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.

The people of Ancona were in dire straits. For months their coastal city had been besieged by the combined forces of their enemies, the Republic of Venice and the Holy Roman Empire. The plucky little Republic of Ancona had the temerity to challenge Venice over trade rights in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, and they had chosen to ally themselves with the Byzantine Empire rather than the Holy Romans. Warfare ensued, leading to the Siege of Ancona. The people of the city were in need of a break, of a morale boost in this war of attrition. On September 1, 1173, while the siege engines ringed the walls, a band of defenders rolled a barrel of pitch through a hole in the wall. The plan was to set it alight, to destroy some war machines, and gain a respite from the relentless attacks. The problem was that the pitch was very flammable and potentially explosive — the act of lighting it on fire might be deadly. It had to be done, but how? And by whom? While the men stood about dithering, the Widow Stamina stepped forward. With an axe in hand, she went to the barrel and broke it open. She lit the pitch and the resulting fire consumed the siege engines. She died of course. Stamina’s action allowed the city of Ancona to hold out until October, when allies arrived to end the siege. In the 1800s, during the efforts to unify Italy, Stamina was hailed as a true “Italian” heroine, although she had never heard of a nation by that name. She was memorialized in art, history books, and a novel. “Facts” about her were invented, to flesh out her biography. All we really know about her is her last name [sometimes written as ‘Stamura’], and that “the Sacrifice of Stamina” truly saved the day at the Siege of Ancona.

Prosciutto & Melon Plate:  215 calories… 10 g fat… 3 g fiber… 24 g protein… 23 g carbs… 228 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF Once again the Inn at Saint Peter’s inspired a breakfast! Nothing beats the salty-sweet flavor combination of this meal.  HINT: I plated everything the night before and stored the plates in zipper bags in the refrigerator.

++ 5 oz canteloupe melon [Charentais melon would be fabulous!] ++++ 1 oz thinly-sliced prosciutto ++++ ¼ cup red onion pickle ++++ 0.2 oz shavings of Parmesan cheese ++++ fresh basil or mint leaves OR crumbled dried basil ++++ ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt ++++ ¼ cup blackberries plus drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction, optional ++++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] ++ 

Cut the melon into bite-sized cubes [8 pieces look well on the plate]. Cut the prosciutto into 8 long strips [mine were 1”x4”]. Place a ramekin with yogurt, berries, and balsamic vinegar in the center of a plate. Arrange the red onion around it, then the melon and ham in a circle on the outside of the plate. Shave off curls of Parmesan and place them on top. If using fresh herb leaves, tuck them in here and there. If using dried herbs, rub the leaves in your palms to crumble over the plate. Serve with your chosen beverage. Wonderful flavors, however you combine them on your fork.

Turkey Picatta: 257 calories… 5 g fat… 1.3 g fiber… 31 g protein… 21 g carbs… 28 mg Calcium… GF Rush Hour Cooking provided this recipe which is one of our all-time favorites. Quick and delicious.

++ 4 oz uncooked turkey breast ++++ salt & pepper ++++ ½ tsp olive oil 1 Tbsp white wine ++++ 1/3 cup chicken stock ++++ 1.5 tsp lemon juice ++++ 2 Tbsp shallots, minced ++++ pinch garlic powder ++++ 2 tsp capers ++++ 3 oz tomatoes, sliced ++++ ¼ cup brown rice, optional++

Combine the wine, stock and lemon juice. Pound the turkey meat, if needed, to even out the thickness. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the turkey on both sides until cooked through, adding a little of the stock mixture if needed. Remove turkey to a plate and keep warm. Add the stock mixture and shallots to the pan along with the garlic powder, stirring up the brown bits on the pan. Cook down until only 3-4 tablespoons of sauce remain. Lastly add the capers. Warm the rice [if using cooked left-over rice] and slice the tomatoes. Plate the rice, drizzling 1 Tbsp sauce over it. Plate the turkey, pouring the remaining sauce on it. Plate the tomatoes.