fasting

Mozart

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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 Blogger 999 who is now Following.

On November 22, 1791, Wolfgang Mozart fell ill at his home in Vienna, Austria. Attended by several friends, he died on December 5, after singing parts of his Requiem in D with them. There has been much speculation as to the cause of his death. When someone young and famous dies, the rumors fly. No, Mozart was not killed by Antonio Salieri — that was a dramatic invention by Peter Shaffer, author of the play Amadeus. [Salieri was godfather to one of Mozart’s children.] Was the cause of death TB? or mercury poisoning [mercury was used as a medicine]? syphillis? Modern forensic analysis comes down on the side of septicemia, a blood infection that could have damaged his kidneys, leading to his death. Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria into a musical family. He was a child prodigy, composing music at age 5. As a child, his father exploited his talent by taking him on long, difficult journeys all over Europe so that the child could perform. Leopold, his father, hoped that young Wolfgang would acquire a noble patron. It didn’t happen, yet as he traveled around, Mozart was meeting prominent musicians and learning new styles of music. He was often juvenile and silly, but he was serious about his music. In his lifetime he produced some 500 works in many styles as identified in the  Köchel catalogue. This hard work never really paid off for Wolfgang, as he and his wife Constanze were careless with money and had trouble making ends meet. That day in 1791, the music died but the work lives on. If you are not familiar with his music, click here.

A favorite snack in Vienna is a sausage sandwich called ‘Bosna.’ We’ll have those flavors in eggs, thank you very much. Mozart’s music could be dark and stirring, as in his Requiem Mass, or light and comic, as in Cosi Fan Tutti. Our dinner plays with the maestro’s ‘cheeky’ side. BTW, playwright Shaffer also popularized the notion that Mozart suffered the ignominy of burial in a pauper’s grave. How he was buried was consistent with middle-class citizens of Vienna. Another myth busted.

Bosna Bake: 147 calories 9.4 g fat 1.5 g fiber 9 g protein 7 g carbs 52.6 mg Calcium  The nutritional values given are for the plated items and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF I took the ingredients for an Austrian sandwich and mixed them with eggs. That’s turning snack food into a healthy breakfast.

1 two-oz egg 0.5 oz bratwurst, large dice 1 Tbsp onion, diced 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped 1 tsp ketchup ½ tsp prepared mustard ¼ tsp curry powder 1 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] or lemon in hot water 

Put the sausage, onion, and parsley in a dry pan and saute them until onion is transluscent and sausage is cooked. Stir together the ketchup, mustard, and curry in a separate little dish. Whisk the egg, stir in the onion-sausage and pour into a lightly-spritzed ramekin or other oven-safe dish. Bake at 350 F. until cooked through, about 12-15 minutes. Before serving, dollop the eggs with the ketchup mixture, and plate with the strawberries.

Cod Cheeks in Cream Sauce: 227 calories 12 g fat 2 g fiber 24.6 g protein 6 g carbs 66 mg Calcium  PB GF   The cheeks of cod and halibut are considered a delicacy among fisherfolk. This simple recipe is SO delicious and very special. 

This recipe serves two [2]Prepare a mise-en-place because this cooks quickly. NB: if serving the asparagus, start it cooking now.
300 g fish cheeks
salt + white pepper		Pat halibut cheeks dry, and season with salt and pepper
2 tsp olive oilPut oil in a skillet over med-high heat. When very hot, add cheeks, cook 1 min on each side, until almost cooked through. Put on a plate.
¼ c white wine
1 sm clove garlic		Mince garlic. Pour excess oil from skillet. Add wine and garlic and cook until wine is reduced by half.
1-2 oz creamAdd cream. Simmer and reduce until it lightly thickens.
1 Tbsp grainy Dijon
2 tsp chives/scallion		Mix in these ingredients. Season sauce w/ salt + pepper.
Return cheeks to skillet and heat them in the sauce until cooked through, ~2 mins. Plate cheeks equally, top with sauce.
7 spears asparagus pre serving OR  side salad with beets + blueberriesServe with cooked asparagus, topped with a smear of the sauce OR a side salad with beets and blueberries.

About Time

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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 GrabThisPromo who is now Following.

A day is defined as the 24 hour period during which the Earth turns once on its axis. [Formerly, it was the time it took for the sun to go once around the Earth, an idea disproved by Galileo in 1632.] A year is defined as the 365.25 days that it takes the Earth to orbit once around the sun. A month is around 1/12 of that time, roughly 30 days. Ancient people defined a month as the cycle of full moon to full moon, but that is only 28 days, and there are 13 full moons in a year, which doesn’t work out well. This is why the calendars had to be reformed in 46 BCE by Julius Caesar, who invented Leap Years. Calendar reform occurred again in 1582, under the direction of Pope Gregory. These times are set in fact. And then there is Daylight Savings Time [DST]. What a misnomer! The amount of daylight hours is determined by the season and by latitude. On the Equator, the sun rises and sets daily at 6 o’clock; while at the Arctic Circle, daylight hours vary wildly. You can’t ‘save’ daylight. Benjamin Franklin wrote a satirical essay in 1784, suggesting that the French government should force people to wake up at 6 am in the summer to gain extra hours of daylight. In 1895, a New Zealand entomologist proposed setting the clocks forward in October by two hours, so he could have extra time to hunt insects in the Summer. The town of Port Arthur, Canada [now Thunder Bay] changed their clocks ahead in July of 1908. They loved the idea. During World War I, Germany and Austria adopted a time change to save on lighting fuels for the war. Other European countries took up the idea, then dropped it after the Armistice. World War II saw us again fiddling with the clocks, and the idea stuck. The USA is one of 70 countries that observes DST: in March we ‘spring forward’ and set the clocks ahead one hour. In November, we ‘fall back’ and lose an hour of time and sleep. All for nothing, except to disrupt fragile sleep patterns. Often States have discussed changing the practice, but it remains. DST is a dumb idea in my opinion. Unite! You have nothing to gain but your sleep!

At any time of year, you might find yourself pressed for time. Our meals today are very quick to cook, so give them a try. They taste good too. Is it about time that you moved from thinking about the Fasting Lifestyle to actually doing it? You have nothing to lose but your extra pounds.

Ham & Cheese Bake: 137 calories 8 g fat 1 g fiber 10.6 g protein 3 g carbs 99.5 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. GF  This is the baked version of the ham&cheese omelette. Just as good, but with only one egg per person. Mmmmm….yummy.

One 2-oz egg 1/3 oz/ 2.5 Tbsp Jarlsberg cheese, grated 1/3 oz 3% fat ham [from deli], diced fresh parsley + dried sage + salt + pepper to taste 1 oz applesauce or 2 oz strawberries, whole or sliced, fresh or frozen  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]

Set toaster oven at 350 F. Grate the cheese and chop the ham. Whisk together the cheese, egg, and seasonings. Spritz some cooking spray into an oven-safe dish or ramekin or custard cup, and pour the egg mixture into it. Bake 12-18 minutes, depending on how well set you like your eggs. It will puff up and start to brown a bit. Heat your beverage, shake the smoothie, and portion the fruit. Enjoy a good start to a good day.

Taiwanese Shrimp Meefun: 270 calories 6 g fat 3 g fiber 19 g protein 33.6 g carbs 84.4 mg Calcium   PB GF  This recipe is from Susan Livia New York Times Cooking. Some recipes call for dried shrimp, some for smoked tofu. For convenience, I used frozen shrimp.  HINT: Recipe is enough for two [2]. Invite a fellow Faster or enjoy the other half of the recipe warm or cool for lunch or dinner later this week. Photo below shows one serving.

2 sv 
2 oz [brown] rice vermicelliSoak in cold water until softened, 5-10 mins. Drain, reserving water. Warm water for next step.
2 dried shiitakesSoak in warm water until hydrated + softened, ~10 mins. Drain, reserving water. Slice ¼” thick.
Cooking spray
1 egg, lightly beaten		Heat wok over medium, spray with PAM. Add egg, swirl to create a thin, even layer, + cook until set + cooked through, ~1 min. Cool egg slightly, then slice as julienne. Set aside.
1 tsp oil + 2 Tbsp water
2 T thinly sliced shallot soaked mushrooms		Put a wok on the stove + raise heat to medium-high. Add oil, water, mushrooms and shallots. Sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring often, until shallots begin to brown, 3-4 mins.
1 cup carrot, shredded + saltAdd carrot and salt, then cook, until softened but still crisp, 1-2 mins.
1½ c cabbage, shredded Add cabbage to wok. Season + cook, stirring,  1-2 mins until slightly wilted.
4 oz shrimp, fresh or frozen 1 Tbsp soy sauce
drained vermicelli
½- 1 c water from soaking ½ tsp white pepper 
julienned egg 		Remove shells from shrimp and cut them in pieces. Add to wok with soy sauce and drained rice vermicelli. Add water from steps 1 and 2, in ½ cup increments. Cook, stirring often, until noodles absorb the water, 5-6 mins. Season, add reserved egg and stir to combine. 
optional: Serve topped with chopped cilantro.

Robert The Bruce

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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.

Following the death of Alexander III in 1286, Scotland was in turmoil, with many contenders for the throne. King Edward I of England was asked to choose the next ruler [he chose Balliol], and many Scottish nobles pledged fealty to Edward, seeing him as a stronger leader. One of those nobles was Robert the Bruce. “But wait!” you say –“Isn’t Bruce the defender of Scotland?!?!” So who was Bruce, anyway? By 1306, Robert the Bruce, who’s family was originally from Normandie with the name ‘de Brus,’ had decided that he should be King of Scots. After killing his biggest rival, John Comyn, Bruce got himself crowned king. But he was off to a rocky start: several clans were related to Comyn and were against Bruce; several clans had backed William Wallace in the previous fighting and were against Bruce; and now Edward of England was against him too. Edward I died in 1307, but the winter of 1306/7 was a difficult one for Robert I of Scotland. Historians lost track of him, and that is the winter of the Spider Story. Bruce, separated from his men, was lying up in a cave/hut/forest glen. While worrying about his recent defeats, he sees a spider trying to build her web. She swings out to reach an attachment point and misses. Several times she tries and fails. When at last she succeeds, Bruce takes heart, thinking that if a spider doesn’t give up, he shouldn’t either. After a few years of guerrilla warfare, Bruce’s army won a victory against Edward II at Bannockburn in 1314. On October 14, 1322, the Battle of Byland was fought in Yorkshire. The victory for the Scots was a decisive one: the English were routed, and King Edward fled for his life to York. Another major defeat for the English. Finally, in 1327, the English made peace with the Scots. Robert the Bruce died in 1329. He did not die of leprosy, as has often been said. He did have a skin condition, but his exhumed bones showed no sign of the debilitating disease. Both de Brus and Comyn are branches on my Scottish family tree. Everyone is related.

Robert wanted to keep Scotland Scottish. So today we present meals with several Scottish food stuffs: oats, salmon, cabbage, cheese. Let it be noted that the potato was not present in Scotland in Bruce’s time, but it was embraced by the Scots at last, and we will eat it with gusto for dinner.

Bannock with Salmon & Applesauce: 190 calories 4.5 g fat 1.5 g fiber 9 g protein 30 g carbs `95 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB Oat Bannock are a traditional Scottish bread, and the Scots learned to smoke salmon from the Scandinavians. That’s how these items end up on the same plate together.

4 two-inch bannock   ½ oz smoked salmon 1/3 c low-fat vanilla yogurt 1/3 c unsweetened applesauce   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] 

Bake, or thaw and warm the bannocks. Stir together the yogurt and applesauce until blended, or serve with a marbled appearance. Plate it all with the salmon for a very fine meal.

Rumbledethumps: 243 calories 10 g fat 4 g fiber 12.6 g protein 19.5 g carbs 171.4 mg Calcium  PB GF Where do you get a recipe with a name like that? Sundays At Moosewood of course. Hearty meals like this, made with winter vegetables, are common in Scotland and Ireland. HINT: The recipe makes enough for 2 servings. Wrap half in cling-wrap and foil and freeze for another dinner.

¼ pound potato 3 Tbsp skimmed milk 1.5 tsp butter ¼ tsp ground mace 2 egg whites ¼ pound cauliflower ¾ cup cabbage, chopped ½ cup leek, sliced ¼ cup broccoli, chopped 1/3 cup cheddar, grated   per person: ¾ cup salad greens 1 oz tomato ½ tsp olive oil + ½ tsp cider vinegar

Cut potato into chunks. Boil and mash with the cauliflower, milk, butter, and mace. Let cool. Steam the cabbage, leek, and broccoli until cooked. Take off the heat. Whip the eggwhites until stiff and fold into the potato/cauliflower mash. Taste for salt and pepper. Gently stir in the remaining steamed vegetables. Smooth into a lightly-spritzed baking dish. [choose the dish with the idea that you will be dividing this into 2 equal portions] Sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake at 350 degrees F. until the cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and toss in the greens. Serve the cool, crispy salad with the hot, creamy rumbledethumps. Good food.

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

1.5 two-oz egg1.5 two-oz eggs 
1/4 oz pork loinmushrooms
canned baked beans + strawberriesrosemary + apple
Worcestershire sauce + HP sauceParmesan cheese
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

salt cod + bell pepperlean beef steak + corn starch
scallion + tomatooyster sauce + oil + cabbage
garlic + onion5 egg roll wrappers + carrot + onion
fish stock broccoli + scallion + onion + Sriracha
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Lucas Cranach, Pere & Fils            

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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 Henrietta Watson and pkpostpage who are now Following.

Lucas Maler was born on October 4, 1472 in the town of Kronach in Franken, now Germany. He studied art with his father Hans, learning wood-cutting, printing, and painting. Thirty years later, he turned up in Vienna, Austria, as a popular portraitist. This lands him a life-time gig with Frederick the Wise, as artist and style maven in charge of everything visual in the court at Wittenberg. By this time, the Protestant Reformation is just beginning. Lucas, now with the last name ‘Cranach’ after his birthplace, became great friends with Martin Luther, the leader of the German protestants. Cranach is known as the ‘Painter of the Reformation’ for his many portraits of Luther, making the reformer look human and humble. He established a studio with a large staff trained in his style. This left him free for his many other interests: local politics, local businesses. His studio cranked out work quickly, producing some 1500 existing works. One of his best is Adam and Eve: lovely to behold and filled with symbolic animals. Good psychology too — you can see Eve saying, “Here, Honey, try this fruit.” while Adam says, “Well, I don’t know…” Compare to the work of his rival and friend, Albrecht Durer. Cranach trained his sons in his workshop and Lucas, aka ‘The Younger,’ became known in his own right. He produced many works, perpetuating his father’s style and influence well into the 1500s.

For Cranach the Elder’s birthplace in Franken, aka Franconia, a breakfast of favorite flavors of that State. The dinner is popular in Franconia, but variations of pork-and-onion dishes are found all over Germany. I wish I could have included a winged serpent somehow… That was Cranach’s heraldic emblem with which he signed his work after 1508. That was useful in art history class when we were shown a work we had not seen before and had to identify the artist, style, and date. I could say, “Winged snake! Cranach! 1530!”

Franconian Breakfast: 163 calories 4.4 g fat 4 g. fiber 13 g protein 22.5 g carbs 117 mg Calcium  NB: These values are for the plated items only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF– if using GF bread  Here some favorite flavors of the German State of Franconia come together for breakfast. My stars!! This is delicious!

1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread 1 oz smoked trout 2 oz plum 2 Tbsp small-curd cottage cheese + 1 Tbsp snipped chives   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]   Optional: 3 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [44 calories]

Lightly toast the bread. Stir together the cottage cheese and chives, and spread on the toast. Plate along with the trout and plum. Some might prefer to place the trout on the bread and eat it thus, which is a great way to do it.

Zweibel, the Bamberg Onion: 282 calories 8 g fat 6.5 g fiber 24 g protein 37 g carbs 91 mg Calcium Onion and pork are a fine combination, and very popular across Germany. This unusual recipe is from Bamberg, Franconia.  HINT: Serves two [2] people.  Recipe is adapted from one offered by Bamberg’s historic Schlenkerla Brewery.

2 large onions, 6 oz each after trimming + peelingPeel onions, cut off both ends. Scoop out the onion until the sides are two layers thick.
112 g/4 oz raw pork   44 g/1½ oz cooked smoked pork/ham Put pork and smoked pork/ham with the insides of the onion through meat grinder/processor.
Salt & pepper ½ tsp each mace & marjoram
1½ ounce egg
1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread
chopped parsley		Mix meat-onion with the eggs, bread, spices and parsley to form a stuffing/filling.
Fill onions with stuffing. NB: I had stuffing left over.** Roast in a skillet with some water, uncovered ~25 mins at 200C./400F.
1 slice smoked baconFry bacon in another skillet until partially cooked — not crisp. Remove from frypan and cut in half. Put a ½-slice on each onion and return to oven. Bake 20 mins.
**left-over stuffingMeanwhile, form remaining meat filling into two equal patties, and cook gently in the bacon fat until done. Place in center of serving plate. Add the drippings from this skillet to the next step.
4 Tbsp brown meat stock
2-4 tsp whole-wheat flour pinch mace + pinch cloves		Remove onions from skillet and place on top of the meat patties. Add stock, flour, spices to drippings from both skillets. Heat on stovetop, stirring, to form a thick gravy.
2 oz carrot coins per personServe surrounded with carrots and topped with gravy.

Tru

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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.

Truman Streckfus Persons was the talk of the town and the entire country in 1966. After having been serialized in the New Yorker, In Cold Blood was published in book form. Of course the name that became famous was that of Truman Garcia Capote. He was born in New Orleans to a pair of squabbling Southerners who left him for years in the care of elderly relatives in Alabama. Miss Sook became the fruit-cake baking character in A Christmas Memory. As a child, he and Harper Lee were playmates. Years later, he became the child “Dill” in To Kill a Mockingbird and she was his research assistant for In Cold Blood. When he was 7, his mother remarried: a wealthy Cuban business man who adopted young Truman and gave him a new surname. The family lived in and around Manhattan, putting Truman in and out of various schools. Although he was highly intelligent, he disliked school. One year, his mother sent him to military school in an effort to make him less effeminate — like that worked! But he wrote for a school newspaper and was encouraged by a teacher to do what he always wanted to do: to be a writer. Short stories were published in the 1950s, with the most famous, Breakfast at Tiffany’s being made into a movie with Audrey Hepburn. [Capote wanted Marilyn Monroe.] Capote became the darling of the Park Avenue set — until 1975 when a chapter from his unpublished tell-all book was printed in Esquire. Giggles at his catty gossip in the drawing room became cold shoulders in the fashionable restaurants. His flamboyant life of excess caught up with him when he went to California and died at a friend’s house in 1984. In one last curious twist, the friend kept most of his ashes at her home. The house and contents were sold to settle her estate, and Truman’s ashes were auctioned off in 2016. He would have loved the publicity.

For Capote’s birthday on September 30, a Cubano ScrOmelette to make note of his Cuban step-father’s last name and a Jambalaya, comfort food of the South.

Cubano ScrOmelette: 151 calories 8.5 g fat 0 g fiber 12 g protein 1 g carbs 71 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  GF  The famous Miami sandwich comes to the Fasting breakfast table, with every flavor intact!

That little bit of pineapple wandered on to the plate for more Caribbean flavor. Optional.

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.  1/8 oz ham, diced ¼ oz Swiss cheese, diced ¼ oz pork, diced [this could be from a previous roast or a grilled tenderloin] ¼ tsp mayonnaise + 1/4 tsp mustard 1.5 tsp dill pickle, diced  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]

Cut up the meats, and combine in a small bowl. Dice the pickle and cheese, and whisk with the mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Season to taste. Spritz a saute pan with non-stick spray and heat it. Put the meat mixture into the hot sauté pan to warm, then add the eggs. Scramble together [or cook like an omelette] until the way you like it. Pour your beverages and enjoy a semi-tropical start to your day.

Jambalaya: 275 calories 5 g fat 4 g fiber 15 g protein 39 g carbs 81 mg Calcium  PB GF What else would you eat when you want delicious Cajun comfort food: jambalaya, of course.  HINT: This recipe makes enough to serve 4 [four]. Invite friends.

2/3 cup onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tsp cajun seasoning ½ cup green pepper, chopped 1/3 cup celery, chopped 2 oz andouille sausage [or sweet Italian], sliced 3 oz chicken breast, cubed 2 oz [½ cup] ham, cubed 12 oz crushed tomatoes 1/3 tsp crushed red pepper 1/3 tsp black pepper 2/3 tsp salt ½ tsp Tabasco sauce 1½ tsp Worcestershire sauce ¾ tsp file powder ¾ cup brown rice, uncooked  1½ cups chicken broth 2 oz broccoli

Cook the onion in a little water and a dash of olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and cajun seasoning and cook until fragrant. Stir in the green pepper and celery and then add the meats. Pour in the tomatoes, seasonings and sauces, the rice, and broth. Cover and simmer for 25-40 minutes, stirring every once in a while to prevent sticking. The mixture will not be soupy, as the rice will have absorbed the liquids. Cook uncovered if too much liquid remains. Prepare the broccoli and plate.

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

70-calorie wholegrain breadBob’s Red Mill 10-grain cereal
small-curd cottage cheese + chivesRicotta cheese + cinnamon + raspberries
smoked troutPumpkin puree + nutmeg + Maple syrup 
plumOptional: pecans 
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

onion + whole-grain 70-calorie breadexcellent chicken stock + creamed corn + ham
ground pork + ground 3%-fat hamscallions + bouillion cube or grains + sesame oil
egg + uncured baconegg white + cornstarch/cornflour
green beanschicken meat + fresh ginger
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Silent Spring

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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 primrosestuart and wildmountainthyme who are now Following.

After September, 1962, everyone was talking about Rachel Carson. Her book Silent Spring had been serialized in the New Yorker and suddenly people thought about the environment and how humans were affecting it. Her childhood love of nature lead to studies at the Woods Hole Marine Institute and a Masters Degree in zoology. Carson then began a 15-year employment at the US Bureau of Fisheries, becoming the chief editor of their publications. After retiring in 1952, Carson wrote books about the ocean which were well-received. Then came the bomb-shell. Silent Spring caught the attention of mothers, “ordinary housewives,” who had found dead birds in their yards and now knew that their children’s health might be threatened by pesticides and industrial chemicals. My own mother was very moved by the book. Despite the tidal wave of attacks from industry, who denigrated her as a communist and cat-loving spinster; despite the fact that she was dying of breast cancer, Carson testified around the country, calling for ‘a grass-roots army to rise up’ [her words] to curb misguided agricultural practices, and rampant, thoughtless production of goods [my words]. After her death in 1964, the passage of much pro-environment legislation was credited to her call to arms. Readers are still affected by reading the book, which is considered one of the most influential books of all time.

Our meals reflect the crusade of Rachel Carson. Corn is mass-produced by agricultural conglomerates. Get your’s for our breakfast from a local farmer. The eggs represent the birds which Carson said were being killed by pesticides, as DDT weakened their shells — leading to a Springtime with no birds. The shrimp live in her beloved ocean, also affected badly by agricultural run-off. Ask yourself what you can do to improve your local environment, then act on it.

Corn-Cilantro Salad Bake: 128 calories 7 g fat 1 g fiber 7 g protein 7 g carbs 39 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB GF  Having had some of this delicious salad left over from a week-end meal, I decided to add it to eggs. Heavenly!

one 2-oz egg ½ oz corn-cilantro salad** 2 oz melon  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]

Spritz an oven-proof dish with non-stick spray and put the corn-cilantro salad into the dish. Whisk the egg with a pinch of salt and pepper, and pour over the corn salad. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Plate with the melon.

**Corn-Cilantro Salad  makes 2 cups 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 Tbsp canola oil ¾ tsp sesame oil 1 cup fresh corn kernels ½ c snipped chives 1¼ oz chopped cilantro Whisk the vinegar and oils together. Stir in the corn and herbs, then let sit for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.

Eggs Fu Young with Shrimp:  246 calories 13 g fat 3 g fiber 24 g protein 10 g carbs 160 mg Calcium  PB GF  Early in our marriage, we bought Jacqueline Heritau’s Oriental Cooking the Fast Wok Way. Later in our marriage, we tried this recipe and loved it. HINT: These ingredients will serve 2 [two] people.

3 oz raw shrimp, shelled Chop the shrimp coarsely and divide in two portions.
½ stalk celery, sliced 1/8” thick
¼ cup chopped mushrooms
½ cup bean sprouts OR sliced bok choy, leaves and stems
3 scallions, sliced 
¼ tsp ground ginger		Prepare the ingredients and divide them equally into two different bowls. Add the shrimp and stir well to combine.
Four 2-oz eggs Whisk lightly and divide equally into 2 containers.
½ tsp sesame oil 
non-stick spray		In a non-stick saute pan, warm one portion of the oil. Also, spritz the pan with non-stick spray. Stir-fry the contents of one of the bowls for 2-3 minutes. 
Pour one container of eggs over the stir-fried vegetables and shrimp. Tip the pan and lift the edge of the eggs to let raw egg flow underneath to cook. Cover the pan and let the egg cook on one side for 2-3 minutes. Uncover and carefully flip the egg pancake. Cook 1-2 minutes more. Remove to a plate and keep warm in a slow oven.
½ tsp sesame oil
non-stick spray		Repeat with the remaining shrimp/vegetables and the remaining egg.
2 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce		Stir together in a small bowl to form a sauce for topping.
1-2 oz raw spinach OR Bok Choy, cut chiffonade style
a few tablespoons of water		Heat a saute pan and spray with non-stick spray. Add greens and some water. Cover and cook until greens are limp. Plate with egg pancakes and top with the sauce.

Camargue

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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 Senior Accredited Psychotherapist London UK and ketobenefit7 who are now Following.

The Rhone River begins above Lake Geneva [Lac Leman] and flows southward through France to the Mediterranean. At its mouth it is transformed into a vast marshland called the Camargue. If you stopped at ‘marshland’ and thought of Shrek’s swamp, think again. The Camargue is acres of shimmering water, waving grasses, grazing cattle, ‘salt pans,’ mariculture, and rice meadows inhabited by wild white horses, black ‘fighting’ bulls, and hardy people. The Romans were here early on and they taught the people how to harvest salt from the shallows. Rice production grew after a Marshall Plan project to promote the grain in the Camargue. White rice was planted, but over time, the rice grains became red. No one knows why. But did you know that flamingoes are pink because they eat shrimp that eat certain algae? Flamingoes live in the Camargue, along with hundreds of other species of birds. And did you know that Mary Magdelane lived there, along with Sara the Black Madonna? So legend tells us. The Camargue is a magical place, so different from the glitzy tourist spots along the coast that it might be in a separate country. If you can’t visit there, then at least enjoy the food from the Camargue.

The menu for today includes the flavors of the Mediterranean coast and the products of the Camargue.

Olive-Pepper ScrOmelette:  144 calories 9 g fat 2 g fiber 10 g protein 5 g carbs [3 g Complex] 27.4 mg Calcium NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  I asked Dear Husband for a new omelette idea, and he suggested these flavors straight out of Provence.

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, crack three 2-oz eggs into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.  ½ oz bell pepper, steamed and diced 1 black olive, pitted and chopped  1/8 oz [by mass] goat cheese/chèvre, diced/crumbled 1 oz strawberries  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 [salt may not be needed due to saltiness of olives]. Pour into a pan which has been sprayed briefly with cooking spray. When the bottom of the eggs have set, add the vegetables and cheese. Fold over, and plate. Brew your optional beverage and take the optional previously-made smoothie from ‘fridge.

Camargue Bowl:  288 calories 4 g fat  10 g fiber 23.5 g protein 29 g carbs 98.5 mg Calcium  PB GF  This meal is all about the flavors and products of the central Mediterranean coast of France, the Rhone Delta: vegetables from sunny gardens, garbanzo beans [introduced by the Berbers], shrimp from the shallows, and Camargue rice from the salt marshes. HINT: This recipe serves 2 [two] and it is worth making the whole thing.

1 ½ cups Mediterranean Vegetables, without chickpeas  1 cup chickpeas 4.5 oz shrimp, shelled, tails removed, cut in ½” pieces if large ½ cup cooked red Camargue rice

Drain and rinse the chickpeas, if canned. Gently heat the Vegetables and chickpeas until warm. Place the shrimp on top. Cover the pan and heat further until the shrimp are cooked, about 6 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and heat through. Heap the servings into bowls and love it.

Comparing Plans: Plant-Based Diet

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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.

What is a Plant-Based Diet? Some say it is the healthiest way to eat. Close to the ground, low on the trophic scale, this way of eating does not mean that you become a vegan or vegetarian. One way to picture it is that any meal, as well as an average of meals for a week, features more plant products than animal products. When I look at a recipe to decide if I can code it “PB” [meaning plant-based], I consider the mass [‘weight’ to you non-science types] of the animal ingredients compared to the plant ingredients. If all the plants out-mass the meat/eggs/fish, then I’ll call it plant-based. You might wonder if you should include some of the new meat-substitutes for this diet. I’d say no: some of them are very high in fat. One way to get more plants into your diet is to challenge yourself to 30-Per-Week. To see how well this way of eating parallels the Fast Diet, view the chart. There are many PB meals in the Archives.

Is this food allowed on this diet…Plant-based On Fast Days
Fatty Animal protein: beef, lamb, porkNoYes
Lean Animal protein: chicken, turkey~2 sv/weekYes, preferred
Eggs Up to 3/ week Yes 
Beer, wine, cocktailsWine, maybeOn Slow Days
Grains, starches: rice, wheat products, pasta, cereal grains Yesin moderation
Nuts + seedsYes in moderation
Beans, legumes: peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeasYesYes 
Seafood protein, especially with Omega-3 fats~2 sv/weekYes 
Apples, melons, pears, all other fruitsYesYes 
BerriesYes Yes 
Leafy green vegetables: spinach, chard, kale, lettuceYesYes 
Dairy: Cheese, milk, yogurt A few times/weekSome 
Vegetable oils: olive, canolaIn moderationin moderation
Animal fat: butterNo in moderation
Root vegetables: beets, sweet potatoes, carrotsYesYes 
Other vegetables: onions, tomatoes, peppersYesYes 
Fat Not muchNo 
Protein plant-basedYes. lots 
Higher fiberYes Yes
Daily Carb intakeNot a factorKeep it low
Whole grains Yes Yes
Simple carbs: cookies, pastries, cake, bread, processed foodsNONot 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

Our plant-based breakfast has only 1.5 eggs [that’s 2.7 oz — well within the limit] and as much vegetables and fruit as egg. The dinner has a ‘garnish’ of meat and many-times-more vegetables and rice. Both recipes are a good introduction to a diet of less meat and more vegetables.

Basquaise Sauce ScrOmelette: 153 calories 8.4 g fat 1.5 g fiber 10 g protein 8 g carbs [7 g Complex] 50 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF  Basquaise Sauce takes eggs to a new level and it is so easy to use if you already have a batch in the refrigerator or freezer.

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.   2 rounded Tablespoons Basquaise Sauce  1 oz pear OR ¼ cup blueberries  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]

Heat a non-stick saute pan which has been spritzed with non-stick spray. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper to taste and 1 Tbsp of the Basquaise Sauce. Pour into the pan. As the eggs just begin to set, spread remaining Basquaise Sauce over the egg. Leave the omelette flat or fold and continue cooking to your liking. Plate with the fruit and serve the beverage of your choice. Have a spicy day.

Tandoori Chicken and Vegetables: 265 calories 5 g fat 9 g fiber 20 g protein 32.6 g carbs 99.5 mg Calcium PB GF  TIP: You can buy jars of tandoori sauce in most supermarkets. Be sure it does not contain corn syrup or sweeteners. Aim for 70-80 calories/quarter cup

2 oz chicken, cooked or raw ½ cup eggplant, cubed 2 oz broccoli florets 2 oz bell peppers, cut in chunks 2 oz zucchini, sliced or cubed  2 oz carrots, sliced ¼” thick or use ‘baby carrots’ cut in quarters ¼ cup brown rice, cooked ¼ c tandoori sauce, store-bought 2 Tbsp plain, non-fat yogurt

Cook the vegetables together in a little water until they are tender. Add the chicken and the sauce. Warm it all. If the chicken is raw, be sure to cook it through. Either stir the yogurt into the sauce or serve it atop the meal. Plate the brown rice [warm it if cold] and serve the chicken and vegetables on top. Perfect for eating on a hot night or a cold one.

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

1.5 two-oz eggs70-calorie whole-grain bread 
bell pepper + black olivessmoked salmon + whipped cream cheese
goat cheese/chèvre cucumber or Swedish Cucumber Salad
strawberriesstrawberries
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

Mediterranean Vegetables https://wordpress.com/post/fastingme.com/10035 cold roast beef + pickled beets
garbanzo beans/chickpeascornichons or dill pickles
shrimpDijon mustard
Camargue red ricesourdough rye bread
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Anne de Bretagne

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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.

Brittany/Bretagne has long been a land apart. In the Neolithic, people constructed menhirs and the remarkable field of Standing Stones at Carnac. Once, it was called Armorica — a name that shows up in the North-Central coast being called “Cotes d’Armor.” Despite the 56 BCE Roman invasion, the native people still clung to their local language. Next came Celtic people from England, displaced by the incoming Angles and Saxons from Germany. This solidified the affinity between the Bretons and their neighbors across the English Channel in Cornwall — some place-names and the languages are similar. The Frankish Empire rolled over the land, creating the early nation of France, but as the centuries turned, Bretons had their own government, language, coinage, and were exempted from the onerous Salt Tax because they harvested that precious commodity near Guerande. Perhaps this is why the Bretons prefer their butter to be salted. Brittany was a [mostly] independent Duchy from the 900s, governed by an hereditary nobility. Until 1514. The only heir to Duke Francois II was his daughter Anne de Bretagne. She had been engaged many times, but now the duchy was in the hands of a 14-year-old girl, making her a pawn in the game of thrones. The prior King of France had declared during negotiations with her father that the French king should have a say in whom Anne married. So King Charles VIII married her himself in 1491, when she was 15 and he was 20. They were happy together, but had no surviving children at the time of his death in 1498. Anne, age 22, returned to Brittany as Duchess, but of course she had to marry again. The next king of France was her cousin-in-law, Louis XII, which made Anne Queen of France for the second time. Their’s was also a happy union, producing two daughters. Anne was an accomplished administrator, patroness of the arts, and an avid reader. She scribed and read official documents to her unlettered husbands. Had she lived past the complication of her last childbirth in 1514, who knows what mark she would have made in history. Upon her death, her daughter Claude married the future king, Francois I, forever joining Brittany to the nation of France.

Every Breton will tell you that the ‘crepe’ began in Brittany — a fact hotly disputed in Normandy. In Brittany itself, there is discord about the name: in the North and West of the region, they are called ‘galettes,’ while everywhere else they are ‘crepes.’ I use galette to designate the savory ones made of buckwheat, whereas I call the sweet dessert ones ‘crepes.’ Both our breakfast and our dinner today involve galettes. Not at all difficult to prepare at home.

Egg-Mushroom Galette/Crepe: 153 calories 6 g fat 2 g fiber 9 g protein 17 g carbs [11.3 g Complex] 39 mg Calcium NB: The food values given above are for the egg crepe and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB  This is yummy and very filling. The eggs are creamy, the mushrooms are earthy, and the crepe is nutty. 

1 galette/savory crepe   one 2-oz egg  1 oz mushrooms, chopped  1 Tbsp chives, chopped 1 tsp thyme generous dash of granulated garlic 1 oz raspberry OR strawberry  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]

Warm the crepe. Spritz the non-stick saute pan with oil or spray and gently cook the mushrooms. Put the chives, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in with the egg and beat it up. Scramble lightly with the mushrooms, keeping the eggs moist. Turn eggs out on the crepe and fold the galette over the egg. Plate the fruit. Sip your beverages and have a very fine day.

Leek & Bacon Galettes: 260 calories 5.5 g fat 4.6 g fiber 10 g protein 37 g carbs 114 mg Calcium   PB  Joanne Harris writes in her French Market cookbook about buying these at a market stall in France. Now you can make them at home.  NB: It is easier/quicker if you prepare the galettes/crepes in advance.

This is really yummy!

2 buckwheat galettes/crepes   ½ cup Leek & Bacon Filling ** 2 oz fresh tomato, diced and seasoned with basil or thyme + salt

**Leek & Bacon Filling:  Makes 1½ cups  Excellent in galettes and mixed with eggs. 2 oz American streaky bacon, uncured 3 cups leeks, cleaned and sliced cross-ways 1 clove garlic, chopped ¼ c Gruyere 2 tsp mayonnaise Saute the bacon until it is almost crisp. Remove from the pan, blot, and slice cross-ways. Saute the leek and garlic in the pan with the bacon fat until the leeks are limp. Take off heat and immediately stir in the cheese and mayonnaise. Ready to use

Gently warm the galettes and place them on a baking sheet. Warm the Leek&Bacon filling and divide it between the crepes, spreading it on one half of each. Fold the crepes in half, then in half again, placing them on the baking sheet so that the filled part is upper-most [this prevents unfolding in the oven]. Cut and season the tomato. Warm the galettes/crepes thoroughly in the oven. Delicious!

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

1 two-oz egg1.5 two-oz eggs 
pear OR appleBasquaise Sauce
Yorkshire Pudding batterblueberries
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

5 oz cod filletchicken breast meat + zucchini + eggplant
fresh beetsbroccoli + bell peppers + carrots
carrotplain yogurt + brown rice
garbanzo beans tandoori sauce, purchased: 1/2 cup = 140 calories
Sparkling waterSparkling water

The Canaries

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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 Breaking habits support who is now Following.

The Canary Islands lie off the NW shoulder of Africa, 71 miles out to sea. They were first settled in pre-history by unknown people, perhaps fisherman blown off course. The Romans, venturing beyond the Pillars of Hercules, arrived in the 1st century CE and found ruins built by previous settlers. They also found lots of ‘dogs of great size.’ Pliny said that the islands were thus named “Island of Dogs,” or “Canariae Insulae.” Berbers from Morocco called on the islands in 999 CE, but departed. When the Spaniards came in the 1400s, they found a native population living a stone-age life. Eventually the eight islands became the last port of call for Spanish ships headed across the Atlantic or down the coast of Africa. Columbus stopped there on September 6 before sailing West to ‘the Indies.’ Spanish sailors took as pets the little yellow birds that lived on the islands, calling them “canaries.” Back in Europe, the Canary Birds were bred for color and singing ability, and they became the status pet of the rich and famous. In the 1800s, the birds were a fad pet for the masses. Around 1913, John Scott Haldane proposed that small mammals or birds could detect deadly Carbon Monoxide gasses in the air of coal mines. The small animals would sicken or die when the air quality was degraded by undetectable toxic gasses, hence the ‘canary in the coal mine’ as an early-warning system. Today the islands are an autonomous region of Spain. Although the indigenous Guanche language is extinct, Silbo Gomero, a whistled communication method of the Island La Gomera, is being taught in some schools.

The Romans would have recognized the ingredients of our breakfast, and the dinner reflects the tastes of Morocco.

Roman Breakfast: 149 calories 3 g fat 3 g fiber 9 g protein 28 g carbs [21 g Complex Carbs] 35 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  Though my Roman Breakfast is not the morning meal, this is a very good plate of breakfast food. It is based on ingredients available to Romans in the 1st century BCE. The meal is satisfying and flavorful. Try it.

1 Pan Muffin** OR 0.75 oz whole wheat bread 1 oz pear 1 oz cooked chicken 1 oz radish 1 oz cucumber [optional: ½ medjool date = ¼ oz]   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]

Dice all the fruits and vegetables. Add a good finishing salt and gently stir to combine.  HINT: I did this the night before and refrigerated the mixture. Prepare the pan muffin or take from freezer with time to thaw/heat. In the time it takes to brew the coffee, you can plate the muffin and the fruit-veg mixture. Romans did not drink smoothies or coffee, but we will. Hope you’ll enjoy your throw-back breakfast.

**PAN MUFFIN each: 71 calories 2.5 g fat 1 g fiber 2 g protein 11 g carbs 8.5 mg Calcium 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill 10-grain hot cereal mix  1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk [combine cereal + milk and let sit while preparing other ingredients. 1/3 cup butter 1/3 cup sugar 1 cup unbleached flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda Cream the butter and sugar; mix in the egg. Add the dry ingredients and the cereal/milk mixture. Stir until just combined. Use 2 Tbsp batter for each griddlecake/pan muffin.  [use 4 Tbsp batter to bake in a muffin tin for Slow Days]

Moroccan Tuna: 278 calories 1.4 g fat 7 g fiber 34 g protein 20.4 g carbs  129 mg Calcium  PB GF  Moroccan spice blend can really add zest to a simple meal. 

4 oz tuna steak [frozen tuna steaks at the supermarket are good]  Moroccan spice blend  or ground cumin or mint 1/3 cup white beans, rinsed and drained   1 slice preserved lemon OR 1 slice fresh lemon per person: 1/3 cup peas with mint OR ½ cup broccoli florets sprinkled with cumin OR 1/3 cup green beans sprinkled with cilantro AND  ½ of a clementine

Rub tuna generously on both sides with Moroccan spices. Chop the lemon and stir into the beans. Bake the tuna on a cast iron skillet for 4-5 minutes per side in a 400F oven. When the vegetable is cooked, drain and stir in the seasoning. Section the clementine and plate it all as pleases your eye.