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.

Somewhere in Ireland in the 7th century CE, a pagan lord named Damon and his Christian wife had a daughter named Dymphna. She grew up to be a teenager as lovely as her mother. When her mother died, her father sank into a depression so disturbing that the king told him to remarry. All along, Dymphna had been caring lovingly for her increasingly deranged parent. Damon agreed to marry, but only if he could find a wife as beautiful as his beloved. By the time it was clear that such a one could not be found, the despairing widower began to think that his daughter was actually his wife. When Dymphna had to resist his advances one time too many, she fled Ireland with her confessor priest, trusted servants, and the court jester [why??]. They ended up in Geel, Belgium where the 15-year-old Dymphna set up a hospital for the poor and the mentally ill. The news of this reached her father, who hastened to Belgium. His men beheaded the priest to convince Dymphna to return with them, but when she refused, her father cut off her head too. The local people buried the martyrs and built a church over their graves. The church became a pilgrimage site. It burned down in the 1300s, and the Dymphnakerk that stands today was begun in 1349. Over the centuries, people with mental afflictions have journeyed to Geel to pray to Dymphna for help. Since the 1300s, there has been a gasthuis/hospice for pilgrims, once run by nuns, now a public psychiatric hospital that manages a unique program. So many people came to the town that the hospital was over-flowing. Townspeople agreed to host pilgrims and Geel has been running a program of family living for the mentally ill for centuries. After an evaluation at the public hospital, people are paired with families and live in a home setting as guests or boarders. They participate in family and community life. And they thrive. Host families receive a stipend and training. In 1862, a visiting doctor was amazed at “the extraordinary phenomenon presented at Geel of 400 insane persons moving freely about in the midst of a population which tolerates them without fear and without emotion.” Thanks perhaps to Saint Dymphna, the Geel model works.

Our breakfast is based on a dessert popular in northern France and Belgium. The dinner is a soup that is Irish through and through.

Apple Flamusse: 223 calories… 15 g fat… 4 g fiber… 17.5 g protein… 68.5 g carbs… 171.5 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB  This fine French dessert doubles as a splendid breakfast. And since the recipe serves 4 [four], it will serve the family.

++ 2 two-oz eggs ++++ 3 Tbsp sugar ++++ 40 g white whole wheat flour ++++ 200 ml milk ++++ 2¼ cup sliced apples ++++ 4 tsp butter ++++ 1 oz egg white ++++  per serving: 1 chicken sausage [33 calories each] ++++   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

>>>>Peel and slice apples. Saute in a smear of butter + 2 Tbsp water until softened. Spritz 2 ramekins or an oven-proof dish with 1.5 cup capacity with non-stick spray. Distribute the apples over the bottom of the dish. Whisk eggs until foamy, then add flour and sugar, whisking until there are no lumps. Stir in the milk and pour the batter over the berries. Bake at 375 F. for 15 minutes. Take from oven and decorate with egg white whipped with sugar to soft peaks. Return to oven until meringue is lightly browned. Serve with sausage and a hot beveage for a delicious start to your day.

Irish Leek & Potato Soup: 218 calories… 10 g fat… 3 g fiber… 7 g protein… 28 g carbs… 49 g Calcium…  PB GF Irish Pub Cooking is the source of this green soup, not to be confused with French Vichysoise.  HINT: serves 7-9. There are calories left over for a bit of whole-grain bread with the soup, or some fruit to round out the meal. Your choice.

4 Tbsp butter ++++++ 1 onion, chopped ++++++++++ 3 large leeks, trimmed ++++1.5 points russet potatoes	Chop onions. Clean, slice, and dry leeks. Peel and dice potatoes. Melt butter in soup pot. Saute these 5-10 minutes, stirring often.
3½ cups chicken or vegetable stock	Add stock to pan and bring to a simmer. Cover, simmer ~15 mins, until all is tender.
3/4-1 cup frozen peas	Add peas to pot just long enough to defrost them.
	Working in 2 batches, process soup until your desired consistency. It can be smooth, or chunky.
salt and fresh cracked black pepper	Season to taste.
>sour cream thinned with milk to be drizzle-able >snipped chives	Serve piping hot with a drizzle of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large	1.5 two-oz eggs
curry powder + crushed tomatoes	bell pepper + blueberries
reduced-fat ricotta cheese	crushed tomatoes
artichoke hearts + applesauce	pepperoni + part-skim mozzarella
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

tomatoes + zucchini + mushrooms	raw chicken breast half
olive oil + Parmesan cheese	basil leaves + tomatoes
whole wheat pasta shells	garlic + mozzarella cheese
artichoke hearts + edible flowers	pesto + asparagus or broccoli
Sparkling water	Sparkling water