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.

October 21st is Apple Day in England. This is an unofficial holiday that was begun in 1990 by Common Ground. In the group’s own words, “Apple Day was intended to be both a celebration and a demonstration of the variety we are in danger of losing, not simply in apples, but in the richness and diversity of landscape, ecology and culture too. It has also played a part in raising awareness in the provenance and traceability of food. The success of Apple Day has shown what the apple means to us and how much we need local celebrations in which, year after year, everyone can be involved. In city, town and country, Apple Day events have fostered local pride, celebrated and deepened interest in local distinctiveness.” Apples are not native to England — they were brought by the Romans. The earliest mention of apples in the country was written by King Alfred the Great in 885 CE. Apples were cultivated for eating, cooking, and cider-making, but they also naturalized themselves in the hedgerows, creating their own hybrid varieties. The English have embraced their apple heritage over the centuries — there are 2,500 varieties grown — but we all must be careful that this diversity is not lost due to market pressures for apples that look perfect [but taste dull] and that keep on the shelf [even if they came from another country]. Celebrate flavor and diversity in produce by seeking out local breeds and by dealing on purpose with local producers. Eat apples! If ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, shouldn’t every day be Apple Day?

The menus offered today showcase apples in unusual ways — in an omelette and also disguised as a very English hedgehog for breakfast. Apples are not only for dessert, you know.

Omelette Normande: 174 calories… 11 g fat… 1 g fiber… 10 g protein… 9 g carbs… 46 mg Calcium… NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Cooking in Normandy naturally involves apple and cream, even at breakfast. This is the breakfast version of a Norman dessert omelette.

+++ 1½ 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. +++ 1½ oz apple, peeled and sliced thinly ++++ 1½ tsp heavy/whipping cream ++++ ½ tsp butter ++++ ¼ tsp sugar ++++ ¼ tsp cinnamon ++++ 1 oz peach ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] +++

Peel and slice the apples and cook them slowly in a saute pan with the butter, sugar, cinnamon, 2 Tbsp water, and a healthy spray of non-stick spray. Add more water if the pan gets dry – you don’t want the apples to stick or scorch. Cook until the apples are almost soft and there is no more liquid in the pan. HINT: You can do this the night before. Whisk the eggs with the cream and a little salt while the apples heat/stay warm in the saute pan. Pour in the eggs and let them cook undisturbed until done. Fold and plate with the peach or other fruit of 11 calories. Picture apple trees in bloom.

Hedgehog Apples: 198 calories… 8 g fat… 3 g fiber… 10.5 g protein… 21 g carbs… 9 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. –PB GF– This is so cute that your can’t bear to eat it, yet you will want to gobble it up!  Audley End House and Gardens is the source of the recipe, via the Dear Lady at KoolKosherKitchen.com. This could be served as a breakfast, with coffee and sausage; as a dessert; or, if you put some chicken breast or pork tenderloin alongside for protein, as a dinner.

2.8 – 3 oz baking apple	Cut apples in half, then peel and core them.
Light syrup	Cook in light sugar syrup until tender. Do not overcook, about 5 minutes at a simmer, turning apples in the syrup.
2 Tbsp thick applesauce	Place one ½ apple on a parchment-covered baking pan. Use a smaller apple piece to form a ‘head.’ Spread sauce over apples, to fill in gaps and hold apples together.  TIP: I did this the night before and put the pan in the ‘fridge overnight.
1 egg white = 1½ Tbsp + 1 tsp sugar	Beat egg white with sugar until forming soft peaks. Spread meringue over apples to cover completely. Rake with a fork to form fur.
zante or black currents = eyes + red currant or cherry = nose + sliced/slivered almonds	Create a ‘face’ with black and red fruits. Set almonds in meringue in rows to form spikes.
	Bake at 350F until meringue sets and starts to brown, 8 mins.
Canadian bacon OR chicken breakfast sausage	Serve with Canadian Bacon [20 cal] or chicken sausage [30 calories]FOTO

Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]