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 Asif Baloch who is now Following.

That’s not exactly how the children’s counting rhyme goes — apologies to John LeCarre — but wait for the story behind it. Freda MacDonald was born in St Louis, Missouri on June 3, 1906. Her mother was unwed, and her father left soon after. Little Freda worked for a living cleaning houses before she was 12 years old. To earn extra money for her mother, she would make up routines and dance in the street. In her love of performing, Freda would put on shows with the neighborhood kids. When she was 15, she joined a troupe of vaudeville dancers, which lead to perfor-ming in New York. By 1925, she had married and divorced twice, taking her middle name ‘Josephine’ and her 2nd husband’s last name ‘Baker’ as her stage name. A tour to Paris in 1927, as part of La Revue Nègre, changed her life. France was not racially segregated, and Paris loved her as a performer, so Josephine Baker remained in France. Her shows were racy and funny and poked fun at France’s colonialist attitudes in Africa. The infamous ‘Banana Skirt’ dance was her way of spoofing the idea of ‘savages from the Dark Continent’. Singing became part of her act and her 1931 song  “J’ai deux amours” showed her love of Paris. Baker starred in films and the Offenbach opera La Créole. During World War II, she continued to perform and move about France. As she sang and hob-nobbed with the Nazis, she gathered intel for the Resistance, writing messages in code on her sheet music. After the war, de Gaulle gave her the Légion d’honneur. Visits to the United States often stoked her resentment of racism, turning her into an activist who spoke at the March on Washington, 1968. She maintained that she was not working for the “Negro Race” but for the Human Race. Her commitment to breaking down racial barriers caused her to adopt 12 children, each of a different ethnic background, which she dubbed her Rainbow Tribe. Financial troubles caused her to sell her beloved Chateau des Milandes, to move to Monaco [at the invitation of Prin-cess Grace], and to continue performing until her death in 1975. Quelle Femme!

But of course we will have bananas as part of breakfast, in honor of Josephine’s famous ‘Banana Skirt.’ Our dinner has tastes of southern France, where Baker lived and died.

Banana-Papanas: 241 calories… 8 g fat… 0.5 g fiber… 20 g protein… 25.5 g carbs… 161 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  This recipe for Romanian papanas was shown on the French TV show Telematin , and it looked so easy and unusual that I had to try them….then I added bananas for a little word-play and a hint of the tropics.  HINT: The recipe makes enough for two [2] portions, so if only one person is being served today, cook only half of the batter and refrigerate the remainder to prepare later in the week. NB: the cooked papanas do not work as left-overs.

+++++4 Tbsp [63 g] part-skim ricotta ++++ 4 Tbsp [63 g] 2%-fat cottage cheese ++++ 1 egg, separated +++++ 30 g /3.5 Tbsp white whole wheat flour OR almond flour ++++ ½ tsp sugar ++++ 3/4 oz banana, sliced +++++ 1 tsp molasses ++++ 1 tsp water ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] 

Separate the egg white from the yolk. Combine the yolk, cheeses, flour,and sugar in a bowl. Whip the egg white until stiff. Stir 1/3 of the egg white into the cheese mixture to lighten it, mixing until blended. Gently fold the remaining egg into the cheese mixture. Heat a non-stick pan and spray with non-stick spray. Using a scoop or a spoon [I made 4 using a 3 Tbsp scoop and then 4 using a 1.5 Tbsp scoop], place the batter into the pan in two batches. Cook until browned on one side and loose enough that they will slide if you shake the pan. Carefully flip to the other side. Remove to a plate. Slice the bananas thinly and strew on the papanas. Add the molasses to 1 tsp hot water and stir to combine. Pour the molasses over the bananas. As you sip your coffee, savor the tastes of the Caribbean…. via Romania….via France.

Brandade Plate:  266 calories… 3 g fat… 6 g fiber… 39 g protein… 21 g carbs… 139 mg Calcium…   PB GF  We find this meal to be very easy to plate, very easy on the eye, and very filling. HINT: Having the Brandade made ahead of time and in the refrigerator makes life so easy.

½ cup codfish brandade** ++++ 4 oz fresh tomatoes [no larger than 2” in diameter, but not ‘cherry or grape’] 2 Finn Crisp sourdough rye thins  ++++ ½ oz baby spinach leaves, cut as chiffonade

Slice tomatoes on the equator to get as many slices as you can. Arrange them on a plate. Using a scoop or spoon, place equal amounts of the brandade on each tomato slice. Sprinkle the chiffonade spinach over and around. Place the crackers alongside.

**Codfish Brandade:  ½ cup = 203 calories… 3 g fat… 1 g fiber… 38 g protein… 6 g carbs… 120 mg Calcium…  PB GF  Since salt cod is so popular all over southern France, it follows that Brandade is a favorite meal there. The garlic, olive oil, and fennel mark this version as Provencal. [HINT: This batch makes four half-cup servings. Either invite friends or use what you need and freeze the remainder.] The recipe is from Jacques Pepin and it has a very traditional flavor. 1 Tbsp =25 cal… 0.3 g fat… 0 g fiber… 12.6 g protein… 0.7 g carbs… 15 mg Calcium 

8 oz salt cod	Soak the cod in water for 8 hours. Drain it.
	Put in a sauce pan covered with cold water. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cook gently 5 mins. Drain.
	Pick over the fish, removing bones, skin. Cut it into 1” pieces.
¼ c potatoes in ½” cubes +++1 cup cauliflower puree ½ cup milk+++ 4 cloves garlic +++¼ tsp fennel seed	Put fish in a pan with vegetables and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently simmer uncovered 20-25 minutesuntil vegetables are tender.
¼ tsp pepper, more to taste	Pour it all into a food processor and process until smoother, about 10 seconds. Add pepper.
1 tsp olive oil	Add oil with machine running. Mixture should be smooth and thick, yet spreadable. Adjust seasonings
	Divide brandade into four ½-cup portions. Freeze or refrigerate the portions you are not serving today.