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.

“When I am an old woman, I will wear purple.” So begins the poem “Warning” by Jennie Johnson, playing on the fact that purple is often a clothing color preferred by elderly women. [Perhaps it was to match their hair, since in the 1950-60s many older women used purple hair rinses.] Violet is the seventh color of the visible spectrum, the end of the rainbow. Humans can see the color because its short wave-lengths are reflected by purple things and thus the light comes to our eyes. There are many shades of violet: from lavender and amethyst, all the way to purple. Violet has many connotations. There is the flower, Genus Viola, a cheerful sight in lawns and woodlands in springtime. Violet is an old-timey girl’s name. The color purple was once derived only from snail shells in Phoenicia. Because it was rare, it was costly, so purple clothing were worn only by patricians and emperors. Thus as the Christian Church became organized, bishops wore purple robes to denote their status. During the Liturgical Seasons of Advent and Lent, vestments and paraments in churches are purple, the color meaning majesty, sorrow, and penance. Purple has been associated with Lesbians and Gay men since the 1800s. In nature, flowers and birds are purple, but mammals never are. The color requires much energy use for the bird to produce, which is why it is not very common. As for Alice Walker’s book The Color Purple, you can draw your own conclusions about the importance of the color.

The purplest color in the vegetable garden is the eggplant. Our meals both feature the vegetable.

Mediterranean Bake: 188 calories… 5 g fat… 2 g fiber… 12.4 g protein… 10 g carbs… 65 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB GF Oh! Those sunny flavors!

++ one 2-oz egg ++++ 4 Tbsp Mediterranean Vegetables without chickpeas ++++ 2 Tbsp chevre cheese ++++ salt + pepper + large pinch of herbes de Provence ++++ 1.5 oz applesauce OR 3 oz melon ++++ 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] ++

Set the toaster oven at at 350 F. Spritz a ramekin with oil or non-stick spray and spoon in the Mediterranean Vegggies. Pop the ramekin in the warming toaster oven for 30 seconds to warm the vegetables. Whisk the egg with the cheese and seasonings. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables and bake in the toaster oven for 12-15 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Brew your optional beverage, shake and pour the optional smoothie, plate with the melon. A fine way to start the rest of your life.

Caponata & Farro: 1 cup: 264 calories… 8 g fat… 8.5 g fiber… 9.5 g protein… 43 g carbs… 57.5 mg Calcium…  PB The components of this meal are thoroughly Mediterranean. The Romans lived on farro, an ancestor of modern wheat, and caponata is beloved in Sicily. Enjoy this as a meal with fruit of your choice.  HINT: this recipe makes 2 [two] cups/servings.

++ 1 cup caponata** ++++ 1 cup cooked farro ++++ 3 oz melon ++

Combine caponata and farro, heat gently and plate with fruit for a hearty, filling meal.

**CAPONATA: makes 2 cups  My take on Jamie Oliver’s take on a Sicilian classic. 1 cup = 156 calories… 4.5 g fat… 6.5 g fiber…3 g protein… 20.4 g carbs…66.4 mg Calcium

Adaptation = 2 cups	Heat oven to 400F.
2 tsp olive oil—-2 c eggplants, in ¾” chunks —- 1 tsp dried oregano/Italian herbs —- Sea salt	Add oil to a big pan over high. Toss these to coat in oil, add more if needed. Cook 4-5 mins, stirring at whiles. OR ROAST 10 MINS. –
½ cup red onion—-2 cloves garlic, finely sliced—½ small bunch flat-leaf parsley	Finely chop onion + parsley. Slice garlic finely.On cooktop, cook 2 mins in cooking spray.
1 Tbsp capers, drained——6 pitted black olives—— 1-2 T. herb vinegar	Add these, and cook until vinegar evaporates.
16 oz ripe tomatoes, OR 1½ c. canned diced toms—–cooked eggplant	Roughly chop tomatoes, add to pan with eggplant, simmer 15-20 mins until tender.