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 travelexotica who is now Following.

Edward Hopper was of the ‘Realist’school of painting. He was born on July 22, 1882, as the Impressionists’ new style was sweeping the art world. Depicting the “world as it was” had been a style in the US since John Copley in the 1700s. It progressed through the landscapes of the Hudson River School to the in-your-face realism of George Bellows. By the time Hopper visited Paris in 1906, Cubism and Abstract art were on the rise. After art school classes steeped in the Old Masters, he found the Impressionists to be a revelation, changing his color choices and brush strokes as a result. But water lilies and fields of flowers with lovely women were not Hopper’s subject matter. In the 1920-30s, his work began to gain notice, due in part to Early Sunday Morning which made a splash with its strong lines and colors. His work is about isolation and loneliness. And mystery. Whether we see people in their apartment [as if we glimpse them from the elevated train as it flies by], or a house at dusk, the mood is brooding, as if something is going to happen. He and his wife Jo divided their time between New York City and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Painting in oil or watercolor, Hopper pursued his muse in an effort to escape boredom. He enjoyed painting houses, with windows and doors [and the view in or out] taking a major role in the scene. In Hopper’s best-known work, Nighthawks, we look into the diner, as if from a 1st floor window, through the diner’s huge plate-glass windows. The people can’t see us and do not know that they are being watched — would it matter to them? Such is the emotional tug of Hopper’s work. Dear Husband and I are big fans. To the end, he considered himself an Impressionist.

Why a “Winter Solstice Bake” for Edward Hopper? Because of the cold, thin, wintry light that illuminates his paintings. And for dinner? A meal for the Nighthawks at the diner.

Winter Solstice Bake: 141 calories… 7.6 g fat… 1.3 g fiber… 9 g protein… 12 g carbs… 51 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  For the change of the seasons, a meal to mark the occaision. The olives represent Autumn and the cured meat evokes Winter. A great combination any time.

One 2-oz egg ++++ ¼ oz proscuitto ++++ 2 Kalamata olives ++++ 1 clementine ++++ pinch of winter savory or rosemary ++++ 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]

Chop the meat and the olives. Spritz a ramekin with non-stick spray. Whisk the eggs. Stir in the meat and olives, and pour into the ramekin. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Plate with the fruit and pour the beverage of choice

Meatloaf: 236 calories… 11 g fat… 5 g fiber… 23.5 g protein… 13.4 g carbs… 40 mg Calcium… PB Here it is – meatloaf, the kind my mother used to make and you can eat it on a FAST DAY! Amazing!

one 3-oz slice of meatloaf** ++++++ ½ cup peas +++++ 2 Tbsp beef gravy 

Prepare and bake the meatloaf. Slice into 6 pieces. Plate and enjoy one serving now, with peas and gravy, of course. Cool, wrap and freeze the remainder for a Slow Day or another FAST Day.

**Meatloaf one 18-oz loaf	Makes 6 slices, serves 6
½ of a whisked egg [0.9 oz] ++++ 3 Tbsp milk +++++ 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs, NOT dried ++++++ 2 Tbsp minced onion +++++ ½ pound [8 oz] ground beef ++++ ¼ pound [4 oz] ground veal +++++ ¼ pound [4 oz] ground lean pork ++++ 1 tsp salt + pinch of pepper	Combine the ingredients thoroughly. Pat gently into an ungreased 4×8” loaf pan.
	Bake 20 minutes at 350 F.
	Pour off and discard any fat before removing from pan.