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.
Something that often stymies English-speakers when learning foreign languages is the use of familiar vs formal pronouns. In French, one deals with ‘Tu and Vous’. In German, it is ‘Du and Sie’. In Chinese, one can say ‘ni or nín’. Hindi has three ways, ‘tu-tun-aap’. And boy! you don’t want to mix them up on the test or in real life! The student laments, “We don’t have those distinctions in English!” Oh, but we once did! And it still causes some confusion. Think of the words of the Lord’s Prayer: “..thy name; ..thine is the kingdom..” Reading that, people might think that, since one would surely speak to God in the most formal tones, that thee-thou-thine are formal pronouns. But no. In 1611 CE, when the definitive English Bible, the so-called King James version was written, people had separate pronouns for familiar and formal style. This pronoun use had been in place since the 1300s, growing out of the word ‘ye’. ‘You’ was for formal address, while ‘Thee’ was how you talked to family members and friends. The point being made by the pronouns in the Lord’s Prayer is that God is a close friend, a family member — NOT some distant deity to whom one grovels. Eventually, in the 1700s, English speakers got lazy and simplified, moving away from the distinction, and using ‘you’ for all purposes: singular, plural, formal, familiar. Except for the Quakers. They continued to use thee-thine long after no one else did. Their purpose was to break down hierarchy, to be egalitarian, and it set them apart in England in the 1700s. After the French Revolution there was a similar move to eliminate the formal ‘vous’, following the elimination of the ruling class, but that form of address was short-lived. Is the English language poorer for this simplification? Thou may make up thine own mind.
Our meals are simple and accessible — to be served to family or friends. Until next time, Fare Thee Well.
Zucchini Bake: 184 calories… 7.5 g fat… 2 g fiber… 18 g protein… 9.5 g carbs… 161.5 mg Calcium… NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB GF Fine, flavorful breakfast for Zucchini Weather.
++ ½ cup/2 oz zucchini, sliced/grated, cooked ++++ ¼ cup 2%-fat cottage cheese, drained if necessary ++++ one 2-oz egg ++++ 1 T Parmesan cheese, grated ++++ pinch garlic powder ++++ pinch dill or herbes de Provence ++++ pinch cayenne pepper ++++ 2 oz fresh peach -OR- 1½ oz pear -OR- 3 oz fresh or sliced strawberries +++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++++ Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++
Grate the zucchini on a box grater and steam it over water or ‘saute’ it in a pan with enough water to prevent sticking. Drain it in a strainer, then transfer to paper towels to dry off excess liquid. HINT: steam it the night before and let it drain in a strainer over night.Combine with the cheeses and garlic. Beat the egg with the white and stir into the cheeze/zucchini mixture. Spritz an oven-safe dish or ramekin with non-stick spray and pour in the egg mixture. Bake at 350F. For 12-15 minutes – it should puff and be starting to brown. Prep beverages, plate eggs with fruit, and there you are: enjoying summer’s bounty.
White Fish Baked with cheese: for the fish alone —145 calories… 6 g fat… 0 g fiber 33 g protein… 0.2 g carb… 129 mg Calcium … PB GF Another winner from the Fast Diet book. There are those who say that one never serves fish with cheese….and this recipe proves them to be wrong.
++ 6 oz firm white fish fillets such as haddock or cod ++++ ½ oz cheddar cheese, grated ++++ Your choice of vegetables to add up to 125 calories: ½ cup pickled beets [74 cal]—- 3 oz green beans [26 cal] —- ½ cup peas [62 calories] —- ½ cup carrot coins [12 cal] —- 3 oz broccoli florets [30 cal] —- 2 oz parsnip, sliced as coins [42 cal] —- 1 cups salad greens + ½ tsp lemon juice + 1 tsp olive oil [48 cal] —- 3 oz tomatoes [15 cal]—-
Heat oven to 400 F. Put fish in an oven-proof dish which has been lightly smeared with olive oil. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables of your choice. How easy it is to be healthy!
