Fast Diet recipes which are gluten free and plant-based

Camus

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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.

Albert Camus was many things: novelist, resistance fighter, playwright, post-war philosopher, Nobel laureate, essayist. But one thing he was not was an existentialist. That word gets bandied about a lot these days, as talking heads ponder the ‘existential crisis’ presented by this or that world problem. The themes of existentialism include: dread, boredom, alienation, the absurd, freedom, commitment, and nothingness, and the mood of Europe after World War II was conducive to all those feelings. When Camus wrote about them, he knew what he was talking about. He was born in Drean, Algeria on November 7, 1913. His parents were of French heritage, his grandfather having moved to Africa when France promoted the settling of their territory with Europeans. Camus’ father died when Albert was an infant. His mother worked in low-paying jobs, and Albert was lucky to obtain a scholarship to attend University d’Algiers where he studied philosophy. At that point, he was anti-Fascist and anti-Soviet, despite having joined the Communist party earlier. Even though he had a lower-class upbringing, Camus knew that he had more privilege than the native Berbers and Arabs. This lead him to social justice causes and a job at a newspaper in Paris. During the war, he worked for the Resistance, married for a second time, and continued to write. Camus planned his writing in ‘cycles’: he would examine a theme [ex: Absurdity] as a novel [ex: l’Etranger], as an essay [ex: Le Mythe de Sisyphe], and as a play [ex: Caligula]. In the 1950s, Camus was part of Jean-Paul Sartre’s circle of Existentialists but Camus refused to espouse their philosophy. If not existentialism, what did he think of the human condition? Camus saw that humans constantly seek order and rationality in a random universe, and he labeled that ‘Absurd.’ So what can one do? The second part of his thinking was that humans are morally obliged to resist what oppresses us — and he called that ‘Revolt.’ In 1957 came the Nobel Prize for Literature, and in 1960 he died in a car wreck.

The breakfast is from Algeria, Camus’ birthplace where he never felt at home because he was French. The dinner is from France, where the adult Camus lived and never felt at home because he was Algerian. Since Camus promoted a “new Mediterranean Culture” for the multi-ethnic countries of North Africa, he would have liked our Mediterranean Vegetables.

Chelada Felfel: 197 calories 15 g fat 2.5 g fiber 9 g protein 8 g carbs 47.5 mg Calcium  PB GF  With its bright colors and its salad vibe, this meal can add cheer to a winter morning or coolness to a sultry summer day. The flavors and ingredients are from Algeria.  TIP: Prepare it the night before and store in ‘fridge for a super-quick breakfast.

¼ cup Bell pepper, yellow or orange ¼ c tomatoes, diced ¼ c cucumber, diced ¼ cup onion, thinly sliced 1½ tsp cilantro, chopped 1½ anchovy fillets, chopped 1½ cured black olives, pitted and chopped 1 tsp olive oil 1 tsp red wine vinegar salt + pepper 1 hard-boiled egg, cut in half and sliced  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Prepare the vegetables, anchovies, and olives. Combine them in a bowl, then add oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Toss well to combine. Chop or slice the egg as you choose, scatter atop the salad, and dust with salt. With mint tea, a taste of Algeria. With cafe au lait, a taste of French Algeria.

Mediterranean Vegetables with Seafood:  278 calories 6 g fat 6 g fiber 28 g protein 25 g carbs 290 mg Calcium   PB GF This dinner qualifies as a hurry-up meal. If you have Mediteranean Vegetables in the freezer, you can serve this in the time it takes to cook the quinoa.

1 cup Mediterranean Vegetables, without chickpeas 3 oz seafood: shrimp, fish chunks, bivalves [without shells], whatever you have 1 oz mozzarella, shredded 1 oz mushrooms, coarsely-chopped 1/3 cup cooked quinoa 

Start cooking the quinoa. Put the frozen Med Vegetables in a sauce pan with a lid. Warm them gently until they are mostly thawed. Add the mushrooms and seafood. Continue to heat, covered, until everything is warm and cooked. Plate with the quinoa and top with cheese. 

J. S. Bach

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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. Welcome to green smoothie diet who is now Following.

Johann Sebastian Bach is probably my favorite composer. When I was a child, my mother always had the classical music station WQXR on the radio, and she would name the composers as the music played. In college choir, we sang Bach pieces a few times over my four years of singing. Wonderful, soaring music. In art class, I came to appreciate the Baroque period without making the connection to Baroque influences in music. Baroque art is filled with drama, light and shadow, and evokes emotion in the viewer. Now I can hear that Bach’s music is the same: rich and ornate, the listener cannot fail to be moved. JS Bach was born on March 21, 1685. His father taught him to play the violin and harpsichord, and the boy sang in the church choir. Orphaned at age 10, Bach was taken in by his older brother who was also a musician. His brother taught him musical composition and to play the organ. At age 15, JS was on the move, something he would do frequently over his career. For the next 23 years, he went from town to town, working as church organist here, as the court musician there, always moving on due to religious politics or disputes about wages. JS was not a difficult man. He was devoted to his music and his growing family, and expected to be treated fairly. All along the way, Bach honed his skills and became more inventive in his music. He perfected the ‘fugue‘ and he promoted musical improvisation. The father of 4 musicians, Johann Sebastian Bach is considered to be one of the greatest composers of all time. Three of his works were included on the ‘Golden Record’ on which NASA recorded music and other ‘sounds of Earth’ to send into space on the Voyager I in 1977. Music for the ages. 

Bach was born in Thuringia, a region of Germany which prides itself on its sausages. So sausage it will be, as part of breakfast, as part of dinner. Celebrate his birthday tomorrow by listening to his music.

Sausage-Apple ScrOmelette: 152 calories 10 g fat 0.5 g fiber 12.8 g protein 3.5 g carbs 43.2 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF  A hearty breakfast to start your day right.

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 link chicken breakfast sausage = 35 calories ¾ oz apple sage leaves, fresh or dried   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]

Dice the sausage and apple. Heat a well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Add the sausage/apple and stir to warm them and cook them a bit. Whisk the eggs with the sage, salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the sausage/apple in the pan. Scramble to your favorite degree of doneness. Partake of your beverages of choice.

Sauerkraut and Sausage: 255 calories 5.5 g fat 12.6 g fiber 21.5 g protein 33.5 g carbs 196.4 mg Calcium  GF PB  This is the sort of food that fueled Bach, Goethe, and Luther. Check the calories and you will see that this is not a fattening meal.

1½ cups sauerkraut, canned or bagged or fresh 2 tsp caraway seed 2 oz/ 1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened ½ cup onions, chopped coarsely 1 chicken sausage with apple [OR other 110 calorie sausage] left whole or sliced into ½” chunks 1½ cups raw collard greens OR Kale OR Chard, chopped or sliced cross-wise in ¼” strips [chiffonade] salt + garlic powder + pepper to taste.

Thaw the sausage if it is frozen. Combine the sauerkraut, caraway seed, applesauce, and onions in a saucepan large enough to hold the sausage [if leaving whole]. Cook slowly, uncovered until half of the liquid is gone. Add the sausage, cover, and continue to cook until everything is hot. Meanwhile, put the collards into ½ cup water with seasonings, and cook covered until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes.

Dickens

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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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to Anita Vij who is now Following.

February 7 is the birthdate of Charles Dickens, the chronicler of life in Victorian England. From 1812 to 1870, he lived a life that ended up enlivening the pages of his 15 novels and 5 novellas. David Copperfield — the tale of a poor boy forced to work in a factory, who liberates and raises himself to obtain an education, dabble in the law, marry, and become a self-made man — is Dickens most autobiographical novel. But all his books contain elements of his life. His father was a Navy pay clerk who was poor with his own finances. Dickens helped to pay off the family debt [that factory job], and never forgave his mother for thinking that he should have continued to work there. When Dickens was working for a magazine, the boss took him home to dinner, and Charles met Catherine Hogarth, his future wife. Ten children later, along with many financial ups and downs, the couple separated. Always hoping that ‘something will turn up,’ Dickens wrote popular books which were serialized in magazines, and he went on speaking tours. He was terrified of poverty. Now you might think that he was just a famous author, but writing was his weapon as a Social Reformer. Through his stories and their often very pitiable characters, Dickens exposed social ills: a legal system mired in minutia [Bleak House]; for-profit orphanages [Oliver Twist]; the injustice of the debtors’ prison [Little Dorrit]; horrible boarding ‘schools’ [Nicholas Nickleby]; child labor [David Copperfield]. Even his most beloved book, A Christmas Carol, written quickly and for profit, is a screed against social inequality and wage disparity. The author was not making this stuff up — life for the multitudinous poor was abysmal [think ‘Dickensian‘] during the Victorian Era and he wanted with all his heart to make things better for them. To some small extent, it worked. Which book is your favorite?

I can imagine the economical and practical Aunt Betsey Trotwood eating watercress, no doubt harvested from streams flowing along the coast of Kent where she lived. Oysters are what David Copperfield saw Mr and Mrs Micawber eating as they left town on the top of the Post Coach — further evidence of their extravagant spending.

Watercress Bake: 139 calories 6 g fat 1 g fiber 9 g protein 6 g carbs 90 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF Watercress is so versatile and so healthy. When you see it in the market, turn it into Watercress Sauce and freeze in small amounts [from ice cube size to ½ cup] for use all year ’round.

1 two-oz egg 2 Tbsp [1 cube] Watercress Sauce, drained 1 Tbsp ricotta cheese 1/8 oz mushrooms 1 oz fresh peach + ¼ oz fresh blackberries  Optional: 5-6 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 

The night before: thaw the watercress sauce in a sieve over a small bowl overnight. Chop the mushrooms and cook in a little water for 15 seconds in the microwave. Next morning: Combine the ‘cress, mushrooms, and ricotta. Spritz an oven-proof ramekin or other dish with non-stick spray. Whisk the eggs and add the cress mixture. Whisk again and pour into the prepared dish. Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes. Prepare the beverages and the fruit. What a simple, sumptuous meal.

Oyster Feast w/ Bubbly: 290 calories 10 g fat 2 g fiber 13 g protein 15 g carbs 83 mg Calcium  PB  Got something BIG to celebrate? How about a plate of raw and baked oysters with a salad AND a glass of bubbly? This serves TWO, since a celebration deserves company.

At left, six raw oysters with sparkling wine. On the right, three raw oysters and three baked with chèvre and crackers as described below.

18 medium Eastern oysters, raw   9 tsp chevre cheese 4 saltine crackers as medium-fine crumbs 3 cups lettuce 2 Tbsp raw herbs, [such as thyme, rosemary, chives], chopped  per person: 5 oz Sparkling Wine [such as Champagne or Cremant] 

Turn on the broiler. Shuck the oysters, discarding the upper shell, but keep the oyster in the bottom shell. Carefully put 9 of the 18 oysters on an oven-proof pan. Sprinkle each of those oysters with a pinch of the cracker crumbs. Then put 1 tsp of the chevre on each oyster. Top with the rest of the crumbs. Slide under the broiler until the cheese begins to soften and brown just a bit — 1-3 minutes. In a wide bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice and herbs. Toss lettuce with the dressing and add a pinch of salt. Plate the baked oysters, the raw oysters and the salad, pour your bubbly. Cheers! 

A Wonderful Life

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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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

After the end of World War II, the Hollywood people who had gone to war came home. One was Jimmy Stewart who was looking to revive his stalled acting career. He had entered the war as a Private who had an amateur pilot’s license, and was demobbed as a full Colonel with 20 combat missions over Germany to his credit. Another was Frank Capra, who had left off directing for major films to make ‘propaganda’ films for the US Signal Corps during the war. With 5 Academy Awards for prior films, it should have been easy for him to fit back into the industry. Capra hired Stewart to star in Its a Wonderful Life, released in 1946, on December 20. Like Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, also starring Stewart, this movie is about the virtues of small town life; the necessity for people to work together for the common good; the hard-working refugee families moving to America; and the importance of faith in higher ideals. As Roger Ebert said, the film is “a celebration of the lives and dreams of America’s ordinary citizens, who tried the best they could to do the right thing by themselves and their neighbors.” It was not a success. Maybe 1946 was not the time for a sentimental film. The movie was ‘rediscovered’ in the 1970s when the copywrite expired. Aired on TV, the film quickly became a seasonal Christmas favorite. It is sweet, and corny, and makes you feel good about doing the right thing. Watch it and celebrate the film’s 75th anniversary.

Frank Capra was a fierce defender of the American Dream. Our hash ‘n’ eggs breakfast is typical of the small-town diner menu. Since Capra was the son of immigrants, our dinner features Mediterranean flavors well known to the other travelers in steerage when his family came to America in 1903.

Sweet Potato-Black Bean Hash:  212 calories 4.5 g fat 9 g fiber  31 g carbs 96.5 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg and hash only, not the optional hot beverage. PB GF Long-time friend and fellow bell ringer Jane Winslow inspired this recipe. She’s right: it is very good.

½ c. diced sweet potatoes [You could substitute ½ cup of diced winter squash, which lowers the calories, protein, and carbs] 2 Tbsp yellow onion, diced 1.5 oz = ¼ red pepper, sliced salt + pepper to taste ¾ tsp paprika ¼ tsp cumin ½ cup spinach, roughly chopped 3 oz black beans = 1/3 c. one 1.8-oz egg  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water   NB: no smoothie — too many calories for this recipe

Spritz olive oil in a small cast iron pan on medium heat. Add sweet potatoes, onion, red pepper, seasonings, and a little water. Cook on medium-low for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring. ALTERNATELY, you could roast these vegetables in a 400 F. oven for 10 minutes. Add spinach and 2 more Tbsp water, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Lastly, add the black beans and stir until ingredients are well-blended. HINT: prep this far the night before. NEXT MORNING: Heat the vegetable hash in the pan before topping with a poached or fried egg. Serve in the skillet or scoop onto a plate.

Feta Nicoise Salad:  243 calories 6 g fat 2 g fiber 16 g protein 25 g carbs 244 mg Calcium  PB GF  There is a lot of food on this plate – bring your appetite.

1½ romaine leaves OR 1-1/2 cup lettuce, sliced cross-ways ¼ cup green beans 1 scant cup cucumber OR zucchini, diced 1/4 c feta cheese, crumbled or diced 2 black olives, quartered 2 Tbsp canned chick peas, rinsed 1/2 oz sourdough bread 1 tsp flavorful olive oil + 1 tsp white wine vinegar

Steam the green beans, cool and set aside. Slice the romaine crosswise into 1” strips. Prepare the other ingredients as described. Pour the oil and vinegar into a wide, shallow bowl and whisk briskly. Put all the other ingredients in the bowl and toss gently to coat with dressing. Welcome to southern France for fine dining.

Carrie Nation

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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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

Do your guests drink too much at Thanksgiving, then do/say regrettable things and ruin the meal? Carrie Nation didn’t approve of such behavior. She became famous for her staunch stand against the making, selling, and drinking of alcohol. Caroline Amelia Moore was born on a farm family in Kentucky on November 25, 1846. The family moved around a lot — Kentucky, Texas, Missouri — with Carrie’s education being interrupted by illness and relocation. Sometimes the family took in boarders. One such was Dr. Charles Gloyd, with whom Carrie fell madly in love. After their marriage, his alcoholism became obvious and the couple separated before the birth of their daughter and Gloyd’s death the next year. Carrie received a teaching certificate and taught for four years. She remarried, to David Nation, in 1874 and they moved to Kansas. On the books, Kansas was a “dry” state, which Carrie was happy about until her husband told her that there was still a lot of drinking going on. Angered that such a useful law was being flouted, even by legislators, Mrs. Nation started a local chapter of the Women’s Christian Temperence Union [WCTU]. Together, they lobbied and prayed to close bars and other “joints” that sold liquor. They were also in favor of a woman’s right to vote. Her second marriage ended and Carrie Nation went on the warpath, throwing herself into the temperance cause. In 1900, she attacked a bar in Kiowa by throwing stones at the windows, then going inside and breaking bottles. She encouraged other women to join her while gaining much notoriety and many enemies. Her famous hatchet was given to her in 1901 so that she could continue her vision of God’s work. So formidable was she, that people believed her to be 6-feet tall, when in reality she was only 5’4″ in height. Yet bartenders quailed and cowered when she walked in. Though she was roughed up and jailed, Carrie [now Carry] Nation persisted until her retirement to Arkansas, where she opened a hostel for wives of alcoholics. She did not live to see the 18th Amendment passed in 1919 or the 19th Amendment in 1920. Carry A. Nation would have been pleased. Perhaps she would have buried the hatchet.

Our meals reflect a simpler time — or is that clouded by veils of nostalgia? On the farm, herbs and fresh eggs would have been on the table often, for family and boarders alike. The dinner is a Tex-Mex favorite, reminiscent of Carrie’s time in Texas. No booze in either meal.

Herb Scramble: 127 calories 7.5 g fat 0.6 g fiber 10 g protein 5.6 g carbs [4 g Complex] 47.5 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  Take a walk in the herb garden, then put the herb garden in the breakfast.

3 two-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 those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week  2 Tbsp chopped herbs: chives, rosemary, oregano, thyme, lavender salt & pepper to taste 2 oz canteloup or 3 oz strawberries or 2 oz grapes  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]

Whisk the eggs with the herbs and salt & pepper to taste. Pour into a hot pan sprayed with cooking oil. Scramble to your preferred degree, and plate with fruit. Pour the optional beverages and you have a simple, delicious breakfast.

Chili non Carne:  1 cup =133 calories 0.7 g fat 6.5 g fiber 7 g protein 10 g carbs 70 mg Calcium 1½ c. =199 calories 1 g fat 9 g fiber 9.4 g protein 14. g carb 120 mg Calcium 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.  PB GF  HINT: This is enough for 4 one-cup servings OR two 1.5 cup servings with 1 cup left over. Save the remaining chili for a lunch or check other postings to see how we use it for breakfast. For 1½ cups chili served with cheese garnish and melon, as in photo: 276 calories 10 g fat 6 g fiber 13 g protein 19.4 g carbs 227 mg Calcium

15 oz canned red beans, drained and rinsed 16 oz canned tomatoes – in chunks or diced, not drained 1 cup chopped onion 1 green pepper, chopped 2-3 tsp chili pepper, or more if you like it hotter ½ – 1 tsp ground cumin   per serving: 1 Tbsp cheddar cheese, grated, as a garnish + 2 oz melon

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. Serve one or one and a half cups for dinner tonight with the grated cheese on top, and melon on the side.

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

1 two-oz egg + one egg white1.5 two-oz eggs 
yellow cornmeal + yeastmozzarella cheese
raspberriesMediterranean Vegetables
honeystrawberries OR applesauce
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

1 pound mussels + salad greenschicken or turkey broth + chicken white meat
olive oil + lemon juice + tomatoParmesan cheese + white beans + carrot
feta cheese + kalamata olivesspaghetti or linguine + green beans
bouquet garni + splash white wine back bacon/Canadian bacon + Finn Crisp crackers
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Hieronymus Bosch

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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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to 1981lluciana and Healthy Desire who are now Following.

On August 8, 1516, Hieronymus Bosch died and the legends began. So did the forgeries. Bosch [not his real surname, but he chose it to honor his hometown ‘s-Hertogenbosch] was the most famous painter of his time. While he drew from the compositions of his predecessors, Bosch was the most copied artist for the next century — with many of those works ‘signed’ with his name. His ‘surreal’ style of art struck a real chord with his contemporaries. The late 1400s was a time of pessimism and the church preached that people should fear Divine Retribution. Savonarola with his bonfires was on the same wave-length. Bosch took this to heart since he was a religious conservative who thought that some clergy were part of the problem. His art spotlighted the sins of humankind, constantly repeating that repentance would help us to avoid a horrible punishment in Hell. Few artists were so inventive in their depictions of the netherworld as Hieronymus. One of Bosch’s most famous works is the Garden of Earthly Delights, a triptych begun in 1490. The left-hand panel shows the totally innocent Adam and Eve in Eden, while demons fall from Heaven as Lucifer is thrown out. The middle panel depicts a landscape with rather sex-less, nude, White and Black Barbie-doll figures disporting in all sorts of merriment — activities that will land them in the Hell depicted in the right-hand panel. There, those Barbie-dolls experience the horror of dreadful demons and cruel punishments. The artist was not all about monsters: he produced works on Biblical themes, such as Christ Carrying the Cross [in Vienna]; the Adoration of the Magi; and St Christopher Carrying the Christ Child which show his command of landscape perspective, color use, and depicting the human form. There are only about 20 works which have been attributed to Bosch and many more by his students and copiers.

To me, an hilarious aspect of the Garden of Earthly Delights painting is the giant fruit. In our house, if one picks a particularly large strawberry, it is dubbed ‘an Hieronymus Bosch berry.’ Our breakfast features strawberries and other fruits. To Bosch those represented lust and gluttony — to me, they represent a healthy breakfast. Our dinner involves good ingredients roasted under high heat, but no Fires of Hell are involved.

Red White and Blue: 150 calories 1 g fat 2.6 g fiber 14.5 g protein 20 g carbs [10.5 g Complex] 331 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF – if using GF bread Ricotta is higher in protein and Calcium than cottage cheese, but you could substitute that if you wish.

½ cup fat-free ricotta ¼ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen [if frozen, keep frozen until ready to use] ½ cup sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen [after slicing, put into a strainer to let the juices drain] 1 slice of 70-calorie multi-grain bread [Nature’s Own/ Dave’s Thin-Sliced] 2 large pinches of cinnamon sugar  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]

Fish Roasted with Vegetables: 290 calories 5 g fat 5 g fiber 29 g protein 16 g carbs 180 mg Calcium  PB GF Delicious one-pan meal. AND it is low in calories and fat. Can you believe that a women’s magazine had a similar recipe for 425 calories!!

4 oz pollock, halibut, or other white fish 1½ slice [0.2 oz] American/streaky bacon 2 oz carrots in ½” chunks 2 oz Brussel sprouts cut in half 2 oz cauliflower florets, cut in half or quarters 3 oz cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese 

Set the oven at 450 degrees F. Cook the bacon in an 8” oven-proof pan, such as cast iron. Remove the bacon, chop it and set aside. Put the prepared vegetables in the pan and toss to coat with the bacon fat. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 10 minutes. Remove the pan of vegetables from the oven. If you think they will need more than 10 minutes more of cooking, put them back in for 2-3 minutes. They will not be cooked through at this point. Turn oven down to 400 degrees F. Move the vegetables aside so the fish will sit on the hot pan, with the vegetables nest to it. Salt and pepper the fish. Return the pan to the oven and bake 5-10 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the fish. Sprinkle the entire contents of the pan with Parmesan cheese and bacon. You could eat it right from the pan.

Diet vs Lifestyle

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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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

“Diet” can mean: a) one’s usual or habitual food [noun]; b) a type of food recommended for a specific purpose; c) a way of eating sparingly to reduce one’s weight. When people say, “I’ve gained my ‘Covid 19’ and now I have to go on a diet” they mean that they are going to eat less to achieve a goal of weight loss. And then what? Can’t tell you how often I’ve heard, “We were on the South Beach/low carb/cabbage soup diet and we lost 30 pounds! And then we regained it.” That’s the trouble with ‘diets.’ You might deprive yourself of certain food groups for a while, but you can’t/won’t live like that for the rest of your life. And the weight comes back.

“Lifestyle” can mean: a) the usual way of life of a group of people [noun]; b) associated with or promoting a more desired way of living [adjective]. For a new way of eating or behaving to be ongoing, it must be something you are comfortable to be doing all your life. Can you eat this way and still enjoy a social life? If so, this is described as a ‘sustainable’ behavior. If you are thinking about altering your current “usual or habitual food” to make it so that it will be “promoting a more desired way of living,” then think carefully about the long-term. Slow, incremental weight loss is shown to be preferable to quick weight loss. Learning to eat better for life is the key.

Now you know why I refer to the way we eat as the Fasting Lifestyle. It is a way of eating that requires only two days of behavior change, in the form of eating fewer calories. Look at today’s meals — couldn’t you eat like this twice a week for the rest of your life if it meant that the weight would come off and stay off?

Cheese ScrOmelette:  154 calories 9.6 g fat  1 g fiber 12 g protein 5 g Carb [4.5 g Complex] 108 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF  What a classic. Why not eat this often?

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.  ¼ oz cheese such as Cheddar or Gruyere 1.5 oz applesauce or 2.5 oz strawberries  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water  Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]

Whisk the eggs with seasonings to taste. Grate the cheese. Put the eggs into a hot pan spritzed with cooking spray. Once the bottom of the eggs is set, sprinkle with cheese, fold and plate. Slice fruit, brew optional beverage, blend the optional smoothie or take it from the ‘fridge and shake it before serving.

Antipasto with chicken: 252 calories 11 g fat 4 g fiber 22.6 g protein 29 g carbs 208 mg Calcium  PB GF  This one is a keeper. Simple, off the shelf, pretty on the plate, good to eat. HINT: The recipe and photo show enough for 2 people. Invite a guest who is Fasting, too.

This generous platter serves two.

2 oz roasted red pepper, without oil [I roast my own, slice and freeze them] 2 oz mozzerella, cut into ‘sticks’ [buy it in blocks] 3 oz chicken breast, cooked  5 oz tomato slices 3 oz whole green beans, steamed, drained, cooled 1½ oz marinated mushrooms 1/3 c. garbanzo beans, drained if canned 4 black olives, pitted and sliced 3 slices pepperoni, chopped 1 tsp flavored olive oil flavorful finishing salt chopped fresh herbs 

Prepare the ingredients and keep separate. Combine the garbanzoes with the chopped pepperoni. On a platter, arrange the ingredients in rows as shown in the photo. Suit your own artistic nature as to what goes where. Drizzle on the flavored oil. Be liberal with the fresh herbs.

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

1 slice 70-calorie multi-grain bread1.5 two-oz eggs  + Bing cherries
strawberries +/or blueberries, fresh or frozen3%-fat ham + leek/scallion
fat-free ricotta cheesegarlic + mushrooms
chicken liver pate OR chicken liver
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

4 oz pollock or other white-fleshed fish 4 oz filet mignon + butter + olive oil
American/streaky bacon + cauliflowerportobello mushroom cap + shallot
carrots + brussel sproutswhite wine + heavy cream
cherry tomatoes + Parmesan cheesegrainy mustard + fresh tarragon + asparagus
Sparkling waterSparkling water

James Baldwin

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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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to Master Magic University and ketodietreviews who are now Following.

James Baldwin was born in Harlem on August 2, 1924. His mother was single and his father was not in the picture. Strike One. His step-father was a Baptist minister and young James had success as a preacher in his mid-teens. But he looked around Harlem and found that he was not happy. Reading was an escape and he read everything he could. In high school, he wrote for the school newspaper and was a published author by the time he was graduated. College had to wait while Baldwin worked to support his mother and his siblings after his step-father died. On the job and on the streets, he was shown that he could not succeed because he was Black. Strike Two. While working part-time jobs, he wrote essays and poems, which lead to work as a reviewer. His former religious life left him with questions about his sexuality. Strike Three. When his best friend committed suicide, Baldwin decided that he had to flee Harlem and the United States. lest he end up as a statistic. With $40 and a one-way ticket, he left for Paris in 1948. All he knew about France was from reading the works of Balzac, but he learned the language and found that felt at home there. His first novel, Go Tell It On The Mountain, was published in 1953. In a later interview, Baldwin said, “The French gave me what I could not get in America, which was a sense of ‘If I can do it, I may do it.’ ” From the other side of the ocean, Baldwin began to write more and more about racism in America and the equal rights movement. On visits to the US, he met and worked with the leaders of the movement. Plays, short stories, and essays were his way of being a ‘witness to the truth.’ Although in his last years he was a professor at an American college, he died in his little house in Provence, with its wonderful view of the Mediterranean.

For his Harlem childhood, a breakfast based on the soul-food favorite, Red Beans & Rice. For his love of France, a meal that would be at home in Provence, just like James Baldwin. Watch If Beale Street Could Talk on Hulu.

Red Beans & Rice Bake: 138 calories 5 g fat 2.4 g fiber 8 g protein 15 g carbs 54 mg Calcium   NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  Eggs are a fine vehicle for left-over foods. This combination is particularly good. Plan to make it some morning after the next time you serve Red Beans & Rice.

1 two-oz egg 3 Tbsp red beans & rice  large pinch of garlic powder 1 oz pear   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water  Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Spritz a ramekin with oil or non-stick spray and set the toaster oven at 350 F. Whisk the egg with salt, garlic powder, and pepper to taste. Stir in the red beans & rice. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Plate with the pear.

Langostino with Garlic:  264 calories 3.4 g fat 9 g fiber 26 g protein 35 g carb 120 mg Calcium  PB GF  I wish I knew the source of this recipe, because I really like it. ‘Langoustine’ is either a large shrimp or the tail of a Norway lobster, according to LaRousse. Sometimes you find them frozen and when I see them, I buy them. HINT: the amounts shown serve TWO people. This is a good meal to share and more difficult to cut down for one serving. If you are into leftovers, make the whole thing and enjoy it for lunch or even dinner on a Slow Day.

1 tsp olive oil 2 clove garlic, chopped pinch of hot pepper flakes 5 oz langostino chunks or 4½ oz cleaned shrimp/prawns 5 oz broccoli florets or asparagus, cut into 2” pieces 1 cup cabbage, sliced [3 oz] 2 Tbsp dry white wine salt & pepper 15 oz tomatoes, coarsley chopped or canned diced tomatoes ¾ c white beans, rinsed and drained ½ cup fish stock

Pour the tomatoes through a sieve, saving the juice that drains out. Heat the oil in a saute pan or wok. Add the garlic and pepper flakes to the pan and stir for 10 seconds or less – you don’t want to burn the garlic. Add the broccoli [or asparagus] and cabbage. Saute for 3-4 minutes. If the pan gets too dry [ie: no sound of cooking], add some reserved tomato juices and/or some of the fish stock. Pour in the wine, then sprinkle in the salt and pepper. Cook to reduce the wine to almost gone. Add the beans, tomatoes, and remaining fish stock. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 6 minutes. Add the langostine/shrimp/prawns and cook to thicken the broth. The prep is fussy, the cooking is quick, the result is delicious. If you wish, serve with a side salad of 1 cup baby greens, sprinkled with a quality vinegar and herbs. Or stir the greens into the saute pan at the last minute to wilt them.

Comparing Plans: 30 per Week

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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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. 

Diets should be designed to help you become healthier, usually by losing weight. And that is a good thing, but often when people diet by cutting out food groups, they become less healthy because there is not enough variety in their food. When that happens, nutrients are lost, along with fiber. But inside your intestines, where your food is digested and absorbed into the body, something else happens: the loss of microbiota. Studies have shown that the less the diversity of your microbiota, the less healthy you are in the long run. The ’30 per Week’ challenge has you aiming to eat at least 30 different plants each week — vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds, leaves — to boost microbiota populations. Think that is difficult? If you eat a slice of whole wheat bread for breakfast, that is from only one plant. If you switch to 10-grain bread, then you are one-third toward the goal! Folks who are following a Mediterranean Diet or a Plant-Based Diet or a MIND Diet will see that this way of eating will be easy to fold into their meal plans.

This plan dovetails nicely with the Fast Diet, since lots of meals can be constructed that meet the <300 calorie goal, but also have a variety of plant matter. It is true that I could eat a breakfast of a cheese omelette which contains no plants at all, but that might be one meal of 14 in a week. Dear Husband and I have found it to be an interesting and highly achievable challenge to eat 30 per Week. Try it!

Is this food allowed on this diet…30 per WeekOn Fast Days
Fatty Animal protein: beef, lamb, porkIn moderationYes
Lean Animal protein: chicken, turkeyYesYes, preferred
Eggs Yes Yes 
Beer, wine, cocktailsWine, maybeOn Slow Days
Grains, starches: whole grain versionsyesin moderation
Nuts + seedsYes in moderation
Beans, legumes: peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeasYes Yes 
Seafood protein, especially with Omega-3 fatsYesYes 
Apples, melons, pears, all other fruitsYesYes 
Berries of all kindsYes Yes 
Leafy green vegetables: spinach, chard, kale, lettuceYesYes 
Dairy: Cheese, milk, yogurt In moderationSome 
Vegetable oils: olive, canolaYes in moderation
Animal fat: butterIn moderationin moderation
Root vegetables: beets, sweet potatoes, carrotsYesYes 
Other vegetables: onions, tomatoes, peppersYesYes 
Higher fiberYes Yes
Daily Carb intakeVariety of grainsKeep it low
Whole grains Yes Yes
Simple carbs: cookies, pastries, cake, bread, processed foodsNot recommendedNot on Fast Day
Number of days per week to follow the regimin 7 of 72 of 7
Do calories matter?No Only 600 on Fast Days

The breakfast today contains 5 different plants, while the dinner provides 6 more. See how easy that was?

Flamenco ScrOmelette: 152 calories 7 g fat 2 g fiber 10 g protein 11 g carbs [10 g Complex] 51 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  The same flavors of a tapas meal now found in your breakfast scramble. Very 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 and put it in the ‘fridge for next week 1½ Tbsp tomato puree ¾ oz bell peppers, chopped 1½ Tbsp onions, chopped 2 pinches cayenne pepper + large pinch chopped parsley + salt to taste 1 oz pear  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]

If starting the night before: Put the peppers and onions in a micro-wave safe container and nuke them for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato puree and the seasonings. Leave on counter overnight.

If starting at breakfast-time: Spritz a saute pan with non-stick spray and heat it. Put the vegetables into the hot saute pan to cook, then add the eggs and seasonings. Scramble together [or cook like an omelette] until the way you like it. Plate with the melon, pour your beverages of choice. Great flavors.

Santa Barbara Salad: 280 calories 13 g fat 6 g fiber 16 g protein 21 g carbs 106 mg Calcium  PB GF  From a Washington Post food column, this salad sings of California.  HINT: This amount serves 2 [two]. Invite a friend or save for lunch later in the week.

½ head Boston or buttercrunch lettuce 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes ½ medium apple, cored and diced ½ cup diced chicken breast ¼ cup chickpeas 1 oz soft goat cheese 1½ tsp pine nuts 1 Medjool date ½ two-oz egg, hardboiled  per serving: 1½ tsp cinnamon dressing

First prepare the dressing and refrigerate. Next, toast the pinenuts until they just begin to brown. Take off heat and set aside. Shred the lettuce and put in a bowl along with all the other ingredients. Toss with 1½ tsp dressing per serving. Play a Beach Boys song and wear your sunglasses.

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

1 two-oz egg + whole tomatoes1.5 two-oz eggs 
feta cheese + paprika + garlicroasted green chilis
orange/red bell pepper + onionapple
cumin + cayenne
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

6 felafel patties https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/fastingme.com/11013chicken breast meat, raw or cooked
fresh tomato + one 140-calorie pita breadbechamel sauce w/ cheese
orange/yellow bell pepper5 buckwheat galettes
red onion + lemon juiceasparagus
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Rome Burned

~ 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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to edwardlorilla2051tower who is now Following.

In 64 CE, the great capital of the Roman Empire caught on fire. This was a serious problem in the closely-packed city with people cooking over fire at home and giving burnt offerings to the gods in temples. The fire seems to have started in the shops on the grounds of the Circus Maximus — the site of chariot race in the movie Ben Hur. Quickly it spread through the crowded city of one million, burning for six days. Once it was out, it started again. Three days later, 10 of the 14 districts of the city were destroyed. Did the Emperor Nero play his fiddle as he watched Rome burn? No, because violins had not yet been invented yet. Besides, he was out of town, vacationing. Nero laid the blame on that new Jewish sect and cheerfully set out to eradicate the Christians. Nero’s detractors said that Nero was happy about the fire — had even started it as a form of urban renewal — so that he could build a huge new palace complex. Indeed, the fire spurred moves toward city planning. Streets by law became wider and less-flammable building materials were mandated. Fire patrols walked the neighborhoods, looking for fires to control. The Pantheon/Church of Saint Mary and the Martyrs was rebuilt of stone and cement as a result. The unsupported dome of the Pantheon influenced architecture for centuries. Should you ever visit the city, think of the horror of ancient Rome on fire.

The Roman Empire surrounded the Mediterranean Sea, called ‘Mare Nostrum’ or ‘our sea’ by the Romans. Our meals come from the island of Sicily and the waters of the Mediterranean. What would Nero have eaten? Let’s not go there.

Sicilian Bake:  138 calories 8 g fat 1 g fiber 10 g protein 8.4 g carbs 88 mg Calcium   NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  Lynn Rosetto Kasper tells of shepherds in Sicily spending the summer in the high meadows with their flocks. They make a salad, based on simple ingredients. That recipe informed the flavors of this breakfast.


1 two-ounce egg half of a 3” diameter thin slice of salami ½ clove garlic, minced 2 Tbsp sheep sorrel or arugula, coarsely chopped ½ Tbsp Parmesan-Reggiano cheese or pecorino cheese, grated 1 Tbsp ricotta cheese 5 cherries  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water   Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Chop the salami and put it in a small, dry, non-stick skillet with the garlic. Cook, stirring, until salami is getting a little crispy. Take pan off heat and stir in the greens. Spritz an oven-safe dish with non-stick spray. Put the warmed ingredients into the prepared dish. Whisk the egg with the cheeses, plus salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the prepared dish, and bake at 350F. For 12-15 minutes. Plate with the cherries. 

Mackerel Puttanesca: 298 calories 17 g fat 3 g fiber 22.6 g protein 7.6 g carbs 66.4 mg Calcium  PB GF Such an easy summer meal, especially if your sauce is left-over homemade or from the supermarket shelf. Delicious and satisfying. [Don’t be concerned about the fat: since the mackerel is high in Omega 3, the fat is ‘good fat’]

4 oz mackerel or other rich, oily fish ¼ cup puttanesca sauce, homemade or from a jar 2 oz green beans

If using fresh fish, broil the fish for 4-5 minutes per side to cook it.   If using mackerel which has been frozen after cooking, thaw to room temperature. NB: Mackerel does not keep well in the fridge uncooked. If you have to buy mackerel prior to the day you will serve it, filet the fish and broil it as soon as you get back to the kitchen. Then you can hold it for a day or two, or freeze it for longer. Mackerel does not freeze well uncooked. Cook the green beans. Gently heat the sauce and mackerel together in a covered pan until warm. Plate. Done in minutes!