How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, to a total of 600 calories for the day. On another day this week, eat meals of 600 total calories.  Eat sensibly the other days of the week.  That’s it.  Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

I’m astonished to realize that this blog of mine has been running for 10 years — since January, 2014. I started it because I had been sending weekly recipes to friends for a few months. They suggested that I turn them into a blog, and you are reading the result. It has been fun and I have learned a lot. In an anniversary look-back, I am reposting the two most popular of my blog posts: Cousteau and Fannie Farmer. Hope you will enjoy rereading them.

Cousteau posted June 10, 2018  Jacques-Yves Cousteau — you know who he is.  If you are part of my generation, your interest in environmentalism and the ocean are probably due to him.  Back when I was teaching Oceanography, every student knew his name.  He was born on June 11, 1910 in South-Western France.  While growing up, he loved swimming and mechanical tinkering.  During WW2, Cousteau was in a spy ring as part of the French Resistance and during that same time, developed the ‘Aqua-Lung‘ with Émile Gagnan.  It was debuted in 1948, when the two engaged in the first underwater archeology project involving divers using what is now called ‘SCUBA’ gear.  He, his team, his mission, and his ship Calypso were popularized in the hit TV series The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, which opened the world’s eyes to the wonders beneath the waves.

In sea water, one is nearly weightless  — but not so on land.  Hélàs, out of the water, we are well-aware of our weight.  If you want to do something to transform your body, join me in Fasting 2 days each week.  It can make a big difference.  The featured breakfast uses flavors popular in Southern France: salt cod and garlic.  Put them in eggs for a taste of the sea from Marseille, Cousteau’s home port.  Dinner puts the fish in a ‘boat’: a tip of the hat to finned sea creatures and to Cousteau’s famous ship.

Marseille Omelette:  297 calories  8 g fat  2.6 g fiber  22 g protein  33 g carbs [29 g Complex] 231 mg Calcium PB GF   Garlic, tomatoes, salt cod, and lavender: all flavors of Marseille on your breakfast plate.

1½ 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           1/3 oz salt cod, soaked                                                                                                                                              1 clove garlic, minced                      large pinch dried lavender OR herbs de Province                                                                                       2 oz sliced fresh tomatoes             Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie[88 calories]       Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

The night before:  Soak the salt cod in water for 30-40 minutes, until softened. Mince and combine with the garlic and lavender. Next morning: Heat a cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Whisk the eggs with the flavorings and pour into the hot pan. Instead of scrambling it, allow it to cook until the bottom is cooked and the top is firming up. Gently flip it to the other side to cook briefly. Plate with the tomatoes. Serve with the beverages of choice.

Cucumber Boats with Salmon: 258 calories  12.4 g fat   3 g fiber  20.4 g protein   19 g carbs   162 mg Calcium  PB GF  So easy for the summer or anytime.

  one 3.5 oz cucumber, of which you will use half to serve one person                                                                   1/2 Tbsp watercress sauce, optional         2¾ oz cooked salmon                      1 tsp Dijon mustard                                                  1/8 oz leek               ½ cup 4-bean salad 

Slice the leek and blanch until soft  in a little water in the microwave. In a bowl, break up the salmon and combine with sauce, mustard and leek. Slice cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the seeds with a melon-baller. Mound the salmon into the cucumber boats and plate with the 4-bean salad.

Fannie Farmer posted January 6, 2019   On the shelf in the kitchen is a cookbook that used to have a gold-colored cover. The book’s binding is reinforced with packing tape and the pages are stained with the splatters of cooking. This is the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, 11th edition published in 1965.  On January 6, 1896, the first edition was issued under the title The Boston Cooking-School Cookbook.  Miss Fannie Merritt Farmer, a woman with a disability who did not attend cooking school until the age of 30, had written a book which explained the chemistry of cooking and which established uniform measurement of ingredients that everyone could use. She became a media mogul and culinary icon, the Julia Child or Martha Stewart of her day. The book was an instant success and became the classic of  the American kitchen.  My mother used it faithfully [now I have her copy] and she gave me my own when I became engaged. So many good recipes! My adaptations of several of them have already appeared in this blog, some recipes used as-is. The breakfast for this anniversary is an old favorite of our’s, Shirred Egg [p 103 in my copy] and for dinner, the thrifty housewife’s go-to: Swiss Steak [p 163]

Shirred Egg:   147 calories  8.5 g fat  2 g fiber   10 g protein  10 g. carb  106 mg Calcium NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF– if using GF bread       I learned to prepare this dish when working on my Girl Scout ‘Cooking’ badge. We still eat it because it tastes so good. Easy to serve to guests, too.

One 2-oz egg                                1 Tbsp half&half   [Blend Cream, 10% milk fat]                                                                                         salt & pepper to taste         1/2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese       half a slice of 70-calorie bread, toasted                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       2 oz apple slices or 2 oz strawberries              Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]  Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Heat the toaster oven to 325° F.Spritz a 1-cup ramekin with cooking oil or spray. Break the egg into the cup, and pour the half&half on top. Sprinkle with cheese, add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 12-15 minutes, then let sit 2-3 mins while you toast the bread. Plate with the toast and fruit. Serve with your choice of beverages.

Swiss Steak:  267 calories  6.5 g fat    6.5 g fiber   28 g protein  27.5 g carbs   104.8 mg Calcium   PB GF — if using GF flour    This recipe, from Fannie Farmer’s cookbook, is one which I fondly remember from my childhood. HINT: This recipe makes enough for two [2], so save half of it for a future lunch or dinner or invite a fellow FASTer.

½ pound chuck steak, cut 1 to 1.5” thick                   1.5 Tbsp white whole wheat flour + salt + pepper                                                                                         8 oz stewed tomatoes                 ¼ cup minced green bell peppers                   ¼ cup minced onion                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              herbs to taste, such as rosemary or parsley                                                                                                                                      per serving: ½ cup cut green beans + ½ cup carrots sliced as coins

Leave the meat in one piece or cut into two parts. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper and dredge the meat in it. If you wish, pound the meat with a tenderizing tool or the edge of a sturdy plate. Combine the tomatoes with the vegetables and herbs. Heat a heavy skillet with a lid and spray it well with oil or cooking spray. Brown the meat on both sides and pour the tomatoes over it. Cover and cook very slowly for 2 hours until the meat is very tender, adding water if the tomatoes are in danger of sticking. This can be cooked on the cooktop at low or in the oven at 325 F. Steam or boil the beans and carrots to serve along-side the beef with its sauce.