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.

Amonute was born around 1596, in the Tidewater Region of Virginia near the Chesapeake Bay. Her father was Wahunsenaca the head chief of the Powhatan Tribe, and her mother was his favorite wife. The little girl was nicknamed ‘Pocahontas’ because it meant ‘the lively one.’ She grew up learning the ways of her people, preparing to take her place in their society. That all ended in 1607, when the English landed and built a fort called Jamestown. The settlers had no clue how to survive in the Americas, so the Powhatans gave them food. Pocahontas would go to the fort as a child to help hand out the provisions, thus the English knew who she was. She has become famous for ‘saving the life of Captain John Smith’. By his account, Pocahontas prevented her father’s men from killing Smith. Most likely the child was not even present at that occasion, but the story endures. The Powhatans liked Smith, and the natives continued to help with food donations, until their own supplies ran low. The angry English demanded food and violence ensued. Meanwhile, Pocahontas married Kocoum, of the Patawomeck tribe, and had a son. Hoping to squeeze more food from the Natives, some English kidnapped Pocahontas. For four years, she lived with the English, learning their language, adopting Christianity, taking the name ‘Rebecca’ and falling in love with John Rolfe. [Divorce was a simple option for women in the Powhatan Tribes.] They were married with her father’s representative in attendance. John Rolfe wanted to return home, so he, Rebecca, their child, and several other tribal members sailed for England in 1616. Dressed as a European lady, Pocahontas was paraded about the country, attending balls and meeting King James I. Message: “Look how successful we are at turning savages into White People!” For a while, the Rolfes stayed at Brentford where Rebecca had a testy reunion with John Smith. Was she happy in England? Some reports say no. At any rate, she was not like Joseph Brant, the indigenous man who embraced English ways a century later. In 1617, on board a ship bound for America, Pocahontas fell very ill [pneumonia? dysentery? misery?] and died on March 21 at age 21. She was buried at Gravesend. So many wealthy Virginians over the years claimed that they were Pocahontas’ descendants, that the “Pocahontas clause” was added to the bigoted Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which otherwise would have forbidden those with Indian blood to marry Whites.

Pocahantus’ Breakfast: 160 calories 2.5 g fat 2 g fiber 4 g protein 30 g carbs 20.4 mg Calcium  PB GF Native Americans grew and ate corn, and they consumed it in many different ways: roasted on the ear, popped over the fire, in stews, and as a mush. Cornmeal mush is much like the polenta of Italy, so we will prepare cornmeal polenta-style, and eat it Native-style, with maple syrup and berries. Dear Husband pronounced this to be “Delicious!”

2 oz sliced polenta @ 43 calories** 1/3 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen 1 T. maple syrup 1 chicken breakfast sausage @ 40 calories  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]

Combine syrup and berries in a small dish and microwave until warm but not too hot. Heat a small saute pan and spritz with cooking spray. When hot, add the sausage and the piece of polenta. Cook polenta on both sides until it is heated and beginning to get brown spots. Plate polenta and sausage. Pour berry syrup over polenta and serve with a beverage of choice. If you let it sit a few minutes, the polenta will soak up the fruity syrup — Yum!

**POLENTA: recipe from Bob’s Red Mill  makes 12 slices, 2.25 x 3 x 0.3” in size, each slice ~3.7 oz 2 oz = 43 calories 0.2 g fat 1 g fiber 1 g protein 9 g carbs 0 Calcium 1 cup dry polenta + 3 c water or vegetable stock + 1 tsp salt + olive oil Bring salted water/stock to a boil in a 2-qt saucepan. Add polenta, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring after each addition. Once all the polenta is in the water, turn down the heat to its lowest [I used the smallest burner on its lowest setting] and cook for 30 minutes. Stir often: to prevent lumps, to scrape down the sides, and to keep it from sticking to the bottom. Unlike risotto, it does not need constant stirring. After 30 minutes, the polenta will be very thick – the spoon should stand up by itself. Then cook 2-3 minutes more. Brush a very thin layer of oil on a 9×13” baking pan, and turn the polenta into it. Nudge batter into the corners and smooth out the top. Let it cool as the polenta solidifies. Before serving, cut into 12 squares. Heat a non-stick skillet and spray with cooking spray. Cook the polenta portions until they begin to take on a little color and are heated through. Individually wrap pieces and freeze cooked or uncooked, until needed.

Game Pie: 293 calories 8 g fat 4 g fiber 37 g protein 14 g carbs 62 mg Calcium   PB GF – if using a GF bread or omitting the bread  This is a real treat. Various game meats can be found at some markets or online. We had these bits and bobs in the freezer, remaining from previous meals. 

1½ oz quail or pheasant ½ oz rabbit liver  1 oz wild boar loin meat ½ tsp Dijon mustard  ½ oz cranberries  2 Tbsp rich broth, any sort  1 oz egg = 1/2 of US Large egg	Put quail, liver, boar, mustard, cranberries, broth, and egg in the food processor and chop briefly. Add water if it is dry.
1½ oz turkey, cubed  ½ oz onion, minced  ½ oz peas  pepper + salt + mace	Remove to a bowl and add these. Pat into an oven-safe dish that has been spritzed with non-stick spray.
¼ Arnold Multi-grain Sandwich-thin [½ of one slice]	Nestle the sandwich-thin on top and bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes.
1 oz carrot coins grainy mustard	Serve with the cooked carrots and a bit of mustard.

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

Seedy Scones: butter, flour, sugar…	1 two-oz egg + salami
+ baking soda, white whole wheat flour…	garlic + sheep sorrel or arugula
+ cream of tartar, mixed seeds, salt	Pecorino cheese + reduced-fat ricotta
apple + Camembert cheese	cherries
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

rabbit meat + carrot	Puttanesca sauce
potato + dried apricot	Whole wheat pasta, any shape
dried pear or dried apple	Parmesan cheese
Thyme, bay, sage, lavender	green beans
Sparkling water	Sparkling water