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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

In 1860, if you were a teen-aged orphan boy who weighed less than 125 pounds, your prospects might have been bleak. On April 5 of that year, a job opportunity opened — riding for the Pony Express between St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California. Half a million people had moved to California after the start of the Gold Rush in 1848, and they keenly felt that they were out of touch with the rest of the country. At that time, mail was delivered by stage coach, but it was often delayed by weeks. A senator from California pushed for a swifter alternative, and so William Evans, William Waddell, and Alexander Majors took on the job of figuring it out. Though all of them worked in freight hauling, they knew that the task required more agility. Majors established 200 stop-over stations along the 1,966 mile route, one third of them including sleeping rooms, store rooms, and extra horses. Eighty young men were recruited, and then they signed a pledge never to drink or swear on the job. They had to be orphans because of the dangerous nature of the work. The riders had to be light-weight so that their small horses could run faster to their desti-nation. The job involved riding night and day, across trackless wilderness, then handing off the bag of mail to the next guy. Although the service was highly successful, it ran for only one year. Once the telegraph lines were completed across the continent, it was the end of an era for the famous, short-lived, much romanticized Pony Express.

Pony Express riders had to stop to change horses. At the stables along the route, they would surely have eaten pork ‘n’ beans, so we will have that with eggs at breakfast. Since they rode through Indian country, the cooks might have picked up a recipe or two from the Indigenous People, such as our dinner made from local ingredients.

Pork ‘n’ Beans ScrOmelette: 146 calories… 8 g fat… 1 g fiber… 12 g protein… 7 g carbs… 50 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. As for the inspiration for this combination, I thought, ‘Well, why not?’ And it tastes good, too – like a meal while camping. 

++ 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 Tbsp baked beans, straight from the can ++++ ¼ oz pork tenderloin, raw or cooked [left-over from a previous dinner] ++++ ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce ++++ ¼ tsp HP sauce ++++ 1.5 oz strawberries, thawed or fresh ++++  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] ++

If the pork is raw, mince it and combine with the beans and a little water. Put in microwave for 45 seconds.  If the pork is cooked, mince it and combine with the beans. Pour pork & beans to warm into a pan which has been sprayed briefly with cooking spray. Whisk the eggs with the two sauces and pour over the pork and beans. Scramble to taste, seasoning with salt and pepper. By now the beverage is hot, the smoothie is shaken, and the strawberries are looking wonderful. Sit, eat, enjoy your breakfast at camp.

3 Sisters Stew: vegetarian version: 211 calories… 3 g fat… 9 g fiber… 8 g protein… 41.4 g carbs… 71 mg Calcium…  meat version: 280 calories… 5 g fat… 11 g fiber… 20 g protein… 41.4 g carbs… 81 mg Calcium…  PB GF  The author of this recipe, Alex Aguilera, based it on a classic Chilean dish. But First Nations people all over North, Central, and South America would recognize the ingredients, which they called ‘the 3 Sisters’. Turkey was a common food of early Americans and can be added if you wish. HINT: this recipe makes 4.5 cups of stew. One serving = 1 cup.

¾#/12 oz butternut squash ++++ 2 cups corn kernels ++++ water	Peel, seed squash and cut as 1” cubes. Put vegetables in pan with water to cover. Cover, simmer until squash is just tender, ~10 mins.
9 oz kidney beans, canned	Drain and rinse beans, add to pot, cook until hot.
	Put 1½ cups stew in a food processor or blender, along with some of the liquid. Puree, then return to pot to keep warm.
½ Tbsp canola oil ++++ ½ c onion ++++ ½ red bell pepper ++++ ½ green bell pepper	Coarsley chop onion and peppers. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and bell peppers, and cook over moderate heat, stirring sometimes, until softened, 8 mins.
½ tsp cumin, seeds or ground ++++ ½ tsp oregano ++++ ½ tsp crushed red pepper +++ salt & pepper	Add seasonings to vegetables in the skillet. Cook, stirring, ~4 mins until fragrant. Stir into corn-squash-beans, and season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to your preference.Serve 1 cup per person, freezing the remainder.
Optional per serving: 1½ oz turkey dark meat	If turkey is raw, add it to the previous step.If turkey is cooked, add it at end and heat stew to warm meat.