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.

“I’d never shop at that store — their merchandise is so tawdry.” What a shame to have your reputation go from saintly to tacky! Such was the fate of Etheldreda, aka: Æthelthryth; aka: Audrey. She was born in 636 in East Anglia, daughter of King Anna. In that curious post-Roman/pre-Viking era, Etheldreda’s family were staunch Christians. As a female pawn in regional politics, she was married at age 16 to an older chieftain. Because of her ardent faith, Etheldreda had sworn off sex, even in marriage — an idea that was popular then and mostly well-accepted. After becoming a widow, she was married off again, this time to the King of Northumbria. Now a queen, Æthelthryth remained chaste with her much younger husband. He was fine with that for about 10 years, and then demanded his conjugal rights. With the intercession of the Bishop, she was released from her marriage vows. Since she owned land in the “Isle of Ely“, Æthelthryth went there and founded a monastery, with a house for men and a house for women where she became the Abbess. For seven years, she lead her flock until she contracted the plague and died on June 23, 679, with an enormous tumor on her neck. [Æthelthryth joked it was pay-back for having worn fancy necklaces in her youth.] When she was reburied 17 years later, Etheldreda’s body was found to be intact, without any decay [incorrupt] which was proof that she was a saint. Her grave became a pilgrimage site, and the Cathedral of Ely was built where the monastery had stood. From the 1500s, an annual fair was held in June in her honor. By then, she was known as Saint Audrey, and merchants sold necklaces of jewelry and of lace to remember Audrey’s joke about her tumor. Over the years, the merchandise came to be of low quality — poorly made and gaudy. Saint Audrey’s name had been shortened to ‘T’Audrey, and the lace necklaces were called ‘tawdry lace’. Over time, all shoddy goods acquired the epithet ‘tawdry’, thus adding a new word to the English lexicon.

Our meals for Saint Audrey’s Day are neither tacky nor gaudy nor shoddy. They go down the throat easily. While you partake, think of Æthelthryth’s holy life and not her tawdry legacy.

Mushroom Pate Bake: 151 calories… 10.4 g fat… 1 g fiber… 8.7 g protein… 6.7 g carbs… 71 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB GF Mushrooms and walnuts make an amazing spread. With eggs and a tad of bleu cheese, they yield a spectacular breakfast.

++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ ½ oz mushroom pate** ++++ ¼ oz bleu cheese ++++ ¼ c blueberries ++++  Optional:  5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

Whisk the eggs with the pate and bleu cheese. Pour into an oven-proof dish which has been spritzed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Plate with the berries and savor the mushrooms.

**Wild Mushroom Pate: 1 oz = 70 calories.. 7 g fat.. 0.5 g fiber.. 1 g protein.. 1.5 g carbs.. 8 mg Calcium..  From the Inn at Saint Peter’s, this recipe is splendid as a spread on bread and as a flavorful ingredient.

Makes ~1½ cups	Preheat oven to 350 F /175 C
1 cup walnuts	Spread walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Toast 10 mins, until fragrant and lightly browned.
1/2 cup minced shallots ++½ cup unsalted butter	In a saute pan, cook shallots in butter over medium heat until translucent.
+++¼# chantrelle mushrooms++++ ¼# meadow mushrooms ++++¼# agaricus or other mushroom +++ 1 Tbsp roasted garlic puree OR 2 cloves garlic ++++++ ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley ++++1 Tbsp fresh thyme +++ ½ tsp salt ++++ ½ tsp white pepper +++	Chop mushrooms and herbs.Add these to the pan and cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Toasted walnuts ++++ 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil	Run nuts and oil in a blender/food processor until mixture forms a thick paste.
	Add cooked mushroom mixture, and process to desired texture.
	Pack into well-oiled mini-Mason jars or ramekins or a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate a few hours or overnight or freeze.

Spinach Mac & Cheese: 301 calories… 4.3 g fat… 6.5 g fiber… 24.7 g protein… 40.5 g carbs… 300.7 mg Calcium…  PG  The recipe is from EatingWell, always a good source of healthy meals.

Sv Six……… 6×10” glass dish	Preheat oven to 450F. Spray baking dish with PAM
3 T. fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs ++¼ tsp paprika	Mix these in a small bowl.
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed	Put in a fine-mesh strainer, press out excess moisture.
1½ cups non-fat milk	Heat in a large heavy saucepan on med-high heat until steaming.
¼ c non-fat milk ++++3 T. white whole wheat flour	Whisk to a smooth paste. whisk into milk until sauce thickens, 2-3 mins.
2 c. Extra-sharp Cheddar/Low-Fat +++++ ¼ c roasted green chiles	Shred cheeses. Take milk off heat and stir in these until cheese melts.
1 c. 2%-fat cottage cheese +++++⅛ tsp nutmeg ++++++ ¼ tsp salt ++++fresh-ground pepper	Stir in these.
7 oz whole-wheat elbow macaroni	Cook pasta 4 mins, until not quite tender. Drain, add to cheese sauce.
Pasta-cheese sauce+++++squeezed spinach ++++++breadcrumbs	Spread ½ pasta mixture in baking dish. Put spinach on top. Top with pasta, sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
	Bake 25-30 mins. until bubbly, golden,
2 oz green beans per serving	Serve with green beans