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.

In the 1500s, Portuguese traders in western Asia sailed past an “Ilha Formosa,” or beautiful island. Had they stopped there, they would have found it inhabited by indigenous Austronesian people who had been there for 15,000 years. Life on the island changed in 1624, when ships from the Dutch East India Company landed. Their goal was to establish a trading foot-hold in Asia, so they built Fort Zeelandia on land that they called ‘Taiwan’ — perhaps derived from the native Sirayan word for ‘meeting place’. The city that grew up around the fort became Tainan, the oldest city of the island nation of Taiwan. Meeting place indeed! Although the Dutch controlled the island, in 1661 waves of Chinese from Fujian arrived. Twenty years later, the Qing Dynasty of China extended its dominion over the land. From 1895-1945, the Japanese were in charge. Then in 1949, Chang Kai Shek and his anti-Communist followers arrived. Since then, the island has been called the Republic of China, although the government on the Chinese mainland does not accept their independence. Every time a new ethnic group took over, a new language would be imposed on the citizens. Today, there is an effort to revive the indigenous languages. Tainan City has the oldest Confucius Temple [1665] and the oldest Mazu Temple [1683] on the island. The city is known for its ancient streets and houses, as well as for its lively street food scene. All this year, Tainan will be celebrating its 400th anniversary with festivals, exhibitions, and special events.

For the Dutch, who started it all, a very Dutch Breakfast. For dinner, a very Taiwanese shrimp dish. Happy Birthday, Tainan.

Dutch Breakfast 210 calories… 10 g fat… 3.6 g fiber… 14 g protein… 16 g carbs… 164.5 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. GF – if using GF bread  This meal is inspired by a breakfast I enjoyed in Amsterdam in 1969. It was memorable because it is so good. Dear Husband’s opinion? “This is one of my favorite Fast breakfasts.”

++++ one 2-oz egg, hard-boiled or coddled HINT: the hardboiled egg can be made days before  ++++ ½ oz ham, 3% fat ++++ ½ of an Arnold Multi-grain Sandwich Thin [50 cal] OR ½ slice 70-cal multi-grain bread [35 cal] OR one “Holland Rusk” [30 cal] ++++ [½ oz cube] Jarlsberg cheese [if you used less bread, you could have more cheese] ++++ 2 oz fresh peach or melon OR 1.5 oz apple or pear ++++ Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++OR ++Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [75 calories] ++++

Warm the ham in a skillet, toast the bread, prepare your beverage, slice the fruit, cube the cheese. Are you ready to savor?

Taiwanese Shrimp Meefun: 270 calories… 6 g fat… 3 g fiber… 19 g protein… 33.6 g carbs… 84.4 mg Calcium…  PB GF This recipe is from Susan Livia New York Times Cooking. Some recipes call for dried shrimp, some for smoked tofu. For convenience, I used frozen shrimp.  HINT: Recipe is enough for two [2]. Enjoy the other half of the recipe warm or cool for lunch or dinner later this week.

2 servings	Non-stick skillet. Wok.
2 oz rice vermicelli	Soak in cold water until softened, 5-10 mins. Drain, save water and warm it.
2 dried shiitakes	Soak until hydrated + softened, ~10 mins. Drain, reserving water. Slice ¼” thick.
Cooking spray +++++ 1 two-oz egg, lightly beaten	Heat skillet over medium, spray with PAM. Add egg, swirl to create a thin, even layer. Cook until set + cooked through, ~1 min. Remove egg, cool, slice thinly.
1 tsp oil ++++++ 2 T shallot, thinly sliced ++++++ soaked mushrooms	Put a wok on stove + raise heat to medium-high. Add these and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring often, until shallots begin to brown, 3-4 mins.
1 cup carrot, shredded ++++++salt	Add carrot and salt, then cook, until softened but still crisp, 1-2 mins.
1½ c cabbage, shredded	Add cabbage to wok. Season + cook, stirring,  1-2 mins until slightly wilted.
4 oz shrimp +++++++ 1 Tbsp soy sauce ++++ drained vermicelli ++++++soaking water	Cut shrimp in pieces and add to wok with soy sauce, drained rice vermicelli. Add water from steps 1 and 2, in ½ cup increments. Cook, stirring often, until noodles absorb the water, 5-6 mins.
½ tsp white pepper +++++++ Reserved cooked egg  +++ cilantro	Season with pepper, add reserved egg and stir to combine. Serve topped with chopped cilantro.