How to eat if you want to lose weight

Peonies

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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.

Peony buds with ants at work.

Peonies are one of my favorite flowers. Their lush, voluptuous blossoms are so gorgeous in the garden and in bouquets. My grandfather was famous for the peonies that he grew in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and some of his plants are in my garden. [Peony plants can live for 100+ years.] Members of the Family Paeoniaceae, they were first used in China as a flavoring for food. From there, they went to Japan, where the flowers were prized. By the 6th century BCE, peony roots were used in medicine. They were known in ancient Greece, where the story was told of the shy nymph Paeonia. Her beauty so angered Aphrodite, that the goddess turned her rival into a Peony flower. Not until the 1800s did the flowers arrive in England. There are tree peonies [with woody stems] and herbaceous peonies [the common plant] that bloom year after year with little care from us. The biggest helpers of the peony are ants. Some people freak out when they see their peony buds covered with ants, but the insects eat the sap that is exuded by the buds — if there were no ants, the flowers would not open. In flower lore, peonies represent everything from wealth to bad luck; from blushing shyness to passionate love. While Luoyang, China is known as Peony City, most florist blossoms are grown in Alaska. You can enjoy peonies in your temperate garden if you plant them is a sunny location with rich, well-drained soil. Plant them well, and they may out-live you.

Although peonies now are planted everywhere from Zones 4 to 8, they are native to two widely different regions. Our meals today are from the two original locations of the plant: the Mediterranean and China.

Mediterranean ScrOmelette: 148 calories… 8.4 g fat… 1 g fiber… 12 g protein… 7 g carbs… 108.4 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF How can this be SO easy and yet SO delicious? Don’t know, but we will continue to eat it!

1½ eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume, into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week ++++ 3 Tbsp Mediterranean Vegetables, drained + chopped +++++  ¼ oz mozzerella cheese, grated +++++  1½ oz strawberries OR 1 oz applesauce 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]

HINT: the night before, thaw or prepare the Mediterranean Vegetables.  Heat a cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Add the prepared vegetables and stir to heat . Whisk the eggs and pour into the pan, stirring to incorporate the vegetables. Cook to your favorite degree of doneness. Sprinkle the cheese on top while still warm or add to the eggs while still cooking. Dish up the fruit, plate the eggs, and pour your beverage of choice.

Pork & Green Bean Stirfry: 176 calories… 3 g fat… 5.4 g fiber… 20.5 g protein… 18 g carbs… 63 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given do not include the optional serving of rice** PB GF This stirfry has a lot of preparation but the result is rich in the wonderful flavors of East Asia. The recipe does not include rice, but if you read on, you’ll see amounts of rice to serve. HINT: This recipe makes enough to serve 2 [two] people. Food values above are for ONE serving. For Pork & Peppers, substitute colorful bell peppers for beans in recipe. 

Serves 2First prepare a mise en place. Seriously — do it.
5 oz pork or turkey tenderloin +++++ 1½ tsp dark soy sauce +++++ ½ tsp honey +++++  ½ tsp minced garlic 1/8 tsp red pepper flakesSlice meat into matchstick pieces. Put in a bowl with these ingredients and stir to combine.
4 tsp dark soy sauce +++++  ½ tsp honey ++++1 tsp peanut butter.Combine in a micro-wave-safe cup and briefly warm in micro-wave to soften the honey and peanut butter.
6 oz green beans, cut in 1.5” pieces Cook beans 3 mins in boiling, salted water. 
½ c matchstick carrotsAdd carrots and cook 1 min. Drain, saving water andvegetables.
1 tsp canola oil Heat a wok or cast iron skillet over high, then add oil. Add pork mixture and stir-fry 1 minute.
Remove cooked meat to a clean bowl and stir in the soy-honey-peanut mix. 
2 Tbsp bean-carrot water ++++ 5 oz red bell pepper, cut in strips +++++more bean-carrot water, as neededPut carrot-cooking water in the dish that had the soy-honey-peanut mixture. Swirl around to get those flavors into the water. Pour flavored water into the wok and add the bell peppers. Stir-fry 1 min – add more water to keep it sizzling. 
Blanched carrots + beans +++++ ½ tsp garlic ++++  1.5 tsp minced fresh gingerAdd beans, carrots, ginger, + garlic to peppers in the wok and stir-fry 1 minute.
Cooked porkReturn pork to the wok and stir-fry until heated, ~1 minute. 
sliced scallion +++  Sriracha ++++ optional rice**Plate with optional rice, and top with scallion and extra Sriracha

**If using ¼ cup cooked medium-grain white rice as a garnish, then add these food values: 50 calories… 0 g fat… 0.3 g fiber… 1 g protein… 11 g carbs [simple]… 0 mg Calcium **If serving with ¼ cup cooked medium-grain brown rice, then add these food values: 54 calories… 0.4 g fat… 1 g fiber… 1 g protein… 11 g carbs… 5 mg Calcium

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

Finn Crisp crackersred grapes + onion
smoked salmonolive oil + chicken dinner sausage
whipped cream cheesefennel seed + chives + parsley
red onion + raspberriesred wine vinegar + Parmesan cheese
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

canned garbanzo beans + tomatolima beans + canned white beans
canned light tuna + garlic + Parmesan snap beans
thyme + parsley + olive oil + lemon juicecorn + corne beef
salad greens/fresh spinach + white wine vinegarpolenta or cornmeal mush
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Art Nouveau

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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.

June 10 is ‘Art Nouveau Day’. In case you missed it, Art Nouveau was popular from 1890-1910. What was so ‘nouveau’ about it? In a world of mass-produced items, that relegated ‘crafts’ to an inferior rank, 20 artists in Belgium declared that every object should be artistically pleasing. They thought that all arts [and crafts] should be unified under one aesthetic. In contrast to the over-stuffed, classically-influenced decor of the Victorian Era, the ‘new art’ was spare yet sinuously curved. Floral motifs, graceful lines, and sensuousness replaced the more repressed style of the 1900s. The look quickly spread around Europe, influencing art, architecture, and the design of every-day object. Among the best-known names of the movement were Toulouse-Lautrec, Gustave Klimt, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Antoni Gaudi, Aubrey Beardsley, and Alphonse Mucha. From stained-glass lampshades to the Metro entrances in Paris to album covers, we see examples of Art Nouveau around the world. And the world is a better place for it. Why shouldn’t everyday life be beautiful?

Aubrey Beardsley’s Art Nouveau pen-and-ink drawings were considered ‘improper’ by many English citizens. So let’s have an improper English Breakfast! Art Nouveau really took hold in France, so our dinner is a classic summer soup from Southern France.

Improper English: 125 calories… 1.6 g fat… 4 g fiber… 9.4 g protein… 17.6 g carb… 21.4 mg Calcium… NB: those are COMPLEX carbs, the kind that are good for you. PB GF A “proper English” is the full Victorian breakfast, serving every conceivable food you can imagine. This version leaves out the eggs and kippers [how improper!], but keeps the protein-rich baked beans along with the rest of the usual stand-bys.

¼ cup baked beans one slice ++++ 11%-fat ham =0.65 oz ++++ ½ of a 2.5” diameter tomato = 2.5 oz 1 oz mushrooms ++++ 2 oz melon OR 2 oz strawberries ++++  Optional:  5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]  ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Cut the tomato around its equator and put one half away for later. Salt the tomato and put under the broiler until it softens. Cook the ham and mushrooms separately in the same pan to heat through. Heat the beans – perhaps in the microwave. Toast the bread and brew the hot beverage. Pour the smoothie and plate everything. Cheerio!

Soupe au Pistou:  212 calories… 5 g fat… 5.6 g fiber… 9 g protein… 34 g carbs 74 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF bread and pasta Here is the summer soup of Southern France: garden vegetables with a basil pistou to flavor it. The recipe is from Anne Willan’s Country Cooking of France. HINT: This makes enough for 9 [nine] one-cup servings or 6 [six] 1-½ cup sv. At 271 calories/bowl, with bread.

½ cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed ++++ 1 cup thinly-sliced leeks ++++ ½ pound [8 oz] tomatoes, ½“ dice ++++ ½ cup carrots, ½“ dice ++++ 2 cups potatoes, ½” dice ++++ 8 oz zucchini, ½“ dice ++++ ½ cup onion, diced ++++ 2/3 cup green beans, cut in 1” pieces ++++ ½ cup peas, fresh or frozen ++++ 1¼ oz short pasta, such as orzo or ditalini ++++ ¼ cup pesto, purchased or homemade ++++ 1 slice whole-grain sourdough bread

Prepare all the vegetables. Simmer the vegetables in 1 quart of water with salt and pepper for 20 minutes. Add the peas and simmer 5 minutes more. Add the pasta and simmer 2 minutes more. Take off the heat and stir in the pesto. HINT: If possible, cool, cover, and let sit in a cool spot for 8-24 hours to deepen the flavors.  Taste for seasoning. Serve with a slice of whole grain sourdough bread. Delicious for dinner or lunch. Freeze the remainder.

Velazquez

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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.

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velazquez was the leading Spanish artist of the Spanish Baroque. I’m not fond of the florid Spanish Baroque architecture, but I am fan of Velazquez. From his baptism date of June 6, we can guess that he was born a few days or weeks before that date in 1599. His family lived in the vibrant economic and cultural hub of Spain, Seville. When he was 12, Diego was apprenticed to the best artist in the city, where he was taught to paint in the traditional, very Catholic style of art. Velazquez married the boss’ daughter and soon surpassed his teacher in skill and technique. His artistic eye was drawn to vivid scenes of the streets around him. Velazquez began to paint ‘genre’ works or ‘bodegones‘ — pictures of common people living their lives, such as the Old Woman Frying Eggs. Velazquez got his big break at age 24, when he was summoned to Madrid to do a portrait of Philip IV, and then was appointed as court painter. In Madrid, he saw the works of Italian masters like Titan and became friends with Reubens who was there for six months. At last, Velazquez was permitted to go to Italy where he saw a new style of art. He reveled in the work of Caravaggio, with its dramatic lighting, and learned from paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, and Michelangelo. Back in Madrid, he worked his way up in the king’s household. Velazquez painted the royal family, and their retainers, and their friends. On another trip to Italy, he painted Pope Innocent X— a portrait that was deemed a ‘miracle’ by other artists. Velazquez’ paintings are life-like and full of emotion — the fun is in deciphering the thoughts going through the subjects’ minds. His ability to paint varying surfaces and textures is masterful. The humanity shown when portraying the differently-abled and minorities is touching. Few artists could rival his skill. Velazquez died four years after his great work,  Las Meninas.

The breakfast is derived from a Spanish Tapas meal, and the dinner is as Spanish as it gets.

Flamenco ScrOmelette: 152 calories… 7 g fat… 2 g fiber… 10 g protein… 11 g carbs… 51 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF  The same flavors of a tapas meal now found in your breakfast scramble. Very good.

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  ++++ 1½ Tbsp tomato puree ++++ ¾ oz bell peppers, chopped ++++ 1½ Tbsp onions, chopped ++++ 2 pinches cayenne pepper ++++ large pinch chopped parsley ++++ salt to taste 1 oz pear ++++ 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]

If starting the night before: Put the peppers and onions in a micro-wave safe container and nuke them for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato puree and the seasonings. Leave on counter overnight. If starting at breakfast-time: Spritz a saute pan with non-stick spray and heat it. Put the vegetables into the hot saute pan to cook, then add the eggs and seasonings. Scramble together [or cook like an omelette] until the way you like it. Plate with the fruit, pour the optional beverages. Great flavors.

Barley Paella: 260 calories… 3 g fat… 8 g fiber… 21 g protein… 43.5 g carbs… 88.4 mg Calcium… PB  Spain is known for its paella, that succulent dish often made with rice and shellfish. The rice and saffron were brought in by the invading Moors and Berbers, who also introduced barley. This recipe is not a classic Paella Valenciana, rather a Paella di Marisco. It tastes good and is even good for you. Son #1 was instrumental in the development of this recipe. HINT: This serves two [2].

2 Servings
½ slice smoked uncured baconCut the bacon into strips cross-ways. Put into a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. 
½ c bell pepper, chopped +++½ c onion, chopped ++++ 1/3 c carrot, diced ++++ 1 tsp paprika ++++Add the bell pepper, onion, and carrot, and cook slowly until soft and transluscent.
2 cloves garlic, chopped +++¾ c tomato, diced ++++Add the garlic and after 60 secs, add tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are softened.
¼ preserved lemon ++++ 2 pinches saffron ++++  1 cup seafood stock ++++ 6 Tbsp quick barley, uncookedAdd preserved lemon, saffron, barley, and seafood stock. Partially cover and cook 15 mins. Stir it sometimes.
3 oz mussels, shells or no shells ++++  3 oz shrimp, no shells Put mussels and shrimp on top, cover fully. Cook until barley is soft and the liquids are absorbed.
per person: 1.5 oz green beans [Roma or string]In the last few minutes, cook the green beans and serve.

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

baked beans + tomato1.5 two-oz eggs 
3%-fat ham + grapesmozzarella cheese
slice 70-cal whole grain breadMediterranean Vegetables 
mushroomsstrawberries
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

canned white beans + leek + tomatoespork or turkey tenderloin + fresh ginger
carrot + potato + zucchinired + green bell peppers + dark soy sauce
onion + green beans + peashoney + peanut butter + garlic + carrot
short noodles + pestocrushed red pepper + Sriracha
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

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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 Asif Baloch who is now Following.

That’s not exactly how the children’s counting rhyme goes — apologies to John LeCarre — but wait for the story behind it. Freda MacDonald was born in St Louis, Missouri on June 3, 1906. Her mother was unwed, and her father left soon after. Little Freda worked for a living cleaning houses before she was 12 years old. To earn extra money for her mother, she would make up routines and dance in the street. In her love of performing, Freda would put on shows with the neighborhood kids. When she was 15, she joined a troupe of vaudeville dancers, which lead to perfor-ming in New York. By 1925, she had married and divorced twice, taking her middle name ‘Josephine’ and her 2nd husband’s last name ‘Baker’ as her stage name. A tour to Paris in 1927, as part of La Revue Nègre, changed her life. France was not racially segregated, and Paris loved her as a performer, so Josephine Baker remained in France. Her shows were racy and funny and poked fun at France’s colonialist attitudes in Africa. The infamous ‘Banana Skirt’ dance was her way of spoofing the idea of ‘savages from the Dark Continent’. Singing became part of her act and her 1931 song  “J’ai deux amours” showed her love of Paris. Baker starred in films and the Offenbach opera La Créole. During World War II, she continued to perform and move about France. As she sang and hob-nobbed with the Nazis, she gathered intel for the Resistance, writing messages in code on her sheet music. After the war, de Gaulle gave her the Légion d’honneur. Visits to the United States often stoked her resentment of racism, turning her into an activist who spoke at the March on Washington, 1968. She maintained that she was not working for the “Negro Race” but for the Human Race. Her commitment to breaking down racial barriers caused her to adopt 12 children, each of a different ethnic background, which she dubbed her Rainbow Tribe. Financial troubles caused her to sell her beloved Chateau des Milandes, to move to Monaco [at the invitation of Prin-cess Grace], and to continue performing until her death in 1975. Quelle Femme!

But of course we will have bananas as part of breakfast, in honor of Josephine’s famous ‘Banana Skirt.’ Our dinner has tastes of southern France, where Baker lived and died.

Banana-Papanas: 241 calories… 8 g fat… 0.5 g fiber… 20 g protein… 25.5 g carbs… 161 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  This recipe for Romanian papanas was shown on the French TV show Telematin , and it looked so easy and unusual that I had to try them….then I added bananas for a little word-play and a hint of the tropics.  HINT: The recipe makes enough for two [2] portions, so if only one person is being served today, cook only half of the batter and refrigerate the remainder to prepare later in the week. NB: the cooked papanas do not work as left-overs.

+++++4 Tbsp [63 g] part-skim ricotta ++++ 4 Tbsp [63 g] 2%-fat cottage cheese ++++ 1 egg, separated +++++ 30 g /3.5 Tbsp white whole wheat flour OR almond flour ++++ ½ tsp sugar ++++ 3/4 oz banana, sliced +++++ 1 tsp molasses ++++ 1 tsp water ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] 

Separate the egg white from the yolk. Combine the yolk, cheeses, flour,and sugar in a bowl. Whip the egg white until stiff. Stir 1/3 of the egg white into the cheese mixture to lighten it, mixing until blended. Gently fold the remaining egg into the cheese mixture. Heat a non-stick pan and spray with non-stick spray. Using a scoop or a spoon [I made 4 using a 3 Tbsp scoop and then 4 using a 1.5 Tbsp scoop], place the batter into the pan in two batches. Cook until browned on one side and loose enough that they will slide if you shake the pan. Carefully flip to the other side. Remove to a plate. Slice the bananas thinly and strew on the papanas. Add the molasses to 1 tsp hot water and stir to combine. Pour the molasses over the bananas. As you sip your coffee, savor the tastes of the Caribbean…. via Romania….via France.

Brandade Plate:  266 calories… 3 g fat… 6 g fiber… 39 g protein… 21 g carbs… 139 mg Calcium…   PB GF  We find this meal to be very easy to plate, very easy on the eye, and very filling. HINT: Having the Brandade made ahead of time and in the refrigerator makes life so easy.

This plate is enough to serve two.

½ cup codfish brandade** ++++ 4 oz fresh tomatoes [no larger than 2” in diameter, but not ‘cherry or grape’] 2 Finn Crisp sourdough rye thins  ++++ ½ oz baby spinach leaves, cut as chiffonade

Slice tomatoes on the equator to get as many slices as you can. Arrange them on a plate. Using a scoop or spoon, place equal amounts of the brandade on each tomato slice. Sprinkle the chiffonade spinach over and around. Place the crackers alongside.

**Codfish Brandade:  ½ cup = 203 calories… 3 g fat… 1 g fiber… 38 g protein… 6 g carbs… 120 mg Calcium…  PB GF  Since salt cod is so popular all over southern France, it follows that Brandade is a favorite meal there. The garlic, olive oil, and fennel mark this version as Provencal. [HINT: This batch makes four half-cup servings. Either invite friends or use what you need and freeze the remainder.] The recipe is from Jacques Pepin and it has a very traditional flavor. 1 Tbsp =25 cal… 0.3 g fat… 0 g fiber… 12.6 g protein… 0.7 g carbs… 15 mg Calcium 

8 oz salt cod Soak the cod in water for 8 hours. Drain it.
Put in a sauce pan covered with cold water. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cook gently 5 mins. Drain.
Pick over the fish, removing bones, skin. Cut it into 1” pieces. 
¼ c potatoes in ½” cubes +++1 cup cauliflower puree ½ cup milk+++ 4 cloves garlic +++¼ tsp fennel seed Put fish in a pan with vegetables and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently simmer uncovered 20-25 minutesuntil vegetables are tender. 
¼ tsp pepper, more to taste Pour it all into a food processor and process until smoother, about 10 seconds. Add pepper.
1 tsp olive oil Add oil with machine running. Mixture should be smooth and thick, yet spreadable. Adjust seasonings
Divide brandade into four ½-cup portions. Freeze or refrigerate the portions you are not serving today.

Rhubarb!!

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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.

Rhubarb was once a carefully-guarded national treasure in ancient China, the roots valued for their laxative properties. Then, somehow, plants showed up in the Volga River Valley [aka: the Rhu] giving the classical Greeks reason to name it “the plant of the barbarians [foreigners] from Rhu.” Hence, ‘rhu-barb.’ Not kidding. By the 1500s, Rhubarb was in England — though still for medicine rather than food — then it was taken to many parts of the Empire. And you thought it was just a humble pie plant. Here is a delightful poem about the vegetable, by Minnesota poet Larry Schug:

By April, sour red stalks
push elephant-ear leaves
into near-earth atmosphere.
Rhubarb plans ahead,
years, decades even,
lives sustainably on the interest
of sunlight stored under ground,
having folded up its solar collectors
in September,
when the days grow too short
to make sugar.
See how simple is a miracle. © by Larry Schug.

Spelt Galettes with Rhubarb: 225 calories… 4.6 g fat… 6 g fiber… 8.5 g protein… 37 g carbs… 128 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  Spelt is one of the ancient ancestors of modern grains, full of taste and nutrition. Here, in a recipe by Joe Woodhouse at goodfood, it co-stars with rhubarb for a splendid Springtime breakfast.

recipe for 14 six” crepesNon-stick pan or 6” cast iron
2 eggs +++++ 10g olive or sunflower oil +++++++350ml water ++++ 175g spelt/buckwheat flour Tip ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth OR whisk briskly.Set aside to rest. 
400g rhubarb, cut in 2 cm lengths +++++++ 40g honey ½ orange= ¾ tsp juice + ¾ tsp zestPut these in a medium saucepan over a medium. cook, stirring at whiles. 8-12 mins until rhubarb collapses. If lots of liquid remains, strain and cook down liquids until more syrupy
Butter 3-4 T batter for each galetteMelt some butter in a 6″ pan over a medium, wipe out with paper towel. Keep towel. Pour in batter, swirling to coat pan. Cook ~1 min until underside is golden
Flip. Heat  30-60 secs until cooked through. 
Keep warm. Repeat, wiping pan with buttered towel between pancakes.
2 spelt galettes per person ++++++++++++2 T Rhubarb compote per galetteSpoon a little compote into centre of each galette, dividing equally. Fold in ½ and plate with a bit of syrup on top.
½ oz ham, pan-friedServe with the ham and your beverage of choice.

Rhubarb Roasted Salmon: 295 calories… 11 g fat… 4 g fiber… 32.5 g protein… 10 g carbs… 65 mg Calcium…  PB GF Melissa Clark’s recipe in the New York Times looked so good, I just had to try it. A wonderful addition to the rhubarb-season repetoire.

2 servingsHeat oven to 400F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
2 scallions, thinly sliced Take out 2 T, use remainder in next step
Sliced scallions +++++ 1 T granulated sugar ++++++++ 1½ tsp rice wine vinegar ++++ ½ tsp grated fresh ginger ++++ pinch saltIn a medium saucepan, combine these. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then simmer until sugar has dissolved.
3 oz /2/3 cups rhubarb, trimmed, sliced 1” thick Add rhubarb. Cover pan, and cook, stirring at whiles, until rhubarb is just tender, ~5 mins. 
Take pan off heat and mash rhubarb until it turns to a chunky purée.
Sugar/vinegar/ginger/saltTaste, adjust flavors for a balance between sweet, tangy and salty. Divide in 2 equal portions.
two 4 oz skin-on salmon fillets ++++ salt and pepper + 1 tsp unsalted butter, cubed ++++ ½ of rhubarb saucePut fish skin-side-down on baking sheet. Season lightly. Spread rhubarb mixture on fish. Top with butter. Roast 8-10 mins, or until just cooked through
The 2 T sliced scallions +++++ Red-pepper flakes ++++ ½ of rhubarb sauceTop with remaining rhubarb sauce, garnish fillets with scallons and pepper flakes.
1/3 c peas per servingPlate with peas.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large + sugar1.5 two-oz eggs 
part-skim ricotta cheese + molasses tomato puree + parsley
2%-fat cottage cheese + bananabell peppers + onion
white whole wheat flourcayenne + pear
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

salt cod + potatoes + baby spinachquick barley + mussels + onion + tomato
cauliflower + skim milkshrimp + garlic + seafood stock + carrot
garlic + fennel seedpreserved lemon + saffron + paprika
2” or smaller tomatoes  +  Finn Crisp crackersuncured bacon + bell pepper + wide green beans
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Decoration 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.

The Civil War in the US devastating. From April 1861-April 1865, cemeteries filled up — battlefield cemeteries — such as Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — and small town cemeteries, as remains of the Honored Dead came home to rest. In the Spring following the end of the war, women in towns and villages in both the North and South put flowers on graves. These were not stiff, formal arrangements from a florist, but garden and meadow blossoms strewn over the ground. This custom was fostered by Mary Ann Williams, a war widow from Columbus, Georgia who wrote letters urging women to decorate the graves, and that one day be set aside to honor the war dead. The idea caught on and in 1866, it was a holiday in Georgia. The head of the the G.A.R. [veterans organization in the North] promoted the idea too. In 1868, Decoration Day — the day to decorate the graves — was observed in the North. By 1890, all states had adopted the custom, observing it on May 30. After World War I, the observance was for all war dead, the name became “Memorial Day”, and so it is today — except that the day is now the last Monday in May. That way the dead can have a three-day weekend, and everyone can eat more hot dogs.

For Mary Ann Williams, a breakfast from the South, who’s rebellion started the Civil War. For dinner, a meal with bison meat. Settlers in the Plains States [where the bison lived] precipitated the debate as to whether those states should be Free or slave-holding, another factor that catapulted the nation into war.

Hoe Cakes with Fruit & Egg: 183 calories… 5.6 g fat… 5.4 g fiber… 9.5 g protein… 23 g carbs… 44 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF  This recipe harks back to Colonial Days in the American South. Everyone from enslaved people to President George Washington ate hoe cakes.  HINT: This recipe makes 6 hoecakes – enough for 2 servings of 3 each. Originally this would be made with white cornmeal, but the yellow has more nutrition. NB: Hoe cakes were never ‘cooked on a hoe’ by farm workers. Silly notion. Dear Husband enjoyed this very much and so will you.

3 Tbsp yellow cornmeal – even polenta meal would do  ++++++++ 2.5 Tbsp hot water  ++++++++++Combine by stirring well to make a mush. Let sit for 15 minutes
1 oz egg white +++++++++++ ¼ tsp yeast +++++++++++Stir into the warm cornmeal mush and let sit for 1 – 12 hours. This was 125 ml in volume
2 Tbsp cornmeal +++++++ 2 Tbsp water ++++++++ ¼ tsp salt ++++++++Mix into the cornmeal mush. If you take some up on a fork, it will sit on top with a little batter dribbling through. If it is not like this, add more cornmeal or more water. This was ½ cup in volume.
Using 2 tbsp of batter per cake, drop onto a hot griddle sprayed with non-stick spray. This should make 6 cakes. Cook on both sides. Best if eaten while fresh.
¼ cup raspberries ++++++ 1 tsp honey +++++++++++ one 2-oz egg +++++++++Put the fruit and honey in a small dish and microwave for 30 seconds. Fry the egg.
Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] Plate 2 of the Hoecakes with the egg and the other with the berry syrup. Pour your beverage of choice.

Bison Chili: per cup – 136 calories… 3 g fat… 5 g fiber… 13 g protein… 14.5 g carbs… 57 mg Calcium… PB GF  This chili is based on my mother’s recipe. Using bison meat gives good flavor to this classic. HINT: makes 4 [four] one-cup servings

4 oz ground bison ++++ 15 oz canned tomatoes – in chunks or diced drained in a sieve [save the juice] ++++ ++ 1 clove garlic, chopped ++++ 1 cup red onion, chopped ++++ ½ cup green pepper, chopped ++ ¾ cup canned red or black beans, drained and rinsed ++++ 2-4 tsp chili powder ++++ ¾ tsp salt ++++ +++ ½ – 1 tsp ground cumin ++++ 2 oz melon +++

Cook the venison, onion, garlic, and green pepper in some of the tomato juices until vegetables are tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook gently until the chili is hot throughout. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning.  Serve garnished with melon.

Yellow/Jaune/Kiiro/Ophuzi

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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.

Our English word ‘yellow’ is from the Old English geolo, geolu. Do you realize how often the color yellow turns up in Pop Culture? Yellow Submarine. Yellow Brick Road [Judy Garland and Elton John]. Yellow by Coldplay. I Am Curious [Yellow]. Mellow Yellow, by Donovan. Old Yeller. Yellow Bird. The Yellow House, by Van Gogh. Yellow ocher was used 17,000 years ago to paint the walls at Lascaux Cave. Yellow in Buddhism means humility, in Mexico yellow mari-golds are integral to the Day of the Dead. Yellow is the color of Autumn — a last burst of life before dark Winter– and of Spring when the daffodils bloom. Yellow is the color of the sun, and thus divinity. Yellow is the color of gold [and Fool’s Gold], and thus wealth — or deceit. Yellow is the third color of the spectrum of visible light, with a wave-length between 575–585 nm. Yellow is the color of happiness and optimism. Seeing yellow promotes creative thinking and psychological clarity. But then there is ‘yellow journalism‘ [named for the cheap yellowish paper it was printed on]. Be careful who you call a ‘Yellow Dog Democrat,’ or to whom you give the epithet ‘yellow-bellied.’ Nature abounds with yellow: Goldfinches, goldenrod, canaries, Canada Warblers, forsythia, sulfur, citrine, topaz — yellow is everywhere! Go out and enjoy it.

The yellow rays of the sun help us to wake in the morning. So, yellow at breakfast. Yellow lamplight, after the sun goes down, helps us to deal with the darkness. So, yellow at dinner. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” wrote Frost. Which path will you follow — the Fasting Lifestyle for better health or doing the same old same old?

Moroccan Omelette: 135 calories… 8 g fat… 1.4 g fiber … 10 g protein… 7.5 g carbs… 49 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Suggested by our First-born, this is the easiest breakfast in the world to prepare. For the compete flavor profile, serve with mint tea.

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 tsp or more ground cumin ++++ ½ tsp paprika +++ +++ salt + pepper ++++ 4 clementine segments ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait  [65 calories] or lemon in hot water ++++  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Combine the cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper in a small dish. Whisk just the eggs vigorously. Pour into a heated skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Turn down the heat. Sprinkle the eggs with the seasonings and leave undisturbed until puffy and the top is set. Remove from skillet, and serve folded or flat. Pour the beverages and enjoy the fruit as a counter-point to the spices.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1 two-oz egg = US largespelt galettes: spelt, eggs, olive oil
1 egg white + yeastrhubarb compote: rhubarb, honey
yellow corn mealorange
raspberries + honeyham
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

ground bison + garlicscallions + sugar + rice wine vinegar
canned tomatoes + cuminfresh ginger + rhubarb
red onion + green bell peppersalmon fillet + ‘English’ peas
canned kidney beans + chili powderbutter + red pepper flakes
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Franklin Expedition

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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.

Sir John Franklin had been a member of several expeditions to the polar seas, but he was the last choice to head up the voyage in 1845, to find the fabled North-West Passage. European navies had long supposed that one could sail from the North Atlantic to the North Pacific by going north of Canada instead of the long way around the tip of South America. Many attempts had been made, but all failed due to the cold, the frozen sea, and lack of know-ledge of the water routes. Franklin’s expedition had two stout ships, Terror and Erebus, built for sailing through ice. The ships had a rudimentary heating system, and a 3-year supply of a new invention: tinned food, neatly sealed with lead solder — all set for an Arctic voyage. The last anyone saw of the ship, it was off Greenland in late July, 1845. After two years without a word, Lady Jane Griffin Franklin, went to the Admiralty to ask where her husband was. Several search parties were sent out, but no trace was found, until 1859, when a cached message was found saying that the crew had abandoned ship. A more complete picture emerged from archeology in the 1990s, aided by ancestral memories of the Inuit people. Bodies were located where the Indigenous People indicated, remains that told of scurvy, starvation, lead poisoning that would have caused poor reasoning, and cannibalism. The ships were finally located in 2014 and 2016. Thus ended the story of a very ill-fated expedition.

A galley full of tinned food sealed in lead was like a death sentence waiting to be carried out. So we will have a breakfast that evokes death sentences of that era. The dinner is made of fresh fish and potatoes, which might have prevented scurvy.

Hangtown Bake: 135 calories… 7 g fat… 1 g fiber… 8 g protein… 5.4 g carbs… 46.5 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB GF  The grim name for this California Gold Rush Era meal comes from the moniker of Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California. Since it was the county seat, justice was meted out there — including capital punishment.

1 two-oz egg ++++ 2 oysters, raw and out of the shell ++++ ½ oz bacon, un-cured is preferable ++++ 1 Tbsp scallion greens, chopped ++++ 2 oz strawberries ++++  Optional:  5 oz fruit smoothie or berry- yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Set the oven at 350 F. Cook the bacon until it is a little underdone, then chop it up. Chop the scallion and oysters and stir in a little bacon fat, along with the bacon. Whisk the egg, add the other ingredients and whisk again. Pour into a baking dish lightly-spritzed with non-stick spray and bake for 12-15 minutes. Prepare the beverages and plate the baked egg along with the fruit.

Chowdah: 294 calories… 7 g fat… 2 g fiber… 33.6 g protein… 17 g carbs… 114 mg Calcium…  PB GF  Here in Northern New England, chowder is king. Cod or haddock is traditional but hake is more flavorful and lower in calories. HINT: This recipe makes one BIG bowl of chowdah, but if you double the recipe, you can freeze the remainder or enjoy it for lunch another day. If you can, make it one day and eat it the next day for richer flavor.

½ slice bacon ++++ ¼ cup onion, chopped ++++ 2 oz potatoes, ½” dice ++++ 1½ cups fish stock ++++ 4 oz cod or hake fillets, cut into 1½” pieces ++++ ¼ cup 2% milk ++++ salt + pepper + parsley + turmeric

Cook the bacon until it is almost crispy, remove from the pan, blot dry of fat, and chop coarsely. Pour most of the fat from the pan and add the onions. Cook slowly until soft and transluscent. In another pan, boil the potatoes in water until tender. Drain and salt the potatoes. Put the fish stock, cod, potatoes, and milk in the pan with the onions. Heat slowly until warm. Add the bacon, parsley, and seasonings to taste. [TIP: Best if held in the ‘fridge for 8-24 hours before you heat slowly [do NOT boil] and taste for seasonings again.]

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

Daphne Du Maurier

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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 David Hildebrand who is now Following.

When your grandfather George was a famous writer and illustrator, your father Gerald was a famous actor-manager, and your mother Muriel Beaumont was an actress, what does life hold for you? When Daphne du Maurier was born on May 16, 1907, she could have been anything she wanted — except the son that her father wished for. She and her sisters were educated and cosseted by a warm, wealthy family. Their father was their hero and champion. As a child, Daphne was shy and lived a tom-boy country life. Her father encouraged her early efforts at writing, and her publisher uncle put her first story in print when she was 19 years old. At age 25, Daphne met an army officer, Frederick “Boy” Browning. He admired her writing, and she was informed that to live with him out of wedlock would ruin his career. So they married. Following a biography of her father, Du Maurier hit the best seller list with her 1936 novel Jamaica Inn. Two years later, Rebecca had everyone talking. The Brownings honeymooned in Cornwall, UK, and the family moved there in 1943. Daphne had been entranced by an estate called “Menabilly” and the family lived there for 20 years. It appears as the famous “Manderley” in Rebecca. Something about Cornwall urged du Maurier to write her Gothic stories about memorably evil people, set in the beautiful Cornish countryside. She lived in Cornwall until her death in 1989. I vividly remember seeing the 1940 film with Laurence Olivier, and reading the book. Absolutely gripping! Just as Rebecca de Winter ‘haunted’ Manderley, du Maurier’s characters and stories haunt the reader. Shiver deliciously.

In Rebecca, the narrator is intimidated by the magnificent spread provided for breakfast at Manderly. Our breakfast includes the eggs and ham and fruit, and leaves the other ingredients for another day. In My Cousin Rachel, the Christmas buffet table is laden with roasted meats. Left-over slices of beef are perfect for our dinner.

Ham-Cup Eggs: 143 calories… 7 g fat… 1.4 g fiber… 11.6 g protein… 9 g carbs… 68 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF Easy to prepare ahead and easy on the taste buds.

1 two-oz egg ++++ 1 Tbsp cottage cheese ++++ 1½ tsp Parmesan cheese, grated 1 slice “Cottage Ham” [4” diameter thin slice of ham] I used North Country Smoke House brand at 21 calories/slice  ++++ 2 oz pear or apple  ++++ 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]

Fit the ham into an oven-proof container that measures 3½” in diameter and 1¼ ” deep. [I used a cleaned 5-oz tuna can. It was perfect.] You will need to snip the ham on 2 sides and overlap the meat to make it fit better into the mold. Combine the cheeses and season with herbs/salt/pepper to taste. Whisk in the egg and pour into the ham cup.  HINT: I did this the night before and put it in the ‘fridge. Turn on the toaster oven to 350 F and bake the ham cups for 20+ minutes, until the filling is puffed and set. Prepare the beverages and the apple. Use a wide knife to loosten the ham cups from the mold before plating. Some of the egg will have oozed into the mold as it baked, but that is easy to remove too. This breakfast was a real hit.

Beef & Beet Salad: 243 calories… 8.5 g fat… 3 g fiber… 24 g protein… 17 g carbs… 24 mg Calcium…  PB GF This unusual salad was found in James Peterson’s Glorious French Food. Should you have left-over roast beef, this is the dish to try. It is crazy easy.

2¾ oz thinly-sliced roasted beef ++++ 3½ oz pickled beets, as thinly-sliced rounds ++++ a few leaves of spinach, cut as chiffonade ++++ dill pickle spear ++++ ++++ 1½ tsp dressing***

Slice the beef and the beets as matchsticks about 2-3” long. Put in the serving bowl/plate and drizzle the dressing over the top. Gently toss to coat the salad with the dressing. Plate it. Wonderfully simple.

***Dressing: makes 6 Tablespoons 2¼ tsp Dijon mustard ++++ 1 Tbsp chopped shallot ++++ 1½ tsp red wine vinegar ++++ 4½ tsp olive oil