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.

Diane de Poitiers’ name is forever linked with that of her lover, King Henri II of France. Literally linked, since the chateau that he gave her has their entwined initials carved on every surface. We might think: “that tart is the ‘other woman’ ruining someone’s marriage.” But wait! There is more to the story. Diane was the daughter of a country gentleman who taught his little girl to ride and hunt at an early age. She was, after all, named for the Roman goddess of the hunt. Life in the queen’s retinue provided her with an excellent education. As a 15-year-old, Diane was married to a middle-aged man with lots of money but homely looks. After he died, she wore black [and white] for the rest of her life — it looked good on her. Her husband’s nobility earned her a place at the court of Francois I, in Paris. There Diane learned the gentle arts of court life, and her beauty was widely admired. When little Prince Henri was sent to Spain as a ransom for his father’s loss of a war with Spain, Lady Diane was the only one who hugged the child good-bye. When he returned to France in his teens, Henri needed a tutor to relearn the princely arts. He was 17 and Diane, at age 37, was his coach. Although Henri was married to Catherine di Medici, he fell in love with Diane and the two were inseparable for 26 years. [Makes me think of Emmanuel Macron of France who married his high school drama teacher. She is first lady of France.] Catherine was extremely jealous, but Diane held her own and even assisted Catherine with her children. A brilliant economist and wily diplomat, Diane advised King Henri in all things. Indeed in all things, she was the ‘acting queen’ of France. She kept her enviable good looks by daily exercise and healthy eating, while encouraging her husband to appreciate art and literature. Diane’s most lasting achievements were the house and gardens at Chenonceau, the most beautiful chateau of the French Renaissance. When Henri II died from a dreadful jousting accident, Diane was forbidden to be at his death-bed and the petty Catherine made Diane give back the chateau and her jewelry. Diane retired to Normandie and did acts of charity until her death on 25 April 1566. On the whole, I think that Diane de Poitiers had many good qualities, even if she was ‘the other woman’.

Diane is buried at her Chateau d’Anet in Normandie. Our breakfast consists of healthy vegetables served on a galette, the rustic crepes popular in North-Western France. The dinner is fit for a queen — or a king’s favorite.

Ratatouille-Egg Galette: 151 calories… 5.5 g fat… 2 g fiber… 10 g protein… 14 g carbs… 44 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 crepes  A meal direct from Brittany – if it weren’t for the ratatouille! A perfect blend of Northern and Southern France.

1 crepe one + 2-oz egg ¼ cup Mediterranean Vegetables, drained of excess liquids [reserve the liquid] ½ oz fresh mushrooms  + 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]

Drain the vegetables of excess liquids. Use the liquids to cook the mushrooms. Combine the vegetables and mushrooms and heat them. Warm the crepe and plate it. Poach or fry the egg. Spoon the vegetables over the crepe and top it all with the egg. Pick it up with your hands or eat with a fork.

Filet Mignon with Tarragon: 278 calories… 14 g fat… 2 g fiber… 28.6 g protein… 7 g carbs… 49 mg Calcium  GF We have enjoyed this sumptuious Joanne Harris recipe for years and we still turn back to her My French Kitchen to make it again. HINT: This recipe is enough for two. Worth sharing with a special friend. If serving one diner, prepare all of the sauce and save it to put in eggs at breakfast or to use at dinner.

2 tsp butter + 2 portobello mushroom caps + ½ tsp olive oil + 1 Tbsp shallot , minced 2 Tbsp white wine + 1 Tbsp heavy cream + 1 tsp grainy mustard + ½ tsp minced garlic 2-3 Tbsp fresh tarragon + two 4-oz filet mignon + 10 spears asparagus

Cook the mushrooms on both sides in butter and a spritz of cooking spray. Keep warm off the stove. Heat the oil with a spritz of cooking spray, and cook the shallots until softened. Add the wine to the pan, then simmer for 3 minutes. Lower the heat, add the cream, mustard, garlic, and tarragon. Heat long enough to warm the sauce but do not let it boil. Cook the asparagus. In a separate heavy skillet, heat a drizzle of oil and a spritz of non-stick spray over high. Cook the meat 1½ minutes/side if you like it rare or 2 minutes/side for medium. Place the cooked steak on the mushroom cap, surround it with asparagus, and top it with the sauce. This is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious.

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

70-calorie whole-grain bread	1 two-oz egg  + tarragon
honey	asparagus spears
clementine	Golden Berries or strawberries
plain fat-free yogurt	whipped cream cheese
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

vegetable oil + 2 onions + garlic+ shrimp	albacore tuna + avocado + celery
fresh ginger + Thai red curry paste	ground ginger + lime juice + Sriracha
2.5 pounds butternut squash + baby spinach	mayonnaise made with olive oil + apple + baby spinach leaves
lime + ‘lite’ unsweetened coconut milk	radish/alfalfa sprouts + cherry tomatoes
Sparkling water	Sparkling water