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.

Three millennia ago, the Persians ate watercress [Nasturtium officinale], and they liked it. They also knew that their soldiers were healthier when they at watercress often. Greeks and Romans ate it, as did American natives. Not only did they enjoy the flavor, but they ascribed medicinal properties to it: to cure blood disorders and scurvy, to sweetening bad breath. The plant is a member of the Cabbage Family and it has a spicy, tangy taste. It grows in slightly alkaline streams of slow-flowing, non-polluted water. In the 1500s, a German in Erfurt began to grow the plant commercially, rather than harvesting it from the wild. The idea spread to Holland, then to England in the 1800s. ‘Cress became very popular around 1865, when the watercress beds of New Arlesford [pronounced ‘Allsford’], England were linked by a new train line to London and the Midlands. This was a real boon after the local wool boom crashed around 1850. In the shallows of the River Itchen, watercress grew wild. Then cement ‘troughs’ were built for planting the herb, and water was pumped up from deep wells to irrigate the plants. Since the water is of consistent temperature, the ‘cress could grow year ’round. We were astonished at the volume of watercress that we could see as we walked the “English Camino” in October. The “Watercress Line” ran huge quantities of the fresh greens to London until it was replaced by a modern route. Today the train is run by volunteers as a 10-mile heritage train. Watercress is wildly healthy and easy to use in salads, in a stir-fry, and a simple garnish. No wonder it is found in cuisines from China to the Mediterranean to Canada.

Here is a simple, versatile sauce made from watercress, to use with eggs or on seafood. WATERCRESS SAUCE  Terrific for adding to eggs or as a sauce for fish.  TOTAL = ..143 calories… 5 g fat… 2.7 g fiber… 7 g protein… 20 g carbs… 297.5 mg Calcium.. 1 of 18 ‘ice cubes’ = ..8 calories… 0 g fat.. 0.1 g fiber… 0.4 g protein… 1.5 g carbs… 16.5 mg Ca.. ++ 8 oz [by weight, not volume] watercress, well rinsed and trimmed of tough stems +++ 1 medium-large onion [4 oz] +++ 1 tsp olive oil +++ 1 cup vegetable or meat stock ++ 

Put the onion in a food processor and run until completely chopped. Heat oil over medium heat and cook onions for 10 minutes until softened. Add watercress to processor, and process until finely chopped. Add to the onion and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve immediately or cool and store. I froze it in ice-cube trays and got about 18 cubes. The cubes were put in a bag in the freezer for future use. 

Watercress Bake: 139 calories… 6 g fat… 1 g fiber… 9 g protein… 6 g carbs… 90 mg Calcium… NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. —PB GF— Watercress is so versatile and so healthy. When you see it in the market, turn it into Watercress Sauce and freeze in small amounts [from ice cube size to ½ cup] for use all year ’round.

++++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ 2 Tbsp [1 cube] Watercress Sauce, drained ++++ 1 Tbsp ricotta cheese ++++ 1/8 oz mushrooms ++++ 1 oz fresh peach ++++ ¼ oz fresh blackberries ++++ 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] ++++

The night before: thaw the watercress sauce in a sieve over a small bowl overnight. Chop the mushrooms and cook in a little water for 15 seconds in the microwave. Next morning: Combine the ‘cress, mushrooms, and ricotta. Spritz an oven-proof ramekin or other dish with non-stick spray. Whisk the eggs and add the cress mixture. Whisk again and pour into the prepared dish. Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes. Prepare the beverages and the fruit. What a simple, sumptuous meal.

Watercress Soup: ..157 calories… 5.4 g fat… 3 g fiber… 8.4 g protein… 22 g carbs… 63.5 mg Calcium… —PB GF– Jacques Pepin’s Good Life Cooking is the source of this recipe and the stream that flows to the beach is the source of our watercress. So low in calories, you might want to add some Finn Crisp crackers for filling fiber or the Caprese Salad for more protein or a hard-boiled egg. HINT: This recipe makes 5 cups of soup which serves 4-5 people.  

++ 2 tsp canola oil ++++ 4 oz [weight, not volume] watercress leaves and tender stems ++++ 1 cup celery, coarsely chopped ++++ 2 cups onion, coarsely diced ++++ 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed ++++ 2½ cups good stock – vegetable/chicken/beef ++++ ¾ tsp salt ++++ 10 oz [weight, not volume] potatoes, peeled, cut in 2” chunks ++++ 2 oz [weight, not volume] sweet potato, peeled and cut in chunks ++++ Optional: 1 Tbsp chevre cheese – 40 calories/ 3 g fat/ 0 g fiber/ 2.5 g protein/ 0.5 g carbs/ 10 mg Calcium ++++  Optional: Caprese Salad – 46 calories/ 2 g fat/ 0.6 g fiber/ 4 g protein/ 2.6 g carbs/ 115.6 mg Calcium PB GF ½ oz mozzerella cheese, thinly sliced ++2 oz tomato, thinly sliced and sprinkled with salt++ fresh basil leaves++ There should be equal numbers of cheese slices as tomato. Arrange the cheese, tomato, and basil overlapping like shingles on the plate. ++++  Optional: hard-boiled egg  70 calories/ 4.8 g fat/ 0 g fiber/ 6 g protein/ 0.4 g carbs/ 28 mg Calcium PB GF Cut the egg lengthwise in quarters and nestle into the plated soup. Optional: 2 Finn Crisp crackers – 40 calories/ 0 g fat/ 3 g fiber/ 1 g protein/ 10 g carbs/ 0 mg Calcium PB GF

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the cress, celery, onion, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Put the stock, salt and potatoes into the pan and bring to a boil. [NB: my stock was very dark, which changed the color of the soup to a darker shade of green] Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool slightly then puree in blender/food processor or with immersion wand. If not thoroughly pureed, run through a sieve. Heat the soup before serving. In the bowl, put the chevre in the center, let it soften a bit, then swirl it into the soup. Serve the salad on the side.