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.

Q: What deity is nicknamed “Queen of Heaven”? A: Mazu, 媽祖, Goddess of the Sea. Q: After whom is Macau named? A: Mazu, Goddess of the Sea. Q: Which deity is attended by two demons? A: Mazu, Goddess of the Sea. Q: Which Chinese goddess is neither Taoist nor Buddhist? A: Mazu, Goddess of the Sea. Who is Mazu? She was born in 960 CE, on Meizhou Island, in China’s Fujian province. Her name was Lin. From infancy she was known as the Silent Maiden. The whole town saw her as someone special. It seemed that she could predict the weather better than anyone. As a young woman, her projected spirit saved her fisherman father and brothers from a ship wreck — even though she was sitting at home, weaving. After she died [or ascended to heaven] at age 26, people called upon Mazu for relief from floods and drought; for safe ocean travel; for a successful catch of fish — and her reputation as a compassionate helper grew. She was declared a deity by the Chinese government in the 1200s, and throughout coastal China, temples to Mazu were built. Her cult really took off in Taiwan in the 17th century. Worship of Mazu unified the diverse people of the island and she became the principal deity of the Taiwanese. Every year a Festival is held in Taiwan on her birthday, with processions and pilgrimages attracting tens of thousands of people to honor Mazu, Goddess of the Sea.

To celebrate Mazu’s March birthday, one eats seafood [naturally!], especially oysters, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. Both breakfast and dinner contain these elements deliciously.

Mazu’s Breakfast: 165 calories…1.5 g fat… 5.3 g fiber… 9.5 g protein… 40 g carbs.. 36.5 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF – if using GF flour  The Sea Goddess Mazu is honored by eating seafood, fruits, and vegetables. We score that trifecta in this lovely breakfast, adapted from a recipe in Stefan’s Gourmet Blog. HINT: The oyster cake recipe makes seven [7] cakes. Freeze what you don’t eat for today.

++ Oyster Cake** ++++ 3.5 oz mango with skin ++++ 1.5 oz kiwi fruit/Chinese Gooseberry] ++ 

7 **Oyster Cakes	7 custard cups
7 oysters, fresh or canned	Fresh oysters: Lay flat in saucepan with ½” water. Cover pan.  Heat on med-high until water reaches 131F/55C. Turn off heat, let sit 5 mins. Put oysters in a bowl.
	Open oysters over bowl to catch liquid. Take from shells, rinse if sandy. Cut into quarters, set aside.
Oyster liquid + enough water to bring volume to 150-200 ml/1 to ¾ c	Strain oyster liquid through a paper towel. Add water
37 g/½ c shredded cabbage	Shred cabbage leaves.
20 g/ 2 Tbsp shredded carrot ++++ 6 g/ 2 Tbsp sliced scallions	Mix cabbage with carrot and scallions.
150 g/1 c white whole wheat flour ++++ oyster-liquid/ water ++++ mixed vegetables	Sift flour into a bowl, add oyster-flavored water, whisking to break up lumps. It should be like thick pancake batter. Fold in vegetables.
Salt to taste	Add salt.
Oysters, cut in quarters +++++ vegetable batter	In a small bowl/custard cup, combine ¼ c batter + 4 oyster bits. Repeat, until all oysters and batter are used.
2 Tbsp ketchup  ++++ 1 Tbsp oyster sauce ++++ 1 Tbsp soy sauce	Combine these ingredients, and stir well. If too thin, reduce liquid over medium heat. = Dipping Sauce for 7 cakes.
vegetable Oil	Heat a griddle or cast iron pan, coat with a thin layer of oil.
	Scrape contents of each cup onto cooking surface one at a time. Cook over med-high until browned on both sides.

Taiwanese-Style Seafood Pancakes: each pancake = 298 calories… 11 g fat …1.6 g fiber… 20 g protein… 21.5 g carbs… 141 mg Calcium…  PB The recipe is taken from Wok On by Ching He Huang  HINT: This is enough for two [2] dinner pancakes. Invite a fellow Faster or cut recipe in half.  Note to purists: the original recipe does not call for wheat flour, let alone whole wheat flour. But I am into nutrition and insist that there be some fiber and complex carbs in my food, hence the heretical addition.

+++2 Tbsp of hoisin sauce ++++ 2 Tbsp of oyster sauce ++++ 2 Tbsp red sriracha	Combine the ingredients for a sweet-hot sauce. = 6 Tbsp: 1½ Tbsp = 20 calories.. 0.3 g fat.. 0.2 g fiber.. 0.3 g protein.. 4.5 g carbs.. 5.5 mg Calcium…
1/3c/ 20g potato flour or flakes ++++  ¼c/ 30g white whole wheat flour ++++ 2 Tbsp/ 14g cornstarch ++++ 180ml/ 6oz/180g cold water	Mix dry ingredients with water and stir to combine. Let sit to wet the ingredients, then stir again, adding more water if batter is too stiff. Batter should have the consistancy of milk so it will flow well in the pan. Divide batter into 2 equal portions.
++ 2 spring onions ++++ ½ tsp crushed red pepper	Cut scallions into a fine dice. Add with crushed pepper to the portions of batter above. Stir.
75g/ 2oz mixed seafood: mussels/shrimp/fish/squid	Cut seafood into pieces less than ½” in size. Divide seafood into 2 equal portions
++ 2 eggs ++++ 50g/ 2oz pak choi	Beat eggs to break them up. Slice pak choi thinly across the leaves. Divide eggs and greens equally between 2 bowls.
++ ½ tsp light sesame oil ++++ one portion of seafood mixture	Heat a flat-bottomed wok or heavy saute pan over medium heat. Add oil, swirl it around, then spray pan with cooking oil. Add mixed seafood and fry for a few seconds.
++ one portion of batter ++++ one portion egg-greens mixture	Add the flour batter, and tip pan to distribute. Immediately add the egg-greens. Cook 60 secs, flip and cook on the other side. Put on a plate.
½ tsp light sesame oil ++++ 1 portion of seafood mixture ++++ 1 portion of batter +++ 1 portion egg-greens mixture	Make the second ‘pancake’ in the same way, using the remaining ingredients.
1½ Tbsp hot sauce per serving	To serve, drizzle with the sweet hot sauce.