French-inspired foods for a Fasting Diet

Bastille 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. Welcome to prishajan who is now Following.

Storming the Bastille, July 14, 1792.

My first trip to Paris, France, was in a study/tour group of college students. Paris was to be our home for four weeks of classes in French language and culture. After an over-night train from Italy, we arrived in the City of Light on Bastille Day, July 14th. We were all tired, but determined to make the most of France’s Independence Day. My Francophile uncle had told me that there would be fireworks, and the best way to see them was from a bridge over the Seine. So in the evening, a group of us set out to find a bridge. There were many Parisians there, of course, and we surely stuck out as Americans — our clothing, our loud chatter. And then the pyrotechnics began. It is usual in the States for the crowd to exclaim when a rocket explodes, so as one, we said, “Ooooooh!!” The Parisians turned and looked at us quizzically…. And then we did it again. By the third report, we realized that this was not accepted as normal behavior, so we tried to stifle ourselves, with limited success. Lesson #1 in French culture. Afterward, the boy from Texas said, “Let’s go get ourselves some pizza!” Old habits and expectations die hard when Americans visit Paris, but why go to another country and expect it to be just like home? The fun of traveling is discovering the cultural differences — and similarities — in other countries. I don’t remember the pizza, but I vividly remember my first day and evening in Paris.

Our breakfast is a meal associated with France, although it is from Lorraine, a region that is as German as it is French. Our dinner is an unusual combination of flavors and textures, not what an American might expect. But then, we have a lot to learn about French culture.

Bake Lorraine: 180 calories… 11 g fat… 1 g fiber… 12.5 g protein… 7.6 g carbs… 193 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values shown are for the egg bake and the fruit, not for the optional beverages. PB GF You’ve heard of Quiche Lorraine? Well, here it is, crustless, with all the flavor intact. Very do-able for breakfast. Make sure your next meal has lots of fiber, as this has next to none.

++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ ½ slice uncured bacon ++++ 3 Tbsp whole milk ++++ ½ oz Swiss cheese [Emmenthaler, Gruyere] ++++ pinch cayenne pepper ++ pinch nutmeg ++++ 2 oz strawberries ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait[65 calories] ++

Dice the bacon and cook it until crispy. Grate or finely chop the cheese. Spray an oven-proof dish with non-stick spray and put the cheese on the bottom. Whisk together the egg, milk, and seasonings. Pour over the cheese, then sprinkle the bacon on top.  HINT: I did all this the night before. Bake in a 350F oven for 17 minutes. Plate with the fruit. A creamy, delicious treat!

Broiled Fish w/ Grapes:  with potatoes: 216 calories… 1 g fat… 2 g fiber… 23.5 g protein… 32 g carbs… 53 mg Calcium… –OR–  with Camargue rice: 279 calories… 2 g fat… 2.5 g fiber… 24 g protein… 45.4 g carbs… 53 mg Calcium…  PB GF  Enzo MacLeod, Peter May’s Scottish-expat forensic expert who lives in France, prepared this meal for a family dinner at home. For a side dish, Enzo serves boiled potatoes, but you could substitute Camargue red rice.

++ 4 oz thin filets of white fish ++++ 2 Tbsp lime juice ++++ 2 tsp fresh ginger root, minced ++++ 4 oz white/green grapes ++++ 2 oz potatoes, either small ‘new’ potatoes or cubed red potato OR 1 oz by volume/2 Tsp uncooked Camargue rice, cooked in 3 oz water for 35 minutes ++

Stir together the juice and ginger and pour into a shallow dish such as a glass pie plate or a cast iron skillet. Lay the fish in the marinade and let sit 30-60 minutes, turning the fish half-way through. Boil the potatoes or rice until tender, drain. Season, and keep warm. Put the grapes around the sides of the fish in the baking dish. Broil 5-6 minutes, until the fish is cooked. Serve with the starch of your choice and consume with pleasure.

Francois, premier

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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.

Francis I [François 1er] of France was born on September 12, 1494, in Cognac [modern day Charente, then Aquitaine]. The Renaissance in Europe had begun, and he grew into it as he grew up. His education was wide-ranging and in depth: four languages, Italian art, geography, history; the arts of chivalry and dancing; philosophy, theology, and science. François ascended the throne in 1515, and set out to make his mark on the world. Many of the great issues of the future were begun during his reign: the Protestant Reformation, European expansion to the New World, the use of national languages as opposed to latin. At first, François was inclined to give the Protestants some leeway until 1534, when he thought they were out to overthrow him. François funded voyages of exploration in the Americas, and promoted the settling of what is now Canada. By decree, government offices were ordered to use French as the official language, keeping more thorough records and vital statistics. These issues brought France out of the Middle Ages and into the post-Medieval world. In art, he promoted the Italian style and he brought Leonardo da Vinci to France. In architecture, he built or redesigned what the world pictures when one hears of “French chateaux”: Chateau of Blois, Chateau of Chambord, Chateau of Amboise. These magnificent houses are the epitome of French Renaissance architecture and are marked with François’ emblem: the salamander. François premier was a womanizer and a humanist. He had been a hostage and a warrior. François tore down and he built up. He left an indelible imprint on France and was truly a man of the Renaissance.

We will enjoy some of the flavors of Charente, François’ home region: truffles at breakfast [preferably served with their famous Charentais melons], and oysters for dinner.

Truffled Omelette: 146 calories… 9.4 g fat… 1 g fiber… 9.5 g protein… 6 g carbs… 43.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF Truffle cream adds amazing flavor to food and just a little gives a big kick. This is a simple meal with a complex taste.

++ 1½ two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week. ++++  1 Tbsp truffle cream ++++ 3 oz melon OR 1¼ 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 and pour into an oil-spritzed saute pan. Cook, undisturbed, until the eggs begin to set. Spread the truffle cream over half of the egg, fold the omelette, and cook further to your liking. Plate with the apple.  TIP: there will be lots of truffle cream left in the jar. Portion it into smaller containers, label and freeze.

Oyster Plate: 267 calories… 15 g fat… 2 g fiber… 12.6 g protein… 21 g carbs… 144 mg Calcium…  PB GF  In my opinion, a plate of raw oysters and a salad make a wonderful dinner for a dieter.

+++ 12 medium raw oysters ++++ 2 oz spinach leaves ++++ ½ oz walnut meats ++++ 2 oz pickled beets, cubed ++++ ½ tsp olive oil ++++ ½ tsp Balsamic vinegar

Whisk the oil and vinegar in a wide bowl. Break the spinach leaves into the bowl and toss gently to cover with the dressing. Put the walnuts and beets in the bowl over the salad. Shuck the oysters and enjoy your special meal.

Charles Perrault

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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.

What did a clerk for King Louis XIV have to do with Puss in Boots? Everything. Charles Perrault was born in 1628, into a well-placed Parisian family. His father wished him to be a lawyer, so Charles sat for the exam. Although he passed, he never practiced law. Charles drifted a bit, then became a civil servant at court. He seemed to have an affinity for ‘academies’: he helped to found the Academy of Sciences, and resurrected the defunct Academy of Painting. As a side hustle, he was the secretary of the Academy of Inscriptions, which put mottos on monuments. One of his major contributions to Parisian life was that he convinced the government to open the Tuileries Garden, next to the Louvre Palace, to the public. At age 56, Perrault was forced to retire, so he devoted himself to his children. For some reason, he wrote a book containing popular folktales which he called “Tales of Mother Goose.” It was a huge hit, beloved by children and adults alike, each story followed by two morals. Although Perrault did not call them ‘fairy tales’, he made the genre popular. Five years later, he died on May 16, 1703, but his stories took on a life of their own. They were retold by the Brothers Grimm [who made them rather violent] in Germany in the 1800s, and, of course, reinvented by Walt Disney [who, well, Disneyfied them] in the 1900s. The best way I can think of to honor the Father of the Fairy Tale, would be to relax in the Tuileries Garden while reading Perrault’s Cinderella.

I always thought that the story “Blue Beard” took place in southern France, whence comes our breakfast. The dinner is a riff on a popular meal, just as subsequent authors riffed on Perrault’s tales, to make them their own.

Chicken Provincal Bake: 139 calories… 5 g fat… 2 g fiber… 10.7 g protein… 10.5 g carbs… 47.5 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  What wonderful flavors! Based on the dinner of the same name. 

++++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ 2 Tbsp crushed tomatoes, slightly drained ++++ ++++ ½ anchovy, canned fillets, rinsed and chopped ++++ 1 Tbsp low-fat cottage cheese ++++ ¼ oz cooked chicken breast, minced ++++ thyme, rosemary, pinch red pepper flakes ++++ 1 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]

Spritz an oven-proof dish with non-stick spray and set the toaster oven for 350 degrees F. Whisk together the first 6 ingredients [not the pear!] and pour into the dish. Bake for about 15 minutes while you slice the pear and prepare your optional beverages. Great way to start the day.

Mackerel with Gooseberry Glaze: 276 calories… 16 g fat… 1 g fat… 22 g protein… 7 g carbs… 27 mg Calcium…  PB GF This popular dish from Normandy usually features fresh gooseberries. Here in the USA, those are less common so we make a glaze of gooseberry jelly. The zucchini picks up the color of green gooseberries.

++++ 3 oz mackerel, frozen or fresh fillets ++++ 2 tsp gooseberry jelly/jam ++++ ++++ 4 oz zucchini ribbons ++++

Thaw the fish if frozen. Heat the oven to 400 F. Put fish on a baking tray and brush with melted jelly. Using a potato peeler, carve long, thin slices from the length of the zucchini until you have 3 oz. Toss the ribbons with salt and pepper. Place the ribbons on the baking tray in a heap [if they are in a thin layer, they will over-cook]. Bake the pan with the fish and zucchini for 5 minutes. Rearrange the zucchini so that the bottom of the heap is now on top. Bake 5 minutes more, or until the fish is cooked. Plate the fish with the zucchini ribbons. Sheet-pan dinners are so trendy these days.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large1.5 two-oz eggs 
2 oystersground cumin
scallion + strawberriesground paprika
American streaky baconGolden Berries
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

bacon + onion6 felafel patties
potato + fish stock2 servings of Side Salad 
cod or haketomato
2%-fat milk + parsleycarrot + beets + feta cheese
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Slow Days: Jam-Filled Brioche Wreath

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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.

If you want something special for a holiday breakfast, this delightful brioche wreath fills the bill. The recipe is from Bonne Maman, makers of jams, jellies, and spreads, and of course they want you to use one of their products. You may use any quality homemade or purchased jam you wish. I prepared this for a gathering of the knitting group, and it was a success. The step involving the preparation of the jam-filled balls could be a family affair and is a good way to include little hands in the kitchen. I have broken the recipe into steps over two days, which simplifies the process [I think], and breaks it into steps that are not too time-consuming. And the next day, Voila! a splendid breakfast centerpiece that looks spectacular, but was made with little fuss.

1 large wreath of 18 puffs 10” tube pan or 12” pie plate + ramekin
DAY 1, EARLY
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
25g golden caster sugar 150 g white whole wheat flour
150g strong white = bread flour zest of ½ orange + ½ lemon 1 tsp salt 		Caster sugar is a fine-grained sugar from the UK. Blitz granulated white sugar in the food processor to make a substitute. Zest the orange and lemon rinds OR USE 2 Tbsp ORANGE PUREE. [chop an orange into large pieces, run through food processor to make a chunky mush] Mix these in the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook. Make a well in the center.
50 ml warm milk 3 large eggs, beaten Pour these into center well. Mix on a slow speed 2 mins, then on medium 3-4 mins, until dough is soft, glossy and elastic.
225g/16 Tbsp/2 sticks butter, cubed and very softAdd butter, bit by bit, and mix 4-5 mins. Scrape down bowl to mix thoroughly. Dough will be very soft. Tip into an oiled bowl, cover with film and chill 8-24 hrs until firm.
DAY 1, LATE
18 tsp Bonne Maman Conserve – choose your favorite or make 9 of one flavor and 9 of anotherOn a lightly oiled surface, divide dough into 18 pieces, ~40 g each. Roll pieces in circles 10 cm in dia. Spoon 1 tsp of jam on centre of each. Bring up sides, pinch together, roll into a ball.


Butter a 10” tube pan. OR Put a greased ramekin in center of buttered 12″ pie plate. Put 6 balls, seam side down, around center tube. Put 12 balls in an outer circle. Cover, let sit 2 hrs until puffy –OR– OVERNight @ 40 degrees
DAY 2, MORNINGHeat oven to 170ºC/340F/ gas mark 5.
Egg wash  ½ tsp lemon finishing salt 1 tbsp ground hazelnuts
sliced almonds 		After rising, brush dough with a little egg wash,
sprinkle with salt and nuts.
Bake 20 mins, until golden.
Cover with foil and cook 10-15 mins longer.
Icing sugarCool slightly, remove from pan.  Remove ramekin if using. Dust with icing sugar.

La Chandeleur

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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.

In the Christian Church calendar, first there is Christmas, when Jesus was born, and 40 days after that, there is the day that baby Jesus was presented at the Temple by his parents, according to Jewish religious law. In the Temple was an old and devout man named Simeon. All his life he had waited for the Messiah, hoping to have some word of the arrival of Yahweh’s chosen, before he died. When Mary and Joseph entered the Temple, Simeon approached and asked to hold the baby. He then said the words known as the nunc dimittis : “Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace…for my eyes have seen thy salvation…a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people, Israel.” In pre-Christian Rome, there was a festival in mid-February called Lupercalia. It honored fertility and health. Naked men would run through the streets, and hook-ups would happen when girl’s names were plucked from a bowl. Candles were lit at midnight and people ate small flat cakes, hoping for the return of the sun and summer. During his four-year papacy, Pope Gelasius I tried to stamp out the pagan customs that were still practiced by his flock. In honor of the Presentation of Jesus, he held candlelight processions through the streets and used the occasion to dedicate the next year’s candles for the church. Gelasius called this festival “Candle-mass.” Why all the candles? Because Simeon called Jesus ‘a light’, hence the tie-in to candles during dark days. Gelasius also handed out crepes to pilgrims who came to Rome. When those pilgrims returned home, they told of the festival of candles and their own congregations adopted the idea. Brittany and Normandy, France, where crepes and galettes had long been popular, embraced the idea of celebrating February 2 by eating crepes. And once chocolate was introduced to Europe, enjoying chocolate crepes for La Fete de la Chandeleur became the rage. The first crepe to be cooked is always placed on the top shelf of the cupboard, to ensure luck for the next year. In Germany and the USA, February 2nd is Groundhog Day. Which would you rather eat on Candlemas: a chocolate crepe or a groundhog?

A breakfast of chocolate crepes, bien sur! And for dinner, savory galettes with a traditional and delicious French filling.

Chocolate Crepe Breakfast: 231 calories 4.6 g fat 5.5 g fiber 16.4 g protein 32 g carbs 191.6 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  Crepes! Chololate! Such delights at breakfast on Chandeleur. Make the crepes ahead for a very easy meal.

oops! forgot the bacon!

2 chocolate crepes** 3 Tbsp 2%-fat cottage cheese 3 Tbsp non-fat vanilla yogurt 3 oz strawberries 1 slice uncured bacon @ 30 calories/slice dusting of icing sugar   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Slice berries or thaw frozen berries in a sieve. Warm the crepes but only briefly, so they do not become dry. Stir together the cottage cheese and yogurt. Stir in some of the berries, saving some for garnish. Cook the bacon. Divide the strawberry cream between the crepes, roll them, and plate. Dust crepes with powdered sugar. Dollop with reserved strawberries, place the bacon. Yum.

**CHOCOLATE CREPES: makes 16 eight-inch crepes  1 crepe= 53 calories 1 g fat 2 g fiber 3 g protein 9 g carbs 38.6 mg Calcium Just what you need to celebrate Chandeleur on February 2nd.

A chocolate crepe, ready to turn over. Hold a gold coin in your left hand as you flip the pan so that the crepe turns over in the air and lands back in the pan. lol. This is to ensure food luck for the following year.
100 g unbleached flour
50 g white-whole-wheat flour  20 g unsweetened cocoa powder 3 tsp sugar		Whisk flours, cocoa, and sugar together.
14 fl oz milk [416 g]Add milk and whisk until combined. 
2 two-oz eggsAdd eggs one at a time. Whisk vigorously until batter runs off the whisk in ropes. 
Let the batter rest for 60+ minutes.
Cooking sprayHeat an 8” cast-iron pan or ceramic saute pan. Lightly spritz with oil, then wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Save the towel.
Dip a ¼ cup measure into batter and let extra drain off. Grasp handle of the cook pan in one hand as you slowly pour batter into center of the pan. Tilt pan to swirl the batter to form a circle roughly 6” in diameter. Don’t get hung up on perfectly round or perfectly flat.
Watch it cook and look for when edges dry and curl a bit. With a heat-resistant but non-scratching tool [I use my fingers], lift the crepe and flip it. Cook the other side. Time will vary, depending on heat of the pan. Lift out crepe, put it aside, and keep cooking.

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

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

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

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

1 two-oz egg + applesauce1.5 two-oz eggs 
carrot + broccoli
garlic powder
Indian curry powder  or  curry sauce
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

3 oz halibut fillet + olive oilprosciutto + melon
fresh spinach + shallot + scallionsred onion pickle + Parmesan cheese
Thai red curry paste + chicken brothmint or basil leaves
light coconut milk + lime juicebalsamic vinegar optional: whole-grain bread
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Delicious!

Jeanne d’Arc

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

To say that politics in France in the early 1400s were ‘troubled’ would be a polite way of saying ‘What a mess!!!’ There was no France as we know it. There was no king. Charles VI had been deposed by the English, who declared that English King Henry V and his heirs were next in line for the throne of France. The English controlled one third of what we now think of France, about half the region was controlled by French loyalists, and another portion was the Duchy of Burgundy, independent but favoring the English. Charles, son of Charles VI, should have been crowned but he was weak and lacked authority. Enter a teenager from Lorraine, a duchy just outside of eastern France. Saints had visited her since she was 13 years old, she said, and told her to go to Charles and to save France. This unassuming girl talks local leaders into introducing her to Charles because she says she can get him crowned king. Although Charles hides amid his courtiers, the young shepherdess picks him out of the crowd. The girl, of course, is Jeanne d’Arc, nicknamed ‘La Pucelle’ [‘the Maiden’], and the year is 1429. Charles tests her further by sending her with an army to wrest the city of Orleans from the English. And she does. On the strength of that, Charles and Jeanne went to Reims, the traditional place to crown a French king, to establish him as the head of the nation. The battles went on, Jeanne’s army won often. In May, 1430, she was captured by the Duke of Burgundy’s men and was ‘sold’ to the English. Imprisoned and put on trial, Jeanne was abandoned by Charles VII, by France, and by the church — the pro-England Roman Catholic Church called her a heretic and excommunicated her. On May 30, 1431, Jeanne d’Arc was burned at the stake in front of the Cathedral of Rouen. Twenty-five years later, new inquiries were held, overturning her trial. Jeanne’s restoration was complete in May, 1920 when she was declared a saint, the Patron Saint of France. May seems to be the Month of the Maiden.

Domremy, where Jeanne was born, is in the Lorraine part of France. Lorraine is known as the origin of quiche. In honor of Jeanne’s birthplace, a nod to Quiche Lorraine. Jeanne was killed in Rouen, Normandy, where crepes and galettes are part of the diet. In recognition of Rouen’s role in Jeanne’s death, a meal of galette and local seafood. The life of Jeanne d’Arc impressed me greatly when I read a biography of her in 6th grade. I still am in awe of her courage, her faith, and her life.

Bake Lorraine: 180 calories 11 g fat 1 g fiber 12.5 g protein 7.6 g carbs [4.4 g Complex] 193 mg Calcium  NB: The food values shown are for the egg bake and the fruit, not for the optional beverages.  GF  You’ve heard of Quiche Lorraine? Well, here it is, crustless, yet with all the flavor intact. Very do-able for breakfast. Make sure your next meal has lots of fiber, as this has next to none.

1 two-oz egg ½ slice uncured bacon 3 Tbsp whole milk ½ oz Swiss cheese [Emmentaler, Gruyere] pinch cayenne pepper + pinch nutmeg 2 oz strawberries Optional: blackish coffee[53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Dice the bacon and cook it until crispy. Grate or finely chop the cheese. Spray an oven-proof dish with non-stick spray and put the cheese on the bottom. Whisk together the egg, milk, and seasonings. Pour over the cheese, then sprinkle the bacon on top.  HINT: I did all this the night before. Bake in a 350F oven for 17 minutes. Plate with the fruit. A creamy, delicious treat!

Seafood Galettes: 269 calories  7 g fat 3 g fiber  18 g protein 19 g carbs [10 g Complex]   142 mg Calcium   PB  This recipe is a terrific idea for a quick meal – IF you have Bechamel sauce and galettes in the freezer.  HINT: This recipe makes enough to serve 2 [two] people.

7 oz Ahi tuna fillet OR mixed seafood, cooked and cut in ½” bits 1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese  2 buckwheat galettes  6 Tbsp bechamel sauce without cheese 2-3 Tbsp fish stock 1.5 oz cauliflower florets 1 oz carrot ‘coins’ 2 oz zucchini slices

If your tuna isn’t cooked, poach it gently in fish stock – enough to come half-way up the fillet. Reserve the stock as you will use some of it later. Cut the fish into small chunks. Gently heat and whisk the bechamel with 2 Tbsp fish stock and the cheese until the cheese melts. Add the fish/seafood to the sauce, adding more stock if you wish. Prepare the vegetables and begin to cook them. Warm the galettes, wrapped in tea towel, in the microwave. When the fish and sauce are warm and the vegetables are cooked, plate the vegetables and place the galette on the plate too. Divide the fish and sauce between the two galettes and serve. Delicious!

Marcellin de Berthelot

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

One of the interesting things about tracing one’s ancestry is finding out who shares your name. They might not be an ancestor, but there is a common link. In several of my family trees, there are mistresses and illegitimate children. There are nobles and there are those who rebel against the establishment. Such is any family. Marcellin de Berthelot and I share a family name on my mother’s side. Ancestors of the Berthelot family were from Brittany. Marcellin was born in 1827, on October 25 in Paris. In school he excelled in latin and philosophy but decided to study science. With a doctorate in chemistry and a degree in pharmacy, he plunged into research into compounds containing Carbon and Hydrogen. Since Carbon is in living things, chemists of his time thought that Carbon compounds could be made only in the presence of a ‘life force.’ Berthelot proved that wrong, separating the field into Organic and In-Organic chemistry. His interests were wide-ranging: history of science, industrial chemistry, explosives, archeology, endothermic and exothermic reactions [words he coined], alchemy and its contributions to modern science. He had 1600 articles and 25 books to his name On top of that, he served in the government in elected and appointed positions, and was a teaching professor. Berthelot never patented his chemical processes, saying that they should belong to humanity. His devotion to his wife was so strong that he nursed her night and day as she died, and he followed her in death one hour later. In honor of their bond, the Senate, when they voted to have Marcellin interred in the Pantheon along with other luminaries, allowed his wife to be buried with him. This is a family member of whom I can be very proud.

Our breakfast contains apples, popular in the foods of Brittany. The dinner might have been a course at a banquet attended by the elegant citizens of Paris in who’s company Berthelot would have dined.

Flamusse aux Pommes: 223 calories 15 g fat 4 g fiber 17 g protein 68 g carbs 171.5 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF flour  Once again, a fruit dessert can become a breakfast – without breaking the bank. A flamusse is simply fruit baked in an eggy batter. Very easy to prepare, looks fancy. When there is some left over from a dinner party dessert, I tap it for an easy breakfast the following week. Paired with a chicken sausage, the amount of protein amps up. What’s not to love?  HINT: This recipe is enough for 4 [four] servings for breakfast. NB: as a dessert, it can serve 6-8.

  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] 

Sv 4-6Preheat oven to 350 F/180 degrees C.
2¼ c apples, sliced 4 tsp butter Peel, core and slice the apples. Cook slowly in a 10″ cast iron skillet with butter until they become golden-yellow.
2 eggs
3 Tbsp sugar
40 g Whole-Wheat flour pinch salt		Meanwhile, beat eggs with sugar. Add flour and salt, and beat again.
200 ml milk Pour milk in slowly, mixing well. Let rest 10 mins.
Pour batter over cooked apples in skillet. Bake in oven uncovered 20 mins.
1 oz egg white ¼ tsp sugarBeat egg white with sugar until forming peaks. Remove pan from oven and pipe or dollop the meringue in a wreath on top of the batter. Return to oven 20 minutes or until golden.
1 chicken breakfast sausage, 36 caloriesRemove from oven and cool. Serve Flamusse slightly warm or cold with a side of sausage.

Fish Timbale:  276 calories 17 g fat 1.6 g fiber 23.5 g protein 8 g carbs 95 mg Calcium  PB GF  Sounds high-falutin’ but really very easy. Lots of good protein, low in carbs.

1.5 oz mackerel or salmon or halibut 1 1/3 oz haddock or cod ¾ oz egg [either pullet egg or an egg white] 1/3 oz white beans 2 Tbsp cream + 2 Tbsp spinach + ½ Tbsp shallot 1 oz Swiss chard 1/8 tsp olive oil nutmeg + granulated garlic

Wash the spinach and leave water on the leaves. Put in a lidded pan along with the chopped shallot. Put on the lid and let cook until the spinach is limp. Remove, chop, and squeeze the water out of the spinach. Thoroughly mash the white beans and add the cream. Stir the spinach-shallot into the bean/cream. If fish is raw: Put in a pan with a little water. Cover and steam until fish is cooked. Flake the fish and combine with the other ingredients, except the chard. Turn into a spritzed ramekin and bake at 400 degrees F. for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsley chop the chard and cook it in a little water until done. Drain and season with nutmeg and granulated garlic. Run a knife around the sides of the timbale and invert the plate over it. Turn the plate right-side-up and remove the ramekin. Plate the chard around the fish timbale.

Anne de Bretagne

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

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

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

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

1 galette/savory crepe   one 2-oz egg  1 oz mushrooms, chopped  1 Tbsp chives, chopped 1 tsp thyme generous dash of granulated garlic 1 oz raspberry OR strawberry  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water  Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

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

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

This is really yummy!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marie de Medici

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

When Marie di Medici was born on April 26, 1575, she was destined for greatness. Her childhood saw the deaths of her mother, two siblings, and her father. She waited to marry, holding out for the best possible match — but who was defining ‘best’? She was betrothed at last to Henri, King of France, the 4th of that name. They were married in 1600, in Florence, her hometown, with an elaborate reception that was missing only one thing: the Groom. As monarch, he was not expected to go to Italy for less than a State Visit, and besides, this was his 2nd marriage. The couple finally met when a few days after Marie disembarked at Marseille, on her way to Paris. The King said she had a graceful way of walking, but what was really attractive was her wealth — she was the sole heir to the de Medici fortune. Marie had always enjoyed power and prestige, but what worked for her in Tuscany was not successful in France. She never learned to speak much French, her friends and advisors were all Italian. She was rather annoyed that the King had several mistresses [one of whom called Marie ‘the fat banker’] and very annoyed that she was named ‘consort’ rather than ‘queen.’ Somehow, the couple managed to produce several children. At last, in 1610, she was named Queen. The very next day, King Henri IV was stabbed to death by an assassin. Hmmmm…. Since their son and heir, Louis, was a child, Marie was named the Regent. She liked that — spending money, waging wars, honoring her favorites, and cultivating a young priest named Richelieu. She was so imperious that her 15-year-old son had had enough and took the throne as Louis XIII, ending her regency in 1617. But Marie was not through and continued to run the country. Louis had her removed to the countryside. In 1619 and 1620, she tried to stage a rebellion, but Richelieu sided with the king and Marie was exiled. She traipsed from capital to capital around Europe, visiting her children and plotting her return. But she died in Cologne [now in Germany] in 1642.

Marie liked to eat. Plump when she arrived in France, her girth increased throughout her life. You know the term ‘Rubenesque‘ to describe a very plump, curvy woman? Peter-Paul Rubens painted 24 scenes from the life of Marie di Medici, reveling in her plumpness. Under her influence, Italian foods were introduced into French Cuisine, along with cloth napkins, table cloths, and flower arrangements on the table. Our meals are classic tastes of Italian and French ingredients.

Ratatouille-Egg Galette: 151 calories 5.5 g fat 2 g fiber 9 g protein 14 g carbs 53 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB GF – if using GF crepes  Here the eggplants of Italy marry with the galettes of France. A perfect blend of cuisines.

1 crepe or galette one 2-oz egg ¼ cup Mediterranean Vegetables   ½ oz fresh mushrooms  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water  Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Drain the vegetables of excess liquids, saving the liquids to cook the mushrooms. Combine the vegetables and mushrooms and heat them. Warm the crepe/galette and plate it. Poach or fry the egg. Spoon the vegetables over the crepe/galette and top it all with the egg. Pick it up with your hands or eat with a fork.

Mollusk Gratin: 283 calories 14.6 g fat 2 g fiber 31.6 g protein 17.5 g carbs 216 mg Calcium  PB GF -if using GF flour  When we steam mussels for a feast, there are often some left over. Removed from their shells, the meat can easily be frozen in the cooled cooking broth. A wonderful item for a quick future meal.

3 oz cooked mussels, removed from shells + 2 shucked oysters 4 Tbsp mussel broth [from cooking the mussels] 2 tsp flour [I use King Arthur white whole wheat] ½ oz Gruyere cheese, grated ½ tsp curry powder 3 oz green beans

Warm the mussel broth and whisk in the flour. Heat over low until thickened. Add curry powder and cheese. Whisk until cheese is melted and sauce is well combined. Add the mussels + oysters. Spritz a ramekin with non-stick spray and scrape the mussels and sauce into the ramekin. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes while you cook the beans.

Who Dunit, Who Ate It? Chapter 5

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

Dear Husband and I love to read ‘whodunits.’ Crime literature in English harks back to Edgar Allen Poe’s Murders on Rue Morgue in 1841. As the genre took off, a sub-genre developed: culinary crime. These books are read as much for the procedural as for the vicarious thrills of the meals that are described along the way. There are many authors who tantalize our tastebuds while they challenge our little grey cells and today, I will feature foods from two different sources.

Jules Maigret is a Parisian police detective created by Georges Simenon. In the book Maigret’s First Case, he is on a stake-out, watching a suspect’s apartment. Conveniently, the cafe ‘Vieux Calvados’ is directly across the street, so Maigret and his partner can eat and sleep there while keeping watch. The landlord serves them a curious breakfast: sausages cooked in wine with garlic. Somehow, that sounds off the mark for a Fast Day, so here is a substitute. The sausage is there but the empty calories of the wine are replaced by grapes, roasted to develop their flavor.

Roasted Grapes & Sausage: 212 calories 8 g fat 2 g fiber 5.4 g protein 4 g carbs 14 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF  Unusual flavors at breakfast. Delicious flavors at breakfast. HINT: This serves two [2].

Here is a serving for one person, before the cheese is added.
½ c onion, sliced
½ tsp oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper		Heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss everything together + spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking pan or cast iron pan . Roast 8 mins, until onions turn translucent and thinnest pieces are pale gold at the edges.
10 oz grapes
½ tsp fennel seed
2 oz sausage, 85 calories/oz		Add grapes, fennel seed, and sliced sausage to pan with onions, and toss well. Spread in an even layer and spray with cooking spray or oil.
Roast for 10 minutes. Sausage slices will be browned on the bottom and grapes will be wrinkled but still plump.
Parsley + chives
0.05 oz Parm, shaved		Place grapes, sausage, and onions on plates. Top with chives + Parmesan.
1 tsp rice vinegarAdd vinegar to baking sheet and scrape up any browned bits. Drizzle pan juices over plated food, taste. Sprinkle more salt or vinegar on top, if desired.

Hugo Marston, former FBI profiler, is now head of security at the US Embassy in Paris. He is well-placed to be involved in solving all sorts of mysteries that author Mark Pryor can devise. Hugo enjoys Paris and the food scene, although he himself is no Foodie. In the French Widow, Marston, unable to see his way through a case, goes out to dinner with friends. Another table is served Bleu Cheese and Garlic Pizza, so Hugo orders it. He also eaves-drops on fellow diners and gets an insight into the case. Funny how much can get solved over dinner!

Bleu Cheese & Garlic Pizza:  280 calories 8.6 g fat 5 g fiber 10 g protein 29.5 g carbs 203 mg Calcium  PB When Hugo Marston ate this, I just had to try it. It is good! The is recipe loosely based on one from simplyplayfulfare.com

1 fajita shell [be sure it has no more than 150 calories] 1 Tbsp plain, fat-free yogurt 1 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed out to remove excess moisture 3 or 4 cloves roasted garlic 3 Tbsp [½ oz] bleu cheese crumbles 1 oz finely diced tomato, drained to remove excess moisture 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat the oven to 400 F and roast the garlic cloves, wrapped in foil. Put the fajita shell on an ungreased baking sheet. Smear the yogurt evenly over the fajita then sprinkle the spinach evenly on top. Break off pieces of garlic and distribute them around, then put on the bleu cheese and tomato. Dust evenly with the Parmesan. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese starts to melt.