Following the Fast Diet Lifestyle

Battle of Sandwich

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

Are you expecting a showdown between Subway and Jersey Mike’s? That is not the battle of sandwich that we are describing today. This one occurred in 1217. As far back as that, France and England were rivals, each hoping to gain political ascendency. Let’s see how this developed. In 1066, William the Duke of Normandy, France invaded England and conquered it. In 1215, the English nobles were fed up with their king, John I, and made him sign the Magna Carta, giving them more say in the government. In 1216, they were so tired of King John that they invited Crown Prince Louis of France to come over to help them get rid of John. Louis was so enticed by the idea of being king of England that he disobeyed all his advisors, including the Pope, and took an army to England. Things were going well for Louis until King John died. Then the nobles had second thoughts. The goal of getting John off the throne had been realized — and did they really want a French king? So most of the English nobles deserted Louis and declared themselves for King Henry III, who was all of nine years old. Louis however was in it to win it. He sent a message to France, asking for reinforcements. Ten big ships full of soldiers and 70 small ships with supplies were dispatched under the command of Eustace the Monk. He was not a monk, he was a pirate, thus he knew the English Channel sea lanes very well. Off the coast of Dover, Eustace’s navy was met by an English fleet of 18 big and 20 small vessels led by Hubert de Brugh. The French ships were over-crowded and they waddled heavily in the water. The English ships sailed past and around the French fleet, coming at them with the wind at their backs. Near the port of Sandwich, they engaged. The English advantage lead to a swift victory and a massacre. This was the first naval battle ever fought in the open ocean, and the first victory for an English navy. The Treaty of Lambeth ended France’s invasion of England, and Louis went home with 10,000 silver marks for his troubles. From that time on, the English navy was feared and respected.

As you might have guessed, we will enjoy sandwiches at breakfast and at dinner. In case you were wondering, Subway’s BLT has 480 calories and 26 g fat. Jersey Mike’s Chicken Salad Sandwich has 950 calories and 61 g fat. If you really want to eat one of those, do so on a Slow Day.

Breakfast BLT w/ Egg: 180 calories… 8 g fat… 4 g fiber …10 g protein… 15 g carbs… 52 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values are for the meal and fruit only and do not include the optional coffee. PB  GF – if using GF bread  A Summer evening favorite is the inspiration for this filling breakfast.

++ 1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread [Dave’s Killer Thin-Sliced Bread is great] ++++  one 2-oz egg, hardboiled [sliced] or fried ++++ 1 strip uncured bacon [the streaky American type @ 30 calories ++++1 oz tomato, sliced ++++ leaf of romaine lettuce ++++ 3 cherries ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

Cook bacon and drain well. Toast bread if you wish. Slice egg and tomato. Lay the lettuce leaf on the plate and position the bread so that it covers half of the leaf. Break bacon so that it will fit within the edges of the bread and put it as the first layer. Top with tomato and a bit of salt. Top with egg. Fold the letuce leaf so it comes up and over, becoming the top layer of the sandwich. Ummmm-yummmm.

Chicken Salad Sandwich: 283 calories… 7 g fat… 7 g fiber… 26 g protein… 35 g carbs… 134 mg Calcium…  PB GF – if using GF bread If you bought a chicken salad sandwich, it might ‘cost you’ 500 calories and 16 g fat. This sandwich is much less ‘expensive’ and tastes great.

++ 2½ oz cooked chicken breast ++++ 2 Tbsp part-skim ricotta cheese ++++ 1 tsp  yellow Sriracha ++++ 2 tsp chopped onion ++++ 2 tsp chopped celery ++++ 2 tsp chopped cilantro leaves ++++ salt + pepper to taste ++++ 2 slices 70-calorie whole-grain bread with seeds [such as Dave’s Killer ‘Good Seed’] ++++ lettuce ++++ 1 oz sliced tomato ++++ ½ cup Swedish Cucumber Salad ++

Shred or chop the chicken. Mix with the ricotta and flavorings, including Sriracha. Add more Sriracha if the mixture needs to be moistened. Spread on one slice of bread, lay on the lettuce and tomato. Top with the other piece of bread and plate with the Cucumber Salad. Good ‘on-the-go’ meal.

Saint Philibert

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

Philibert was a builder. He was born in Gascony in 608 CE, and as was the custom in noble houses, he came of age in the court of the Frankish King Dagobert. There he met two future saints, and Philibert was granted permission to join the monastery at Rebais. In time, he became abbot. But there was dissent about the Rule the monks should follow [strict rules of behavior or not?], and Philibert left. He spent the next several years traveling from monastery to monastery, studying how the monks lived and worked. In 654, he was given land to found the Abby of Notre Dame de Jumièges in Normandy. The Rule for his monks was a mix of four schools of thought, though still mostly influenced by Benedict, and other churchmen visited often to see how it worked. About this time, Ebroin, the Mayor of the Palace, settled his dispute with St Leodegar by killing him, and Philibert objected. Philibert was imprisoned, then was exiled to the coast where he founded the monastery at Noirmoutier. Then he rebuilt Qincay Abbey, near Poitiers. When the bishop gave him more land, Philibert established  the abbey of Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu. With the Bishop of Poitiers as his patron, Philibert and his monks began work on what became the royal abbey of Saint-Michel-en-l’Herm. When he could return to Jumièges, Philibert built a nunnery at Pavilly and his last abbey at Montivilliers in 682. When he died in 684, he was buried at Noirmoutier, but two centuries later, when the Vikings came to call, the monks took Philibert’s remains inland to rebury at Tournus. That is why the saint is sometimes called Philibert of Jumièges and sometimes Philibert of Tournus.

The saint’s name is sometimes spelled ‘Filibert’, so we can see how a popular nut came to be called a ‘filbert’. The fruit of the Hazel Tree ripens in Europe around the Feast of Saint Philibert on August 19. Our menus today involve hazelnut ‘flour’ in the breakfast, and whole filberts in the dinner. On a Slow Day, you could put whole filberts and nut meal in Chocolate Chip Cookies — a delicious treat from a Parisian food shop.

Peachy Waffle Hearts: 148 calories… 3.4 g fat… 3.6 g fiber… 3.6 g protein… 29 g carbs… 59.4 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF– if using GF waffles Where is it written that hearts are reserved for Valentine’s Day? Make this breakfast to show someone that he/she/they are loved. Make it for yourself for affirmation.

++3 sections of waffle that are heart-shaped [our waffle-maker has 5 sections]++ 3 Tbsp Vanilla yogurt, low-fat++ 2 Tbsp hazelnut OR almond meal/flour ++ 3 oz peach, mashed ++ 2 oz pear ++ Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories] ++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++ 

Combine the yogurt with the almond meal and let it sit to thicken a bit. TIP: Can be done overnight. Mash the peach through a sieve to make a mush. Warm the waffles to take off any chill and spread with the peach mush. Pipe or spoon the yogurt around the edges of the hearts and plate with the pear. A pretty treat.

Trout with Hazelnuts: 267 calories… 18 g fat… 3 g fiber… 21 g protein… 6 g carbs… 75 mg Calcium…  PB GF From Savoie, France comes this recipe, via Anne Willem’s French Regional Cooking. Hannibal is supposed to have dined on local trout as he crossed the Alps with his elephants. Very easy to prepare [the trout, not the elephants] and absolutely delicious. 

++ 3 oz trout, boned and trimmed +++ 1 tsp butter+++ ½ oz hazelnuts, halved or coarsely chopped +++ 2 oz French green beans [haricots]+++

Start cooking the beans. Heat a heavy saute pan and spray with non-stick spray. Put in the trout and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slowly cook the trout on one side. ~3 mins. Add the butter to the pan along with the nuts. Continue cooking everything slowly until the fish is done, roughly another 3 mins. Drain and season the beans, plate them with the trout, and top the fish with the nuts in butter. Enjoy your culinary visit to the French Alps.

At Verneuil

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

It was a brutally hot day on August 17, 1424. Jean VIII d’Harcourt, Count of Aumale, and around 9,000 of his countrymen were waiting on the fields of Verneuil, Normandy. The 28-year old was no stranger to battle. Jean had survived the disastrous routs of Crecy and Agincourt, and he had lead his army to defeat the English at the Battle of La Gravelle/ Battle of la Brossinière the year before. Now he was the Senior Commander of the French forces, fighting to drive the English out of France during the Hundred Years’ War. Jean was on home territory, defending lands that his family had been given 600 years before, and with him was his cousin, Gerard d’Harcourt, Baron de Bonnetable, a member of his army. That day, the 10,000-man English army was outnumbered [as they had been at Agincourt and Crecy], facing the French plus 6,000 Scottish allies and a band mercenaries from Milan. There had been debate in the French camp as to whether they should engage the English — having learned from previous battles that being outnumbered did not mean that the English would lose. But the decision was made, and the battle began. At first, it seemed that the English and their deadly long-bows were at a disadvantage, as their arrows bounced off the Milanese armor. But the mercenaries left the field to plunder the baggage train for loot, and when they finally returned to the battle, the English were winning. The English lost 2,000 men in the fight, the French and Scots lost 6.000. Both Jean VIII and Gerard were killed. Happily, Gerard and his wife had produced two sons, one of whom was my direct ancestor. It would be another 30 years before the English were driven out of France, and that bloody war of succession was over.

Normandy borders the sea, the source of an ingredient in our breakfast. The dinner is a fine meal to prepare on a hot August 17.

Mackerel-Leek ScrOmelette: 187 calories… 10.5 g fat… 1.7 g fiber… 14 g protein… 10 g carbs… 70 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF If you can’t find fresh mackerel, substitute another high-Omega-3 fish like salmon or arctic char.  

++ 1½ 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 oz cooked mackerel++++ 2 oz leeks ++++m1 tsp Dijon mustard ++++ 2 oz strawberries ++++ Optional:  blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++++   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++

Spritz a hot saute pan with non-stick spray and stir in the leeks and mackerel, to soften the leeks and warm the fish. Whisk the eggs with the seasonings and mustard. Pour into the pan and scramble to your taste or prepare as an omelette. Pour the beverages and plate the berries. Oh my!

Mid-Summer Saute: 256 calories… 2 g fat… 4 g fiber… 18 g protein… 30.4 g carbs… 47.5 mg Calcium…  PB  GF – if pasta is GF The fresh ingredients of this lovely meal are all coming together in the markets in mid-summer. Enjoy these flavors! Enjoy beautiful summer days!

Serves 2
Cooking spray—–3 oz chicken breast meat, 1” cubesHeat a saute pan over medium, and spray with oil. Saute chicken 2 mins.
2 oz whole wheat pastaCook in boiling, salted water to al dente
1 clove garlic, minced—–1 Tbsp shallot, minced—-3 oz cep/porcini, sliced—1 cup/4 oz zucchini, in half-moonsRemove chicken, respray pan, add these, cook 3 mins, stir at whiles.If too dry, add a few tablespoons of water.
1 Tbsp cognacOff heat, add cognac and flame.
½ cup/8 fl oz meat stock—–¼ cup/4 fl oz white winePut pan back on heat, add liquids. Simmer until reduced by half.
Cooked, drained pastaStir in pasta, serve when all is warm
Chopped parsleyPlate, topped with parsley

Night Sky: The Summer Triangle

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

I hope you live where there is a minimum of ‘light pollution’. That describes the all-too modern phenomenon of there being so many lights on outside that one cannot see the stars in the night sky. What a shame to miss seeing the constellations! A ‘constellation’ is a group of stars that appear to form a picture. Modern astronomers world-wide recognize 88 constellations, each occupying a designated area in the sky. The constellations seen from the northern hemisphere are the ones that inhabit mythologies from Europe and North America. Most constellations are seen seasonally, like Orion in the Winter, while some, like the Great Bear/Ursa Major, are seen all year ’round. In some cases, stars within one constellation form an ‘asterism‘, meaning that they make a separate recognizable shape. One example of this is the Summer Triangle. It is not a constellation. It appears as three bright stats that mark the points of a huge triangle. Each of the stars is in a different constellation: Vega is in Lyra, the Lyre; Altair is in Aquilla the Eagle; Deneb is in Cygnus, the Swan. The latter two are involved in the Japanese/Chinese legend of the Princess and the Herdsman. You have to look hard to see the other stars in those constellations, but the Summer Triangle stands out bright and clear. As the name implies, one views the asterism during the Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. All season long, it glides across the sky from East to West. As the Earth moves around the sun, we get to look upon different parts of the universe, which is why the stars change season to season and appear to move from night to night. Sometimes, you can see the Milky Way running right through the Summer Triangle, which is spectacular to see.

For our foods in honor of the Summer triangle, a breakfast with only three ingredients, and a dinner cut into triangles.

Mongol Morning: 158 calories… 1 g fat… 2.5 g fiber… 10 g protein… 34.5 g carbs… 229 mg Calcium…  PB The Mongols were nomadic herders and ate dairy products at all meals. This breakfast is based on dairy, ‘foraged’ plants, and a traditional bread. It is very good.

++1 Mongol flatbread** ++++ ½ c plain yogurt ++++ ¼ c blueberries/strawberries++++ ¼ c microgreens ++++   Optional: 3 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [44 calories] ++++  Optional: blackish coffee  [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

Prepare the flatbread or take from ‘fridge. Plate with yogurt, berries, and greens for an excellent breakfast.

Mongol Flatbread: makes 9 breads  1 of 9 = 86 calories– 1 g fat– 1.3 g fiber– 4 g protein– 21 g carbs– 26.4 mg Calcium–  PB The recipe is from ucook.com. The result is delicious. Just great as a flatbread accompaniment with a shish kabab, but I would be willing to eat them like pancakes for breakfast.

1 c white whole wheat flour—½ c white flour—1 tsp honey–1½ tsp yeast–1 tsp saltCombine these together in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. 
½ c + 2 Tbsp milk— ½ c + 2 T water .Warm milk and water slightly Add to flour mixture and whisk vigorously, 5 mins, to make a smooth batter. 
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place 2 hours, while dough doubles and bubbles.
Whisk batter 1 minute and it’s ready to go
¼ tsp vegetable oil Put oil in a nonstick frying pan over med-low heat, then wipe out with a paper towel. Fry ¼ cup of batter at a time a few minutes on each side, until well browned. Wipe pan at whiles with the oiled paper towel.

Pizza with Vegetable Topping: 300 calories… 13 g fat… 4 g fiber… 14 g protein… 19 g carbs… 269 mg Calcium…  PB Another winner from the Fast Diet book. The pizza shells are either whole grain wraps or corn tortillas. BE CAREFUL about the calorie and fat content when shopping! I get 8″ whole wheat “fajita-style” tortillas. Each has 170 cal and 5 gm protein. Each person gets ONE of these pizzas. OR you could get 6″ yellow corn tortillas. Each of those has 65 cal and each person gets TWO and ONE HALF pizzas.

++1 whole wheat/grain tortilla at 170-cal [per person] ++++ 1-2 Tbsp tomato puree HINT: buy a can of puree and freeze in small portions ++++ 1 oz mozzerella, grated++++½ oz mushrooms, chopped or sliced ++++ 1 ½ oz red pepper, cooked and chopped++++1 oz spinach, steamed, squeezed and chopped ++++ 1 Tbsp red onion, chopped ++

Set the oven at 400F. Put tortilla on an ungreased baking sheet. Put 1 dollop of tomato purée on each tortilla and spread it around. Toss together mozzarella, mushrooms, red pepper, spinach, and onion. HINT: Sometimes I cook and chop all the veg and put them in a bag in the freezer to save time on a FAST day. Divide the mixture among the tortillas and bake 5-10 mins at 400F.

Arrival Day

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

August 6 was always a day for celebration for members of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, It marked the day in 1774, that Mother Ann Lee and her small band of followers landed in New York harbor. They lived there for a few years, then moved north to Watervliet, New York, where they established the first Shaker Community in the United States — or anywhere else. As the sect grew to enormous numbers by the early 1800s, the members were always sure to celebrate the Glorious Sixth, aka: Arrival Day or Landing Day. At all 20 communities, a special meeting was held, the congregation would sing, and a Mother Ann cake was served. Today, many of the original communities are gone, except for an historical plaque, but there are eight sites where the original villages are more or less intact and visitors are welcomed. There is only one Shaker Community that exists with live Shakers, found at Sabbathday Lake, Maine. The three members there continue their religious life. According to Wikipedia, the daily schedule of a Shaker in Sabbathday Lake Village is as follows: **The day begins at 7:30 am; the Great Bell on Dwelling House rings, calling everyone to breakfast. **At 8:00 am morning prayers start. Two Psalms are read, then passages are read from elsewhere in the Bible. Following this is communal prayer and silent prayer, concluded with the singing of a Shaker hymn. **Work for the Shakers begins at 8:30. **Work stops at 11:30 for midday prayers. **Lunch begins at 12:00. This is the main meal for the Shakers. **Work continues at 1:00 pm. **At 6:00 it is supper time, the last meal of the day.

Shakers, like many agrarian people of their time, ate what they grew and grew what they ate. During the early 1800s, when the Shakers were flourishing, people were beginning to leave the land in droves to find jobs in the new factories of the cities. The Shaker way of food production and consumption was becoming a thing of the past. Our meals, taken from their repertoire, show how good simple foods can be.

Shaker Tomato Pudding: 246 calories… 14 g fat… 4 g fiber… 9.7 g protein… 23.5 g carbs… 70 mg Calcium…  PB  GF – if using GF bread Shakers grew everything that they ate. Here the tomatoes and herbs of summer are baked with an egg to bind them. The Best of Shaker Cooking, Amy Bess Miller + Persis Fuller has many recipes – from soups to desserts. This recipe is in the “Vegetable” section of the book, but I have adapted it for breakfast. The Shakers would have served it with herbal tea. Here is a happy way to begin a Summer day.

Sv 16” pie plate, sprayed with cooking spray
1 cup/5 oz tomatoes, dicedCut tomatoes and put into a sieve over a bowl overnight to expell extra liquid.
2 Tbsp onion, grated or finely minced—2 tsp brown sugar—
2 tsp fresh basil, chopped—2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped		Stir tomatoes into these.
½ oz/ 1/3 cup 70-calorie whole-grain bread—2 tsp butter, meltedCut bread in small cubes. Stir together to combine thoroughly. Fold into tomato mixture.
One 2-oz egg salt + pepperWhisk these together until frothy, stir into tomato mixture. Scrape into the small pie plate.
Bake at 350F 18-20 minutes, until set.

Asparagus Soup:  278 calories…  1.5 g fat… 5.5 g fiber… 22 g protein… 27 g carb… 277 mg Calcium…  PB  GF — if using GF crackers  This fabulous soup is from Salute to Healthy Cooking and we have been loving it for years.  Despite its rich taste, it is very low in calories and fat. I ramped up the protein to make it suitable for a main course.  HINT: the recipe makes enough for 6 one-cup servings. Freezes very well for easy meals later. I serve it here with Finn Crisp crackers covered with melted cheese. If you want to eliminate them, go ahead. With global food availability, this soup is delicious taste any time of year.

Yield: 6 cups soup
1½ pounds asparagusSnap off woody ends of asparagus and cut spears roughly in half. 
5 cups chicken stock—½ cup onion, roughly choppedPour stock into a sauce pan. Add the onion and asparagus.
4 oz raw chicken breast cut into 4 piecesPut chicken atop vegetables so it will steam/poach.
¼ cup canned white beans, rinsed and drainedAdd beans. Bring liquid to a simmer and put on a lid.
Take out cooked chicken, put it in a blender, but do not process yet.
Cooked asparagus/onions/beansWhen cooked, scoop out to put in blender, but do not process.
1 cup potato in 1“ dicePut potato in pot, cook until soft.
Add stock and potatoes to blender. Process until smooth. 
salt & pepper to tasteReturn to pan and season to taste. Cool and divide into 6 portions: one for your meal today and five for the freezer.
Optional: 1 oz slice Swiss cheese —-Optional 2 Finn Crisp crackers To serve, warm soup gently. Adjust seasonings. Cut cheese slice into 4×2” strips, put a portion on each cracker. Warm in oven until cheese melts.
Optional 1 Tbsp Boursin Light cheese Plop a dollop of Boursin in center of soup in the bowl, and stir with a fork to melt cheese and marble the soup.

Marie Tharp

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

Perseverance and insight were the keys to success for Marie Tharp, explaining how she went from being a simple cartographer to over-turning the entire field of Earth Science in the 1970s. Marie was born on July 30, 1920, in Michigan, but she did not stay there long. Her father was a soil surveyor with the US Department of Agriculture. He moved his family frequently so that he could do field work on the nature and extent of soil bodies. Little Marie would go out into the field with him often, although at the time she was not interested in science. At the University of Ohio, she first studied art, then German [her mother had been a German teacher], and at last she discovered geology. This was not a field open to women at that time, so her professor suggested that she take the course in drafting [drawing geologic maps] to maximize her job opportunities. By then, WWII was on, and the University of Michigan advertised for women to study petroleum geology. Marie applied and received a Master’s Degree. Her first job was in Oklahoma to work for Stanolind Oil. As a woman, Tharp was given desk work and she dealt with boredom by earning a degree in math from University of Tulsa. In 1948, she accepted a job with Lamont Geological Laboratory (now the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University) — hired not as a research scientist, but as research assistant to help undergraduate boys with their work. Again, she was bored, so she quit. Quickly rehired, Tharp was assigned to work with Bruce Heezen who was working on a project to lay under-sea cables. To do that, they had to know what the sea floor looked like — and no one knew. Alfred Wegener had put out his theory that the sea floors were flat and that the continents slid around over them, sometimes bumping into each other. These ideas were considered absurd. Using the new technology of radar/sonar soundings, Heezen set out to study the floor of the North Atlantic. He and his crew sailed across the ocean, taking soundings all the way. It would have made sense for his cartographer, Marie, to be on board to work with these data, but women were not allowed as crew on research vessels. When she finally received the data, Tharp used them to draw a profile of the sea floor. It wasn’t flat! In the middle of the ocean was a high mountain range, with a deep valley in the center. Heezen did five more trans-ocean voyages, and Marie’s cross-sections showed the same thing each time. Then Heezen compared the location of this central valley with earthquake data, and found that there was a correlation. What was the connection? When Tharp suggested that the valley was a ‘rift’ in the Earth’s crust, where the crust was moving, Heezen dismissed the idea as ‘girl talk’, worried that such an idea would bring scorn and ridicule. Marie persevered, making a map — based on Heezen’s data and her insights — of the Atlantic Ocean sea floor that showed a 10,000 mile long ridge with a rift valley in the center. When it was presented in 1956 at a conference, it was greeted with surprise and disbelief. Twenty more years of research and cartography ensued, and when in 1977, the most complete map of the sea floor was produced, the long-held ideas were overturned, and the field of “Plate Tectonics” was born. Without Marie Tharp’s maps we would not have a fuller understanding of how the crust’s plates move, or how such motion causes mountain ranges. Also, I would not have had such interesting topics to teach to my Earth Science students! There have been several major earthquakes lately, and volcanic activity, all located on plate boundaries such as rift valleys or convergences. Rather than thinking that they were random events, we know their cause — even if we cannot predict them or stop them from happening.

Our breakfast is from the Asores, volcanic islands in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. Tharp’s map showed that they were located where three plates came together, causing a volcanic hot spot where lava built up the islands. Our dinner features seafood — what better way to honor the maker of the most famous map of the sea floor?

Azorean Queso Egg:  158 calories… 8.5 g fat… 1 g fiber… 10 g protein… 10.4 g carbs… 71 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values shown are for the plated foods, not for the optional beverages. PB GF Two of the favorite flavors of the Azores combine for this egg dish, and the pineapple completes the triad.

++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ 1.5 tsp Queso Fresco ++++ 1 tsp Chorizo Paste ++++ 1½ tsp  Pimenta do Quejio sauce ++++ 2 oz pineapple -OR- ¼ cup blueberries -OR- 1.5 oz banana ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait[65 calories] ++

Cream the cheese, chorizo paste, and Pimenta sauce until smooth. Whisk in the egg, then bake in an oven-proof dish or cook in a saute pan. Slice the fruit and sip some Brazilian coffee for a delicious meal. Pass the Pimenta Sauce!

Haddock w/ Farro & Chickpeas: 252 calories… 3.6 g fat… 7 g fiber… 19 g protein… 38.4 g carbs… 37.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF The whole grains and chickpeas help to make a small amount of fish taste like a lot more. Then you add a vegetable of your choice. Good stuff.

++ ¾ cup chickpea ragout ++++ ½ c cooked farro ++++ 2.5 oz raw haddock ++++ PLUS: 2 oz broccoli OR 2½ oz carrots OR 2½ oz green beans OR 2 oz beets  each adds about 20 calories and an average of 2 g fiber to the meal

Cook the farro in one pan and the vegetable in another. Combine the cooked farro with the chickpea ragout and season to taste.  If the fish is raw, place on top of farro-ragout in a pan, cover and cook until everything is warm and fish is cooked.  If fish is cooked, add to cooked vegetables and heat gently. Plate alongside vegetables.

Star-Crossed Lovers: Cyrano & Roxanne

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

My mother told me that there are seven basic plots in literature, and one of them is the story of the “Star-Crossed Lovers.” This plot centers around two people who are in love yet fate intervenes, in one way or another, to keep them apart. Shakespeare coined the term, implying that one’s astrology [one’s stars] controlled one’s destiny. In literature there are star-crossed lovers, and one such famous pair is found in the story of Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxanne. Edmond Rostand‘s plot, set in Paris, France in the 1600s, [loosely based on an actual man]. Cyrano, our hero, is a well-known nobleman, famous for his wit, his swordsmanship, and his huge disfiguring nose. He is secretly in love with his cousin Roxanne, his life-long friend. Cyrano is afraid to declare his love because he fears that she will think him too ugly to marry. Also in love with Roxanne is the good-looking young soldier, Christian. He is afraid to declare his love because he fears that he will be too tongue-tied and foolish to say the right words for wooing. Roxanne confides in Cyrano that she thinks Christian is cute and she wants a relationship with him. The crest-fallen Cyrano is convinced by Christian to write love notes to Roxanne as if they came from Christian. The ruse works so well that Roxanne falls in love with Christian’s supposed way with words, especially an unsigned letter that Cyrano had written to her expressing his own feelings. When a monk arrives with a missive stating that Christian’s commanding officer wants Roxanne for his mistress, Roxanne has the monk marry her to Christian on the spot. Their union is unconsummated because Christian goes to war within the hour. Christian is killed in battle so Roxanne goes into a convent, consoled only by the beautiful words of ‘his’ letter. Fifteen years later, Cyrano and Roxanne have a visit. Cyrano is mortally wounded and dying, but Roxanne does not know it. She tells him of her continued love for Christian, and asks Cyrano to read the letter to her. In the dark of her nun’s cell, Cyrano recites the letter from memory. Only then does Roxanne realize that she had been in love with Cyrano all this time, his soul being more beautiful than his face. She tells him, and he dies content. This story, originally a play, has been made into 12 movies and 4 operas. In this example of the genre, the lovers are kept apart due to fear of ridicule on his part, and her shallowness — not seeing that beauty is only skin deep.

Our meals today are French, of course, and might have been enjoyed in the Bergerac Region of that country, where ingredients come from the forests, the Atlantic seacoast, and the Mediterranean. The breakfast is a classic, and the dinner was suggested by an offering seen at Daguerre Marée on Rue Daguerre, Paris. The establishment has two parts: a sit-down restaurant and a seafood market selling ingredients and prepared meals — of which this was one.

Cepe Omelette: 173 calories… 9.5 g fat… 1.5 g fiber … 15 g protein… 8.4 g carbs… 109.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF Cepes [aka: ceps, porcini] are a divine mushroom. Like many good foods, they exist in a brief moment and must be savored in real time. True, they can be dried for later… But today we will be Zen-like and enjoy them now.

++ 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. ++++ 2oz sliced, raw cepes… 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, freshly grated… 3 Tbsp 2%-fat cottage cheese… 1 tsp sage, chopped… salt & pepper… 2 oz melon OR 2 oz peach OR 4 cherries… Optional:  blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]…  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]…

Spritz a non-stick pan well with cooking spray. Whisk the eggs with parsley, salt, pepper, Parmesan, and cottage cheese. Cook mushrooms in the pan until tender [1 minute?] and pour in the egg mixture. Let the bottom of the eggs get firm, lifting the edges to let the raw egg run underneath. Either flip the eggs to cook on the other side, or leave the upperside soft when you fold and plate it with the fruit. With or without the optional beverages, this is a rare Summer treat

Mussels & Mediterranean Vegetable with Polenta: 294 calories… 7 g fat… 7.5 g fiber… 20.5 g protein… 39 g carbs… 120 mg Calcium…  PB GF   When I saw a tray of mussels mixed with Mediterranean Vegetables at a Parisian food stall, I realized how easy it would be to prepare it at home in New Hampshire. Adding polenta or pasta rounds out the menu. At home, I was not disapointed by this generous meal.

++ 2 squares polenta** ++++ ¾ cup Mediterranean Vegetables ++++ 113 g cooked mussels, removed from shells ++++ side salad with cucumbers and blueberries ++++ 1½ tsp Parmesan cheese, grated ++

Put polenta in a lightly-oiled pan to heat thoroughly over medium-low. Put Med Veg in a small saucepan with the mussels and heat through over medium low. Prepare the salad and toss. Plate the poleta, top with vegetable-mussel mixture as you will. Sprinkle with cheese. Ahhh.

**POLENTA: recipe from Bob’s Red Mill each slice [2.25x3x0.25”] = 43 calories..0.2 g fat..1 g fiber..1 g protein ..9 g carbs..0 Calcium  PB GF Use with pasta sauce, instead of pasta; as a side starch; for Pocahantus’ Breakfast.

12 pieces, Sv 6-12 2-qt saucepan + 9×13” pan + non-stick skillet
3 c water or vegetable stock—– 1 tsp salt—1 cup dry polenta Bring salted liquid to a boil in saucepan. Add polenta, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring after each addition.
Optional: dried herbs—–crushed red papper flakesOnce all polenta is in, turn down heat to its lowest [I used smallest burner on its lowest setting], cook 30 mins. Stir often: to avoid lumps, to scrape down sides, to prevent sticking. Unlike risotto, it does not need constant stirring.
After 30 mins, polenta will be very thick – spoon will stand up by itself. Cook 2-3 mins more.
Olive oilBrush a very thin layer of oil on a 9×13” baking pan, and turn the polenta into it. Nudge batter into corners, smooth out top. Let it cool and solidify.
Cut into 12 squares. Heat a non-stick skillet, spray with cooking spray. Cook polenta squares until they begin to take on a little color and are heated through.
Individually wrap pieces and freeze cooked or uncooked, until needed.

Emmy Noether

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

How far will determination and perseverance get you? All the way to the pinnacle of achievement in your field — even if you are a woman. Amalie Emmy Noether was born in 1882 in Erlangen, Franconia, then in the Kingdom of Bavaria. Her father was a mathematics professor at the university there, and perhaps he sparked his daughter’s love of the field. But there was a catch — women couldn’t attend universities [it was thought that co-education would “overthrow all academic order”] and no women were mathematicians. After training to teach French and English to children, Emmy, as she styled herself, audited math courses at Erlangen University. Auditing permitted her to listen to lectures but not act like a part of the class. Also, to attend a class, she had to get the permission of the professor, and he could deny her the privilege. When her studies were concluded, she sat for the exam that would grant her a diploma — a she passed. In July 1903, Noether became the second woman to receive a Doctorate in Mathematics from any German university. Now Emmy wanted to be a professor. Not so fast! By now, women were admitted as students, but no women were permitted to teach university — unless the course were listed under the name of a male professor, with his permission, of course. For seven years, Dr Noether taught at the Mathematical Institute of Erlangen, gaining experience but not a single paycheck. In 1910, she began to publish and her work was well-regarded. In 1915, she was invited to teach at Mathematical Institute at Göttingen University where she collaborated with prominent professors on mathematic proofs for Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. On July 23,1918, Emmy proved herself to be worthy of respect by writing a paper ‘proving’ what is now known as Noether’s Theorem. At last, in 1922, Emmy was named as an adjunct at Göttingen, the first woman to be a professor. She had a cadre of devoted doctoral students, known as Noether’s Boys, who went on to make names for themselves in the field. In 1933, the Nazis began putting pressure on Jewish professors to resign, so Emmy took a position at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, USA. She taught abstract algebra, working in group theory, ring theory, group representations, and number theory — an all-women’s college!! with female professors!! — until her death in 1935. Emmy Noether was seen as stern and focused, but those who knew her enjoyed her down-to-earth nature, sense of fun, and love of dancing. That stern focus? How else could she overcome all the obstacles that life put in front of her?

Our menus today are from Emmy’s home country. Perhaps she ate our Franconian breakfast. She would not have eaten the dinner due to Kosher food restrictions, but we can.

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 alone and do not include the optional beverages.  – PB GF – 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 ++++ 1 oz smoked trout ++++ 2 Tbsp 2%-fat small-curd cottage cheese ++++ 1 Tbsp snipped chives ++++ 2 oz plum ++++  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]

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…  PB GF – if using GF bread Onion and pork are a fine combination, and very popular across Germany. This unusual recipe is from Bamberg, Franconia, adapted from one offered by the Schlenkerla Brewery.  HINT: Serves two [2] people.

2 lg onions, 6 oz each after trimming + peelingPeel papery skin off onions, cut off both ends. Parboil onions until almost tender. Scoop out insides of the onions until the sides are two layers thick.
112 g/4 oz pork —– 44 g/1½ oz smoked pork/ham Put pork and smoked pork/ham with insides of the onion through meat grinder/processor.
Salt & pepper—-½ tsp each mace & marjoram
3 oz eggs = 1½ eggs
1 slice 70-cal wh-wh 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 a little water, uncovered, ~25 mins at 200°C/400F until onion is very soft.
1 sl 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 stuffingForm remaining meat filling into 2 equal patties, cook gently in bacon fat until done. Put in center of serving plate.
4 Tbsp brown meat stock—-2-4 tsp wh-wh flour—pinch mace + pinch clovesRemove onions from skillet and place on top of the meat patties. Add stock, flour, spices to the skillet. Heat on stovetop, stirring, to form a thick gravy.
2 oz carrot coins per personServe surrounded with carrots and topped with gravy

Religions: Church of Christ, Scientist

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

The 1800s saw a religious revival in the United States. Existing religions flourished and new religions began. Mary Morse Baker was born in Bow, NH on July 16, 1821. Her parents were farmers, pious members of the Congregational Church. In her youth, Mary was often ill, to the extent that her older brother home-schooled her. Long days in bed gave her hours to read the Bible and she began to question the doctrine of predestination. At age 22, Mary married George Glover, a builder, and they moved to South Carolina. Within nine months, he was dead and their child was born. Without resources and in poor health, Mary Glover moved back to her parents’ home. After her mother’s death, Mary’s lack of support forced to give her child away to friends. In four years, she married again hoping for financial and emotional stability.The couple moved to Massachusetts and in 10 years, Mary divorced her husband due to his infidelity. During the Civil War, Mary visited a healer in Maine. Sometimes his efforts eased her pain, sometimes not. This taught Mary that ‘healing’ is partly in the mind and based on trust in the healer, perhaps having a religious element. A slip on the ice in Lynn, Massachusetts left her with damage to her spine and pelvis. The doctor feared that she would die, or at least never walk again. She called for her Bible and read all the passages about Jesus healing the sick. After a few days, Mary arose, got herself dressed, and walked out of the room — to the astonishment of all. For the next several years, she flirted with spiritualism and the work of mediums, questing for a religious or spiritual connection to her life and her having been healed. In 1875, Mary self-published her first book: Science and Health, which described her evolving belief that medical doctors and their medicines were unnecessary. If one believed enough in God, Christ would heal one’s illnesses. This was her new ‘science’, and she began to teach others how to be healers. She married one of her students, Asa Eddy, who was 10 years her junior. Mrs Eddy founded the  Massachusetts Metaphysical College in 1881, and moved to Boston. In concert with her ideas that religion could heal, Eddy wished to turn her healing into a religion. She and her students transformed the Metaphysical College into The First Church of Christ, Scientist. Stepping aside from day to day church work, Eddy turned to publishing, founding weekly and monthly magazines filled with testimonials, then her lasting contribution to media: the Christian Science Monitor, a well-regarded daily newspaper. Eddy retired to a farm in Concord, NH which she called Pleasant View. She died of pneumonia in 1910, but her church continues with 400,000 members world-wide.

According to Minnie B. Weygandt, the cook at Pleasant View, Mary Baker Eddy enjoyed having pie on the table at every meal, as well as traditional New England fare. Thus we will have ‘pie’ at breakfast and a real old-fashioned dish for dinner.

Pumpkin Pie Breakfast: 216 calories… 4 g fat… 2 g fiber… 7.4 g protein… 38.5 g carbs… 98.5 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF  My mother developed this recipe and to me it is the Gold Standard of pumpkin pies: smooth, creamy, and redolent of spices.  When prepared without a crust, it becomes more suitable for a Fast Day. NB: Mind the calories in the optional beverages to stay under 300 for the meal.

++ 1 ramekin of Pumpkin Pie ** ++++ 1 chicken breakfast sausage [36 calories each] ++ ++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++ 

Remove a ramekin of custard from ‘fridge and place on a plate. Do this first to take off some of the chill. Cook the sausage and prepare the optional beverage. Enjoy being a ‘Yankee’ who has pie for breakfast.

**Pumpkin Pie Custards makes 6 ramekinsHeat oven to 400 F. Spritz 6 ramekins with non-stick spray.
1½ cups pumpkin puree—-½ cup brown sugar, not packed—½ cup white sugar—-Canned pumpkin puree is perfectly acceptable. Combine in a sauce pan and heat at a low setting.
1 cup milk, non-fat—-2 two-ounce eggsWhisk together, then stir into the pumpkin.Take sauce pan off heat.
¼ tsp ground mace— ½ tsp ground nutmeg—-1 tsp ground ginger—- ½ tsp salt—-pinch ground cloves—-1 tsp ground cinnamon—- pinch ground allspice–Stir the spices into the mixture. Taste to see if any flavors need to be adjusted.
Divide among ramekins. Put in oven, bake 10 minutes.
Turn oven down to 350F, bake 20 minutes or until a knife poked in the center comes out clean.
36-calorie breakfast sausage—beverage of choiceCool custards and refrigerate. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Red Flannel Hash & Egg: 249 calories… 9 g fat… 2 g fiber… 12.6 g protein… 18 g carbs… 43 mg Calcium…  PB GF This is a venerable New England farm meal, with the recipe coming from Hayden Pearson’s Country Flavors Cookbook.

++ 1 cup cooked diced beets (1/3” dice) ++++ 1/3 cup diced potatoes ++++ (1/3” dice) ++++ ¼ cup diced onions ++++ 2 slices Canadian Bacon/back bacon, diced ++++ one 2-oz egg ++++ lots of salt and pepper to taste ++

Cook, peel, and dice the beets and set aside to cool. [HINT: do this the day before] Peel and dice the potatoes. Put into a pan of tap water and put the pan on the burner. Turn on the heat and let the pan sit, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the water starts to boil around the edges. Take off the heat and leave potatoes to cool in the water. Then drain and set aside. Dice the onions and bacon. Spray a saute pan with non-stick spray and add the Canadian bacon. Cook it as crisp as you wish, or not so crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside. Add the onions with 2-3 Tbsp water, and cook until the onions are transluscent and the water is mostly gone. Now put the potatoes in the pan with the onions, add salt and pepper to taste. Stir until the potatoes are cooked. Add the beets and bacon to the pan and continue to cook until heated through. Meanwhile, fry the egg: sunnyside-up or over easy as you prefer. Plate the hash and top with the egg. Country dining.

Julius Caesar

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

Everybody thinks they know when [and how] Julius Caesar died, but few know when he was born. His father was Gaius Julius Caesar, a well-known politician whose family/Clan was not particularly influential. ‘Julius’ [spelled ‘Iulius’ then, as there was no “J” in the Roman alphabet] was the name of their Clan, so the son of the family had to be named Julius. From his birth in Rome on July 13, 100 BCE, the younger Gaius Julius had to fight for any prestige he may have gained. When he was 16 years old, Julius’ father died and the youth married Cornelia, a risky proposition since her Clan was at odds with the ruling government. In an effort to ‘lie low’ for a while, Julius joined the army, serving in parts of modern Türkiye. He demonstrated his brash, take-charge personality when he was kidnapped by pirates. Julius raised his ransom money, then raised a private navy to defeat the pirates and kill them all. Back in Rome, the time of factions and conspiracies and corruption continued, which Julius had to navigate to rise further. Scandal and financial issues compounded his problems and lead to divorce from his second wife. At age 31, Julius was appointed governor of the province of Spain. Upon his return to Rome, Julius formed a team of rivals and they were elected as consuls, part of the council that ruled Rome. He was granted lands in northern Italy which gave him access to income and the chance to recruit his own militia. Between ages 46 and 51, Julius conquered Gaul, crossed the Rubicon, showing himself to be the kind of mover and shaker that Roman leaders had never faced before. The team of rivals dissolved into true rivalry, and Julius spent the next few years chasing his frenemy Pompey all around the Mediterranean. Yes, Julius did meet and woo Cleopatra in Egypt. His last few years were spent going here and there, stamping out rebellions that challenged his power. At last, he was named ‘dictator’, a temporary [6-month term limit] position which gave him the power to recreate the government as he thought it should be. The world never got to find out how his reorganization would work, due to his  assassination. Today, the word ‘dictator’ has a negative, often evil connotation, yet one Western leader embraced being called a dictator. Didn’t he know that it was meant to be only a short-term appointment, returning afterward to a democratic government?

Our meals are reminiscent of Caesar’s conquest of Gaul. The invasion Brittany congers visions of strawberries and crepes, two local specialties. The dinner remembers the duel between Caesar and Vercingetorix, which involved a stewed chicken. Vercingetorix and his army were besieged, but they tossed a dead rooster over the siege wall to show that the Gauls weren’t out of food yet. Then Caesar invited his enemy to a dinner of chicken stewed in Roman wine to show that the Romans were superior.

Strawberry Crepe: 193 calories… 7.5 g fat… 2 g fiber… 9.5 g protein… 23 g carbs… 211 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  Isn’t it a treat to enjoy ‘Strawberries & Cream’ once in a while? If you haven’t made the crepes already, this is a good reason to try them. Mine were ready in the freezer.

++ 1 sweet crepe*** ++++ 2 Tbsp reduced fat ricotta cheese ++++ 3 Tbsp vanilla low-fat yogurt ++++ 3 oz strawberries, sliced and put in a sieve over a bowl, especially if frozen ++++ 1 slice uncured bacon or 1 slice ‘Canadian’ bacon ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++ 

Stir the ricotta and yogurt together. Add most of the berries, saving some for garnish. If there is a lot of juice, cook it down slowly to make a little syrup. Cook the bacon. Place the crepe on the plate and spoon the cream filling onto it. Fold over the crepe and top with the extra berries and syrup. Plate with the bacon and prepare your hot beverage of choice.

**CREPES, SWEET: makes 16 eight-inch crepes 
100 g white whole wheat flour —- 54 g white flour —- 2 tsp vanilla sugarWhisk flour and sugar together. 
14 fl oz/416 g skimmed milk Add milk and whisk until combined. 
2 two-oz eggsAdd eggs one at a time.Whisk vigorously until batter runs off whisk in ropes. Let rest up to 60 mins.
Heat a small cast-iron pan or ceramic saute pan. Spritz with oil, then wipe out pan with paper towel. 
Dip a ¼ cup measure into batter and let extra drain off.
Grasp handle of cook pan with one hand as you slowly pour batter into center of pan. Tilt pan in a swirling motion to let batter form a circle roughly 6” in diameter. Don’t get hung up on perfectly round or perfectly flat. Watch it cook and look to see when edges start to dry and curl a bit. 
Using a heat-resistant but non-scratching tool [I use my fingers], turn crepe over. Cook other side and remove. 
each = 53 calories… 0.8 g fat… 1 g fiber… 6 g protein… 8.5 g carbs… 38 mg Calcium…Cook remaining batter, wiping pan with paper towel, every few times.

Chicken Provincal: 252 calories… 12.5 g fat… 4 g fiber… 25.4 g protein… 15 g carbs… 57 mg Calcium…  PB GF  This recipe is from the Culinary Institute of America, with a few tweeks by me. It glows with the warm tastes of Province.  HINT: This recipe serves two [2] diners.

++ 6 oz chicken breast, boneless & skinless ++++ 1½ Tbsp white whole wheat flour ++++ 2 tsp olive oil ++++ 1 garlic clove, minced ++++ 1 anchovy fillet ++++ 2 Tbsp dry white wine ++++ 1 c tomatoes, chopped, juice retained ++++ ¼ c. chicken stock ++++ 5 cured black olives, sliced ++++ pinch salt ++++ 2 pinches rosemary ++++  per person: 2 oz broccoli florets ++

Fillet the chicken breast meat by cutting it along the thin side [parallel to the cutting board] to create 2 slices each ½” thick. These will cook faster, and look like more food on the plate! Sprinkle flour over the chicken to coat it lightly on both sides. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet and cook the chicken on one side for 3 minutes. Turn to cook the other side, remove from pan. Put the garlic, anchovy, tomatoes, and wine in the pan, then add the chicken stock, olives, and rosemary. If there is flour left over from coating the chicken, stir it into the sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens. Return the chicken to the pan to heat it briefly. If the sauce is in danger of cooking off, add some tomato juices or water or more stock. Cook broccoli and enjoy your meal from southern France.