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.

It is fun to have special occasions to punctuate the year. Ancient people, who told time by the sun and its position in the sky, observed that twice a year, the day and night were the same length [we call those “equinoxes”]; and that one day was exceptionally long and one day was equally short [we call those “solstices”]. They held great holidays at those times, to honor the sun. Then, half-way between those days, there were other holidays, giving eight in total, spaced through the year at 1.5 month intervals. Lammas, the Harvest Festival, is one of the four minor celebrations. Since the early Christian church had a way of preempting the non-Christian festivals, the former Celtic holiday of Lughnasa became “Our Lady’s Mass” or “Loaf Mass” [the word ‘lady’ means ‘loaf-kneader’], which was slurred into “Lammas”. The celebration of Lammas begins on August 1st and lasts 2-3 days. Celebrate!

The Lammas festival is all about the harvest, especially grains. If it weren’t a FAST Day, we would enjoy Lammas Bread — but we can have that tomorrow since Lammas is a multi-day occasion! Today we will indulge in ripe summer vegetables, at breakfast and at dinner — and even include a hearty slice of whole-grain bread.

Broccoli-Olive-Tomato ScrOmelette: 150 calories… 8 g fat… 2 g fiber… 13 g protein… 9 g carbs… 91 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Sometimes things in the ‘fridge say, “Put us in eggs for breakfast.” Who am I to deny their wishes?

1½ two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.+++++ 1 oz broccoli +++++ 1 Tbsp cottage cheese ++++ 1 oz tomato ++++ ½ black olive ++++ ¾ tsp Parmesan cheese ++++ pinch of basil ++++ 2 oz strawberries ++++   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++++   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Dice the tomato and drain in a strainer, overnight if possible. Drain the cottage cheese overnight if it is very liquid. Steam the broccoli and chop it finely. Chop the black olive. Into a hot saute pan spritzed with non-stick spray, add the tomato, broccoli, and olive. Stir until warmed. Whisk the eggs with the cottage cheese and pour over the vegetables in the pan. Scramble or fold as an omelette, hence ScrOmelette, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Prepare the beverages and plate the berries. Bliss.

Sicilian Caponata: 282 calories… 14.5 g fat… 9 g fiber… 8 g protein… 35 g carbs… 95.5 mg Calcium… PB  GF – If using GF bread  From Jamie Oliver, a taste of Summer in Sicily. Lots of fresh vegetables go into this meal, and it is delicious. Do not be put off by the high fat content: the olives and almonds contribute most of it, and those are healthy fats.

Adaptation = 2 cups	Heat oven to 400 F.
2 tsp olive oil ++++++ 2 c eggplants, in ¾” chunks ++++1 tsp dried oregano/Italian herbs ++++++ Sea salt	Put eggplant and seasonings on a small, rimmed baking sheet or on a cast iron skillet. Drizzle with oil and stir to mix. Roast 10 MINS. Take from oven.
½ cup red onion ++++++ 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced ++++ ½ small bunch flat-leaf parsley	Finely chop onion + parsley.In saute pan on cooktop, cook these 2 mins in cooking spray.
1 Tbsp capers, drained +++++6 pitted black olives ++++ 1-2 T. herb vinegar	Add these to the pan, and cook until vinegar evaporates.
16 oz ripe tomatoes, OR 1½ c. canned diced ++++ cooked eggplant	Roughly chop tomatoes, add to pan with eggplant, simmer 15 mins until tomatoes are tender.Take off heat.
Parsley leaves ++++++ 2 T. slivered almonds	Lightly toast almonds. Add pepper/ salt/vinegar to taste, top with these.
1 oz Wh-grain bread	Serve on bread Or on pasta OR as a side dish

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

1 two-oz egg = US large + egg white	1.5 two-oz eggs
yellow corn meal	Basquaise Sauce: bell pepper + tomato + garlic >>>>
yeast + honey	>>onion + red wine + esplette pepper + thyme
raspberries	blueberries
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

4 oz pollock or white fish/serving	salad greens + pear
bacon + Parmesan cheese	bleu cheese + walnuts
cauliflower or broccoli + carrots	cannelli beans + tomato
Brussel sprouts + cherry tomatoes	olive oil + white balsamic vinegar
Sparkling water	Sparkling water