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.

People naturally seek the unusual. They crave excitement to relieve their everyday routine. In 1868, people in Cardiff, New York State had a real ‘nine-day wonder’ right in their own town. George Hull was in a huff. As an atheist, he argued with a Methodist minister about the veracity of the Bible. When the minister quoted a verse stating that in olden days there were giants, Hull decided to test the public’s gullibility. He secretly commissioned a sculpture to carve a 10-foot high statue of a man. [Legend says that Hull was the model for the nude male.] Then he had it buried on the farm of his confederate, William ‘Stub’ Newell in Cardiff. On October 16, workers digging a well “discovered” the statue. It was proclaimed to be a ‘petrified man’ from ancient times — perhaps one of the giants mentioned in the Bible! As news got out, folks came from far and wide to view it. Even after Farmer Newell started charging 50-cents to see it, people still came. Some thought it was a statue carved by a lost race. Others said it was carved in the 1700s by a Jesuit missionary preaching to the Algonquins. A scientific analysis by renowned paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh proved it to be modern, rather than thousands of years old, and that it was crudely carved from the mineral gypsum. Nonetheless, the Cardiff Giant still attracted throngs. Circus man and huckster P.T. Barnam offered to buy it for his sideshow, but was denied. So he had a copy made and put his fake duplicate on display instead of the genuine fake. Hull eventually admitted to the hoax, but nobody cared — the Cardiff Giant had become part of the folklore of New York State and the world. The original is on display at the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Barnum’s faux fake is viewable at Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum near Detroit, Michigan.

Our meals cater to those seeking unusual flavors.

Flavor-full Scramble : 152 calories… 8.5 g fat … 1 g fiber… 10.4 g protein… 7.5 g carbs… 45.4 mg Calcium… NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  Sometimes our meals get into a rut. This scramble has punchy flavors to wake up your mouth in the morning.

++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. ++++  1 slice pepperoni [ 2” diameter], chopped ++++ 1 Kalamata olive, chopped ++++ large pinch of Winter Savory ++++ salt + pepper ++++ 2 oz pear ++++ 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] ++

Whisk the chopped meat, olive, and seasonings with the eggs. Pour into into a lightly-spritzed non-stick saute pan and scramble to your liking. Plate with the pear and pour the beverages. You now have a meal prepared in a short time to usher in the shortest day of the year.

Pineapple Pompeii: 286 calories… 9.5 g fat… 5 g fiber… 15 g protein… 40.6 g carbs… 85.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF This is served in South-Eastern Pennsylvania as a side dish to baked ham. The fanciful name is unique to the neighbor who gave me the recipe. I put the ham in the casserole to make a complete meal. HINT: Serves 6 as dinner.  This was a real hit at a pot-luck.

++5 cups whole-grain bread cut in ½” cubes ++++ four 2-oz eggs ++++ 1 Tbsp butter + ¼ cup loosely-packed brown sugar ++++ 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained and saving the juice ++++ 1 cup 3%-fat ham, cut in ¼” dice ++++  per person: 1 side salad with beets ++ 

Cream butter and sugar together, then whisk in the eggs. Add bread cubes to the bowl and stir together to combine. Add the ham and drained pineapple. Stir to combine thoroughly. The batter should be moist, so if it is too dry, you may add some of the drained pineapple juice to bring it to the right consistancy. Spray a 6×10” baking pan with non-stick spray and pour in the batter. Smooth it into the corners and bake at 350F for 25 mins, until set and starting to brown on the top. Cut into 6 pieces. Serve with the Side Salad. Freeze the pieces that you don’t use today for another meal.

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

1.5 two-oz eggs = US large	1 two-oz egg + ham
lots of fresh herbs	spinach + bechamel sauce, without cheese
part-skim ricotta OR 2%-fat cottage cheese	onion + celery + basil + applesauce
peach/melon/strawberries	celery salt + dill weed + garlic powder
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

6 oz whole wheat pizza dough + parsley	raw chicken breast + lemon juice + garlic
Cooked spinach + crushed tomatoes	fresh ginger + cabbage + soy sauce
+ fresh cep mushroom + Proscuitto + Parmesan	olive oil + Carrots
Side salad with beets & cukes	snow peas/ asparagus/broccoli
Sparkling water	Sparkling water