How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Monday, eat the meals that will be posted on Sunday.  Eat sensibly the other days of the week.  That’s it.  Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.                                                                                         Welcome to mencanmakehomes who is now Following.

Tomatoes are such a ubiquitous food that it is hard to imagine a time when they were absent from world-wide cuisine and even feared as poisonous.  Tomatoes are native to South America, where they might still be growing wild in Peru. They were introduced to Europe in the 1500s by Cortès.  Botanically, they are members of the Nightshade Family, which includes the known poison deadly nightshade. Due to that association, this untried fruit was viewed with suspicion. But a few intrepid biologists/physicians/cooks were convinced that they were safe to eat, and their use caught on in Europe.  On July 28, 1820, Robert Gibbon Johnson in Salem, New Jersey made a rash announcement: he would sit on the courthouse steps and eat tomatoes!!  A crowd gathered, thinking/fearing/hoping [?] that he would die.  He didn’t and thereafter, tomatoes grew in gardens and in popularity.

Our meals today feature the famed ‘love apple’, with eggs and enchiladas.

Broccoli-Olive-Tomato ScrOmelette:  291 calories  8.6 g fat  4 g fiber   18 g protein   38 g carbs [36 g Complex] 252 mg Calcium  PB GF  Sometimes things in the ‘fridge say, “Put us in eggs for breakfast.” Who am I to deny their urging?

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 into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.                                                                                        1 oz broccoli                                                                                                                                                               1 Tbsp cottage cheese                                                                                                                                            1 oz tomato                                                                                                                                                               1/2 black olive                                                                                                                                                             ¾ tsp Parmesan cheese                                                                                                                                  pinch of basil                                                                                                                                                             2 oz strawberries                                                                                                                                                 black coffee or black tea or lemon in hot water                                                                                            5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie

Dice the tomato and drain in a strainer, overnight if possible. Drain the cottage cheese overnight if it is very liquid. Steam the broccoli and chop it finely. Chop the black olive. Into a hot saute pan spritzed with non-stick spray, add the tomato, broccoli, and olive. Stir until warmed. Whisk the eggs with the cottage cheese and pour over the vegetables in the pan. Scramble or fold as an omelette, hence ScrOmelette, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Prepare the beverages and plate the berries. Bliss.

Enchiladas Suizas:  293 calories   9.9 g fat  11.2 g fiber  31.6 g protein  43.4 g carbs   261.7 mg Calcium   PB GF  Rick Bayless relates this recipe in his book Mexico One Plate At A Time. Delicious and easy to prepare. Avoid assembling too far in advance, lest it turn to mush.

2 six-inch corn tortillas [50 calories each]                                                                                                        2 0z [½ cup] shredded cooked chicken breast                                                                                                ½ cup enchilada sauce***                                                                                                                                        ¼ cup grated Cheddar or Monterey jack cheese                                                                                              1 oz broccoli florets   +   1 oz cauliflower florets   +   ½ oz carrot

***Enchilada Sauce        1 cup = 75 calories                                                                                                                       two 28-oz cans whole tomatoes            2 jalapeno peppers                                                                         3 tsp vegetable oil [canola]         1 cup chopped onion                                                                                   2 cups chicken broth

Roast the peppers in a dry skillet over medium heat about 5 minutes until splotchy                with black areas.   Put in a blender with the tomatoes and whirr until smooth.                            Cook onions in oil until golden, about 7 minutes.   Raise heat and add tomato puree.              Cook 10-15 minutes until thickened like tomato paste.                                                                           Add broth, cover partially and simmer 15 minutes until slightly soupy.                                    Season with ½ tsp salt.

Heat oven to 350 F. On an ungreased heavy skillet, place the tortillas and cook them until they begin to brown on one side. Flip in the pan and continue until each tortilla is pliable and slightly fragrant. Remove to a cutting board or baking sheet. Distribute the chicken between the tortillas, then roll up the tortillas, and place each in an oven-proof dish, seam-side down. Spoon the sauce over and around and between the enchiladas. NB: you don’t have to use all of the sauce. Extra could be frozen or added to eggs or soup. Sprinkle with cheese and put into oven for 20 minutes.  Cook the vegetables, drain and dress with salt and a splash of red wine vinegar. So good!

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

Dinner, single portion: