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. Welcome to foxreviewsrock who is now Following.

The Donner Party [aka the Donner-Reed Party] were a group of families who left the mid-western US in a caravan to head to California in 1846, when California was still a Spanish possession. Did you ever play the video game “Oregon Trail“? If so, you know that the likelihood of dying on the way West was very high. The nine families, totaling 32 people, were rather unprepared for the trip [they carried lots of luxury goods which were not necessary for survival] and were poorly counseled. Along the way, the group grew to 87 people in 23 wagons. When they arrived at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, they decided to take the untried Hastings Cut-off, purported to shave 400 miles from their trip. Bad move. They had been warned against that path, but short-cuts are tempting. That terrible route delayed their journey over the Sierra Nevada mountains until late October. The group split, the Donner family staying behind due to a broken axel while the remainder went ahead. Snow blocked their way, then trapped the larger contingent completely at Donner Lake. The 59 people there built cabins for shelter. The Donner family built cloth teepees. Poorly housed and unskilled at hunting, people [mostly men while women survived] descended into hypothermia and starvation. As people died, their bodies were stashed in the snow, then eaten by survivors when mice, leather, and other protein sources ran out. In December, a small party of men and women set out to get help. By the time seven of them arrived at Sutter’s Fort in January, they had survived by canabalism. Rescue parties were sent up the mountains, the first arriving on February 19, 1847. They found the survivors in terrible condition: malnourished, freezing, and crazed — perhaps due to prion disease? Four parties went to rescue the remaining travelers, which took two months. In the end, of the 35 members of the original group who had died crossing the mountains, 21 had been eaten. Travel to California dwindled after that, until gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, when the rush was on again. Today, Interstate 80 parallels parts of the Hastings Cutoff, going over Donner Pass, and Donner Lake is a popular tourist site.

I’m sorry. I could not resist the ‘black humor’ of proposing meals of carne [Spanish for ‘flesh’] and liver while discussing the horrors of the Donner Party.

Carne Bake: 138 calories  6.5 g fat  2 g fiber 9 g protein 6.5 g carbs 34 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  Carne adovado and roasted green chilis are the signature flavors of New Mexico, and they are wonderful in eggs for breakfast.

1 two-oz egg  1/3 oz carne adovado  ½ oz roasted green chili, canned or frozen          3 Tbsp chopped cilantro leaves   2 oz pear  or 5 cherries       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]

If the carne or the chilis have a lot of liquid, put in a strainer and let drain overnight or for several hours. Set the toaster oven at 350 degrees F. Spritz an oven-proof ramekin/dish with olive oil or non-stick spray. Whisk the egg with the carne/chili mixture and pour into the dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes while you pour the beverages and plate with the fruit.

Liver-Asparagus Stirfry: 252 calories 8.5 g fat 3.5 g fiber 24.5 g protein 32 g carbs 39.5 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF noodles  Liver is very nutritious. When combined with these Asian sauces, it is absolutely delicious.

3 oz beef liver, cut in thin slices  3 oz asparagus, cut in 1” pieces  1 tsp sesame or canola oil     2 Tbsp oyster sauce  1 Tbsp soy sauce  per serving: 1 oz/28 g buckwheat soba noodles + 1 tsp sesame seeds + 1 Tbsp chopped scallions

Stir the oyster and soy sauces together. Combine with the liver and let stand 30 minutes. Cut asparagus, and cook the noodles for 6 minutes, then drain. Heat oil in a wide pan, then stirfry asparagus 2 minutes. Add liver and marinade and stir-fry 3-4 minutes – adding water if needed, until asparagus is tender-crisp and liver is no longer pink inside. Serve over noodles and top with sesame seeds and scallions.