If you hae followed this blog for a few months, you might think that I have been jumping around a bit with my ideas. It is true that since January I have told you about the Fast Diet, a gluten-free diet, and a plant-based diet. Grasping at straws, you ask. Not really.

The goal is to live a health-promoting life-style which is sustainable. What do we mean by that? We want to be slim. We want to have low cholesterol. We want to hike, swim, and garden. We want to live a long time. We want to be as mentally and physically healthy as we can be into old age. We want to eat a variety of delicious, interesting food.  We want to have a life-style that we can keep up day after day for years.

Where are we now? Having tried all these things, here is the choice: The Fast Diet.

We have been following the Fast Lifestyle for more than 2 years now. We like it and find it to be easy to use. We like the food and the variety of foods which we can eat. The gluten-free and plant-based diet [and even the FodMap diet] were all recommended by a physician at various times. We continue to drink the Green Smoothies from the plant-based diet, and will work some of its tenents into our over-all eating.

For the most part the other diets were so limited that it made them hard to follow more than the 4-6 weeks that were recommended to us. But if you had to employ one of these diets to master your eating/digestive issues, let me assure you that each of them can be used in conjunction with the Fast Diet!!

It is true that you couldn’t use all of the recipes which I have posted on each of these diets. But many of my recipes are Gluten Free GF or Plant-Based PB or even FodMap FM. If you must use one of these diets, please don’t give up on the Fast Lifestyle. For weight loss, lower cholesterol, lower risk of diabetes and certain cancers, the Fast Lifestyle can’t be beat! I will code recipes using the above initials to help you to find the recipes that will work best for you.

There’s nothing like being healthy! Join us on Mondays and Thursdays for some good eating.

Thank you for following Fastingme.

Now that Summer is here, let’s make the meals easy.  Get out and go for a walk. Work in the garden. Getting some exercise will help to burn off more calories and it will distract you from thoughts of food.

Poached Egg on Toast            303 K                                                                                                         I never used to like poached eggs, but on a Fast Day, they taste good.

one slice of 70-cal bread     [Nature’s Own is perfect.]                                                                       one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                                     1 1/2oz of apple or 2 oz melon                                                                                                             blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water                                                                        green smoothie or fruit smoothie or unpasturized cider

If using an egg poacher, lightly spray the egg cup and heat the water to a simmer. Toast the bread. Poach the egg for 3-4 minutes, according to your taste. Slide the egg onto the toast, season to taste, and enjoy with your hot beverage of choice and the smoothie.

Antipasto with Tuna:      282   calories                           GF   PB                                                  This one is a keeper. Simple, off the shelf, pretty on the plate, good too eat.    The photo shows enough for 2 people. Invite a guest who is Fasting, too.                                                       2 oz roasted red pepper, without oil [I roast my own, slice and freeze them]                           2 oz mozzerella, cut into ‘sticks’ [I buy blocks of mozzerells for slicing]                                     one 5-0z can tuna, packed in water, drained and broken into large chunks                                  5 oz tomato slices                                                                                                                                                3 oz whole green beans, steamed, drained                                                                                           1 ½ oz marinated mushrooms                                                                                                                1/3 c. garbanzo beans, drained if canned  [Goya brand is very good]                                          4 black olives, pitted and sliced                                                                                                                       3 slices pepperoni, chopped  or sliced                                                                                                         1 tsp flavored oil, salt, chopped fresh herbs

Prepare the ingredients and keep separate. On a platter, arrange the ingredients in rows as shown in the photo. Suit your own artistic nature as to what goes where. Drizzle or brush with the flavored oil and be liberal with the herbs. Summer simplicity at its best.

Some meals are so good that you just have to enjoy them again.

Buttermilk Baked Eggs:   283 cal      6.2 g fat         11.7 g protein               18.8 g. carb           PB

This recipe is from Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book. All I added were the sides. Great book full of good recipes.

1 slice 70-cal whole-grain bread   [Nature’s Own is still my go-to]                                                  one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                                        2 Tbsp buttermilk                                                                                                                                            1 oz [¼ c.] mixed berries                                                                                                                               nearly black coffee, tea, lemon juice & hot water,                                                                           green smoothie or fruit smoothie or natural apple cider

Cut out a hole from the middle of the bread using a 2” cookie cutter or juice glass. HINT: put the ‘hole’ in a sandwich bag in the freezer. Save for Dutch Breakfast later on. Toast the bread lightly. HINT: this step could be done the night before. Or cut and toast the bread weeks in advance and freeze. Lightly spray an oven-proof pan with cooking spray and put the toasted bread in in. Break the egg over the bread so that the yolk lands in the hole. Carefully spoon the buttermilk over the egg and bread. Season to taste. HINT: you could prep this far and refridgerate over night. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Meanwhile put the fruit in a small dish, brew your beverage, pour your fruit smoothie and you have a terrific breakfast!

Red Beans & Rice   280 calories       1.2 g. fat       13 g. protein       57.5 g. carb       GF, PB

This is the old classic recipe for the ‘perfect protein’. Yeah, you’re right, the carbs are way out of control, but for a once-in-a-while this is really good. HINT: This is enough for 4 servings! Either have a gathering or cut the recipe or freeze for later.

2 cups brown rice, cooked [one cup rice cooked in 2 cups water]                                               ½ cup celery, chopped                                                                                                                                    ½ cup sweet yellow pepper, diced                                                                                                                 1 cup onion, chopped                                                                                                                                  2 cloves garlic, minced                                                                                                                                   ¾ cup tomato sauce                                                                                                                            oregano & black pepper                                                                                                                                    2 cups red beans, drained and rinsed [Goya brand is very good]                                                          ½ cup green peas

Cook the rice. Saute the celery, pepper, and onions for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Add the tomato sauce and seasonings. Stir in the red beans and heat through. When the rice is done, add 2 cups to the mixture. Serve with the cooked green peas.  Easy to prepare, easy to eat.

News Flash: I am at a point now that if I lose any more pounds, I will be dangerously under-weight!  Never thought I’d say that. Husband is also at unheard of low weight.  I owe this to the FAST Lifestyle and to the Green Smoothies every day.  We eat well and we eat enough to satisfy.

The Plant-Based Diet is ongoing, which my Husband follows daily. I eat right along with him, but will eat ham or turkey sandwiches daily for lunch to get an extra 200 calories into my diet.  Husband also eats lunch, which is plant-based.  Otherwise the menu consists of the following:

Sunday breakfast: cornmeal pancakes with maple syrup and meatless sausage; yeast bread made with white whole-wheat flour/unbleached flour; along with Green Smoothie and cafe au lait.      dinner: a low-meat meal such as Pizza with chicken garnish; beef kabobs with brown rice pilaf;  Eggplant casserole; a Greek recipe for squash and green vegetable pie.

Monday breakfast: Fast meals as advertised            dinner: Fast meals as posted

Tuesday breakfast: whole-grain muffins or toast with meatless bacon; along with Green Smoothie and cafe au lait.      dinner: Veggie Burgers on Sandwich-Thins; bruschetta on Naan bread; chili non carne; stuffed zucchini; chicken couscous; rumbledeethumps; all with lots of vegetables on the side. Complementary wines are served.

Wednesday breakfast: Whole grain cereal with banana or canned peaches — I have mine with cow’s milk, Husband has his with almond milk; along with Green Smoothie and cafe au lait.   dinner:  whole-grain pasta with tomato sauce and meatless sausage;  tortellini and mixed vegetable sauce; quiona elbows and non-dairy cheese [‘Mac & Cheese’] with tomato sauce;   whole-wheat spaghetti with meatless sausage & tomato sauce; spaghetti squash/whole-grain spaghetti with sauce; all served with green beans or other cooked vegetables. Complementary wines are served.

Thursday breakfast:  Fast diet as posted.                         dinner: Fast diet as posted

Friday breakfast:  whole-grain muffins or toast with meatless sausage; along with Green Smoothie and cafe au lait.    dinner: crab cakes; fish cakes; Indian vegetables with fish with Naan bread; 3 oz baked fish; all served with cooked vegetables and potatoes or brown rice pilaf. Complementary wines are served.

Saturday breakfast: Whole grain cereal with banana or canned peaches — I have mine with cow’s milk, husband has his with almond milk; along with Green Smoothie and cafe au lait.   dinner: pizza on home-made crust which is 1/2 white whole wheat flour and 1/2 unbleached flour.  toppings vary but the ‘cheese’ is non-milk for Husband, regular mozzarella for me. Complementary wines are served. NB: for some reason I always weigh less on Sunday than I did on Saturday.

Got questions?  Let me know.  I will continue to post menus and will label them as G-F [gluten free] or P-B [plant-based] when applicable.  Onward to healthy eating! Join me.

This June has been beautiful so far: warm, sunny, not humid, light zephyrs playing in the trees.  Bliss.  We are still on the Plant-Based Fast Lifestyle.  This means lots of whole grains, lots of vegetables, plant-based protein, and very little animal-based protein.  But twice a week we eat eggs. Twice a week we eat  fish and sometimes chicken is permitted.  I always enjoy a recipe challenge!

Shirred Egg            284 calories           8.4 g. fat                 12.25 g. protein       25.7 g. carb                  I learned to prepare this dish when working on my Girl Scout ‘Cooking’ badge. I still eat it because it tastes so good. Peter says, “this is my favorite FAST breakfast!”

One 2-oz egg,                                                                                                                                                     1 Tbsp half&half or almond milk                                                                                                                                         1/2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese  or cheese alternative                                                                            half a slice of 70-calorie whole grain  bread, toasted                                                                                2 oz apple slices                                                                                                                                     blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water

Heat the toaster oven to 325. Spritz a 1-cup ramekin with cooking oil or spray. Break the egg into the cup, and pour the half&half on top. Sprinkle with cheese, add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 12-15 minutes, then let sit 2-3 mins. Plate with the toast, apples. Serve with your choice of black-ish coffee or tea, or lemon in hot water.

Chili non Carne:    The recipe is my mother’s, except that she used 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                                                                                                                                16 oz canned tomatoes – in chunks or whole                                                                                       ½ cup chopped onion                                                                                                                                  ½ green pepper, chopped                                                                                                                               2-3 tsp chili pepper, or more if you like it hot                                                                                         ½ – 1 tsp ground cumin                                                                                                                                  1 Tbsp cheddar cheese, grated, as a garnish

Saute 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. One serving = 1 cup chili topped with grated cheddar.  I always think that cold, sweet melon is an excellent foil to hot, spicy chili.

This is enough for 2 one-cup servings. Save the remaining chili for a lunch or watch for the next posting to see how we use it for breakfast!