 33.5 g carbs 102 mg Calcium   HINT: This is enough for 2 [two] servings. Nothing says Yorkshire like the iconic pudding and kippers. This is a meal to eat at home or to take on the road for a get-away breakfast.

1 oz kippered herring ½ cup 1% milk 1 rounded tsp high gluten flour ½ cup white whole wheat flour [or all-purpose, for lower protein and fiber] one 2-oz egg ½ tsp dry mustard ¼ tsp salt 3 oz pear   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait[65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Soak kippered herring in water for 30+ minutes. Drain and mince. Whisk the milk, flours, egg, mustard and salt until combined, but do not over-mix. Spray a 7” pie plate with cooking-spray and sprinkle in some kippers. Carefully pour in the Yorkshire Pudding batter, then sprinkle with the remaining kippers. Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Cut into 4 pieces. Plate two pieces per person along with the pear. What a flavor combination!

Finnen Haddie with Cabbage:  287 calories 12.5 g fat 6.5 g fiber 25.5 g protein 18 g carbs 250 mg Calcium   PB GF – if using GF flour in the Bechamel  The flavor of smoked haddock is so marvelous that it elevates the humble cabbage to new heights.

3 cups sliced cabbbage and/or kale 1/3 cup [100 ml] Bechamel sauce, without cheese nutmeg 2½ oz finnen haddie [smoked haddock], skin removed ½ oz Brie or Camembert cheese, chopped

Cook the cabbage, covered, in boiling water for around 10 minutes. Drain, saving some of the water. [use remaining water for baking] Place the Bechamel, 2-3 Tbsp of the cabbage water, and the finnen haddie in a pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the fish and break into pieces less than an inch in size. Add the cooked cabbage to the sauce with a sprinkle of nutmeg, and stir until well-combined. Add the fish and turn into an oven-safe dish. Strew the cheese bits on top and bake at 375 F for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts. Sigh. Delicious.

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

1.5 two-oz eggs + apple or pear	rhubarb + vanilla
crab meat + soy sauce	plain fat-free Greek yogurt
mung bean sprouts	3%-fat ham + rolled oats
mushrooms + scallion	lemon juice + turbinado sugar
ground ginger + hot sauce	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

pork + chicken + sugar + sherry	halibut
wonton wrappers + scallion	side salad or asparagus
chicken stock + cornstarch	rhubarb agrodolce: onion, fresh ginger, rhubarb..
shrimp + sesame oil + cabbage	…butter, hard cider, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, brown sugar
Sparkling water	Sparkling water