Giordano Bruno

February 16, 2025February 15, 2025 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

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

Filippo Bruno was born in Nolo, Italy in 1548. For the son of a soldier, he received a good local education, learning the science of Aristotle and the art of memory. At age 15, he entered a Dominican convent and eventually became a priest. He took the religious name Giordano. Bruno seems to have had his own ideas about religion, which were not always compatible with those of the Catholic Church. He left the Dominicans which earned him an excommunication, and began to travel about Europe, seeking a profes-sorship. Instead, he was often employed by local rulers to teach memory skills. In Geneva, he became a Calvinist, but was excommunicated by them for criticizing their leader. A move to France took Bruno to Toulouse then Paris. A stay in England saw him as a member of the court of Elizabeth I. In Germany, Bruno became a professor at a Lutheran university, but was excommunicated by them for suspected heresy. Next stop, the court at Prague, where he rubbed shoulders with Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler and learned of their new cosmological theories. Along the way, Bruno published pamphlets, comedies, books, and lectures. After many years of avoiding Italy, for fear of the Inquisition, he returned under the patronage of a Venetian noble. Unfortunately, the nobleman became dissatisfied with Bruno’s memory instruction and turned him in to the authorities. Seven years of trial proceedings in Rome lead to a conviction of heresy: for attacking church doctrine and for supporting the idea of a solar system that was not centered on the Earth. Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake on February 17, 1600. Some say he was a martyr to the ‘war’ between science and religion. Others say that he rubbed too many people the wrong way.

Our meals have an Italian flavor, breakfast and dinner. None of our foods are cooked over an open flame.

Spinach Frittata: ..131 calories… 7 g fat… 2 g fiber… 11 g protein… 6.6 g carbs… 127 mg Calcium… NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. – PB GF – Whether it is breakfast or dinner, Spinach Fritatta checks off all the boxes.

++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ 3 Tbsp spinach, cooked, squeezed and chopped ++++ 1 Tbsp cottage cheese ++++ 1/8 oz [2 Tbsp] chopped scallions, white or green parts ++++ ¼ oz Manchego OR Cheddar cheese, grated ++++ dash of grated nutmeg ++++ dash of granulated garlic ++++ 2 oz strawberries ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++++ Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++

Cook the spinach, drain it, and squeeze it in your hands to remove excess water. [TIP: save the drained water for cooking vegetables or pasta] Chop the spinach and mix with scallions, both cheeses, nutmeg, and garlic. Lightly spray a baking dish with oil or non-stick spray. Pour the vegetable-cheese mixture into the dish and arrange so it is evenly distributed. Whisk the egg and pour over the mixture. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Plate with the berries and pour the beverages.

Fish Parmigiana: 279 calories… 8 g fat… 5 g fiber … 31.5 g protein… 17.4 g carbs… 337 mg Calcium… PB Crunchy and flavorful: a real treat from the Canadian Cheese Board. Doubles or triples easily.

++ 2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour ++++ 1 egg white + a little water ++++ 3 Tbsp fresh bread crumbs ++++ 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated ++++ 3 oz firm white fish filets, such as tilapia ++++ ¼ cup crushed tomatoes ++++ 1 tsp capers ++++ lemon zest ++ basil leaves ++++ 1 oz mozzerella cheese, grated or sliced ++++ 3 oz green beans ++

Set the oven at 400 F. Combine flour, salt, and pepper on a plate. Whisk egg white with a little water in a soup plate. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan on a plate. Roll the fish in the flour, then roll it in the egg white, then roll it in the crumbs/cheese. Lay the fish on a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover your baking dish. Spray the fish with non-sick spray and bake 5-7 minutes. Turn the fish over and bake 5-7 minutes. Combine tomatoes, capers, zest, and basil. Spoon on top of the fish, then top with mozzerella. If you have any remaining crumbs/Parmesan, sprinkle that on the mozzerella. Return the fish to the oven and bake about 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Plate with green beans for a delicious night en Italia.

Malthus and his Theory

February 12, 2025February 11, 2025 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

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

Was Thomas Robert Malthus a philosopher or an economist? Was he a sociologist or an environmentalist? Was he he a pessimist or a realist? Born on February 13, 1766, he grew up in a large family. Unhindered by a cleft palate and a speech impediment, Malthus trained at Cambridge in mathematics and then became a clergyman and a professor. His field of endeavor was described as ‘political economist’ — a new term for a professorship. Initially, Malthus was in favor of moves that aided the poor, such as the Poor Laws. He had a change of mind by 1798, when he published his “An Essay on the Principle of Population“, a refutation of his father’s optimism that conditions for people in the world would improve over time. Malthus’ research lead to his dire prediction that if unchecked, population growth would outstrip food production, causing famines. He knew that wars and disease would reduce population, but not enough. In contradiction of his Christian beliefs, Malthus proposed that people should marry later, use birth control, and that poor people especially should use any means to curb their birth rate. He was distressed by the lot of the poor and proposed that if they were helped economically, they would go on to produce more children which would exacerbate their poverty. Malthus was fascinated by facts and figures, and the more data he collected, the more he doubled down on his ideas. His writings made a big impact on English society, and they were much-debated. The idea of impending global famines resurfaced in Paul and Annie Howard Erlich’s 1968 best-seller The Population Bomb, causing college students to take a pledge to limit their offspring to only two. Was Malthus correct? Production of food is not the problem, it is the distribution. Aiding the poor does not make them lazy. Improved education for all and economic opportunities for women will help to bring down the birth-rate. Curiously, many countries today have falling births and aging populations, yet poverty persists. Where will this all end?

Fearing that humans would multiply like the Biblical ‘loaves and fishes’, Malthus developed his socio-economic theories to prevent wide-spread famines. That settles breakfast. One way that modern nutritionists propose to feed more people is to eat a more plant-based diet, of which our dinner is a prime example.

Loaves & Fishes: 146 calories… 3 g fat… 2.5 g fiber… 12.4 g protein… 18 g carbs… 89 mg Calcium… NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. From the New Testament come descriptions of people eating bread and fish for breakfast and dinner. Try this for a change of routine. For authenticity, the fish should be charcoal-grilled, but that doesn’t work in my kitchen.

NB: I added some small Romaine lettuce leaves for color.

++ 2 oz smelts, boned, heads and fins removed ++++ 1½ tsp za’atar ++++ 2 tsp sumac powder ++++ 1.6 oz gozleme bread** ++++ 2 deglet noor dates ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [75 calories] ++

Remove the heads, fins, and backbone from the smelts. Open them up and lay them flat on a cutting board. Combine the sumac and za’atar thoroughly and sprinkle half of it on the fish. Turn the fish over and sprinkle with the remaining spices. Heat a heavy skillet and spray it with cooking spray. Cook the fish on both sides until done. Plate with the bread and dates, and time-travel back to 32 CE on the shores of Galilee.

**Gozlema Bread makes six 1.6 oz flat-breads 1 of 6 sv = 26 calories… 0 g fat… 1 g fiber… 1.4 g protein… 5 g carbs… 20 mg Calcium…

1¼ c white whole wheat flour ++++ ½ tsp salt	Mix in a 1-Qt-sized bowl.
¼ c water ++++ ¼ c plain yogurt	Combine yogurt/water and stir into the flour until well-combined. Add a bit more water if too dry.
	On a floured surface, knead ~3 mins, until smooth and elastic. Cover and let sit for a few mins on the counter OR overnight in a cool place.
	Divide into 6 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll into flat breads. Cook on an oil-sprayed skillet 3-4 mins per side until turning brown in spots.

Red & Green Shakshuka: 220 calories… 10.6 g fat… 5 g fiber… 11.6 g protein… 17 g carbs… 207 mg Calcium… PB GF There is Red Shakshuka. There is Green Shakshuka. And here we have the happy combination.

++ ½ tsp oil ++++ ¼ c onion, chopped ++++ 3 Tbsp chopped celery ++++ 1 clove garlic, chopped ++++ 1/3 cup red or green sweet pepper, chopped ++++ 1½ cups fresh spinach ++++ ½ cup whole tomatoes, mashed ++++ 1/3 cup eggplant, cubed or cut as batons ++++ ¼ tsp cumin ++++ ¼ tsp paprika ++++ ½ tsp oregano ++++ 1 egg ++++ 1½ Tbsp Feta Cheese ++

Use a small cast iron or other skillet that has a lid. Cook the onion and celery in the oil until a bit softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the sweet pepper, tomato, and eggplant, along with the seasonings, and cook until tender. Put the spinach in the bubbling vegetables and stir/toss until leaves are softened but not limp. Turn down the heat. Make a slight indentation in the vegetables and crack an egg into it. Sprinkle with the Feta. Cover the skillet and cook for 8 minutes. Check to see if egg is done to your liking. If not, cover again and cook another minute or two. Serve in the skillet. NB: You could cook two eggs on top for one person if you wanted to boost the protein. 290 calories / 15 g fat / 5 g fiber / 18 g protein / 17 g carbs / 235 mg Calcium

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

1 two-oz egg = US large + nutmeg	1.5 two-oz eggs
cooked spinach + 2%-fat cottage cheese	cooked spinach
scallion + Manchego or Cheddar cheese	chèvre/goat cheese
garlic powder + strawberries	apple or apple sauce, unsweetened
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

white whole wheat flour + egg white + capers	1 cup minced roast beef + potato
fresh bread crumbs + 3 oz white fish	1 two-oz egg + cauliflower
green beans + crushed tomatoes	Peas or salad with tomato
lemon zest + mozzerella + basil	1/2-cup low-fat beef gravy
Sparkling water	Sparkling water

End of an Empire

February 9, 2025November 18, 2025 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

Hülegü locks the Calif in a cell filled with gold.

For 500 years, the Abbasid Caliphate had been living the good life. Initially, the Persians were followers of Zoroaster, and they were part of many empires – from the Greeks to the Parthians. In 651 CE, Persia came under the influence of Muslim Arabs. Their capital at Bagdad, founded in 762 CE, saw a flowering of intellect, attracting scholars, poets, artists, astronomers, and the top medical minds of the era. There were some periods of instability as various strong men vied for rule, but on the whole the Abbasid Caliphate preside over the Golden Age of Islam. Meanwhile, far to the East, the Mongols were riding rough-shod over the landscape. Literally. Hülegü, grandson of Ghengis Khan, had been assigned to invade the Persian Empire. So he did. In January of 1258, his army besieged Bagdad. There had been an exchange of letters previously, Hülegü threatening to sack the city if they did not surrender [“I will not leave a single person alive in your country, I will turn your city, lands and empire into flames.”], and the Calif al-Musta’sim thinking it was just trash talk. On February 10, the Mongol horde took the city. A few days later, the sacking began. Some estimates say that 2 million citizens were killed, but Hülegü admitted to only 200,000. The Mongols went on to threaten Eastern Europe while Bagdad rebuilt. Today it is the capital of Iran. Time to reread Oyzamandius by Shelley.

Our breakfast is based on favorite Persian flavors. Our dinner would have been favored by the conquering Mongols.

Jeweled Rice: 228 calories… 4.2 g fat… 0.3 g fiber… 6 g protein… 39.3 g carbs… 8 mg Calcium… NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF Ancient Persians adored rice, and nuts grew abundantly on the hillsides. Let’s combine them for breakfast a Persian would love. The glistening honey-coated nuts give this meal its name and its flavor.

++ ½ c cooked brown rice ++++ 1 oz nut-honey mix, such as Buram brand ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

Take the rice off the hob or warm it, if pre-cooked. Warm the nut-honey mix, and stir to blend with the rice. Prepare hot beverage of choice and be transported back to Islam’s Golden Age.

Cod for the Khan: 223 calories… 2.4 g fat… 6 g fiber… 24.6 g protein… 28 g carbs… 176 mg Calcium… PB GF This meal is based on ingredients from a Mongol Carp Soup. Instead of boiling, the fish is pan-cooked and it tastes good.

Marinated Cod: ++ 4 oz cod fillet ++++ ¼ tsp brown pepper, ground ++++ ¼ tsp coriander seed, ground ++++ 1½ tsp onion, chopped ++++ 1 Tbsp Chinese wine or sherry ++ >>>> Stir together the spices, onion, and wine in a glass pie plate. Marinate the cod, turning often, for 30-60 minutes.

The Dinner: ++ marinated cod ++++ 1 cup foraged greens: dandelion leaves, chickweed, chives, sheep-sorrel, spinach ++++ ¼ cup onion, chopped ++++ ¼ cup brown rice, cooked ++++ 1 Tbsp chives, chopped ++++ splash of vinegar ++ >>>> Spray a small cast iron pan with cooking spray and add the cod. Cook over medium for 4 minutes, turning to heat both sides. Pour in the marinade, cover, turn down heat and cook for 6-7 minutes, depending on thickness of the fillet. Chop the greens roughly. Put onion in a small pan with ¼ cup water and simmer until transluscent. Add the greens, turn down heat, cover, and simmer to wilt the greens. Heat the cooked rice and stir in chives. Test fish to see if it ‘flakes’ [when a fork is brushed over the side of the fish, the meat comes off in flakes]. Salt to taste and add a splash of vinegar. Plate the fish with the rice and greens, pouring extra pan juices over the fish and rice. Don’t get delusions of ruling the world.

Chopsticks

February 5, 2025February 4, 2025 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

In the early 1970s, Dear Husband and I were dining in a Chinese restaurant. A near-by diner asked, “Did you learn to use chopsticks while serving in Vietnam?” Well, Dear Husband had never been to Vietnam [high Draft Number], so he said “No.” The man kept pressing the question for some reason, which was a touchy one in that time, so we ignored him. In fact, Dear Husband learned to use chop-sticks when dining in New York’s Chinatown. The ability to eat with sticks seems to say something salient about the diner. Chopsticks [ kuàizi, 筷子, in Chinese] are an ancient utensil. They were probably used in China 5000 years ago. There are two origin stories. In one, cooks began to cut meat and vegetables in small pieces. These cooked faster and made table knives unnecessary, so chopsticks were used. In the other, Confucius, a vegetarian, discouraged knives at meals since they were used in violence against humans and animals. Take your pick. From China, the use of chopsticks spread to Japan, Korea, Nepal, and Vietnam. Each country has its own style of chopsticks and its own rules on how to use them. Chopsticks are also used to prepare food, from stirring a soup to moving around a stir-fry. Did you know that using them is good for your memory, and it involves more than 50 muscles? Chopsticks have been made of bamboo, various other woods, jade, and silver. It is fun to learn a new skill and to get in touch with another culture — try it.

Lore: A Chinese superstition has it that if you find an uneven pair of chopsticks at your table, you will miss the next boat, train or plane that you are trying to catch. In Japan, if a husband or father went to war and the family members miss him, they would bring out his chopsticks when they eat. An old Korean superstition has it that the closer to the tip one holds a pair of chopsticks, the longer they will remain unmarried.

Our meals are from Japan and China, so both can be eaten with chopsticks, although the breakfast — being a long roll — would benefit from being cut into smaller pieces. Not sure about your chopstick skills? Watch the tutorial — improve your small motor skills and celebrate Chopsticks Day, 2025.

Jian Bang [Japanese Rolled Eggs]: 149 calories… 8.5 g fat… 1 g fiber… 13 g protein… 6 g carbs… 72.6 mg Calcium… NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Number One Son prepared these for us as part of a larger Japanese breakfast, and they are amazing. I added the crab and leek to make a good thing even better. Yup, guilding the lily.

++ 1½ two-ounce 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 Tbsp crab meat, frozen or fresh ++++ 2 Tbsp leek, finely sliced ++++ ½ Tbsp soy sauce ++++ ¼ tsp sugar ++++ 1 oz peach OR 1½ 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 non-stick pan with non-stick spray. Cook the crab and leek until you can smell the leek, but don’t brown it. Remove from pan. Beat the egg with sugar, and divide into 2 parts. Spritz the pan again and reheat. Put half of the egg in the pan and swirl/tip the pan to spread it out into a rough round. Distribute the crab and leek all over the egg. When top of egg is set enough that it is still moist but won’t jiggle much, roll the egg into a roll from one side of the pan to the other and leave it there. Pour the remaining egg in the pan and cook until almost set. Roll the roll across the pan again to incorporate the newly-cooked egg. Plate and serve with soy sauce. Prepare the beverages and fruit and enjoy your meal from Japan.

Liver with Oyster Sauce: 272 calories… 12 g fat… 2.5 g fiber… 26 g protein… 12.5 g carbs… 55.3 mg Calcium… GF From our first ‘real’ Chinese cookbook, Classical Chinese Cooking, which taught me to love liver with oyster sauce. HINT: The full recipe serves three [3]. “Serve in a casserole dish to emphasize its deliberate and savory coarseness,” says the cookbook.

serves 3 ¾# beef or pork liver++++ 1 tsp soy sauce++++3 Tbsp oyster sauce ++++1 Tbsp sesame oil ++++ ½ tsp sugar	serves 2 ½# beef or pork liver++++ 1 tsp soy sauce ++++ 1½ Tbsp oyster sauce ++++2 tsp sesame oil ++pinch sugar	Cut liver into large chunks. Combine other ingredients, add liver, marinate 2-3 hours. Drain meat, reserving marinade.
3 oz Snow peas per person	4 oz Snow peas=48 calories –OR– 1 serving Chinese Cabbage	Blanch in boiling water 1½ mins, drain, keep warm. OR Chinese Cabbage* [see below]
1 spring onion, sliced +++++++ 2 slices ginger, chopped ++++ 2 tsp neutral oil	1 scallion, sliced++++++ 2 slice ginger, chopped ++++ 1 tsp oil	Heat oil in wok or heavy skillet, adding a spritz of cooking spray as well. Saute these 1 min.
	Marinated liver	Add liver to pan, saute 1 min.
	marinade +++++++++++++ snow peas OR Chinese Cabbage ++	Add marinade, stir, and cook less than 3 mins, until liver is cooked and sauce is bubbling. Take off heat, top with snow peas OR serve with Chinese Cabbage*.

*CHINESE CABBAGE Each serving = 35 calories … 0.1 g fat… 2 g fiber… 2.7 g protein… 7.5 g carbs… 56 mg Calcium

Serves 2
Non-stick spray +++++ 1 clove garlic, sliced	Spray a heavy pan, cook garlic over medium 30 secs.
½# cabbage, shredded/thinly-sliced ++++2 Tbsp water	Stir in these. Cover and cook 1 min.
1½ tsp soy sauce	Add, cover and cook 1 min.
1½ tsp fish sauce ++++ 2 Tbsp water	Turn up heat, add these. Cook, uncovered, until cabbage is tender and liquids have evaporated

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

1/2 cup cooked brown rice	smelts or other small fish
1 oz nut-honey mix, such as Buram brand	za’atar + deglet noor dates
	Gozleme bread: white whole wheat flour
	+ plain nonfat yogurt
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

4 oz cod fillet + brown pepper	olive oil + onion + bell pepper
coriander seed + Chinese wine or sherry	spinach + eggplant + tomato + cumin
brown rice + onion	paprika + oregano + 1-2 eggs
dandelion or other wild greens	feta cheese + celery
Sparkling water	Sparkling water

Buddy Holly

February 2, 2025January 31, 2025 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

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

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

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

++ Three 2-oz eggs of which you will use 1½ eggs per person HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week. ++++ 1½ Tbsp roasted green chilis from New Mexico ++++ 1½ oz navel orange OR 1½ oz apple ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++++ Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++

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

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

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

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

Croissants

January 29, 2025January 28, 2025 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

The croissant is practically synonymous with eating in France. Of course, they are made around the world now, from supermarkets to premium bakeries. What is the origin of these tasty, toasty, flakey pastries? In the 13th century, there was a yeasted, crescent-shaped bread called kipferl [crescent] that was popular in Austria. Legend has it that while the Ottoman Turks were besieging Vienna in 1683, bakers, at work in the predawn, heard digging and thus thwarted an attack on the city walls. For their assistance, the bakers were granted the right to bake their rolls in a crescent shape [the crescent is the sign on the religion of Islam]. Probably apocryphal, since the crescentic rolls predate that. Stories abound concerning how the kipferl came to France. Did Marie Antoinette import them from her homeland? Did Viennese bakers, striking for higher wages, move to Paris? No, and no. In the early 1800s, a baker named August Zang set up shop in Paris. At his ‘Boulangerie Viennoise’, he sold the pastries of his home city, including a flakier version of the original kipferl, made with brioche dough. The locals enjoyed ordering those ‘croissants’ [crescents], as they dubbed them, and the tradition began. A century later, Sylvain Claudius Goy recorded the recipe that made the croissant what it is today — laminated puff pastry layers that melt in your mouth and make an excellent vehicle for Brie or fruit jam. oh. Sorry….I’m supposed to be promoting FASTING. But with the Fasting Lifestyle, you can eat croissants on Slow Days. BTW, the pastries with chocolate inside are not ‘chocolate croissants’ — they are chocolotines or pains au chocolate, depending on where you are in France. And the general word in France for edibles of this sort is ‘Viennoiserie’, just so you know. FYI: In the King Arthur Cook Book, there are two different methods for making the dough these days: Croissants de Boulonger [with yeast and fewer laminations] and Croissant de Patissier [full-on puff pastry].

January 30, 2025 is International Croissant Day. One might not think it possible to eat croissants on a Fast Day, but here are some menus to do just that. In both meals, they are paired with figs — very French. I’m not sure that I would eat both of these meals on the same day, due to their low fiber and protein, but you can decide.

Croissant & Fig: 186 calories… 8 g fat… 2 g fiber… 5 g protein… 23.5 g carbs… 37.5 mg Calcuim… PB Who would have thought that one could even think of a croissant on a Fast Day?!? How ’bout half a croissant with some figs enrobed in dried ham? Ooh-la-la! That is a good breakfast! Dear Husband loved the fig-ham combo. HINT: This recipe serves 2 [two] people.

++ 1 plain croissant weighing 2.5 oz ++++ 4 fresh figs or 4 dried Turkish figs [total weight = 2 oz/80 g] ++++ 0.7 oz Prosciutto ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Hours before: soak dried figs in water until they are soft. [Not necessary if you have fresh figs.] Gently heat the croissant. Slice the Prosciutto into four lengthwise strips and wrap them around the figs. Cut the warm croissant in half cross-ways. Distribute the food between the two plates, and enjoy with a hot beverage.

Goat Cheese with Figs: 287 calories… 20.6 g fat… 2 g fiber… 18.5 g protein… 25 g carbs… 57.5 mg Calcium… PB Joanne Harris, in her French Market cookbook, offers this as a salad. But we saw it as a Summer dinner and we were very pleased with it. Easy to prepare – as long as you can find fresh figs.

++ 3 fresh figs, each ~½ ounce ++++ ½ oz Bayonne or Serrano ham ++++ 1 oz chevre cheese, a creamy type ++++ 4 fresh mint leaves ++++ salt & pepper ++++ ½ plain croissant

Cut the stems from the figs. Cut down into the fig, from top to almost-the-bottom. Make another cut at right angles to the first, so that the fig now is a bud with four petals. Slice the ham into ¼” slices and chop the mint leaves. Cream together the cheese, ham, and mint, along with some flavorful salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into 3 equal portions. Open the petals of the figs and spoon the cheese mixture into the center. Warm the croissant and plate it with the figs.

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

1.5 two-oz eggs	1 two-oz egg + crab meat
apple or orange	soy sauce + ginger
New Mexico roasted green chilis	bean or other sprouts
	garlic powder + pear + scallions
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

Slice 70-calorie multi-grain bread	beef liver + soy sauce
canned tuna + onion + celery	sesame oil + sugar + fresh ginger
Reduced-fat mayonnaise or Bechamel sauce	canola oil + oyster sauce
Swiss cheese + side salad + tomato	snow peas OR cabbage-garlic-soy sauce-fish sauce
Sparkling water	Sparkling water

Viollet-Le-Duc

January 26, 2025January 25, 2025 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

Notre-Dame de Paris was in ruins, and decisions had to be made. Should the old cathedral be torn down? This was not April, 2019, when the church went up in flames. This was 1842. Notre Dame then was not in good shape since its building 682 years before. Worse, the angry citizens really trashed the place during the French Revolution. But now it was the age of Romanticism, when old things were of value and people, influenced by Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame [in French, Notre-Dame de Paris] had a new interest in preserving the church. Enter Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. He was born in Paris on January 27, 1814, into a family of architects. From his youth, Eugène was interested in how buildings were put together. He learned from architects, from builders, from traveling the country to visit historic places, from sojourning in Italy. When he was only 28 years old, Viollet-Le-Duc and colleague Jean-Baptiste Lassus were given the chance to rescue Notre-Dame. Having restored another church, Le-Duc had an idea of how to proceed, which was handy since Lassus died soon afterward. Le-Duc’s idea of restoration was not to put a structure back the way it was before. He wrote: “To restore a building is not to preserve it, to repair, or rebuild it; it is to reinstate it in a condition of completeness which could never have existed at any given time.” In other words, make it the way Le-Duc, an ardent medievalist, thought that it ought to be. He added windows and ornamentation. Most famously, he created the spire over the transept and the Chimerae on the roof. Through several changes in national government, Le-Duc continued to find favor and work ‘restoring’ buildings. In addition to Notre-Dame, he worked on nine other churches, two town halls, six castles, and the walls of Carcassonne. Le-Duc’s work and writings influenced generations of architects and artists. He died in 1879.

Our meals are from France [of course], with breakfast from Western France, and dinner from the South near Carcassonne.

Pissenlit ScrOmelette: 142 calories… 8 g fat… 1.5 g fiber… 12 g protein… 4.6 g carbs… 121 mg Calcium… NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Susan Loomis found this recipe in the Dorgogne Region of France, and included it in her French Farmhouse Cook Book. If you like slightly bitter greens, you’ll enjoy this. HINT: This recipe is for 2 [two] servings. Use the rest, wrapped in a crepe or galette for lunch tomorrow.

++ 3 two-oz eggs ++++ 1 Tbsp water ++++ 1.4 oz/ 40 g/ 2 cups dandelion leaves, trimmed and washed ++++ ½ tsp garlic, minced ++++ 1 slice/0.7 oz uncured bacon ++++ 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] ++

First collect your dandelion leaves, which I did the day before. Cut the leaves off just below the ground surface. TIP: You could just purchase the leaves. Trim off any dead leaves and roots. Put the leaves in a large bowl of cold water and agitate the water to remove any soil. TIP: You can do this the day before.

Dice the bacon and mince the garlic. Heat a saute pan to medium, and cook the bacon for 4 minutes: it will be almost cooked, but not crisp. There should be only a little fat in the pan – pour off any extra. Add the garlic and continue to cook 1½ minutes: the garlic should not be browned. Take the dandelions out of the water and give them a brief shake before adding them to the saute pan. Cook 4 minutes, stirring now and again, until leaves are wilted. Whisk the eggs with the water, plus some salt and pepper. Pour over the dandelions and rearrange them if they are not evenly distributed. As the eggs set, lift one side of the omelette and let the liquid egg run underneath to cook. Put a lid on the pan and cook for two minutes more. Fold and plate the omelette.

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

++ 1½ cups Mediterranean Vegetables, without chickpeas ++++ 1 cup chickpeas ++++ 4.5 oz shrimp, shelled, tails removed, cut in ½” pieces if large ++++ ½ cup cooked red Camargue rice ++

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

Pie Day

January 22, 2025January 21, 2025 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

There is PI Day on March 14, celebrating the mathematical number 3.14 [and so on], which is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. But now we are talking about PIE Day, to celebrate the eating of pie. Those of us in Northern New England do love our pie — any time of day. E. B. White once wrote:

“To foreigners, a Yankee is an American. To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner. To Northerners, a Yankee is a New Englander. To New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter**. And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast.” [**Here in New Hampshire, we take great exception to that!]

When our far-flung sons come home for a visit, we serve pie for breakfast, so they can reassert their Yankee-ness. But I digress. January 23 is National Pie Day. Why? Because a teacher from Colorado proclaimed that his birthday was “National Pie Day” in the 1970s. The American Pie Council [????!] has sponsored the celebration since 1986. You can look online for the ‘favorite dessert pie in the USA’, and you will get many different answers. The top 5 pies seem to be: Apple, Cherry, Pumpkin, Pecan, and Blueberry, in no particular order. For dinner, one could enjoy Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd’s Pie, Spanokopeta — need I say more? Eat pie! You can even do it on a Fast Day!

A good wholesome fruit pie is a fine way to start the day, and a meat pie is splendid at dinner. Our breakfast of Flameusse is a pie with flavor but no fuss. The dinner is a classic, re-invented.

Blueberry Flameusse: 206 calories… 5.5 g fat… 1.5 g fiber… 14 g protein… 24.5 g carbs… 143.5 mg Calcium… NB: the food values given are for the plated items only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Fruit + eggy batter = flameusse. This meal is very simple and very good. I urge you to try it since I am sure you will like it. HINT: this serves 2 [two]

.++ 2 two-oz eggs ++++ 6 oz skimmed milk ++++ 1 oz [by weight] = 4 tsp white whole wheat flour ++++ 1.5 Tbsp sugar ++++ ½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen ++++ 1 chicken breakfast sausage @ 33 calories each ++++ 1/2 of a clementine ++++Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Spritz 2 ramekins or an oven-proof dish with 1.5 cup capacity with non-stick spray. Distribute the blueberries over the bottom of the dish. Whisk eggs until foamy, then add flour and sugar, whisking until there are no lumps. Stir in the milk and pour the batter over the berries. Bake at 375 F. for 20 minutes. Serve with the sausage and a hot beveage for a delicious start to your day.

Steak & Mushroom Pie: 277 calories… 5 g fat… 7 g fiber… 27 g protein… 25.6 g carbs… 34 mg Calcium… PB Two very compatible flavors together again, topped [not encased] in puff pastry. Similar to a meal enjoyed at The Sign of the Angel in Lacock, Wiltshire, England. A real treat. HINT: recipe serves 2 [TWO], photo shows one serving.

++ 4 oz grilled sirloin steak [leftover from a previous meal, perhaps] ++++ 1.5 cups mushrooms ++++ 1 Tbsp red wine ++++ ¼ cup creamed onions ++++ ½ tsp thyme ++++ salt & pepper to taste ++++ 1/6 sheet puff pastry [Pepperidge Farm brand, frozen sheets are easy to find and use] ++++ per person: 1/3 cup peas ++

Thaw the frozen puff pastry for 40 minutes on the counter. Rewrap and return one sheet to freezer. Remove one of the sheets, unroll it carefully, and cut the sheet into 6 squares. [TIP: stack the remaining 5 pieces with waxed paper or cling wrap between the layers. Pop into a zipper bag and freeze for later use.] Cut the steak into ½”-1” cubes. Combine the meat with the mushrooms, wine, onions, seasonings in an oven-proof dish just large enough to hold the meat mixture yet large enough to be topped with the puff pastry. Heat the meat mixture until it is warm. Lay the puff pastry on top, decoratively slitting the crust. Bake at 400 F. about 15 minutes, until the crust is well-browned. Cook the peas and imagine that you are in an English country restaurant.

Cheese

January 19, 2025January 17, 2025 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

Eight to 10 thousand years ago, people were eating cheese. At least, that’s what the archeologists tell us. The early cheesemakers were pastoralists, with flocks to milk. Perhaps some milk was stored in a bag made of a mammal’s stomach, and residual rennet turned the milk to cheese. Good a guess as any. During the Roman Empire, many cheeses were being made in Italy, and the legions exported a taste for the product to far-flung outposts. Medieval monks made cheese. Centuries later, as Europeans colonized the New World, cheese was introduced to new areas. For a long time, cheese-making was mostly an activity for household consumption, with perhaps some extra to sell. The first commercial cheese factory in the USA was operated in western New York State in 1851. Today, there are around 2000 different cheeses made in the world. One of the oldest types is Roquefort, mentioned by Pliny the Elder in 70 CE. Pont l’Eveque was cited in a poem from 1200 CE. Whether you like a fresh cheese [cottage/pot cheese], or a soft cheese [Brie/Camembert], or a hard cheese [Emmental/Cheddar], there is a cheese for every taste. My favorite is Cabécou, a goat cheese from Périgord in South-Western France.

Cheese in eggs, cheese in a salad…. There are so many ways to consume this healthy dairy food. Yes, it is high in fat, but the high protein and Calcium are a bonus. Plus, cheese is low in carbohydrates, so it can be enjoyed in moderation by most of us. Even on the Fast Diet.

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

++ 1½ two-oz eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week. ++++ ¼ oz cheese, ex: Cheddar or Gruyere ++++ 1.5 oz apple or 2.5 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] ++

Whisk the eggs with seasonings to taste. Grate the cheese. Put the eggs into a hot pan spritzed with cooking spray. Once the bottom of the eggs is set, sprinkle with cheese, fold and plate. Slice fruit, prepare optional beverages, and have a grand day.

Chef’s Salad: 296 calories… 15.5 g fat… 4.6 g fiber… 16.7 g protein … 5 g carbs… 255 mg Calcium… PB GF – if using GF cracker This salad has been part of our repetoire for many years, yet we never ate it on a Fast Day. Now we can, and so can you.

++ 1½ cups mesclun/mixed salad greens ++++ ½ c chopped cabbage ++++ 1½ oz 4%-fat ham, cubed ++++ 1½ oz cheese, cubed – Jarlsberg or Mozzarella ++++ 1 oz cherry tomatoes ++++ 1 tsp olive oil ++++ 1 tsp wine vinegar ++++ ¼ tsp Dijon mustard ++++ 1 piece whole-grain Wasa bread ++

Whisk oil, vinegar, and mustard in a single-serving salad bowl. Toss greens and cabbage in dressing. Strew ham, cheese, and tomatoes over top, and enjoy your salad with a crisp cracker.

Pongol

January 15, 2025January 14, 2025 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

It is time for Pongol! In January, the Tamil Hindus of southern India and Sri Lanka celebrate a multi-day festival in honor of the sun. This observance traces back to 200-300 CE, and has been pretty much unchanged since then. On the first day of the festival, old belongings are burned — out with the old! On the second day, rice dishes are prepared — sweet ones and savory ones. The word ‘pongol’ implies ‘overflowing’. Rice is cooked in a pot outside, on the East side of the house, facing the sun. The pot is supposed to come to a boil and overflow as the sun rises. Rice is taken to the temple as an offering, and eaten in the family. The third day is devoted to thanking the cattle for their work on the farm, as draft animals and as suppliers of milk. On the fourth day, girls offer prayers for the continued health of their brothers and for a good harvest; food is given to the poor. This is very much an agricultural occasion, recognizing that farming is hard work and that the harvest is a cause for celebration.

In 2025, Pongol begins on January 14, and runs to Friday, January 17. Eat rice and give a lot of thought to the people who grow and harvest all the food that you eat.

Pongol Breakfast Rice: 223 calories… 6 g fat… 1.5 g fiber… 6.5 g protein… 37 g carbs… 119.5 mg Calcium PB GF Celebrate Pongol with milk-boiled rice. It is unusual and yummy. The recipe is my own adaptation of several that were found online.

3 Tbsp dry brown rice ++++ 6 Tbsp non-fat milk ++++ 2 Tbsp dry coconut flakes, sweetened ++++ Optional: 0.2 oz cashews [add 33 more calories] or 5 raisins ++++ 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]

Measure rice, milk, and coconut into a small saucepan, and add 3 Tbsp water. Cover and cook over very low heat, adding water if needed, until the rice is soft and expanded, and the liquids are absorbed. Scrape into a bowl and add optional topping.

Indian Vegetables with Turkey and Naan: 299 calories… 13 g fat… 6 g fiber… 17.6 g protein… 31 g carbs… 78 mg Calcium… PB This delicious meal needs 2 things in advance: Rogan Josh Sauce and Naan breads, both of which you can purchase, although it is fun and easy to make your own naan.

++ 1 naan flatbread, 106 or fewer calories/piece ++++ 3 Tbsp Rogan Josh Sauce ++++ ½ cup zucchini, in ½” dice ++++ ½ cup cauliflower, in ½” pieces ++++ ½ cup tomato, in ½” dice ++++ 2 oz ground turkey [I used 15% fat but would have prefered less fat] ++++ ¼ tsp Indian curry powder ++

Cook the vegetables and turkey in a little water until softened and turkey is fully cooked. Drain, saving the cooking water for baking or soup stock. Add the sauce to the vegetables and meat, and heat gently. Warm the naan in the oven or on a hot, dry skillet. Plate to suit your preference. W.o.w.

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

1.5 two-oz eggs = US large	2 two-oz eggs
Gruyere or Cheddar cheese	fat-free milk + white whole wheat flour
apple or strawberries	sugar + blueberries [fresh or frozen]
	33-calorie chicken breakfast sausage
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

salad greens	Grilled sirloin steak left-overs + thyme
Jarlsberg or Cheddar cheese	mushrooms + red wine
olive oil + prepared mustard	creamed onions + peas
lemon juice + herbs to taste	sheet of purchased puff pastry
Sparkling water	Sparkling water

	me on Let Me Entertain You… Di…
	Mya on Let Me Entertain You… Di…
	Peter Eppig on Robert Gould Shaw
	me on 10 Years of FASTing
	Karen Loudon on 10 Years of FASTing

Eating well, with creative recipes, to follow the Fasting Lifestyle according to Michael Mosley's "Fast Diet."

Join me in following the Fasting Lifestyle, with recipes & tips

How to eat if you want to lose weight

Giordano Bruno

Malthus and his Theory

End of an Empire

Chopsticks

Buddy Holly

Croissants

Viollet-Le-Duc

Pie Day

Cheese

Pongol

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