Following the Fast Diet Lifestyle

Craig Claiborne

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

How did a boy from the Mississippi Delta town of Sunflower rise to international recognition as a culinary figure? Here is the story. Raymond Craig Claiborne was born on September 4, 1920, into a family in the throes of reduced circumstances. A genteel lady could run a boarding house when things got tough, so his mother did that while his father tended the kitchen garden and a flock of chickens. Young Craig spent many hours in the kitchen escaping bullying by his peers while learning to cook from his mother and the Black help. His graduation from University of Missouri with a journalism degree coincided with the US’s entry into WW2, so Claiborne enlisted in the navy. While serving in Morocco, he was introduced to French cuisine and his own homosexuality. After the war, Claiborne worked in Chicago until the lure of Paris became too strong. When he ran out of money there, he enlisted for the Korean War. The GI Bill would pay for post-secondary education, so Raymond chose to attend  l’École hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland. With that under his belt, he went to New York City, first to work for Gourmet magazine. In 1957, he won the prize: the job as food editor at the New York Times. Claiborne brought about several ‘firsts’: he was the first male to be a food editor of a major newspaper; he introduced the ‘Four Star’ rating system for restaurants; he promoted world cuisines in a conservative food scene. His cookbooks were legendary and he lived a life of gustatory excess until the late 1970s when he was told to loose weight, curtail his salt intake, and lower his cholesterol. Fearing a ‘culinary straitjacket’, the cookbook author teamed up with his favorite collaborator Pierre Franey to develop recipes which appeared in Craig Claiborne’s Gourmet Diet. Another best-seller among his 20+ cookbooks! How can you lose with a foodie who wrote, “Cooking is at once child’s play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.”

Like Craig Claiborne, our menus will start in the American South with Cajun flavors. By the time of his death in 2000, he was noted for his international recipes, such as our curry dinner.

Cajun ScrOmelette: 142 calories… 7.6 g fat… 2 g fiber… 10.5 g protein… 10 g carbs… 73 mg Calcium… NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF The hallmark of Cajun cooking is the sofrito of bell pepper, celery, and onion. Here they are along with the iconic Cajun Seasoning and Tabasco sauce. Cue the Zydeco music.

Chop and combine the vegetables with the seasonings. Put in a hot saute pan spritzed with oil or non-stick spray. Cook until softened. Whisk the eggs with the Tabasco and Cajun seasonings, and scramble to prefection. Pour the beverages, slice the oranges, and pass the Tabasco sauce.

Chicken or Turkey Curry: 277 calories… 4.5 g fat… 6.4 g fiber… 17 protein… 37.4 g carbs… 81 mg Calcium… – PB GF –  Curry is always a favorite and Craig Claiborne made it safe for the health-conscious in his book Gourmet Diet. If you substitute the lentils for the chicken, you will have a vegetarian version.

++ ¾ cup curry sauce** ++++ 1½ oz carrot rounds ++++ ½ cup cauliflower florets ++++ 1½ oz cooked chicken breast, cut in ½” dice or smaller ++++ 3 Tbsp peas ++++ ¼ cup boiled yellow lentils ++++ ¼ cup diced cucumber ++++ ¼ cup diced tomatoes ++ 

Steam or boil the carrots and cauliflower. Boil the lentils or warm the naan. Warm the sauce, add the chicken, peas, cooked carrots and cauliflower and heat. Taste for seasonings. Plate with the lentils, top with cucumbers and tomatoes.

**CURRY SAUCE: makes 1½ cups  … ½ cup onion, chopped … 1 clove garlic, minced … ¼ cup celery, chopped … ½ cup apple, peeled, and diced … 1 Tablespoons curry powder … ½ tsp dry mustard … 1 bay leaf … 1½ cups chicken stock OR water … ¼ cup water… Spritz a sauce pan twice with cooking oil and add 2 Tbsp water. Saute the onion, garlic, celery, and apple until soft. Sprinkle the curry and mustard on top. Stir in the bay leaf, stock, and water. Let cook until it measures 1½ cups. 

Naan***  Recipe by Aarti Sequeira 10 breads, each: 110 calories.. 3 g fat.. 2.4 g fiber.. 3.6 g protein.. 19 g carbs.. 9 mg Calcium..—12 breads, each 92 calories 2.6 g fat.. 2 g fiber.. 3 g protein.. 16 g carbs.. 8 mg Calcium..

1 tsp dry yeast—-1 tsp sugar—3/4 c 110 F waterIn a large glass, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Let stand until foamy, 5-10 mins.
2 c white whole wheat flour**—1 tsp salt—1 tsp sugar—1/8 tsp baking powderSift these into a large, deep bowl.Whisk to blend. 
3 Tbsp plain yogurt—2 Tbsp vegetable oilOnce the yeast is frothy, pour these into the glass of yeast water, and stir to combine.
**If you want to go gluten-free, you can substitute 2¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour mix for regular flour, plus 1¼ tsp xanthum gum.Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and gently mix with a fork. When dough is about to come together, mix with hands. It will feel as if there isn’t enough flour at first, but keep going until it turns into a soft, slightly sticky, pliable dough. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading.
Cover dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for 2-4 hours.
Have two bowls near-by: one with flour in it, + one with water. Dough will be extremely soft and sticky — the way it should be! Divide dough into 8 or 10 or 12 equal portions and lightly roll each portion in the bowl of flour to prevent sticking to each other.
++if using gluten-free flour, pat the naans into shape with your hands and fingers.Roll out each dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Form each into a tear-drop shape about 4-6“ in diameter and ¼” thick. Lift up by one end and wiggle it — the dough’s own weight will make it stretch a bit. Repeat with remaining dough.
Have: Cast iron skillet + lid to fit the skilletWarm skillet over high until it’s nearly smoking. Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your naans. Patty-cake it from one hand to the other to dampen it slightly.
Gently lay each naan in skillet + set timer for 1 min. Dough should start to bubble. Flip the naan. It should be blistered + a little blackened, don’t worry – that’s typical! Cover skillet with lid and cook 30-60 secs. Cook all dough.

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

2%-fat cottage cheese1 two-oz egg + unsweetened applesauce 
clementinetwo 33-calorie chicken breakfast sausage
nonfat vanilla yogurt2-% fat cottage cheese
black currants or blueberriesmarjoram
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

two 6″ corn tortillas + lime juicebrown rice + one 2-oz egg
3 oz white fish + plain yogurtsoy sauce + rice vinegar
red onion + tomatocucumber or zucchini + avocado
chili powder + cumingrilled beef + smoked salmon
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Hometown Heroine: Ancona

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

The people of Ancona were in dire straits. For months their coastal city had been besieged by the combined forces of their enemies, the Republic of Venice and the Holy Roman Empire. The plucky little Republic of Ancona had the temerity to challenge Venice over trade rights in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, and they had chosen to ally themselves with the Byzantine Empire rather than the Holy Romans. Warfare ensued, leading to the Siege of Ancona. The people of the city were in need of a break, of a morale boost in this war of attrition. On September 1, 1173, while the siege engines ringed the walls, a band of defenders rolled a barrel of pitch through a hole in the wall. The plan was to set it alight, to destroy some war machines, and gain a respite from the relentless attacks. The problem was that the pitch was very flammable and potentially explosive — the act of lighting it on fire might be deadly. It had to be done, but how? And by whom? While the men stood about dithering, the Widow Stamina stepped forward. With an axe in hand, she went to the barrel and broke it open. She lit the pitch and the resulting fire consumed the siege engines. She died of course. Stamina’s action allowed the city of Ancona to hold out until October, when allies arrived to end the siege. In the 1800s, during the efforts to unify Italy, Stamina was hailed as a true “Italian” heroine, although she had never heard of a nation by that name. She was memorialized in art, history books, and a novel. “Facts” about her were invented, to flesh out her biography. All we really know about her is her last name [sometimes written as ‘Stamura’], and that “the Sacrifice of Stamina” truly saved the day at the Siege of Ancona.

Prosciutto & Melon Plate:  215 calories… 10 g fat… 3 g fiber… 24 g protein… 23 g carbs… 228 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF Once again the Inn at Saint Peter’s inspired a breakfast! Nothing beats the salty-sweet flavor combination of this meal.  HINT: I plated everything the night before and stored the plates in zipper bags in the refrigerator.

++ 5 oz canteloupe melon [Charentais melon would be fabulous!] ++++ 1 oz thinly-sliced prosciutto ++++ ¼ cup red onion pickle ++++ 0.2 oz shavings of Parmesan cheese ++++ fresh basil or mint leaves OR crumbled dried basil ++++ ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt ++++ ¼ cup blackberries plus drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction, optional ++++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] ++ 

Cut the melon into bite-sized cubes [8 pieces look well on the plate]. Cut the prosciutto into 8 long strips [mine were 1”x4”]. Place a ramekin with yogurt, berries, and balsamic vinegar in the center of a plate. Arrange the red onion around it, then the melon and ham in a circle on the outside of the plate. Shave off curls of Parmesan and place them on top. If using fresh herb leaves, tuck them in here and there. If using dried herbs, rub the leaves in your palms to crumble over the plate. Serve with your chosen beverage. Wonderful flavors, however you combine them on your fork.

Turkey Picatta: 257 calories… 5 g fat… 1.3 g fiber… 31 g protein… 21 g carbs… 28 mg Calcium… GF Rush Hour Cooking provided this recipe which is one of our all-time favorites. Quick and delicious.

++ 4 oz uncooked turkey breast ++++ salt & pepper ++++ ½ tsp olive oil 1 Tbsp white wine ++++ 1/3 cup chicken stock ++++ 1.5 tsp lemon juice ++++ 2 Tbsp shallots, minced ++++ pinch garlic powder ++++ 2 tsp capers ++++ 3 oz tomatoes, sliced ++++ ¼ cup brown rice, optional++

Combine the wine, stock and lemon juice. Pound the turkey meat, if needed, to even out the thickness. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the turkey on both sides until cooked through, adding a little of the stock mixture if needed. Remove turkey to a plate and keep warm. Add the stock mixture and shallots to the pan along with the garlic powder, stirring up the brown bits on the pan. Cook down until only 3-4 tablespoons of sauce remain. Lastly add the capers. Warm the rice [if using cooked left-over rice] and slice the tomatoes. Plate the rice, drizzling 1 Tbsp sauce over it. Plate the turkey, pouring the remaining sauce on it. Plate the tomatoes.

Saint Augustine

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

There is Saint Augustine, a city in Florida; there is the Saint Augustine of Canterbury, England; and there is Saint Augustine of Hippo. The latter lived in Algeria. son of a middle-class ethnically Berber family. Born in 354 CE, Augustine was a citizen of the Roman Empire, yet was not from Europe. As assimilated Romans, his family spoke only latin, and the Afro-Roman nature of Augustine’s life influenced his philosophy. His mother [Saint Monnica] was a fervent Christian, his father not so much. Augustine was given a good Classical education, even though his parents really couldn’t afford it. While a student in Carthage, Augustine took a mistress [his mother objected], to whom he was loyal for 14 years. He flirted with being a Manichaean, a Persian-African Christianity, later declared heretical [his mother objected]. In Carthage, Augustine became a teacher of rhetoric, but disliked his unruly students. He moved to Rome to set up a school, but disliked his students’ apathy. A move to Milan to teach was a turning point in his life. He met Saint Ambrose, was baptized into Christianity [his mother approved], put aside his mistress, and became engaged to a young heiress whom he never married. Augustine returned to Africa and was pressured to become first a priest, then Bishop of Hippo [now Annaba, Algeria]. In that role, the rising ecclesiastical star preached and debated against heretical sects, and in so doing, refined his philosophy. Only bishops delivered sermons, and Augustine is reputed to have spoken 6000-10000 of them in his lifetime. They were written down by a stenographer at the time, and 600 sermons survive. Augustine was a fluent author. In addition to his sermons, 300 letters, and 100 books [two most popular: Confessions, City of God] leave no doubt as to his ideas. Augustine was against slavery, thought women were here to procreate and help their husbands, and promoted the idea of original sin. His way of uniting Christian, Roman, and Greek/Platonic traditions made his ideas accessible to a wide range of believers. In later centuries, Augustine influenced Luther, Calvin, and many secular thinkers. He died of old age during the sack of Hippo by the Gothic tribe called Vandals. His shrine is in Pavia, Italy.

For the Feast of Augustine, August 28th, our meals reflect the culinary traditions of Berber lands of Algeria and Morocco.

Chlada Felfel [Algerian Salad]: 175 calories… 15 g fat… 2.5 g fiber… 8 g protein… 8 g carbs… 47.5 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the plated foods only, not the optional beverages. PB GF This Algerian favorite is often served as a side dish with lunch or dinner. But why not invite it to breakfast? While you are at it, invite a friend since this recipe serves 2 [two] persons. Coffee or tea would be appropriate for this meal, since both are popular in Northern Africa.

Serves 2, 1¼ c per breakfast
2½ oz/½ cup sweet pepper —— 3 oz/½ cup tomato, diced —— 2”/ ½ cup cucumber, diced——2 oz/½ c small onion —— 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves—–3 anchovy fillets——6 cured black olives—–Seed peppers and chop finely. Cut tomatoes into ½” dice. Dice or thinly slice cucumber. Slice onion thinly. Chop cilantro and anchocy fillets. Pit olives and cut in half or chop.
2 tsp olive oil——2 tsp vinegar——¼ teaspoon salt—–¼ teaspoon pepper—-Place all ingredients in a salad bowl, then toss gently. Divide between bowls.
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped——Distribute egg bits over top.

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

++ 4 oz tuna steak [When I see frozen tuna steaks at the supermarket, I get a few] ++++ Moroccan spices or ground cumin or mint +++ 1/3 cup white beans, rinsed and drained ++++ 1 slice preserved lemon OR 1 slice fresh lemon ++++ vegetable choices, choose ONE: 1/3 cup peas with mint OR ½ cup broccoli florets sprinkled with cumin OR 1/3 cup green beans sprinkled with cilantro ++++ 1.3 oz/½ clementine OR ++ 1.5 oz orange

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. Plate it all artistically.

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

melon cubes + Parmesan cheese1.5 two-oz eggs 
prosciutto + red onion picklecelery + onion
plain Greek yogurtgreen bell pepper
blackberries + Balsamic VinegarTabasco sauce + Cajun seasoning
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

turkey breast + cooked brown ricecurry sauce  + peas + cucumber
shallots + olive oil + lemon juicecarrot + Naan bread, 92-calorie
capers + tomatoes + white winecauliflower florets + tomato
chicken stock + garlic powdercooked chicken/turkey meat
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Ragweed

~ me ~ Leave a comment

Do you get itchy eyes and a runny nose from mid-August to October? Did you think it was ‘hay fever‘? Most likely, you are allergic to Ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia. This innocuous-looking plant grows widely in North America. With its green leaves and its small green flowers, no one notices it, unless you are looking for it. If you do see a plant like the one shown at left, pull it out, especially if you can get it before it blooms. Along the roadsides, in sidewalk gardens, in public parks — yank it all up and leave it there to wither, put it in the trash, or feed it to your chickens. A small victory! Like all flowers, ragweed produces pollen — LOTS of pollen, and the wind-carried pollen causes the allergy. Around mid-August, the flowers are in peak production, when each plant can release about a billion grains of pollen before they are killed by frost. For centuries, people looked for a reason for their seasonal rhinitis, so they blamed plants that were visible at the same time. Hence, ‘hay fever’, since ragweed bloom coincided with the hay harvest. Or local prohibitions on Goldenrod plants, thinking that the showy flowers had to be the culprit. My introduction to a ragweed allergy came when I returned from a summer in Europe, landing in the US on August 15. Wham! Sneezing. Stuffed up nose. Itchy, painful eyes. Couldn’t put in my contact lenses for weeks. The eye doctor said the problem was due to ragweed. From that year on, every August the allergy returned, and no over-the-counter remedy made a difference. Believe me: I am on a crusade against ragweed! Professional allergists can help. I sure hope ragweed is not a problem for you. Even if it isn’t, do the rest of us a favor and minimize its growth in your area. Thank you.

Ragweed originated in the South-Western states of the United States. Oddly, people with respiratory problems used to go to those states to breathe the clean, healthy air! Our menus for today originated in New Mexico, but unlike Ambrosia artemisiifolia, the food is good for you.

Breakfast Burrito:  225 calories… 12 g fat… 3.5 g fiber… 12 g protein… 29 g carbs… 108 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values shown are for the tortilla, egg filling, and the fruit, not for the optional coffee.  PB GF– if tortillas are all corn Inspired by breakfasts enjoyed at the Frontier Restaurant in Albuquerque, N.M., this has all the tastes of the Southwest – right down to the mocha coffee — in a filling yet low-calorie meal.

++ one 6” corn tortilla, MUST be 65 calories per tortilla ++++ one 2-oz egg ++++ 1 oz roasted green chiles, available canned or in jars ++++1 Tbsp carne adovada — this is pork shoulder with hot spices. [Make a batch and freeze it in small amounts or see if you can find it at a Mexican market.] ++++ Large pinch oregano, Mexican oregano if you can find it. ++++ 1 tsp cheddar cheese, finely grated ++++ 1 oz apple ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] 

Whisk the egg with the chiles and carne. Heat a dry, well-seasoned cast iron pan and heat the tortilla until it is warm, soft, and just beginning to brown. Remove to a plate. Scramble the egg to your preference in a spritz of oil on your pan. Put the egg on top of the tortilla, then add the carne. Sprinkle cheese on top, and put it all in the toaster oven for about a minute. Douse with hot sauce if you wish, serve with the apple and hot beverage of your choice. To eat, roll it up and eat with your hands or use knife and fork. You choose.

 Green Chili-Chicken Posole: 207 calories… 4 g fat… 4 g fiber… 17.5 b protein… 24 g carbs… 35 mg Calcium…  PB GF  Friend Cheryl shared this recipe out of the blue one day and it turned out to be a real winner. Despite the low calorie count, it is filling. Did I add, delicious?

Makes 3 cups = 3 Servings
6.4 oz chicken breast meat—½ tsp thyme—–
 salt + pepper		Shred or cube the chicken breast meat. Season with thyme, salt, & pepper, stir to combine and set aside.
2 tsp canola oil—–½ cup onion—-½ jalapeno, more if you wish—-1 clove garlicChop onion, pepper, and garlic. Heat oil over medium heat in saucepan. Add vegetables and cook ~ 4 mins, until soft. Cool a little bit.
6-7 oz New Mexico roasted green chilies—-½ tsp thymeScrape cooked vegetables into a food processor. Add green chilis + thyme. Process until smooth.
Pour vegetables/chilis into saucepan. Cook, stirring, on med heat ~5 mins as sauce thickens. 
1 cup chicken broth—-15 oz can of posole, drainedAdd chicken and these to saucepan. Simmer until chicken is tender + cooked, ~10 mins. 
Mexican oregano—–6 oz zucchini, sliced, cookedServe in bowls, topped with Mexican oregano. Plate zucchini, drizzled w/ some of the sauce

13 Tips for a Fasting Lifestyle

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle. 

special coffee cup

Many people fear that they will not get through the day on only 600 calories.  Friends of ours’ would scoff at our “Starvation Days”, and sometimes others will taunt us about what they can eat while we are depriving ourselves. But we are smug in the knowledge that the day after a Fast Day, we will be a pound lighter and looking good. It is true that for the first couple of weeks you will be checking the clock to see if it is time to eat. But stay hydrated [the brain often interprets thirst as hunger] and push through it. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You can do it!

1. Watch the video of Dr Mosley’s program  Eat-Fast-Live which we saw originally on Public Broadcasting Service.  This is what inspired us to start this Lifestyle and it might help you too.

2. Plan ahead. We write on the calendar what Fast meals we want to eat in a week. Nothing ruins a diet like coming home and having no idea what to eat for dinner. That’s when the default foods come out [carry-out or pizza]. You can avoid that by planning.

3. Prep ahead. You see in many recipe the HINTS about preparing food ahead. This is a real time-saver in the morning. Want your spouse to help you to stay on the diet when you get home late? Write out the recipe, leave it on the counter, include info about where to find ingredients, and maybe the meal will be in progress when you come through the door.

4. Shop ahead. Now that you know what you want to eat, have the ingredients on hand. When Fast Day comes, you want to be ready.

5. Portion as you shop.  Say the recipe calls for 4 oz chicken breast, so when you get home, cut the chicken into the correct size. Wrap and label the part you need, save the trimmings for another use such as Chicken Curry or Chicken Noodle Soup. The same goes for vegetables: slice and chop those 2 oz of bell pepper that you will need.  It takes moments to do this as you unload the groceries, so do it to save time later.

6. Listen to Diane Rehm interview Dr. Mosley.   This interview is an oldie, but a goodie. Diane asks the tough questions and ends the conversation by saying that everyone on her staff can’t wait to try the diet!

7. Make the meal setting special. Instead of eating on the run or while standing over the sink, make a Fast meal an occasion. Use the good plates and flatware. Put the sparkling water in a nice glass with a twist of lemon. See the demitasse cup in the above photo? It is the only one I have and it makes the breakfast table so pretty that it is saved for Fast days only, presenting the coffee in a 1-cup pitcher.

8. Slo-o-o-ow down the meal. The other reason for the little cup at breakfast? By putting the coffee in a pitcher, I frequently have to stop to refill the cup. This bit of fussiness slows down the process. When you put food in your mouth, put down the fork. You don’t have to chew 30 times, but don’t just cram the food in your mouth — savor it, taste it, and make it last.

9. Set goals by the clock.  After breakfast, vow not to put any calories in your mouth until noon. Then at noon, tell yourself that you can hold out for another 2 hours. Maybe setting a timer will help you: while the timer is ticking, don’t eat. This does not mean that you will eat when the timer rings! No. At that time, set a new goal.

10. Distract yourself. After breakfast, I pour a large [1.5 cups] glass of water which I sip on until noon. By 2 pm, I have earned a hot cup of tea — something bold-tasting or soothing as mood dictates. A touch of honey in the drink provides a real lift. Mid-to-late afternoon is difficult for me. Go for a walk [not to the kitchen or break-room!] or get involved in a long project to take your mind off eating.

11. Hide the temptation.  I stash the bowl of pistachios in the cupboard on Fast Days. Yes, I still know they are there, but out of sight, out of mind.

12. Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow. This has a double meaning. 1]  If you yearn for something on a Fast Day, tell yourself that you can have it tomorrow. It is not a promise that you have to keep. Tomorrow it might not be calling to you.  2] Tomorrow is the day that you will weigh less. Tomorrow is also weeks from now when you will be slimmer and thinking about new clothes. Tomorrow will come.

13. Don’t Stop. This is a Lifestyle, not a Diet. Continue to incorporate 5:2 Fasting into your food planning — the weight will stay off and you will be healthier in the long run.

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

1 two-oz hard-boiled egg = US large1 two-oz egg 
dried Turkish figBleu cheese
baby spinach leavesleek + mushrooms
chèvre or Brie cheesestrawberries
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

butter + onion + potatoMartins whole wheat potato rolls
chicken stock + whole milkroasted chicken breast meat
wild greens + part-skim ricottacarrot sticks + cherry tomatoes
chorizo +  Finn crisp    Corky’s BBQ Sauce  or equivalent
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Susanna

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle. 

The name “Susanna” can conjure up several associations. There is the American folk-song “O, Susanna”, written by Stephen Foster in 1848, for performance at Minstral Shows. Today, O Susanna is sung as a humorous children’s song, full of funny contradictions, but it originally had offensive lyrics. Going back farther than that, chapter 13 of the Book of Daniel gives us the first mention of a Susanna. [NB: there is no Chapter 13 in the Old Testament of the modern Bible. Instead, it is contained in the Apocrypha.] The story is told of the comely matron who bathes daily at a certain spot. Two elderly judges get into the habit of spying on her bath, and then press their attentions on her. Shocked, the virtuous Susanna rebuffs them. In the original MeToo moment, they accuse her of being lascivious, which would carry the death penalty. The youngster Daniel suggests separating the accusers while they give their evidence, and since it is contradictory, Susanna is acquitted. The theme of ‘Susanna and the Elders’ became a popular one for artists. Lastly, there is Saint Susanna, who lived in the 3rd century CE. She was the daughter of a noble Christian family in a time when that religion was forbidden. The Emperor Diocletian wanted her to marry one of his protégées, but she refused. So Susanna, her family, and the Emperor’s emissary [who had been converted by Susanna] were all arrested. She was beheaded and Diocletians’ closeted Christian wife buried her in secret. Susanna’s family home became a church, and in 1921, it was declared to be the official church of American Catholics in Rome. Since then, Susanna has been delisted as a saint, and her church is closed. Her feast day is August 11, and you can still celebrate it if you want to.

For Susanna’s feast day, a breakfast from ancient Rome, and a dinner from the Levant, which was also part of the Roman Empire during Susanna’s brief lifetime.

Cato’s Breakfast: 235 calories… 4 g fat… 2 g fiber… 13 g protein… 47 g carbs… 89 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB Cato, the Roman orator and senator, included Libum in his book de Agricultura. The other elements of the meal were popular in ancient Rome.

++2 Libum [33-grams of dough each] ++++ 2 oz pear ++++ 1 deglet noor date ++++ 1 oz chicken breast meat ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

Bake the Libum and plate with the other ingredients. Although Cato probably would have served wine, that would not be your best option at breakfast.

LIBUM: –225 g/1 cup light ricotta cheese——113 g/1 cup white whole wheat flour—1 oz = ½ egg—–
2 Tbsp honey		Combine these ingredients to a Play-Doh consistancy.
0.2 oz pine nuts, about 45 pinonsForm dough into 11 balls, each made with 2 Tbsp dough [33-g]. Top each ball with 4-5 pine nuts.
11 bay leaves —-TIP: you can do all this the night before and bake in the morning.Lightly spritz a baking pan with non-stick spray and lay the bay leaves on it. Place one dough ball on each leaf.
Warm honeyBake at 350 F for 20 minutes. While still warm, brush with honey.

Felafel with Feta Salad:  285 calories… 14 g fat… 7 g fiber… 12.5 g protein… 29 g carbs… 180 mg Calcium…  PB GF  What a healthy plate of food! When you have felafel in the freezer, this meal becomes almost instant.

++ 6 felafel patties** ++++ 1 cup lettuce [I like to slice large leaves cross-wise into ½” strips]++++ 2 oz tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or cut in ½” cubes ++++ 1 oz carrots, grated ++++ 1 oz beets cut in large dice ++++ ¾ oz Feta cheese in cubes or large crumbles ++++ ¾ tsp flavored olive oil ++++ ¾ tsp white wine vinegar ++++ salt + pepper to taste++

Thaw the felafel patties and warm them. If unbaked, heat them in a 400 F. oven for 10-15 minutes. Prepare the vegetables for the salad. Whisk the vinegar and oil, then toss the salad vegetables in the dressing. Top with the felafel and feta crumbles.

Felafel each patty= 30 cal… 1 g fat… 1 g fiber… 1.6 g protein… 4 g carbs… 8.5 mg Calcium… GF PB From the Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen, these are easy to prepare and set you up for several servings of future meals.

+++ 2 cups canned chick peas [if you use dried chickpeas, you will get a grainer product. Factor in the time to reconstitute and cook them] ++++ 1½ cloves garlic, crushed ++++ ¼ cup celery, minced ++++ ¼ c. scallions, sliced ++++ one 2-oz egg ++++ 1½ tsp tahini ++++ ½ t. cumin ++++ ½ t. tumeric ++++ ¼ t. cayenne ++++ ¼ tsp black pepper++++ 1½ tsp salt ++

Combine in food processer until ingredients form a uniform paste. Scoop into a bowl and chill 1 hour. Form into balls on a silicone mat or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. I used a 1½ Tbsp scoop and then flattened the patties. TIP: You don’t have to bake them now. You could freeze the patties on a cookie sheet, then put them frozen into bags to cook later. Bake at 400 F, 10-15 minutes. The patties should be heated through and have an outside ‘crust’ which is firm to the touch. In most recipes, you will cook them further. At this point you want them to be firm enough to store well. There will be 25 or 30 of them. Use now or cool and freeze for later use.

Buddy Holly

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to the Fasting Lifestyle.

What was the day the music died? February 3, 1959. That was the night that a small airplane took off in a snow storm and crashed in Iowa. On board were the original ‘Rock Stars’ — the pioneers of Rock ‘n’ Roll — Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper [aka: Jiles Perry Richardson Jr.], and Ritchie Valens. The best known of the group was Buddy Holly, born Charles Hardin Holley [sic] in Lubbock, Texas in 1936. His family were all musical, and his older brother, who called him ‘Buddy’, taught him to play guitar. Holley formed performing groups when he was still a child, but after he saw Elvis on stage, Holley knew that he wanted be a professional singer, too. In high school, he was a regular on a local radio show. At age 19, he bought the Fender Stratocaster guitar which became his trademark. Holley signed a recording contract, but he wanted more creative control. Incidentally, it was Decca Records that misspelled his last name, making him forever after “Buddy Holly”. Holly struck out for New Mexico, where he worked with an independent recording studio, and there he really hit his stride. He performed with a group called the Crickets [the name “Beatles” was derived from that], cutting their first hit “That’ll Be the Day” in 1957, followed by “Peggy Sue“. The group adopted a ‘preppy’ clothing style, and Holly established the composition of a Rock ‘n’ Roll band: lead guitar, drums, rhythm guitar and bass guitar. Appearances on Ed Sullivan and American Bandstand lead to international tours. It was a whirl-wind life for the young man: touring, marriage, song writing, touring, solo albums, recording, more touring, producing. Holly separated from the Crickets and in 1959, he formed a new group. They were part of the hectic tour that lead up to the plane crash, though none of the three new band-mates was on the plane with Holly. Contrary to Don McLean‘s song, the music didn’t really die in the accident: Buddy Holly influenced John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Kieth Richards, Bruce Springsteen, and Elvis Costello — an astounding legacy.

Our breakfast, made with New Mexico green chilis, is a nod to Clovis, New Mexico, where Holly did a lot of his recordings. Our dinner is a meal that Holly and his fellow musicians might have eaten at a diner on a break from their long rides on the tour bus.

Green Chili Scramble: 137 calories… 7 g fat… 1 g fiber… 11 g protein… 10 g carbs… 59 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Ever since his grad school days in New Mexico, Son v.2.0 urges us to put roasted green chilis in everything. The taste with eggs is classic.

++ Three 2-oz eggs of which you will use 1½ eggs per person HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up 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 roasted green chilis from New Mexico ++++ 1½ oz navel orange OR 1½ oz apple ++++  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] ++

Whisk the eggs with the chilies along with salt & pepper to taste. Scramble to your taste in a non-stick-pan spritzed with cooking spray. Plate with the fruit and dream of the New Mexico landscape.

Tuna Melt: 300 calories…  18.5 g fat… 3 g fiber… 33 g protein… 24.6 g carbs… 300.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF – if using gf bread For a quick, comforting meal, you can’t beat tuna melt.



+++1 slice 70-calorie multi-grain bread  [ex: Dave’s Killer Thin-Sliced Bread] ++++ ½ a 5-oz can of water-pack tuna, drained ++++ 1 Tbsp onion, finely chopped ++++ 1 Tbsp celery, finely chopped ++++ 1 pinch celery seed ++++ salt ++++ pepper ++++ 1½ Tbsp 2%-fat cottage cheese OR BECHAMEL ++++ 1 slice Swiss cheese, the deli kind ++++ ½ cup romaine lettuce, shredded ++++ 1 oz tomato, cubed ++++ ½ tsp lemon juice ++++ ½ tsp olive oil ++


Combine the tuna, onion, celery, celery seed, and mayo as you would for tuna salad. Toast the bread. Spread the tuna mixture over the bread and top it with the cheese. Toast or broil until cheese is melting. In a wide bowl, whisk the oil and lemon juice. Toss the lettuce and tomato with the dressing and relax while you dine.

Slow Day: Shad with Corn Cake

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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

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

Shad fish, Alosa sapidissima, used to be the iconic symbol of springtime in coastal New England. The Shadbush would bloom in the woodlands, and the shad fish would migrate up-stream from the ocean to spawn. Then the fishing would begin! The most prized part of the shadfish was the roe — two pink lobes of unlaid eggs. Cookbooks had many recipes for shad roe. The flesh was good, but so full of little bones that it might be off-putting. My grandmother loved it nonetheless, crunching it down, bones and all. Nowadays, shad is less common, due to the damming of rivers during the early Industrial Revolution. Happily, it can still be found in some markets, and then I snatch it up. Even better, modern processing of the fish minimizes the little bones to manageable proportions.

This preparation is a combination of recipes [though mostly for the roe] which I turned into a fine meal. Why the pancake in lieu of potato or some grain? In Rhode Island, they love to eat shad with their local cornmeal pancake called “Johnny Cakes.” I made a batch of corn bread batter [Fannie Farmer Cookbook], and cooked it like pancakes instead. That was a hit!

As you can see, I couldn’t wait to eat this meal, so I took a few bites before I took the photo!

Begin by cooking some bacon in a non-stick pan — 1-2 slices per person. Blot the bacon and pour off most of the fat from the pan, but save what your pour off. Prepare batter for a simple cornbread and cook the batter like pancakes in a bit of bacon fat. Make 1-2 per person. [freeze remaining batter for another meal, like breakfast] Set them aside to stay warm. For the shad, get some very fine yellow cornmeal. [NB: If all you have is meal the texture of sugar, run it through the blender to make it more fine.] Put cornmeal on a plate and sprinkle on salt, pepper, and thyme leaves. Dredge 4-ounce shad fillets in cornmeal, then cook in a bit of bacon fat, about 4 minutes per side. Spray the pan with some cooking spray if the fat cooks away.

Plate the shad with the bacon on top, next to the ‘pseudo-Johnny Cakes,’ and some green beans. This is a genuine old New England treat!

Slow Days: Springtime Cookies

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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

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

Who doesn’t like a good cookie? [The Brits call cookies biscuits. The French call cookies bisquits secs. The Germans call them kekse.] Oh, all right, eating cookies year-’round is an American thing, and the Toll House Cookie is now ubiquitous. The trend of cookies the size of a salad plate has no doubt lead to the obesity epidemic. There are specialty cookies — think Christmas Cookies! — and there are everyday cookies. The cookies that I propose today are the ones that I save for Springtime. One is Mary Berry‘s recipe for Easter Biscuits, which I cut out as flowers and butterflies. The other is an Italian confection that looks so cheery that it must be the herald of Springtime temperatures and flowers.

24 Easter Biscuits, 2.5” diameter Preheat oven 400F/200C/180C Fan. Line 2 baking trays w/ parchment 
100g/ 3½ oz unsalted butter 75g/ 2¾ oz caster sugar** egg yolk finely grated lemon zest Let butter soften at room temperature. Cream butter and sugar in a bowl until well combined and fluffy. Add the yolk and zest.
100g/ 3.5oz plain flour 100g/ 3.5oz white whole wheat flour 50g/ 1¾ oz currants/raisins 1–2 Tbsp milkSift in flour and mix well. Stir in currants and enough milk to make a fairly soft dough.
Knead dough on a floured surface + roll out 5mm/ ¼” thick. Cut out using a 6cm/ 2½” fluted cutter. Work quickly in a cool area of the kitchen lest dough becomes too soft. If soft after mixing, chill 10 mins or until easier to handle.
Put on baking trays and bake 8 mins.
Egg whiteLightly beat egg white with a fork until frothy. Take biscuits from oven and brush tops with beaten egg white. 
Caster sugarSprinkle with caster sugar and bake 5 mins, or until pale golden brown and cooked though. Cool on trays for a few mins, then longer on a wire rack.
96 Ricotta cookies48 Ricotta cookies350 F/175 C. Cover baking sheet with parchment.
1 cup butter 1¾ cup sugar½ cup butter ¾ cup sugarAdd softened butter and sugar to a stand mixer. Mix together until combined.
2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract1 egg 1 tsp vanillaAdd eggs and vanilla extract. Continue to mix.
2 cups ricotta cheese1 cup ricottaAdd ricotta cheese. Mix again and scrape off bowl sides to be sure that all ingredients are combined.
1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda  4 cups white flour½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 c white flour  1 c almond mealPour in flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix to form a dough.
Portion dough with a 1.5 tsp scoop and put on the baking sheet. Bake 15-20 mins, until bottoms are golden brown.
Take from oven and cool 10 mins.
1 cup 10X sugar   1 T milk  rainbow sprinkles½ cup confectioners sugar 1.5 tsp milk rainbow sprinklesCombine sugar and milk in small bowl, Stirring until smooth. Dip each cookie into frosting and top off with rainbow sprinkles. Let frosting dry, then enjoy.
69 calories… 3 g fat… 0 g fiber… 1 g protein… 10 g carbs… 18 mg Calcium

Slow Days: Aunt Kate’s Chocolate Cake

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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

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

A look at my father-in-law’s family tree shows lots and lots of German names — husbands and wives alike. And then, in 1903, one of the German sisters married an Irish man! Kate Haggerty was cousin to Dear Husband’s grandfather, but she was known to all as “Aunt Kate”. She was apparently a great baker, because one of the family’s handed-down recipes is for “Aunt Kate’s Chocolate Cake.” A note says that she developed the recipe herself. It came to me via sister-in-law Bev, who sent me a trove of family kitchen lore. Oddly, Dear Husband did not remember eating said cake as a child. But then, his mother was not a baker. So I prepared this one year for his birthday and he was delighted.

The edges of this cake are iced with the filling mixture, since I had run out of glaze.
One 9” 4-layer cakeTwo 9” cake pans, buttered and lined w/ parchment
½ c butter
1 cup sugar		Cream together
2 eggsWhisk and add to creamed butter
2 squares = 2 ounces bittersweet chocolateMelt and add to batter, stirring well.
1½ c flour
¾ tsp cream of tartar
¾ tsp baking soda		Sift together 3x to combine. NB: when making chocolate cake, I use white whole wheat flour for more nutritional value.
¾ c milk
½ tsp vanilla		Stir together. Add to batter alternately with difted dry ingredients.
Divide between the two pans. Bake at 350F, 25 mins.
Cool, take from pans, slice each layer into 2 layers along the equator.
Spread 3 layers with filling*, stack, cover with glaze**.

The original way to prepare the cake is to bake two layers, and split them to make four layers. For the two of us, or even for a small group of six, I prepare one layer, split it, fill it, and glaze it. Either way, it is a very good cake!

Two layers and lots of filling!
*Chocolate Filling
½ # sweet butter, room temp
1½ c confectioner’s sugar		Cream together.
2 squares bitter chocolate
½ tsp vanilla		Melt chocolate, cool a bit, add to butter-sugar along with vanilla.
Divide equally among 3 of the 4 layers, and spread it evenly.
**Chocolate Glaze
2 T butter
1 square bitter chocolate
3 squares semi-sweet chocolate 1 tsp vanilla		Melt together over low heat to form a very thin glaze. Put filled cake layers on a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour warm glaze over the cake, letting it drizzle down the edges.