Eating well with creative recipes to follow Michael Mosley’s Fast Diet

Slow Days: Fondant au Chocolat

~ me ~ Leave a comment

People who are new to Fasting often pose the questions: “Can I really eat ‘anything I want’ on a Slow Day?” and “What should I eat on Slow Days?” To answer those questions, I have decided to add some blog posts to show some of the foods we eat on what the world calls NFDs [non-fast days] but which, in our house, we call ‘Slow Days.’ This feature will appear sporadically. 

Now for the answers. Can you really eat ANYTHING you want on a Slow Day? Not really. If you eat too many calories every Slow Day, you will not lose weight. There are many questions asked on the Fast Diet Forum which attest to that. Once in a while you can splurge, as long as it isn’t everyday. For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet. As for how we eat, an example follows.

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and Galentine’s Day precedes it. When I saw this recipe via Taste of France Magazine, I knew that I had to try it! Claudia Taittinger, of the Taittinger Champagne family, offers this recipe in her book Entertaining Chic!. These chocolate desserts are very simple to prepare and the result is fabulous. Since I am not cooking for a crowd, I cut the recipe back to 4 [should we have guests] or 2 servings [for Dear Husband and me]. We enjoy this very much for dessert on Valentine’s day. Prepare only as many as you need for that meal, as they do not reheat or keep for another day. This year, Alas, Valentine’s Day falls on Ash Wednesday. Culinary decisions will have to be made, as this treat is definitely NOT for Lenten eating! 

You are asking: How does this possibly fit into the Fast Diet??!??! You must remember that the beauty of the Fast Diet is that one ‘Fasts’ only two days per week. With this lifestyle, one can indulge in food-of-your-dreams once in a while on Slow Days: we have this once a year, which makes it even more of a special treat. Does one eat like this all the time? Of course not! This year, the day after Valentine’s Day happens to be a Fast Day.

Sv 4Sv 2-modifiedButter 4 or 2 ramekins; set aside.
100 g unsalted butter40 g unsalted butterMicrowave butter ~ 10 seconds, until softened. 
132 g 60% choco60 g 72% chocoChop chocolate, melt in a bain-marie or double boiler
100 g caster sugar40 g caster sugarIn a medium bowl, combine softened butter and sugar.
2 eggs      
17 g white flour   17 g white whole wheat flour		1 egg or 1.8 oz egg whites      
17 g white whole wheat flour		Have eggs at room temperature. Add eggs, one at a time, alternating with the flour. STOP HERE IF NEEDED
Melted chocolateMelted chocolateStir in melted chocolate, pour 103 g of batter into each ramekin
Put ramekins in freezer 1 hr. 
Preheat oven to 300°F /150°C. 
Berries   
Ice cream or crème fraîche		Berries     Ice cream or whipped creamTake ramekins from freezer and put in oven for exactly 20 mins. Unmould and serve hot, with your choice of topping. 

Bridgid or Brigit?

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

Goddess Brigit at her well.
Saint Bridgid, portrait by PJ Tuohy.

February 1st is the first day of Spring in Ireland. It is also the first day of Imbolc, the ancient pre-Christian festival marking the half-way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. February 1st is the Feast of Saint Bridgid [Christian Saint of Ireland] AND the Feast of Brigit [pre-Christian goddess of Spring who presided over Imbolc festivities.] When Bridgid was born to an enslaved Christian woman, she was baptized by Saint Patrick. Growing up in the household of her father, a king of Leinster, Bridgid was generous to the needy, stealing her family’s food, then replacing it by a miracle. When she became a nun, Bridgid had a church built at Cull Dara, which was later called Kildare. This was the site of a former shrine to the goddess Brigit. Bridgid also built the first monastery in Ireland, a convent, and a school for metal-work and illumination. Since Bridgid left no written record of her life, some doubt that she existed. There are so many similarities in their stories, that it is tough to separate them. [one difference: Brigit was goddess of new life and pregnancy, while Bridgid once ended the pregnancy of a nun who had broken her vows.] Was Saint Bridgid a christianized version of the goddess Brigit? Was the saint ‘syncretized‘ with the goddess? Did either of them actually exist?  Today in Ireland they seem to be celebrated together, on the same day, through similar customs, such as plaiting Brigid’s Cross. Saint Patrick’s day has long been a national holiday in Ireland and that was that. In 2023, a new bank holiday was established for February 1 — the first holiday in Ireland in honor of a woman. Or is that for TWO women?

Herbs growing in a stream team up with eggs for a fine breakfast. Surely Bridgid/Brigit would have had a meal of barley and chicken mixed with mushrooms, and so shall we.

Watercress ScrOmelette: 150 calories 8 g fat 0.6 g fiber 11 g protein  5.4 g carbs 74 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Having Watercress Sauce in the freezer in handy cubes sure makes this meal a snap. And is it good!

1½ 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 to store in the ‘fridge for next week.  ½ Tbsp Watercress Sauce, well drained          ½ Tbsp ricotta, drained  HINT: I set them both out to drain through a fine sieve the night before to make sure there was no extra liquid.    1/8 tsp dry mustard  1½ oz peach          Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie[88 calories]

Combine the drained watercress, drained cheese, and mustard. Whisk the eggs and cook in a hot saute pan spritzed with olive oil or non-stick spray. As the eggs begin to set, spread the cress/mustard/cheese on top. Cook the way you like them and plate with the peaches. Pour the beverages and enjoy the summer taste of watercress all year long. 

Chicken, Mushrooms, & Barley: 275 calories  9 g fat 7 g fiber 23 g protein 48 g carbs  55 mg Calcium  PB  This serendipitous meal turned out to be a good one, using left-over pilaf and chicken in a hearty meal.

½ c barley pilaf**  1 oz mushrooms  2 oz roasted chicken, sliced                2 oz green beans     3 oz/44 g Brussel sprouts

Slice mushrooms and cook them in a little water until most of the liquid evaporates. Add mushrooms, liquid, and chicken to barley pilaf in a small sauce pan. Heat gently, adding water if it becomes too dry or starts to stick. Cook vegetables. Mix Brussel sprouts in with the pilaf + mushrooms, plate with the chicken on top and the beans on the side.

**Barley Pilaf: Makes 1.5 cups  ½ c = 160 calories 1.5 g fat 3.6 g fiber 7g protein 31.6 g carbs 10.6 mg Calcium  PB NOT GF This recipe is from Rush Hour Cookbook. It is a super alternative to plain rice or purchased pilaf.

1.5 cupsHeavy, medium-sized skillet
1 cup quick-cooking barleyIn skillet, cook barley over med-high ~5 minsuntil toasted and golden. 
1 clove garlic, finely chopped Add the grlic and stir 1 minute.
1½ c.chickenstock         Add stock and bring to a boil.
½ c whole-wheat orzo
1 Tbsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried       		Add to pot, stir, turn heat to low, cover and simmer 10 mins.
Take off heat, let sit 5 minutes.
2 Tbsp chopped chives or scallions  
salt + pepper to taste            		Add these, stir, plate                         

Ingredients for next week                               Breakfast, single portion for Monday ………………………………… single portion for Thursday:

4 two-oz eggs = US large + chicken breast1.5 two-oz eggs 
olive oil + turmeric + onioncapicola, uncured
tomato paste + stock or water + parsleyasparagus
dry bread crumbs + mozzarellaclementine           
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………………… single portion for Thursday:

pancetta + shrimpArctic char + green “English” peas
crushed red pepper + plum tomatoessnow peas and possibly edamame
whole-grain penne pastaOptional watercress sauce
Parmesan cheese + garlic
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Saint Dwynwen

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

You have heard of Saint Valentine, but do you know Dwynwen? Probably not. She was born in Wales to a noble father and was said to be the prettiest among her 23 sisters [her father had many servant girls]. Dwynwen fell in love with a local boy, but her father scotched that for he wanted her marriage to cement an alliance with another noble family. When he was turned down, Dwynwen’s enraged boyfriend angrily blamed her. Now afraid of both her father and her boyfriend, the young woman hid in the forest. She prayed that her broken heart would mend; that other people would be able to marry their true loves; and that she would never be married. Heavenly power may or may not have turned her former boyfriend into a big icicle, [which thawed after her intervention], but Dwynwen became a nun who traveled around Wales. At last she settled in Anglesley on the island of Ynys Llanddwyn. She built a church and convent there, the ruins of which still remain. Her grave and her holy well became pilgrimage sites after her death in 465 CE. Now the island is a nature preserve. Since the 1960s, Welsh people have been sending cards on Dydd Santes Dwynwen, and, in a move to revive the native language, they say  ‘dwi’n dy garu di ‘ to those whom they love.

Dwynwen is revered in Wales as the Patron Saint of lovers on her feast day January 25, so our breakfast and our dinner contain foods that are produced and consumed there.

Welsh Breakfast: 144 calories  7.5 g fat 1.5 g fiber 8 g protein 6.6 g carbs 45 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  Eggs, bacon, and Bubble & Squeek constitute a fine breakfast in Wales — or anywhere.

1 slice uncured American streaky bacon 2 oz tomato, sliced  one 2-oz egg            1 Bubble & Squeek** patty [NB: if drinking tea only and no fruit beverage, serve 2 patties]      Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] Optional: 6 oz orange-rhubarb juice [65 calories] 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Cook bacon in a frying pan, remove and blot on paper towel. Cook the egg and Bubble & Squeek patty in the bacon fat. Slice and season tomatoes. Plate and thank St Dwynwen for your loved one.

**Bubble & Squeek makes 4 patties, each 34 calories                     1.4 g fat 1 g fiber 1 g protein 5 g carbs 14 mg Calcium                    ½ c potatoes mashed with skimmed milk  ½ c boiled cabbage, chopped  ¼ c scallion, chopped    Stir together and form into four patties, each about 40 g/ a scant 1/4 cup.

Leek & Mussel Gratin:  278 calories 10 g fat 5 g fiber 17.5 g protein  29 g carbs 240 mg Calcium  PB GF All the components of this meal are typical of Wales, UK. And — these fine ingredients make for a fine meal. If you are lucky, you might find a Welsh cheese.  HINT: The following recipe serves 2 [two].

5 oz /114 g mussels*, weighed after removing from the shells  ½ oz/15 g/2 Tbsp oat bran        ¼ cup/ 118 ml whole milk  6 oz leeks, trimmed, cleaned  Celtic Sea salt             1 oz Cheddar cheese [or the Welsh cheese Penbryn], grated    per person: 3 oz carrots, sliced as coins OR green beans   per serving: ¼ oz Cheddar, grated   *You could use oysters.

If starting with mussels in their shells, cook them briefly [5 minutes] in 1 inch of simmering water then cool and remove from shells. [Save the mussel broth for chowder.] Measure out milk and stir in oat bran. Do this early so it can sit for a bit. Slice the leeks cross-wise in ¼” slices. Steam them in a little water until limp. Drain and put in a saucepan with the mussels, milk-oat, cheese, and salt to taste. Stir to blend and heat over low. Spoon equally into two scallop shells – real or porcelain – or ramekins which have been spritzed with cooking spray. Top with the additional cheese. Bake at 375F for 15 minutes, until hot and the cheese on top is melted and browning. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetable. Plate it all and let your mind go wool-gathering to the mountains of Wales.

Ingredients for next week:                                  Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:

next week will feature an1.5 two-oz eggs 
anniversary menu retrospectivereduced fat ricotta
dry mustard + peach
Watercress Sauce:
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage       

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:

next week will feature ancooked chicken + mushrooms
anniversary menu retrospectiveBrussel sprouts + green beans
quick barley + orzo 
stock + chives or parsley  + thyme
Sparkling waterSparkling water

End of an Era

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

On January 22, 1901, the Victorian Era ended when Queen Victoria died at the age of 81. She had been on the throne for 63 years, surpassing Henry II as longest-serving monarch of Great Britain. The Victorian Era began when the 18-year old ascended to the throne, enchanting the populace with her youth and charm. When she married her beloved Alfred, they became the Model English Family, setting the tone for stability and morality. After Alfred’s early death in 1861, Victoria wore mourning clothes for the rest of her life, becoming a sad and secluded widow. She set the style for mourning attire and popularized jet as a gemstone suitable for a widow. Victoria’s many offspring married into royal families around Europe, and her grandchildren were rulers in turn: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, Empress Alexandra of Russia, Queen consort Marie of Romania, Queen consort Victoria Eugenie of Spain, Queen Sophie of Greece. Victoria was truly ‘Grandmother of Europe.’ She reigned so long that few had known another monarch, and she left her stamp on her country and on English rule around the world. Now, to be called “Victorian” is an insult, meaning stodgy, old-fashioned, and prudish. Yet so much progress was made during Victoria’s reign that the mind boggles. Victoria’s strict plans for her funeral created the blueprint for state funerals in the UK to this day: full military honors, the coffin on a gun carriage, a long procession through London, burial at Windsor Castle. In her last years, the queen was confined to a wheelchair and could not see well due to cataracts. She died of a stroke at the royal retreat on the Isle of Wight.

When Victoria was on the throne, it was said that “the sun never set on the British Empire.” That, of course, was because British possessions spanned the globe. Our meals come from the two largest colonized lands: one by size [Canada] and one by population [India]. Both have since gained independence but are still members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Maritime Bake:  155 calories 6.5 g fat 1 g fiber 16.6 g protein 6 g carbs 84 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  To us, the Maritimes of Canada are all about seafood, potatoes, local cheese, and lots of the Herb Savory, winter or summer. Then there are the strawberries: June/July in Nova Scotia; July in PEI; August in Newfoundland. Good people, good food.

1 two-oz egg   ½ oz salt cod [cover with water and soak 30 minutes]             1/8 oz Cheddar OR ADL brand “Old/Fort”, grated  1 tsp dried savory               ½ Tbsp dry potato flakes + 1 Tbsp water  pepper to taste   2 oz strawberries           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]

The night before: 1] stir the potato flakes and water together in a small bowl and let sit to moisten. 2] cover the salt cod with water and soak 30 minutes. Drain and flake into small pieces.            Next morning: Spritz a ramekin with cooking spray. Set the toaster oven at 350 degrees F. Combine the potato, cod, and savory and put into the ramekin. Whisk the egg and pour over the cod. Top with grated cheese and bake 12-15 minutes. Prepare your beverages as you like them and plate the berries.

Tandoori Fish Curry w/ Naan:  294 calories 12 g fat 5.5 g fiber 18.6 g protein 29 g carbs 69 mg Calcium  PB  An easy recipe, made from some off-the-shelf ingredients, that packs a lot of flavor into a meal. The naan is fun to make at home. If you have access to purchased naans, pay attention to the calorie count so it ‘fits’ our needs – cut the naan smaller if needed.

3 Tbsp ‘tandoori simmer sauce,’ purchased  3 Tbsp low-fat coconut milk, purchased        2.5 oz haddock or other firm-fleshed fish  ½ cup small broccoli florets 1.6 oz carrots, sliced as coins   1 oz red bell pepper, sliced  1 naan bread @ 92 calories 

Put the sauce and coconut milk in a saucepan with a little water. Add the vegetables, cover the pan, and simmer until almost cooked. Break the fish into pieces and lay it on top of the vegetables. Cover and continue to simmer another 5 minutes until the fish is cooked. Warm the naan and serve. Delicious.

Botany Bay

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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!

For thousands of years the Tharawal and Eora peoples lived on the shores of Kamay. They fished and foraged and all was well. Until the British came to explore, to settle, to displace. The British named the place Stingrays Bay, then Botanist’s Bay, but soon changed it to Botany. Eighteen years after Captain James Cook first saw the bay, Arthur Phillips arrived on January 18, 1788, with the first shipload of ‘colonists.’ What to do with a vast territory 1000s of miles from Britain? Why, turn it into a penal colony and populate it with felons, of course! There were 19 crimes that could get you sentenced to Botany Bay, including: impersonating an Egyptian; stealing fish from a pond or river; bigamy; and clandestine marriage. The First Fleet consisted of three ships and enough convicts to establish a prison encampment. Phillips was told where to build, but he thought the area too marshy and far from the port, so he moved everyone to Port Jackson. More than 162,000 convicts were transported to Australia from 1788 to 1868, and they built a new nation. Yet ‘Botany Bay’ caught on as a popular term for the sentence of deportation and shorthand for the entire continent of Australia. Many folk songs were written about it and the name even showed up in a popular Star Trek episode. Today the Sydney Airport sits at the north side of the Bay. The Kamay National Park is on the south shore.

There is a plant, Tetragonia tetragonioides, that grows wild in Australia. It is called ‘New Zealand spinach’ although it is not related to spinach. In the garden, it grows well, even in hot climates. In the kitchen, one can use it just like the real spinach. Our meals today utilize spinach, as well as Barramundi, a fish from Australia which can be seen in US markets sometimes.

Chevre & Spinach Bake: 132 calories  7 g fat  2 g fiber  9 g protein 9 g carbs 57 mg Calcium   NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB GF  This one is really delicious.

1 two-oz egg 2 tsp creamy cheese                              2 Tbsp cooked spinach, drained/squeezed and chopped [if frozen, thaw, drain the night before]     lemon-dill seasoning + salt + pepper          2 oz pear OR 2 oz apple OR applesauce      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]

Combine the spinach, cheese, and seasonings. Whisk in the egg and pour into a lightly-oiled or spritzed ramekin. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the beverages of your choice and plate the fruit. What a nice way to start the day.

Barramundi a la Midi:  249 calories 9.4 g fat  6 g fiber 21.5 g protein 30 g carbs 147 mg Calcium  PB GF  Barramundi is a fish native to Australian waters. For some reason, I decided to prepare it with ingredients from Southern France. And it was great!

3-4 oz barramundi fillet   2 oz/2 cups fresh spinach leaves  ¼ c puttanesca sauce          1 Tbsp black olive sauce**  2 cloves garlic  ¼ c Camargue rice, cooked   2 oz green beans

**Black Olive Sauce  makes ¼ cup   good on fish or eggs   1 Tbsp = 44 calories             1 Tbsp lemon juice  ¼ cup pitted black olives  1½ tsp red wine vinegar  ½ tsp lemon zest      ½ tsp Dijon mustard  1 Tbsp olive oil                             Put olives in a food processor and run the machine until they are ground up, but not a paste. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until they are blended.

Cook the rice [3 parts Water: 1 part Rice] with a clove of garlic, cut in half. Broil or bake the fish. Slice the other garlic and cook it in a saute pan with some cooking spray and a bit of olive oil. After 30 seconds, add the spinach and 2 Tbsp water. Stir until the spinach begins to wilt, then add the sauce and mix them together. Plate the fish, topping it with the olive sauce. Place the spinach and the rice on the plate around the fish. Such a treat.

Ingredients for next week:                                Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:

1 two-oz egg = US large1 two-oz egg 
salt cod + potato flakesmashed potatoes + boiled cabbage
herb savory + strawberriesAmerican streaky bacon, uncured 
Cheddar cheese or ADL cheese, Old or Fortscallion + tomato           
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:

Tandoori simmer sauce, purchasedmussels  + leeks
low-fat coconut milk + carrotoat bran + whole milk
haddock + red bell pepperCheddar or Welsh aged cheese  
broccoli + 92-calorie naan carrots or green beans
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Great Molasses Flood

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

Wreckage of buildings in Boston’s North End, mired in molasses.

Molasses was a trade commodity. It was one of the major products that constituted the Triangle Trade of the 17-1800s. Molasses was a bi-product of sugar-making in the Caribbean, and was imported to New England in large amounts. How did they use all that molasses? Some of it went to livestock feed. Most went into making rum. A lot of molasses was used in food preparation — Boston Baked Beans, molasses cookies, molasses puff candy, poured on pancakes — molasses was a popular ingredient when sugar was expensive. By the time of World War I, molasses was used to manufacture some munitions, and also to make distilled alcohol, so there were storage tanks of molasses in a few places around Boston, Massachusetts. The largest of these was near Cobbs Hill in the North End, and it was owned by United States Industrial Alcohol. The company had been told that the tank was leaking, so they painted it brown to camoflague the fact. January 15, 1919 was unseasonably warm. The molasses and fermentation gasses expanded in the tank. And then it exploded. Near-by, buildings collapsed or were knocked off their foundations. Shrapnel in the form of half-inch rivets flew everywhere. The resultant implosion sucked a train off the tracks. Not done yet! When the tank ruptured, a 40-foot wall of molasses flowed down the streets at 35-mph. Twenty-one people died, 150 were injured, many horses and other animals were lost. The company blamed “Italian anarchists” and anything else they could think of — except their own neglect. The smell of molasses lingered for months. Building codes are stronger now in Massachusetts. Good thing.

A breakfast that features Boston-inspired ingredients and a dinner from the Caribbean, the origin of molasses, are ways to commemorate the Molasses Flood.

B-O-S-T ScrOmelette: 161 calories 7.6 g fat 1.5 g fiber 11 g protein 9 g carbs 220 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  The beans are for Boston’s nickname: beantown. The green onions are for the Green Monster at Fenway Park. The shrimp are for the strong maritime tradition of the port. The tomatoes are for New Englanders’ fervent wish to raise just a few ripe tomatoes before the end of summer. The perfect beverage would be a cup of tea – for the Boston Tea Party, of course.

1½ 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 Tbsp white beans, preferable small ‘navy’ beans           2 Tbsp green part of scallions, sliced   1 oz tomato, diced and drained in a sieve overnight       ¼ oz shrimp, preferably tiny Northern shrimp OR larger shrimp chopped   1½ oz nectarine    Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Put the beans, onion, shrimp, and tomato in a warm non-stick pan spritzed with non-stick spray or olive oil. Cook until warmed. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper and pour over the other ingredients in the pan. Scramble or cook as an omelette. Pour the beverages of your choice, plate the fruit, and plate the eggs. 

Lobster ‘Lambi’ & Plantains: 270 calories  8 g fat 3 g fiber 18 g protein 35 g carbs 51 mg Calcium PB GF A simple meal from Haiti. Easy any season of the year. Ordinarily lambi is made with the meat of the Queen Conch, but if they are unavailable, try lobster tail instead. The plantains are oven-roasted and are a fun new vegetable for us.

3 oz lobster meat – a tail, for example  ½ Tbsp olive oil 1 lime, cut in half             3 oz plantain slices, from a ripe [yellow skin with some black spots] not green plantain         3 oz cantaloup melon   Fresh spinach leaves

Peel the plantains and carefully slice them so they don’t get squished. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with non-stick spray. Brush with the olive oil and sprinkle with a flavorful salt. Bake at 425 F for 10 minutes, then turn the slices and bake for a further 10 minutes.  If the lobster is uncooked, grill it indoors or outdoors while you squeeze juice from half the lime on it. Cut it into bite-sized pieces.  If the lobster meat is cooked already, cut it into bite-sized pieces and squeeze lime juice on it. Place the spinach on the plate with the lobster on top of it. Then arrange the melon and plantains. Keep the other half lime for more juice-squeezing to your taste.

Aldo Leopold

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

Do you think that the natural world “as a community to which we belong”? Those are the words of Aldo Leopold, the father of wildlife ecology in the US. Born on January 11, 1887, and raised in Iowa, Aldo loved nature from the start. He observed, journaled, and sketched his environment throughout childhood. Leopold was graduated from Yale’s Forest School in 1909, and became an enthusiastic leader of the US Forest Service in the South West. There he established the first official wilderness area, Gila National Forest. A transfer to Wisconsin opened up new opportunities. He became the first ever Chair of Wildlife Management at University of Wisconsin. His family bought a run-down farm, the land exhausted and the buildings in ruin. Over many years, they revived the land by planting native species while living in “The Shack.” This became the inspiration for Leopold’s idea of the Land Ethic: living in harmony with nature and ethically co-existing with the natural world. A series of his essays were accepted for publication in 1948, and one week later, he died. But the work was published as A Sand County Almanac, considered one of the most important books for explaining the importance of nature to human life. He was right, you know. Humans are part of nature, not separate from it. What we do as individuals affects the entire natural world, right down to how you eat. Think about living ethically with the land, no matter where you live.

Ham and corn are popular products of Iowa, so we will start there for breakfast. A salad with pork and hard-boiled eggs is as close to the ground as it gets. Get a copy of A Sand County Almanac to peruse between meals.

Ham-Cup Egg with Corn: 140 calories  6.5 g fat 1.5 g fiber 10 g protein 11 g carbs  37 mg Calcium   NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF Ham and corn are such a grand combination. Easy to prepare ahead for a quick breakfast.

1 two-oz egg  1 slice “Cottage Ham” [4” diameter thin slice of ham] I used North Country Smoke House brand at 21 calories/slice    1 Tbsp fresh polenta OR ¾ oz cooked corn kernals           1.5 tsp red bell pepper, diced  Sriracha   3 oz watermelon                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]

Fit the ham into an oven-proof container that measures 3.25” in diameter and 1.25” deep. [I used a cleaned tuna can. It was perfect.] You will need to snip the ham on 2 sides and overlap the meat to make it fit better into the mold. Combine the polenta/corn with the diced pepper and season with Sriracha/salt/pepper to taste. Whisk in the egg and pour into the ham cup. HINT: I did this the night before and put it in the ‘fridge. Turn on the toaster oven to 350 F and bake the ham cups for 20+ minutes, until the filling is puffed and set. Prepare the optional beverages and the melon. Use a wide knife to loosten the ham cups from the mold before plating. Some of the egg will have oozed into the mold as it baked, but that is easy to remove too. This is a real treat!

Springtime Pork Salad:  247 calories 8.5 g fat 5 g fiber 18 g protein 27 g carbs  80 mg Calcium PB GF  This is a delightful meal-salad, with clementines of Winter joining asparagus from Spring.  HINT: this serves 2 so invite a friend.

4 cups romaine lettuce, sliced cross-wise   3 oz pork tenderloin, cooked             8 sections clementine  2 oz asparagus, cooked and cut into 1” pieces  ½ two-oz hardboiled egg   2 Tbsp cranberry orchard nut medley   2 oz whole-wheat baguette   dressing: 2 tsp plain yogurt OR mayonnaise  1 tsp Sriracha  pinch garlic powder 2 tsp lemon juice

Slice pork into thin rounds. Slice or chop the egg. Whisk the dressing ingredients, and toss with greens in the serving bowl. Decorate with pork, asparagus, clementine, egg.

Ingredients for next week:                                  Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:

1.5 two-oz eggs = US large1 two-oz egg  + lemon-dill seasoning
canned white beans + scallion/green onionchèvre cheese
shrimp + tomatospinach, cooked or frozen
nectarine or peachapple or pear               
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:

lobster tail + ripe plantainsbarramundi fish + fresh spinach 
fresh lime + olive oil       puttanesca sauce + Camargue rice  + garlic
melon such as cantaloup black olives + Dijon mustard + green beans
fresh spinach leaveslemon zest +  olive oil + red wine vinegar 
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Giotto, Artist

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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. Welcome to bulkads45 who is now Following.

Jean Brodie : Can anyone tell me: who is the greatest Italian painter?     Jenny : Leonardo da Vinci, Miss Brodie.           Jean Brodie : That is incorrect, Jenny. [Miss Brodie unrolls a print of Giotto’s painting “Flight Into Egypt”]  The answer is Giotto. He is my favourite.

While taste in art is subjective, Miss Jean Brodie was on to something. Giotto di Bondone, born around 1265, changed art forever, affecting the work of every artist who followed. How did he do it? By depicting nature and the people in it realistically. When he was born, the predominant art style was the Sienese School which depicted stiff, idealized figures against patterned backgrounds in a 2-dimensional space. Realism and naturalism were not in fashion, Byzantine-style icons were. 

Sienese Madonna and Child, 1270. The Lady’s body has no volume and her fingers are creepy. Baby is cute.
Cimabue’s version, with a crowd of angels like a bunch of grapes. Note that all their faces are the identical.
Another Sienese painting from 1300. Note that all three Madonnas have the same stylized face.

Giotto ‘began’ the Florentine School of art. He put figures with solid, rounded, 3-D bodies into naturalistic spaces. He used perspective before anyone else of his time. His characters had individual faces and contemporary clothing. He brought humanity into the scenes he painted, with people acting like people. Legend has it that he was discovered by the renowned artist Cimabue when Giotto was 10 years old. With his teacher, Giotto traveled. At the Basilica in Assisi, Cimabue began and Giotto finished a series of frescoes about Saint Francis. From that point on, he was in great demand, as an artist and architect. Giotto’s campanile in Florence is amazing. From Padua’s Arena Chapel, to Florence’s Santa Croce, to Rome, Giotto set up studios and taught assistants his style, thus spreading new ideas in art. How did he approach the Madonna and Child? A chubby baby sits on his mother’s arm, clutching her finger. A woman who has volume, and the dignity of an individual person. This is the genius of Giotto. He is my favorite.

Giotto died on January 8, 1337, but a trend to realistic art lived on. Our meals involve foods and flavors of northern Italy, with which he would have been familiar. As Giotto showed us realism in art, we will eat real food that is naturally-occurring, healthy, and traditional. Real food is real good.

Artichoke-Herb Bake: 136 calories  8 g fat 2.5 g fiber 9 g protein 7.5 g carbs 104.4 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg-bake and fruit only, not the optional hot beverage. PB GF  Artichokes, fresh, fragrant herbs, ricotta cheese — we must be in Italy! Fresh strawberries, in season, are excellent at breakfast.

1 two-oz egg  ¼ oz scallion, sliced across   2 tsp chopped mixed fresh herbs          ½ oz artichoke hearts, canned in water, chopped  1 Tbsp reduced fat ricotta  2 oz 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]

Prepare the herbs and vegetables. Put them in a bowl with the ricotta and stir to mix. Add the egg and stir it all together. Heat the toaster oven to 350 F. Spritz an oven-proof dish with cooking oil or spray and put the egg mixture into it. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Plate with the berries for the tastes of the Mediterranean.

Fish Parmesan:  245 calories  2.6 g fat  5 g fiber  31 g protein 11.4 g carbs  242.5 mg Calcium  PG GF – if using GF breadcrumbs  A new version of the restaurant classic, made suitable for Fasters. And it is delicious. For atmosphere, light the candle stuck in the wine bottle while you look at works by Giotto.

1 servingHeat the toaster oven to 350F. 
Non-stick spray      
1 Tbsp milk 		Spritz an oven-proof pan with non-stick spray or olive oil. Pour milk on a plate.
1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated  
1 tsp dried oregano and/or thyme  
¼ oz whole-grain breadcrumbs, fresh not dried		Grate Parmesan. Crumble or process bread into crumbs. On another plate combine these with salt and pepper. 
¾ oz mozzarella, grated              
2 Tbsp 2%-fat cottage cheese		Cream the cheeses together until well-combined.
4 oz fish, a firm-fleshed variety   olive oil sprayDip fish in milk on both sides. Dredge fish in crumb/cheese mixture to coat it completely. Put on pan, spray with oil. 
Bake fish 10 mins, until golden. Take out of oven. Preheat broiler.
¼ c. marinara sauce, homemade or purchased           
2 tsp capers 		Stir capers into marinara. Top fish with marinara sauce, then mound the cheese mixture over it.
Broil for 5 minutes until the cheese is melty and starting to brown
2 oz green beansPrepare beans and plate with the fish.

Slow Days: Chinese Pork Steamed Buns

~ me ~ Leave a comment

People who are new to Fasting often pose the questions: “Can I really eat ‘anything I want’ on a Slow Day?” and “What should I eat on Slow Days?” To answer those questions, I have decided to add some blog posts to show some of the foods we eat on what the world calls NFDs [non-fast days] but which, in our house, we call ‘Slow Days.’ This feature will appear sporadically. 

Now for the answers. Can you really eat ANYTHING you want on a Slow Day? Not really. If you eat too many calories every Slow Day, you will not lose weight. There are many questions asked on the Fast Diet Forum which attest to that. Once in a while you can splurge, as long as it isn’t everyday. For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet. As for how we eat, an example follows.

Large cosmopolitan cities around the world have many choices of cuisine, and opportunities to get food that one didn’t cook oneself. Chinese food is very popular for take-away. But out here in the woods of New Hampshire, carry-out might involve a drive so long that the food is cold by the time one gets home to eat it. The solution? Make your own. OK, perhaps there is a bit of Yankee self-sufficiency in that course, but it is need-driven.

Chinese steamed buns, Char Siu Bao, are yummy and really not that difficult to prepare. With Chinese New Year coming up, treat yourself and your friends to steamed buns from home. You can make the filling days in advance. If you wish, the filling, or at least the Chinese Roast Pork, could be purchased at an Asian market or from a co-operative Chinese restaurant — I think I might have seen it at a supermarket in the deli case. Not an option? Then make your own filling.

FOR THE FILLING: 

1 T. oil OR 1 tsp oil + spray of PAM
 ⅓ cup finely chopped shallots or red onion		Heat the oil in a wok over medium high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry 1 min.
1 Tbsp sugar         
1 Tbsp light soy sauce ++++1½ Tbsp oyster sauce +++2 tsp sesame oil ++++2 tsp dark soy      
                  		Turn heat down to medium-low, and add these ingredients. Stir and cook until mixture starts to bubble up.
½ cup chicken stock             2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour Add the stock and flour, cooking for a couple minutes until thickened
1½ cups diced Chinese roast pork = 6.75 oz = 193 gTake from heat and stir in pork. Set aside to cool. If you make filling ahead of time, refrigerate covered to prevent drying.

FOR THE BUN DOUGH:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast         ¾ cup warm waterIn the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook (you can also just use a regular mixing bowl and knead by hand), dissolve the yeast in the warm water. 
1 c all-purposeflour  1 c white whole wheat flour        1 c cornstarch
4 tablespoons sugar  ¼ c canola or vegetable oil		Sift together flours and cornstarch, and add to the yeast-water along with sugar and oil. Set mixer to lowest setting and let it mix until a smooth dough ball is formed. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 2 hours.
2½ tsp baking powder
2-3 tsp water 		Add baking powder and turn mixer to lowest setting. If dough looks dry and baking powder won’t mix in, add water. Gently knead with dough hook until it is smooth again. Cover with damp cloth, let rest 15 minutes. Set up your steamer in the wok.
Roll dough into a long tube and divide into 20 equal pieces. Press each piece of dough into a disc about 4½ inches in diameter (it should be thicker in center and thinner at edges).
Add some filling and pleat buns closed. Place each bun on a parchment paper square or cabbage leaf. Put steamer over wok, being sure boiling water does not touch the buns during steaming process. Once the water boils, put buns in the steamer for 12 minutes over high heat.

TO ASSEMBLE AND COOK

1.5 T scoopScoop filling onto a piece of dough. Pleat to close buns. I haven’t mastered that part yet…maybe this year. Here’s another link for pleating steamed buns.
Place each bun on a parchment paper square, and steam. I steamed the buns in two batches using a bamboo steamer Be sure boiling water does not touch buns during steaming process. Once water boils, put buns in the steamer, and steam each batch 12 mins over high heat.

Serve the Cha Siu Bao fresh, with stir-fried vegetables. Freeze any that are left over for a future dinner or even breakfast.

Louis Braille

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

Louis Braille was born in Coupvray, France on January 4, 1809, the son of a harness-maker. When Louis was three years old, he pierced his eye with an awl while playing with leather in his father’s shop. A resulting infection spread to his other eye and he was blind by age five. His ability to learn at the village school earned him a scholarship to the National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. Louis continued to be an excellent student there. When he was 12, he heard about a method for soldiers to ‘read’ communications in the dark — a method developed by Charles Barbier that involved raised patterns of dots on paper. The army didn’t want the idea, but Louis Braille improved it and made it his own. He perfected it by age 16, and published a book called Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Songs by Means of Dots for Use by the Blind and Arranged for Them. In 1833, he became the first blind teacher at the Institute. In addition to instructing algebra, history, and geography, Braille was an accomplished organist. He was hired at churches in Paris, and toured the nation to perform. The Institute published the first ever book in the Braille Alphabet, but a subsequent director banned the use of the Braille system. Despite that, the Braille system eventually caught on and was used throughout the world. Louis taught until 1850, when tuberculosis made him too ill. He died two years later: inventor, teacher, musician. Louis Braille’s limitation did not limit him.

How successful would you be at eating if you couldn’t see what was on your plate? Our breakfast stays on the fork well, and the dinner can be eaten with the hands.

Mushroom-Bleu Cheese ScrOmelette: 137 calories 8.4 g fat  0.6 g fiber  10.4 g protein  6.6 g carbs  66.7 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF  Based on ingredients loved in France, these flavors are delicious together.

Three 2-oz eggs, of which you will use 1½ 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 the eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.    ¼ oz bleu cheese     ½ oz mushrooms ¼ oz leeks 1 oz pear      Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]    Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Spritz a non-stick pan with olive oil or non-stick spray. Slice the leeks and saute with the mushrooms until both are cooked. Whisk in the eggs and pour over the leeks and mushrooms. As the eggs begin to set, crumble the bleu cheese on top. Scramble or cook as an omelette. Plate with the pear, serve with the beverages of choice. 

Ham & Cheese Street Crepes: 272 calories 9 g fat 2.4 g fiber 21 g protein 25 g carbs 212 mg Calcium  NB: The photo shows a meal for 2 [TWO]. The recipe below is for one serving. This is the familiar street-vendor lunch in Paris, except that the food values will not break the bank on a Fast Day. Very quick and easy to prepare if you had made the crêpe batter before and have it thawed out. HINT: can be prepared in advance and rewarmed later. Good for traveling or planning ahead.

Two galettes per person, this plate serves 2 diners.

2 buckwheat galettes  2 oz sliced deli ham  ½ oz deli sliced Swiss cheese              1 wedge “Laughing Cow” [Vache Qui Rit] cheese at room temperature   2 oz tomatoes 

Cook crepes. Spread the Laughing Cow cheese on one half of each crêpe. Lay the ham on the cheese side of each crêpe and top with the Swiss cheese slices. Fold in half. Heat a heavy skillet, adding maybe a spritz or 2 of non-stick spray. Lay the folded crêpes on the hot skillet to heat one side, then flip to heat the other side. You want the cheese to get melty. Fold each crêpe once more into tidy triangles, and push down on with the turner to flatten them. Plate them with the tomatoes and voilà!

Ingredients for next week:                                 Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:

1 two-oz egg = US large + scallion1 two-oz egg  + red bell pepper
canned artichoke hearts in water4″-diameter thin, round slice ham
reduced-fat ricotta Fresh polenta or cooked corn kernels  
mixed fresh herbs + strawberriesSriracha + watermelon
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:

4 oz firm-fleshed fish + green beansromaine lettuce + cooked pork tenderloin
Parmesan cheese + mozzarella cheeseclementine + asparagus + hard-boiled egg
marinara sauce: homemade or purchasedcranberry orchard nut medley + garlic powder
2%-fat cottage cheese + fresh bread crumbsmayonnaise/yogurt + sriracha  + lemon juice  
Sparkling waterSparkling water