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.

Michael, whose name means “Who is like God?”, was the Archangel. That translates as “head or chief of all the angels”. FYI: the word ‘angel’ means ‘messenger’. Confusingly, he is one of several ‘archangels’ — somewhere between two and seven are revered by different sects. You might think that Michael would be mentioned a lot in the Bible, but there are only four verses that actually name him: Jude 1:9,  Daniel 10:13, Daniel 12:1, Revelation 12:7-9. [The Angel Gabriel is mentioned more than that.] John Milton expanded on the Revelation verses by giving Michael a major role in Paradise Lost. In that 1667 epic poem, Michael is the warrior angel who goes into hand-to-hand combat with Lucifer/Satan/the Dragon, and throws him bodily out of Heaven. This is how Michael is usually portrayed in art, as in the famous statue on Paris’ Boulevard Saint Michel [Boul’Mich], on the Left Bank. Michael seems to have several roles. He is the advocate for Israel; he is a healer, especially linked to ‘healing waters’; he is the commander of God’s army; he is the Angel of Death who escorts souls to heaven; and he brings messages from Earth to God. Saint Michael’s Day is called Michaelmas, and was formerly a major time of celebration in Old Europe. Michael is the patron of soldiers, police officers, and others in dangerous jobs, also of France, Germany, and Ukraine.

The Feast of Saint Michael, September 29, is during the autumn mushroom season, so we will have some of them at breakfast. The barley harvest would be over, so some barley will be in our dinner salad.

Mushroom Bake: 145 calories… 6.6 g fat… 1 g fiber… 10 g protein… 9.5 g carbs… 102 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB GF Goodness has everything to do with this delicious meal.

++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ 2 Tablespoon ricotta ++++ 2 oz chantrelle/cepe or other ‘wild’ mushrooms ++++ 1½ tsp Parmesan cheese, grated ++++ 0.1 oz chopped prosciutto ++++ 1 oz peach OR pear OR apple ++++  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] ++

Spritz a ramekin [for 2 people, Dear Husband prefers to use a 4×6” oval casserole] with oil or non-stick spray and set the toaster oven at 350F. Chop the mushrooms and stir the cheeses together with the mushrooms and proscuitto. Whisk the eggs into the mushroom/cheeses and pour into the container. Bake 12-15 mins. Add a beverage and fruit, and you are ready for a bounteous day.

Tuna-Barley Salad: 230 calories… 4 g fat… 3.4 g fiber… 26 g protein… 23.6 g carbs… 60 mg Calcium…  PB GF Here is a meal to fit any diet plan, with whole grains, vegetables, and heart-healthy tuna.  HINT: Serves 2 [two]

++ 2 oz quick barley ++++ 5 oz white tuna, drained ++++ 1.5 oz canned white beans ++++ 5 oz grape tomatoes ++++ 4.5 oz baby spinach or baby lettuce ++++ 1 Tbsp Parmesan, grated ++++   marinade: 2 tsp white wine vinegar ++++ 1 tsp olive oil ++

Cook the barley and combine it with chunks of tuna. Put salad greens and marinade in serving bowl and toss. Gently toss in the barley-tuna to combine. Put tomatoes on top, then sprinkle with Parmesan. Gosh its good – and filling!