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.

Certainly ever since the Bronze Age, humans [well, those living in northern latitudes that have four seasons] have been celebrating at this time of year. The first day of May is special because it is the point in the celestial calendar that is half-way between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Ancient Mesopotamians called it akitu or akitum, and it marked the Springtime cutting of the barley crop. In Celtic Europe, it was Beltane, a Springtime fertility festival. In China and India, kites are flown. In England, it is May Day, a time for flowers and May Pole dancing. Since 1886, May 1st has been International Workers’ Day. A law had been passed in the USA to ensure an 8-hour work day. When employers ignored the law, insisting on 12 or 16-hour days, 350,000+ workers went on strike. By May 4th, police in Chicago put down a demonstration with excessive force, calling attention to the issue. Perhaps the protesting workers were yelling “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!”. This word series [always said three times], used by aviators, sailors, and firefighters, signals life-threatening distress. The word itself was devised in 1923, based on the French expression <<m’aidez>>, meaning “come to my aid”. Since 1918, Russia had held parades on May 1st to celebrate socialist workers. Over the decades, this has been replaced by a parade of military might and war machines to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. I hope that you will be able to observe May Day with a little time off, fun with family and friends — and that nothing distressful happens to make you call for help.

In Europe, the usual foods for May Day include eggs [a sign of spring], and early vegetables, such as foraged greens and asparagus. Let’s have all of the above!

Dandelion ScrOmelette: 147 calories… 8 g fat… 2 g fiber… 11 g protein… 9.5 g carbs… 103 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.

++ 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 ++++  ½ cup  dandelion greens ++++ 1 clove garlic ++++ 1 Tbsp cooked brown rice ++++ 1 oz melon ++++  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] ++

Chop the dandelion greens and cover them with boiling salted water. Let sit 5 minutes off the heat, then taste a leaf to see if the bitterness is gone. If not, heat the water again to boiling, then take off heat for another 2 minutes. Taste again. If still bitter, drain the water, add fresh salted water and cook 2 minutes more. While that is going on, chop the garlic. Drain the dandelion greens. Heat a non-stick or cast-iron skillet and spray with cooking spray. Cook the garlic over medium for 30 seconds, then add the dandelion and rice. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper, then pour them into the pan. Scramble or cook like an omelette. Plate with the melon and try something new.

Asparagus & Chicken Galettes: 263 calories… 8.4 g fat… 3 g fiber… 20 g protein… 29 g carbs… 61 mg Calcium…  PB This is a delightful meal for Springtime, made even better by being so simple to prepare. HINT: Serves 2 [two] persons.

++ 3 oz asparagus, woody ends snapped off ++++ 3½ oz chicken breast, cooked or raw ++++ 4 buckwheat galettes** ++++ 5 Tbsp Bechamel sauce with cheese ++++ raw vegetables ++

Cut asparagus in 1” pieces. If the meat is cooked, shred it into the size pieces you want. If the meat is raw, slice into bite-sized strips. Put the asparagus in water that is strongly simmering for 2 minutes, uncovered, then add the raw chicken. Continue to simmer until both are cooked. Drain off the water and save it [for soup; for baking]. If the meat was previously cooked, add it now along with the Bechamel. Warm thoroughly, adding the cooking water if too thick. Season to taste and spoon onto warmed galettes. Serve immediately with a grating of cheese.

**BUCKWHEAT GALETTES —- 1 batch makes 20 galettes, each using 3-4 Tbsp batter each one = 50 calories … 0.5 g fat… 1.4 g fiber… 2 g protein… 8.5 g carbs… 6 mg Calcium…   TIP: Keep some cooked galettes in the freezer for ‘instant’ use. ++++++1 cup unbleached flour +++++ ++¾ cup buckwheat flour +++++++ scant 2 cups water ++++++ 2 two-oz eggs ++++ ½ tsp sea salt ++

Whisk the flours and the water until batter is smooth. Add the salt, then the eggs one at a time. Whisk vigorously. When you lift the whisk, the batter should fall off in ‘ropes.’ Let sit for 2 hours or over night. HINT: batter could be divided into 1 cup or ½ cup portions and frozen.  If using frozen batter, whisk it vigorously after it thaws, and add a bit of water. Heat an 8” cast-iron pan or ceramic saute pan. Lightly spritz with oil. Dip a ¼ cup measure into the batter and let the extra drain off. Grasp the handle of the cook pan with one hand as you slowly pour the batter into the center of the pan. Tilt the pan quickly in a swirling pattern to let the batter form a circle roughly 6” in diameter. Don’t get hung up on perfectly round or perfectly flat. Watch the galette cook and look to see when the edges start to dry and curl a bit. Using a heat-resistant but non-scratching tool [I use my fingers], lift the galette and turn it over. Cook the other side until done. Time will vary, depending on the heat of your pan. Lift the cooked galette out, put it aside, and cook the next one. HINT: if storing them for later today or tomorrow, let them cool on a tea towel, then stack and store in a plastic bag.

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

1.5 two-oz eggs = US large	1 two-oz egg + broccoli
Swiss chard	herbs + reduced-fat ricotta
Parmesan cheese + paprika	Jarlsberg + onion
garlic powder + grapes OR strawberries	cantaloupe + blueberries
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

2 eggs + shrimp + sesame oil + scallions	4 oz shrimp or other seafood
celery + mushrooms + spinach + bean sprouts	onion + scallion + tomato
ginger powder + sesame seed + garlic powder	chickpeas + chicken stock
hoisin sauce + soy sauce + oyster sauce	zucchini + garlic + olive oil
Sparkling water	Sparkling water