Author: me

A Word From the Experts

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When a new diet comes out, some people are quick to jump on the latest fad. They don’t often think of the nutritional merits of the plan.  Others stand back and sneer and say it can’t be as good as it seems.

When the Fast Diet was proposed, it was the same way: proponents, like me, were quick to try it and tout its benefits. Nay-sayers could not believe that dieting only 2 days a week would work or that the other claims [fasting was good for you and promotes the growth of new brain cells] were true.

Don’t just take my word for it, here are some recent reports about the topic.

“You Can Grow New Brain Cells. Here’s How.                         TED Posted: 10/19/2015 04:29 PM EDT | Edited: 10/19/2015 04:29 PM 

Can adults grow new neurons? Until relatively recently,  experts believed the answer was no.

But as neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret explains in a new TED Talk, humans can indeed generate new brain cells, a process called neurogenesis. More importantly, doing so has a range of important benefits, including  improving mood, increasing memory formation and preventing the decline associated with aging…..

Thuret also explains how dietary habits are crucial to new neuron growth. Practices that  increase neurogenesis include:

*Calorie restriction of 20 to 30 percent                                                      *Intermittent fasting (i.e., spacing the time between your meals)                                                                                         *Intake of flavonoids, which are contained in dark chocolate or blueberries                                                      *Omega-3 fatty acids, present in fatty fish, like salmon

Conversely, some dietary habits have a negative impact on neurogenesis, like diets rich in high saturated fat and alcohol consumption. “

Does any of that sound familiar?  Calorie restriction and fasting are key components of the Fasting Lifestyle!

Does Intermittent Fasting Have Benefits? Science Suggests Yes          http://news.yahoo.com/does-intermittent-fasting-benefits-science-suggests-yes-173453757.html                                                 By Charles Q. Choi

Instead of eating three square meals a day, an eating schedule that involves “intermittent fasting” could help fight not just obesity but many related diseases of modern life, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s, researchers say.

The advice given on fighting obesity usually focuses on consuming fewer calories and exercising more. The benefits of such foods as vegetables, fruits, nuts, fiber and fish, and the value of reducing or eliminating snacks are often also touted.

However, mounting evidence reveals that other key aspects of diet — when and how often people eat — can also play a major role in health. In fact, the most common eating pattern in modern societies of three meals daily, plus snacks, is abnormal from the perspective of human evolution, an international group of researchers wrote in an article published online Nov. 17 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  More and more research shows that intermittent fasting could have benefits, they said.

“Fasting alone is more powerful in preventing and reversing some diseases than drugs,” said Satchidananda Panda, an associate professor of regulatory biology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California, and one of the co-authors of the article.

Ancient hunter-gatherers often ate only intermittently, the researchers noted in their article. This suggests that the ability to function at a high level both physically and mentally during extended periods without food may have been crucial in human evolution, and that the human body may have adapted to perform at its best with intermittent fasting.  Such intermittent fasting could consist of eating 500 calories or less either two days each week, or every other day, or not eating breakfast and lunch several days each week, the researchers said.

Prior research suggests that in animals, intermittent fasting can fend off or even reverse such illnesses as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders. Animal studies suggest that intermittent fasting provides these benefits by allowing the body to respond better to stress that might otherwise damage it. For example, fasting could starve tumors, reduce inflammation, or improve the removal of damaged molecules and other components of cells, the researchers said.  “Intermittent fasting helps the body to rejuvenate and repair, thereby promoting overall health,” Panda told Live Science.

In addition, the body may respond better to meals eaten at some times of the day rather than others because of the body’s circadian rhythms. In the years before artificial light, people depended on natural patterns of day and night, with food primarily eaten during the day and fasting occurring at night. This means that eating at certain times of the day may be healthier for the body’s metabolism — for example, in 2013, two studies in humans suggested that eating meals earlier in the day improved weight loss in overweight and obese people.

Panda said that it may be challenging for people to fast intermittently, instead of eating three meals every day. Eating breakfast is often promoted as a weight-control aid, but recent evidence has suggested it might not be, the researchers said.

Future research needs to further explore the benefits and drawbacks of different types of intermittent fasting in a variety of populations. “Its effectiveness in both preventing and reversing diseases, as well as interaction with standard medications for chronic metabolic diseases, should be tested in appropriate volunteer groups,” Panda said.

Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

Lots of Veggies

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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.

Many people resist dieting because they think that diet = vegetables = privation = bland food. Not so!  The Fast Diet permits a great variety of foods, as long as the menus are full of protein and are low in fats and carbs. And we can eat our veggies in creative ways!

Vegetable Scramble    295 calories          PB          HINT: use left-over vegetables or prepare them the night before for a quicker preparation.

Vegetable Scramble w: toast, apple

½ cup chopped green pepper     ½ cup chopped zucchini  ½ cup chopped tomato          1 ½ 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, crack 3 2-oz eggs into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week        2-3 oz apple ½ piece of 70-calorie whole-grain bread       USE GLUTEN FREE BREAD IF YOU WISH                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   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] or lemon in hot water 

Put the raw vegetables in a small saute pan with a few tablespoons of water. Simmer until vegetables are cooked and the liquid is evaporated. Pour eggs into a pan which has been sprayed briefly with cooking spray. Before the eggs set, add the cooked vegetables. Scramble to taste. Brew your beverage and take the previously-made smoothie from ‘fridge. Plate with fruit.

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup: 1 cup = 145.5 calories 3 g fat 5 g fiber 8 g protein 27 g carbs 86.4 mg Calcium   PB  GF [if you use GF pasta] This recipe can be doubled easily. It is a fine dinner soup for a hot Summer day or in the cold of Winter. Prepare it from leftover vegetables to reduce the cooking time.  HINT: One serving = one cup, but you could go to 1 ¼ cups each. This recipe made 4 cups for me – several future meals from one recipe!

1 tsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
2/3 cup carrot, chopped 
½ cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped 
3 slices pepperoni, chopped 		Prepare all these ingredients and put into a sauce pan together. Cook over medium heat until onions begin to wilt. 
NB: if using left-over cooked carrot and celery, add them in the next step.
½ cup sweet potato, cubed
½ cup zucchini, diced 
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
2 cups crushed tomatoes 
¾ cup small white beans, canned
lots of sage and rosemary, chopped 1 cup water
2 cups chicken broth/stock		NB: low sodium broth is preferred
Prepare the vegetables as described. Drain and rinse the canned beans. Add these to the pan, along with the water and broth. Cook at a simmer for about 20 minutes. 
NB: if using left-over cooked sweet potato, zucchini, and other vegetables, add them to the broth after 10 minutes of cooking.
1 oz pasta, whole wheat is preferred to boost fiber [orzo/ dinetelli/broken spaghetti]Add the pasta and cook until it is soft, 5-6 minutes.
2 tsp Parmesan cheese, grated 
salt and pepper to taste		Add remaining seasonings and adjust to taste. TIP: Soup is always improved by letting it sit for several hours before reheating and serving hot.

For The Adventurous

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Sometimes we eat food that is quick; that is familiar; that spells comfort for us; that is what we’ve had before.  And sometimes we want to do something completely different! For those of you who are adventurous, here we go. And believe it or not, we are still on the Fast diet — even with baked beans and spring rolls!

Improper English     265 cal.     4.3 g. fat       17.2 g. protein          47.5 g. carb                               A “proper English” is the full Victorian breakfast, serving every conceivable food you can imagine. This version leaves out the eggs and kippers [how improper!], but keeps the protein-rich baked beans along with the rest of the usual stand-bys.Improper English

¼ cup baked beans                                                                                                                                      one 50-60 calorie sausage                                                                                                                             ½ piece of 70-cal toast                                                                                                                                     ½ of a 2.5” diameter tomato                                                                                                                            1 oz mushrooms                                                                                                                                                a few grapes or strawberries                                                                                                                         5-6 oz fruit smoothie or unpasturized apple cider                                                                        blackish coffee or tea or lemon in hot water

Cut the tomato around its equator and put one half away for later. Salt the tomato and put under the broiler until it softens. Cook the sausage and mushrooms in the same pan to heat through. Heat the beans – perhaps in the microwave. Toast the bread and brew the hot beverage. Pour the smoothie and plate everything. Cheerio!

Shrimp Spring Rolls 290 caloriesShrimp Spring Rolls

This is the same recipe as the Shrimp with Udon Noodles but without the noodles. The Spring Roll wrappers look like 8” disks of opaque plastic, but after soaking for 10-15 seconds in water, they become clear and very pliant. If you are not accustomed to wrapping spring rolls or egg rolls, you might want to practice using wonton wrappers which are easier to manipulate.

3 oz raw shrimp, cleaned and cut in half across the body                                                                                            2 oz carrot, peeled and sliced into thin coins or cut as julienne                                                        1½ oz green cabbage                                                                                                                                            1 1/2 tsp soy sauce                                                                                                                                                1 tsp olive oil                                                                                                                                                          1 oz chopped green onion [or 2 Tbsp steamed chopped broccoli]                                              Thai hot chili sauce                                                                                                                                          three 8″ Spring Roll wrappers

Chop and prepare all the ingredients and put them in small dishes near the stove-top. Heat a cast iron skillet or wok until hot and add the oil. When it is hot, add the carrot and cabbage. Stirfry for 3 minutes on heat high enough to keep the vegetables sizzling. If the pan becomes dry, add some water. This is supposed to be a no-no in stir-frying, but we are cutting down on oil, OK? Add the shrimp and stirfry about 1 minute, until it is cooked. Add the scallion or cooked broccoli and soy sauce. Stirfry a bit longer until all is mixed and warm. Take off the heat. Remove the cooked mixture to a bowl. [if you want to, run it briefly through the food processor. This step is optional.]                                            Wipe out the pan and put a mere film of oil on it. Turn on the heat to medium-low.               Put a pie plate of warm water on the counter. Add one of the spring roll wrappers. When it is clear, remove it and lay it flat on a dish towel. Spoon 1/3 of the mixture onto the wrapper. Roll up a bit, then fold in the sides, then finish rolling. Put the roll in the warm pan. Repeat with the other rolls. In the pan, turn the rolls until they are warm and slightly browned.    Serve with a dollop of hot sauce.

A Visit to Province

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Truth be told, I’ve never visited Province, the sunny South of France.  But we have all read A Year in Province, Toujours Province, and all those other books by Peter Mayle. Who hasn’t yearned for a trip to the locales painted with such love by Cezanne and Van Gogh? Maybe a couple of meals from Province will help.

Herb Scrambled Eggs w/ toast 291 calories                PB  GF if you use gluten-free breadHerb scrambled eggs w: S-bs3 two-oz eggs of which you will use 1 ½ eggs per person 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 Tbsp chopped herbs: chives, rosemary, oregano, thyme, lavender                                                               salt & pepper to taste                                                                                                                                      ½ piece of 70-cal whole-grain bread                                                                                                          5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie                                                                                              hot beverage of choice                                                                                                                                    3 oz strawberries or 2 oz grapes

Whisk the eggs with salt & pepper to taste. Pour into a hot pan sprayed lightly with cooking oil. When bottom of eggs are set, sprinkle the herbs over the eggs, fold, and plate. Toast the bread, brew the beverage, pour the smoothie, and gaze at a print of Van Gogh’s exuberant “Sunflowers” while you eat.

Chicken Provinçal:     270 cal         7.6 g fat        24.4 g protein      19.4 g carbs         GF    This recipe is from the Culinary Institute of America, with a few tweeks by me.provincal chicken w: broc:caul

3 oz chicken breast, boneless & skinless                     1 Tbsp flour             1 tsp olive oil                  1 garlic clove, minced                             1 anchovy fillet, oil rinsed off                      1 Tbsp dry white wine                        ½ c tomatoes, chopped, juice retained                  2 Tbsp chicken stock                         2 cured black olives, sliced                                      2-3 oz broccoli florets

Fillet the chicken breast meat by cutting it along the thin side to create 2 slices. These will cook faster, as well as looking like more food on the plate! Sprinkle the flour over the chicken to coat it lightly. Heat the oil in a small non-stick skillet and cook the chicken on one side. Turn once to cook the other side, remove from pan. Put the garlic, anchovy, and wine in the pan, mashing the solids with a spoon as they heat. Momentarily, add the chicken stock and olives to warm them and cook until the sauce thickens. Return the chicken to the pan to heat it briefly. If the sauce is in danger of cooking off, add some water or more stock. Cook the broccoli and enjoy your meal from southern France.

Meals on a Raft

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The hash house waitress used to yell, “Adan and Eve on a raft!” when she called in an order of poached eggs on toast.  Putting food on some sort of bread-stuff is popular in many cuisines, and some people would say that you can’t eat carbs while dieting. Not so. On the Fast Diet complex carbs are fine in moderation, as long as they are accompanied by lots of protein. Even though this menu has carbs in both meals, the total for the day is 62 g. carbs — far below what is considered ‘usual’ for a day.

Tostada : 308 calories       7.6 g. fat            18.1 g. protein        39.7 g. carbs         GF     PB            HINT: Use some of the chili non carne [See November 4 posting for recipe] to give this simple breakfast rich flavor. It will keep you going for hours.Tostada

one 6” corn tortilla                                                                                                                                      one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                                       2 Tbsp chili non carne   [November 4 Blog Post]                                                                                                                 2 tsp Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, grated                                                                                    hot beverage of your choice – hold the cream and sugar                                                                  5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or unpasturized apple cider

Heat the toaster oven to 350. Put the chili in a custard cup and put it into the oven to heat. Warm a dry cast iron skillet over med-high heat. Warm the tortilla in the pan on both sides until it is warm and pliable and starting to brown. Remove the tortilla and keep warm in a dish towel. Spritz the skillet with non-stick spray and fry the egg until it is done as you like it. Remove the egg. Spread the chili on the tortilla and return the tortilla to the skillet. Put the egg on the chili and sprinkle with the cheese. Put the pan into the hot oven until the cheese melts. Brew your beverage, pour the smoothie and wake up your mouth.

Tuna Melt:        274 calories       10.9 g. fat          24.7 g. protein          22.2 g. carbsTuna melt

1 slice 70-cal. bread                                                                                                                     1/2 of a 5-0z can of water-pack tuna, drained                                                                      1 Tbsp onion, finely chopped                                                                                                    1 Tbsp celery, finely chopped                                                                                                         1 pinch celery seed, salt, pepper                                                                                                1 and 1/2 tsp low fat mayonnaise                                                                                             1 slice Swiss cheese, the deli kind                                                                                              1/2 cup romaine lettuce, shredded                                                                                       1/2 tsp lemon juice & 1/2 tsp olive oil

Combine the tuna, onion, celery, celery seed, and mayo as you would for tuna salad. Toast the bread. Spread the tuna mixture over the bread and top it with the cheese. Toast or broil until cheese is melting. In a wide bowl, whisk the oil and lemon juice. Toss the lettuce with the dressing and relax while you dine.

Chili Time!

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As the weather gets colder, we want to curl up with some warm, spicy food. Chili! Here are two recipes which we enjoy: Venison Chili and Chili Non Carne. The second is the springboard for a breakfast next week. How easy is that!?

Venison Chili:     297calories            5 g. fat             35.6 g. protein            GF                        HINT: This is enough for 2 one-cup servings. Save the remaining chili for another dinner later or invite a fellow-Faster for dinner.venison chili w: melon

½ pound ground venison                                                                                                                             16 oz canned tomatoes – in chunks or diced                                                                                          1 clove garlic, chopped                                                                                                                                     1 cup red onion, chopped                                                                                                                            1/2 green pepper, chopped  and seeded                                                                                                    1 cup canned red beans, drained and rinsed                                                                                          2-4 tsp chili                                                                                                                                                         ¾ tsp salt                                                                                                                                                             ½ – 1 tsp ground cumin                                                                                                                                 per serving: a small slice of melon, as a garnish

Cook the venison, onion, garlic, and green pepper in some of the tomato juices until tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook gently until the chili is hot throughout. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning. Serve one cup for dinner tonight with the melon on the side.

Chili non Carne:     277 calories    3.5 g. fat    15.6 g. protein      48 g. carbs   PB    GF              HINT: This is enough for 2 one-cup servings. Save the remaining chili for a lunch or watch for future postings to see how we use it for breakfast!   The recipe is my mother’s, except that she added beef. And she served it on a heap of mashed potatoes, but we won’t do that on a Fast Day.

15 oz canned red beans, drained and rinsed                                                                                         16 oz canned tomatoes – in chunks or diced                                                                                           1 cup chopped onion                                                                                                                                            1 green pepper, chopped                                                                                                                                2-3 tsp chili pepper, or more if you like it spicy                                                                                                    ½ – 1 tsp ground cumin                                                                                                                               per serving: 1 Tbsp cheddar cheese, grated, as a garnish

Cook the onion and green pepper in some of the tomato juices until tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook gently until the stew is thickened. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning. Serve one cup for dinner tonight with the grated cheese on top.

I’m not hungry, I’m…..

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On a Fast Day and even on a Slow Day, there are times that we get hungry.                                         But are you REALLY hungry? The body sends all sorts of conflicting messages to the brain and the brain responds in very simple ways: eating or vomiting are some of the common reactions. Is your ‘hunger’ actually due to a lack of food, or is it caused by something else? Here is a list of ‘something else’ which might lead you to eat when you really don’t need to and shouldn’t.

a.”I’m not hungry, I’m thirsty.”  This is a big one. Most of the time if you feel hungry, go get a glass of water. Ice water is even better, in my opinion. If you like sparkling water, that’s fine — but not flavored water or sports drinks.

b.”I’m not hungry, I’m annoyed.”      So, what is annoying you? Solve it and in so doing, the hunger disappears.

c. I’m not hungry, I’m sad.”  Go chat with a friend. Call someone you like.  Speak with a stranger on the plane.  Don’t kvetch about feeling sad, just talk with someone about anything. But don’t eat when you are sad — it creates bad habits.

d. “I’m not hungry, I’m bored.”  This happened to me yesterday. I was wandering around the house thinking about what to snack on.  I said aloud, “I’m not hungry, I’m………bored!” So I put on my jacket and went out to weed the herb garden. It worked!

e. “I’m not hungry, I’m anxious/depressed.”  Back to ‘c’ and ‘a’. Being thirsty can make you feel depressed.  So drink some water or tea. Anxiety is like sadness or being annoyed. Sit down with a comforting cup of tea, chamomile might be good, and work out the problem. Set the timer for 60-90 minutes and think about solving your problems instead of thinking about eating. Then open up to a close friend who will lend a sympathetic ear. But don’t eat, just because you are anxious.

f. I read this somewhere. Wish I knew who said this!  “If hunger is not the problem, the food is not the answer.”   SO true.

g. “I’m not hungry, I have gas”   I used to get gas in my stomach [the actual organ, not the abdominal region] and it felt just like hunger.  So I’d eat more and feel even more miserable.  Solve the gas, solve that ‘hunger’ feeling.

More Good Food

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One thing we enjoy about the Fast Lifestyle is the variety of food which one can eat. I enjoy coming up with different recipes to tempt the palate. Now I know that not everyone likes the same foods, but I offer them to those of you who like to experiment. The goal is that you will find foods that you want to prepare and that you enjoy eating. Then you can happily follow the Fast Lifestyle and be healthier in many ways.

Ratatouille Eggs                292 cal                                                               PBRatatouille Egg-toast

1 piece 70-cal multi-grain bread [I use Nature’s Own]                                                                    one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                                        ¼ cup Mediterranean Vegetables [see July 15, 2015]                                                                               5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or unpasturized apple cider                                     blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water

Toast the bread. Warm the vegetables briefly and spoon onto the toast. Fry the egg using a non-stick or cast iron pan and put the egg on top of the vegetables on the toast. Pour the beverages and you have a fine breakfast as well as a head-start on your 5 servings of vegetables for the day.

Tomato Soup w/ Sandwich      278 calories     8.3 g. fat               16.7 g. protein         PBtomato soup w: croq mons, grapes

Comfort food can also be low in calories. The soup recipe is from Fresh Ways with Soups and Stews, published by Time-Life Books. HINT: the soup is enough for 2 servings, so it is worth the time to make enough to freeze for later.

Cook Soup:           2 tsp virgin olive oil                                                                                                               3 onions, chopped [2 ½ cups]                                                                                                                        1 carrot, thinly sliced                                                                                                                                        1 tsp fresh thyme or ¼ tsp dried thyme                                                                                                     3 cloves garlic, chopped                                                                                                                              pepper                                                                                                                                                               one 28-0z can tomatoes, coarsly chopped with juices                                                                                            1 ¼ cup unsalted chicken or vegetable stock                                                                                     ¼ tsp salt

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrot, thyme, garlic, and pepper for 7-10 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and juice, stock, and salt. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. [more directions later]

Prep Sandwich:          1 slice 70-calorie bread [Nature’s Own]                                                            1 slice Swiss cheese from the deli                                                                                                                 1 oz ham, 97% fat free                                                                                                                                     Cut the bread in half. Cut the cheese in pieces the size of the bread halves. Construct a sandwich of bread, ham, cheese, bread. Save out one bread-sized piece of cheese. Wrap the sandwich in foil and put in the toaster oven at 350 until cheese is beginning to melt on the inside. Unwrap the sandwich and put the cheese on top. Toast the sandwich so that the cheese becomes melted and might start to brown.

Finish Soup: 2 tsp ricotta or small-curd cottage cheese                                                                      2 tsp plain non-fat yogurt                                                                                                                         Puree the soup in food processor or blender. Pour half of it into a freezer container to cool before storing. Put the remaining soup in the serving bowl. Stir the cheese and yogurt together and put a large dollop in the middle of the hot soup. Use the tip of a knife to pull the mixture out from the middle in several radiating arms. A few grapes add a dash of color.

Number One Son

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Today is the birthday of Number One Son, so we will celebrate with a breakfast that he might not like and a dinner he would enjoy.  The breakfast involves blueberries which he stopped eating when he saw that the insides were actually green and gooey-looking. But he does like oatmeal. The crab cakes are a real winner and a family favorite.

Oatmeal Pudding      295 cal       2.6 g. fat          12.1 g. protein      49.7 g. carb      GF PBoatmeal pudding w: green smoothie

A riff on a recipe found in Marion Cunningham’s Breakfast Book, this can easily be prepared the night before. NB: THIS MAKES ENOUGH FOR TWO [2] PERSONS OR 2 [two] MEALS FOR ONE PERSON

½ cup oatmeal, cooked in 1 cup water                                                                                                      2 tsp maple syrup                                                                                                                                             ½ cup fatfree cottage cheese                                                                                                                  pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon                                                                                                                     4 Tbsp. blueberries [fresh or frozen]                                                                                 …………………………….                                                                                                                                           per serving 1  oz of watermelon per person                                                                                            5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or natural apple cider                                          blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water

Cook the oatmeal in the water. Take off the heat and stir in the maple syrup and nutmeg. While it is still a little warm, stir in the cottage cheese. Let sit to cool. HINT: I did this part the night before while cleaning up after dinner. If making one portion, pour half of the pudding into a freezer container and top with 2 Tbsp blueberries. Freeze it. HINT: make the entire batch, eat half of it today and freeze the rest for a really simple-to-prepare breakfast for another day. With the remainder, stir in 2 Tbsp blueberries and pour the pudding into a ramekin. Nuke it for a minute to heat through – longer than that and it will bubble over. Serve with the melon, smoothie, and hot beverage for a hearty, healthy meal.

Crab Cakes:     250 cal        4.7 g fat         24.0 g protein                14.2 g carbs   PBCrab Cakes w: beans

Rock and Jonah crabs abound on the coast of New England and they are grand as crab cakes. This recipe is from Todd English’s Olive’s Table cookbook. Note: this is the full recipe and makes 5 cakes – more than you will eat at one meal. Prepare them all and cook as directed. HINT: This will provide a few future meals.

½ pound crab meat                                                                                                                                                      2 T [1 oz] plain nonfat yogurt                                                                                                                        1 tsp Dijon mustard                                                                                                                                      2 Tbsp. chopped green or white onion                                                                                                      1 T. parsley, minced                                                                                                                                           1 two-oz egg                                                                                                                                                         1 tsp salt & ¼ tsp pepper                                                                                                                                 1 slice fresh 70-cal bread, crumbled   [I like Nature’s Own wholegrain]                                                                                                        4 T. flour                                                                                                                                                                   2 tsp oil                                                                                                                                                                 4 oz green beans                                                                                                                                                    1 tsp low-fat mayonnaise + few drops of lemon juice + pinch each of tumeric and garlic powder [this is your aioli dressing]

Gently combine 1st 8 ingredients in a bowl. Dust a large plate with the flour. Using a 1/3 c. measure as a mold, form the crab cakes and turn them out onto the flour. There should be 5 cakes. Dust the top of the cakes with some of the flour. Heat a non-stick skillet and add 2 tsp olive oil. Handling them carefully, cook the crab cakes until they are beginning to brown on the top and bottom. Cook the green beans.  Put aioli on crab cakes.

One Fast Day serving = 1.5 crab cakes. Cool the others, wrap in cling wrap and freeze. Reheat in a toaster oven. Since the cakes will have been previously cooked, they need only to be reheated at this point.

You Want To, But Your Partner Doesn’t….

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I hear this a lot from people: “You are lucky that your husband is Fasting too.  Mine isn’t [won’t/ thinks he doesn’t need it] and it is so hard to cook two different meals. I can’t keep this up.”  I hear you and here’s the solution: cook the same meals for everybody! Then the preparer gets the convenience of one preparation and the non-Faster gets the benefit of the meals without fearing that he/she will be starving.  The key difference is amount.

Fish Tacos for 2For example, Fish Tacos are one of my summertime favorites. By increasing the recipe slightly, I produced 5 tacos. I ate two, he ate three.

PB
Baked White Fish for 2

Then there’s Baked White Fish with Cheese. Same recipe but he gets some left-over rice pilaf as a side dish.  PB  GF

Chicken Dinner for 2

Or a Chicken Dinner. Each plate has 4 oz roast chicken breast and a cup of snap beans.  But my plate has the tomatoes and he has a bit of left-over potato casserole. So much food it was tough to eat it all!      GF

Breakfasts are easy! Serve any of the egg meals and add a piece of toast for your table-mate. Or extra fruit.

On Fast Days, your partner may feel like eating lunch. OK, it is a free world. You don’t have to be at the table or even in the same room. Take your cup of tea and go do something else. You aren’t being anti-social, it is a matter of self-preservation. Feel free to stay true to your Fasting Lifestyle  and be safe in the knowledge that everyone had eaten well and that you will have lost weight tomorrow.

Hope this helps to bridge the gap in a House Divided. And maybe your dining partner will come to like the Fast Food that you are serving and wish to join you on the quest for healthy eating