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.

We here in the Northern Hemisphere are now in the season of Autumn, or “Fall” as it is called in the USA. If you were to ask different people when Autumn begins, you would get a slew of different answers: Meteorological Autumn, one of the four three-month divisions of the year, begins September 1 and ends November 30. When the meteorologist on TV says “This was the warmest Fall on record,” it is based on temperatures from September, October, and November. This coincides roughly with…….. …..Astronomical Autumn, one of the four natural seasons of the year, begins at the Autumnal Equinox in late September [on the 23rd in 2023], and ends at the Winter Solstice in late December. You can see how this complicates the meteorologists’ calculation of total snow-fall in ‘winter’, since Autumn runs late into December. The start of Astronomical Autumn is the day of the Equinox: marked by equal hours of day/night. Seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth, which changes the angle of the sun’s rays. Skywatchers know that Autumn is here because it is the best viewing time for the constellations Perseus, Andromeda, and Pegasus which are found high in the dome of the sky at this time of year. For Scholars and Educators, Summer ends and Autumn begins when school resumes after a Summer break. In the US, this was usually after Labor Day, to permit farm children to help bring in the harvest. In recent years, the long, blissful Summer Vacation has been eroded more and more, and schools begin in August. Ask a Fashionista, and she will say that Autumn begins after Labor Day, when the wearing of white clothing stops. [Except that she probably lives in a city where ‘Urban Black’ is in fashion year ’round.] Store owners mark the start of Autumn by putting the Back To School goods on the bargain rack and hauling out the Hallowe’en goods. If they display Christmas items, this is called ‘rushing the season.’ Farm Stand owners in higher latitudes know that the turning colors of leaves, the availability of apple cider, and the display of pumpkins will attract local customers and tourists on a ‘Leaf-Peeping‘ expedition to stop in for Autumn’s start. Often seeing the first turning leaves causes people to think that Fall has begun. Coffee Roasters and Brewers know that Fall has begun when they issue their Pumpkin Spice flavored java and the seasonal Pumpkin Ale.

However you define Autumn, we can’t ignore the delicious ingredients that are available as the seasons change: summer vegetables and autumn’s offerings overlap, as traditional seasonal flavors combine in eggs for breakfast and on pizza for dinner.

Autumnal Equinox ScrOmelette:  147 calories 7.5 g fat 1.6 g fiber 10.6 g protein 12 g carbs 52 mg Calcium   NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  The mushrooms are for Autumn, the tomatoes are for Summer. This meal is for when the seasons overlap.

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.  ½ oz mushrooms, chopped 1½ oz tomatoes, cubed/diced, drained 1 Tbsp scallion, chopped 2 oz peach or plum or pear 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]

Drain the tomato cubes in a sieve, overnight if possible. Put the vegetables in an oil-sprayed non-stick pan to warm them and to cook them a bit. Whisk the eggs and pour over the vegetables in the pan. Scramble or cook as an omelette. Prepare the beverages and plate the fruit with the eggs. Contemplate the change of the seasons.

Autumnal Equinox Pizza: 285 calories 8.5 g fat 6.4 g fiber 10 g protein 43.4 g carbs 96 mg Calcium  PB A whole-grain pizza with flavors of the season is just what you need for the Autumnal Equinox in September. Summer’s tomatoes meet Autumn’s cured olives and meat. HINT: This 8” pizza will serve two [2] on a Fast Day.

6 oz whole-wheat pizza dough 3 Tbsp canned crushed tomatoes 4 black olives, chopped 1/3 oz prosciutto, chopped 4 tsp grated Parmesan  per serving: side salad with cukes and beets

Heat the oven to 490F. Have one rack in the middle and one rack at the bottom position in the oven. Brush a baking sheet with enough olive oil to cover an area 8” in diameter. Press and stretch the pizza dough into an 8” round on the oiled baking sheet. If the dough won’t cooperate, let it rest for 2 minutes. Spread crushed tomatoes over the crust, leaving ½” around the edges. Distribute the olives and proscuitto on top, then sprinkle with Parmesan. Place the pizza on the baking sheet in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Use this time to prepare the salad. Now open the oven and see if you can lift the pizza off the pan with a turner. If the pizza is too floppy, return it to the oven for another minute or so. When the pizza is baked enough not to be floppy, take it off the baking sheet and put it on the lower rack, with no pan at all. Continue to bake another 3 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Remove the pizza to a rack to cool and ‘out-gas.’ It must be on a rack, not the cutting board or counter or plate. Remove the pizza to a cutting board and cut into 6 pieces. On each of two plates, place the salad and 3 pieces of pizza. A bit of Pizza Heaven on a Fast Day.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large	1 two-oz egg
Scallions + Smoked salmon	scallions
chèvre /goat cheese — the soft kind	white whole wheat flour
parsley + blueberries	soy sauce + melon
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

salmon + garlic + milk	chicken stock + fresh ginger + cornstarch
clam juice/fish stock + leek	beef + garlic + ground coriander
cornstarch + green beans	red pepper flakes + onion
dill + nutmeg + cayenne + peas	broccoli + red bell pepper + brown rice
Sparkling water	Sparkling water