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.

“…December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy.” Those words by President Franklin Roosevelt summed up the feelings of most Americans. The infamous act, of course, was the Japanese sneak attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i. The US was caught flat-footed as 353 Japanese bombers swooped over the harbor, staffing and bombing, damaging 21 American ships and killing 2,403 U.S. personnel. The nation was taken by surprise — shock and disbelief reigned. Long protected by the giant ‘moats’ of two oceans, Americans felt separate from [read “above”] the world and immune to attack. They did not understand that the animosity that launched the attack had been long in coming. When the US forced Japan to join the modern world in 1853, the Land of the Rising Sun looked around and saw opportunities for gain. They decided to become a world power. By the 1930s, the Japanese had fought with Russia, and invaded China. Setting their sights on resource-rich South-East Asia, the only thing in their way was the USA which had slapped them with trade embargoes for their aggression. The December 7th attack was designed to deter the US. “Remember Pearl Harbor” became a rallying cry as US isolationism ended, and men lined up to fight in a new war and women flocked to serve as well. The Pearl Harbor Memorial is visited by 1.8 million people each year. They still remember.

The attack on Pearl Harbor, instead of making the Americans back off, had the opposite effect. It galvanized the nation, forcing it to enter World War II on two fronts: in Europe and in the Pacific. The average citizen saw it as a way of preserving American life, whether that was living in the bayous of the Gulf Coast, enjoying Cajun food; or being able to go to the neighborhood diner in the Mid-West to eat a favorite meal in peace.

Cajun ScrOmelette: 142 calories 7.6 g fat 2 g fiber 10.5 g protein 10 g carbs 73 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF  The hallmark of Cajun cooking is the sofrito of bell pepper, celery, and onion. Here they are along with the iconic Cajun Seasoning and Tabasco sauce. Cue the Zydeco music.

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 oz bell pepper 3 Tbsp celery 2 Tbsp onion Tabasco sauce, ad lib  Cajun seasonings, ad lib 1.5 oz orange slices  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]

Chop and combine the vegetables with the seasonings. Put in a hot saute pan spritzed with oil or non-stick spray. Cook until softened. Whisk the eggs with the Tabasco and Cajun seasonings, and scramble to prefection. Pour the beverages, slice the oranges, and pass the Tabasco sauce.

Liver & Onions: 273 calories 10.4 g fat 3 g fiber 25 g protein 20 g carbs 43.5 mg Calcium PB GF When my father was away on business, my mother would serve us liver and onions which we came to regard as a special treat. Still a favorite on diner menus, still full of protein and Iron.

 

4 oz beef liver 2 tsp flour + salt + pepper ½ cup onion, sliced ½ tsp butter ½ cup green beans

Cook the onions in a non-stick saute pan with a little water to keep them from scorching. Set the onions aside. Blot the liver on paper towels. Put the flour on a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge the liver in the flour, and shake off any extra. Melt the butter in the pan the onions were in and cook the liver over low heat until done. If the pan gets too dry, spray it with non-stick spray. Meanwhile, cook the beans and salt them to taste. Just before the liver is done, return onions to the pan to reheat.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large	mackerel gravlax or smoked trout
salami sausage	Granny Smith apple
mozzarella	blueberries
wild greens or arugula	raspberries
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

eggplant + bread crumbs + onion	chicken breast + part-skim ricotta cheese
spinach leaves + garlic + egg yolk	cilantro = sriracha
Parmesan cheese + whole grain pasta	Swedish cucumber salad  + sugar snap peas
white whole wheat flour + canned whole tomatoes	cherry tomatoes + Finn Crisp
Sparkling water	Sparkling water