How to eat if you want to lose weight

Dorothea Dix

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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.

Social reform. Education for women. Mental health reform. Care for the marginalized. These are hot-button issues in our world today. Who would suspect that there was someone advocating for them in the mid-1800s! That person was Dorothea Lynde Dix, born April 4, 1802, in the state of Maine, USA. After a difficult childhood with a depressed mother and an alcoholic father, Dorothea moved to her grandmother’s house in Boston. She was able to get a good education there, and at age 14 became a school teacher. [very typical in that era] Soon, she was in charge of several schools, catering to the needs of girls who did not do well in traditional education. By age 20, Dix was so worn out that she was instructed to go to Europe for a rest. There, she met activists in the cause of better treatment for the mentally ill. Back in the States, Dix volunteered to teach a Sunday class at a local ‘insane asylum’. She was horrified to find that the mentally ill were housed with dangerous criminals in disgusting filth, while subject to abuse and cruelty. After visiting other Massachusetts institutions with similar conditions, Dix successfully lobbied the state government to set regulations for the care of those who had no say in the matter. She traveled to other states to investigate how they cared for the mentally ill. Her work lead to new mental hospitals being built in New Jersey, Illinois, and North Carolina. At the start of the Civil War, Dix went to Washing-ton D.C. and volunteered to be a nurse. [At that time, all hospital nurses were men] Although she had no nursing training, she was put in charge of all the Union Army hospitals and their 1000s of nurses. With her typical industry, Dix set out to hire and train women as new nurses, to reform how hospitals were run, and to fire many nurses who were not up to her standards. She was efficient and effective, but was widely disliked by the nurses and doctors. After the war, Dix continued her crusade for better care in hospitals and asylums despite frequent bouts of illness. Dorothea Dix’s impact on the care of marginalized people was enormous. She spent the last years of her life as a guest in a private apartment in one of her asylums in New Jersey.

One of the many mental hospitals inspired by Dix was in Illinois, so our breakfast is inspired by one of Chicago’s favorite foods. Hearty, warming soup might well have been served by Dix in the Army Hospital tents, and it is always welcome at dinner.

‘Chicago’ ScrOmelette:  135 calories — 7 g fat — 2 g fiber — 10 g protein — 7 g carbs — 53.4 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  One of my methods for creating a new breakfast is to take flavor elements from a favorite dinner and then put them in eggs. Here, we have a ‘Chicago Hot Dog’ without the sausage and without the bun. Dear Husband deemed it ‘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.   1 oz tomato + 1 Tbsp chopped onion squirt of yellow mustard + 1 ‘sport pepper’ or 1 pepperoncini, chopped pinch of poppy seed + pinch celery seed + 1 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]

Cook the onion and mustard in a pan which has been spritzed with non-stick spray. Add the tomato, pepper, and seeds and heat through. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Scramble or cook as an omelette. Plate with the apple for a taste sensation.

Scotch Broth: 140 calories —5 g fat —2 g fiber— 7 g protein— 16.4 g carbs— 21.4 mg Calcium   NB: food values are for the soup only.  PB  This is one of those ancient comfort foods. One can imagine generations of Scottish crofters making the best of local barley and root vegetables cooked with a bit of mutton. This soup is warm and hearty. HINT: the recipe produces 5 [five] one cup servings.

4 oz ground lamb +++ ½ cup pearled barley cooked with 1¼ c water +++ ½ cup carrot, diced ½ cup turnip, diced +++ ¼ cup onion, diced +++ ¼ cup parsnip, diced +++ 2½ cup lamb broth 1 tsp butter +++ pepper and salt to taste +++ 1 Tbsp dried rosemary   optional per serving: 4 two-inch bannock = 64 calories– 2 g fat — 1 g fiber — 1.6 g protein — 9 g carbs — 17 mg Calcium

Prepare the barley by cooking at a simmer for 30 minutes. Cook the lamb and vegetables in the butter for 5 minutes. Add stock to the vegetables and simmer 30 minutes. Add cooked barley, stir to combine. Take off heat, cover, and let sit overnight. The soup will thicken as it sits, so before serving add water to achieve the consistancy you want.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large1.5 two-oz eggs 
asparagus + pearParmesan cheese
prosciutto asparagus
Parmesan cheeseapplesauce
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

4.5 oz fresh spinach + green beanspork tenderloin, cooked or raw + cucumber
onion or shallot + Laughing Cow cheeseAsian sweet chili sauce
sole or ocean perch filletssweet red pepper + carrot
70-calorie whole-grain breadbaguette slices + sesame-ginger dressing
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Not Kidding

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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.

April 1st is “April Fools’ Day“. This is the day to pull pranks on unsuspecting friends. But let us discuss something more important. There are a lot of ‘experts’ out there who purport to give advice about dieting and a healthy lifestyle. And then they try to sell you something. They are trying to fool you — or is it ‘make a fool of you’? Does the headline read “Lose 5 pounds by the weekend!!!!” Bogus! Does the pop-up ad scream “This Grandmother’s jaw-dropping secret for melting off the pounds!!!” Click-bait! Think about it: if there were some simple way to lose weight, then why is there an obesity epidemic? The bottom line is that no diet will do the job — you need a lifestyle change. What type of lifestyle is recommended? Not one that puts whole categories of food on the no-no list, because over time that is not sustainable. Eating plans that rely on a variety of foods while reducing simple carbs are a great place to start. If then you add two days of 5:2 Fast Diet-style fasting each week, you will lose weight. Those days emphasize protein, lower fat, lower carbs, and fewer calories. Am I kidding you when I say this plan is a good one? Let’s see what the pros say: https://www.news-medical.net/health/Fast-52-Diet-Evidence.aspx “…participants found that they lost much more weight than those who attempted to limit calories for an entire week. Moreover, the diet had optimized their insulin resistance, which is a condition in which cells do not respond as they should to insulin.” https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/ask-the-expert/fast-diet “There is some evidence to suggest intermittent fasting helps with weight loss, and some studies have linked it to lower rates of coronary heart disease and diabetes, but more research is needed before this can be proven.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9698935/ “…we demonstrated that the intermittent fasting 5:2 plus program produced superior weight loss compared with the daily calorie restriction for 12 weeks in Chinese patients with overweight or obesity. There were no serious adverse events…” https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2018/World-first-study-shows-benefits-of-52-diet-for-people-with-diabetes/ ” Fasting on two non-consecutive days, consuming between 500-600 calories, and then eating normally for five other days each week not only results in weight loss but also improved blood glucose control.” This is why Dear Husband and I have been 5:2 Fasting for 10 years: it works, and I’m not kidding.

Our breakfast starts the day off by fooling your table mates — is that an egg yolk…? The dinner is a delicious, filling meal that says, “I’m not kidding — this is a Fast Day Meal!”

Trompe l’Oeil:  135 calories 6 g fat 2 g fiber 10.5 g protein 9.6 g carbs 128 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  Here is a meal to fool the eye and tickle the palate with its combination of the cold soup and the hot egg. The soup, which is good as a lunch in larger portions, comes from cuisine actuelle.fr

½ cup Cucumber Soup*** + 1 oz ball of canteloupe melon + one 2-oz egg + 1 tsp grated Parmesan + 1 Tbsp whole milk    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]

Spritz an oven-safe ramekin with non-stick spray and break the egg into it. Sprinkle the Parmesan around the yolk. Spoon the milk around the yolk. Add salt and pepper. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, scrape the soup into a similar ramekin. Nestle the melon ball in the soup. Plate them side by side and smile.

***Cucumber Soup  ¾ cup serving = 78 calories 0.5 g fat 4.5 g fiber 11.5 g protein 8 g carbs 106 mg Calcium

makes 3 cups = 4 servings, ¾ cup each
two 8” cucumbers [weight = 21 oz]Slice off both tips of the cucumber and remove half of the green peel. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Dice the cucumber.
2 oz mint leavesChop the leaves coarsely.
Piment d’esplette [or paprika or Aleppo pepper] + salt & pepper to tastePut these in a food processor. Use the spices ad lib. Run the machine until cucumber is very finely chopped.
200 grams/ 7 oz Fromage Blanc or plain Greek yogurtAdd cheese/yogurt and run the processor to combine. Adjust seasonings.
8 oz canteloupe melon Scoop into 8 Tbsp-sized balls
Portion soup, garnished with 1-2 melon ball per serving

Shrimp with Garlic-Fennel Sauce:  250 calories 7 g fat 2 g fiber 25.5 g protein 21 g carbs 80.6 mg Calcium  PB GF  The flavors of this Mediterranean meal are simply wonderful. The recipe is adapted from Sumptuous Spoonfuls. HINT: This serves two [2] diners.

1 tsp olive oil + 3 cloves garlic, minced + 2 Tbsp lemon juice + 2 Tbsp white wine 6 oz uncooked shrimp + 2 Tbsp tzatziki* + 2 Tbsp tzatziki sauce [no solids] 2 tsp fennel seed OR 2 Tbsp chopped fennel fronds + 4 oz [by weight] cooked farro 2 large romaine leaves optional: fennel frond garnish

Cook garlic briefly in oil until fragrant. Add lemon juice, wine, and shrimp to the pan. Cook 2-3 mins with out stirring, then turn shrimp, add fennel seed, and cook 2 mins more. Take shrimp from pan. Add tzatziki sauce [no solids] and stir over low hear until shrimp is coated. Place one romaine leaf on each plate and divide the shrimp into each leaf. Plate the farro and top with tzatziki.

TZATZIKIMakes 2½ cups, ~8 sv 1 Sv = 5 fl oz
1 English cucumber or another variety + Kosher saltGrate cucumbers whole if using English cucumbers. If using cucumbers with waxy skin, peel and cut in half before grating. Remove and discard seeds. Salt lightly.
Squeeze cucumbers in a clean cloth to remove liquid.
4-5 cloves garlic, minced  1 tsp distilled white vinegar
2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil		In a big bowl, combine garlic with these and mix. 
drained cucumberAdd cucumbers to the bowl with garlic-oil
2 c plain Greek yogurt  Ground pepper + salt
1 Tbsp chopped fresh fennel-dill-mint		Add these ingredients. Stir to combine.Cover and chill at least 30 minutes.

Raphael

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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.

Raffaello Santi was his name when he was born on March 28 in 1483. Since his father was court painter of the Duke of Urbino, the boy was surrounded by art and artists from his youth. His father died when Raffaello was 12, so the boy continued his apprenticeship in Perugino‘s atelier. At age 17, Raffaello had the status of Master Painter and the commissions flowed in: Trentino, Perugia, Siena. Four years in Florence saw him rubbing elbows with Michelangelo and da Vinci. Their styles rubbed off on him as Raphael honed his technique. At last, Pope Julius II invited the artist to join the work of decorating the Vatican. Much to Michelangelo’s annoyance, the charming, court-mannered young man was given the job of decorating the pope’s apartment [while the older artist was ‘stuck’ painting the Sistine Chapel]. Scholars say that the School of Athens in the papal apartments represents the epitome of High Renaissance art: graceful classical figures arranged masterfully in a grand yet realistic space. Raphael is also known for his madonnas: lovely, loving mothers with sweet faces who enjoy interacting with their babies. While in Rome, though engaged to a Cardinal’s niece, the artist fell madly in love with a baker’s daughter. Margareta Luti became his model, his lover, and his muse. She was not the cause of his untimely death at age 37, despite what Vasari said. More likely, Raphael died of malaria. When he died, the pope wept and Margareta Luti entered a convent.

Raphael’s paintings are illuminated by a gentle, over-all sunshine. Similar to stage-lighting, there are scarcely any shadows. Not so in Sicily, where strong light is everywhere, and people probably sit in the shade to eat the sort of foods that I offer today.

Sicilian Bake:  138 calories 8 g fat 1 g fiber 10 g protein 8.4 g carbs 88 mg Calcium   NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  Lynn Rosetto Kasper tells of shepherds in Sicily spending the summer in the high meadows with their flocks. They make a salad, based on simple ingredients. That recipe informed the flavors of this breakfast.


1 two-ounce egg + half of a 3” diameter thin slice of salami + ½ clove garlic, minced 2 Tbsp sheep sorrel or arugula, coarsely chopped + 1 Tbsp ricotta cheese ½ Tbsp Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese or pecorino cheese, grated + 5 cherries  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]

Chop the salami and put it in a small, dry, non-stick skillet with the garlic. Cook, stirring, until salami is getting a little crispy. Take pan off heat and stir in the greens. Spritz an oven-safe dish with non-stick spray. Put the warmed ingredients into the prepared dish. Whisk the egg with the cheeses, plus salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the prepared dish, and bake at 350F. For 12-15 minutes. Plate with the cherries. 

Pasta with Puttanesca Sauce: 265 calories 5.5 g fat 8 g fiber 10.4 g protein 42 g carbs 196 mg Calcium  PB  This rich sauce, along with the wholesome goodness of whole wheat pasta, makes for a delicious meal. And it is so simple. Don’t cut corners: you need the whole-grain pasta for the protein and fiber of the meal.

1½ oz whole wheat pasta + ½ cup puttenesca sauce** +   2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese + 2 oz green beans

Cook the pasta less time than the package directs, so it will be al dente [having a little white in the center when you bite into it]. Drain the pasta and add the sauce to the pan. The pasta will absorb the sauce while they both warm together. Plate with the beans and top with the cheese.

PUTTANESCA SAUCE**:  makes 5 cups – freezes well PB GF 1 cup = 117 calories 3.6 g fat 5 g fiber 3.4 g protein 15 g carbs 125 mg Calcium 1 cup chopped onion + 1 cloves garlic + 2 tsp olive oil 5 cups whole tomatoes, canned 1 cup mushrooms + 2 anchovies + ½ cup canned black olives + 2 Tbsp capers Cook onions and garlic in oil and some of the tomatoes’ juice until transluscent. Add all the other ingredients, mashing the tomato to break into smaller chunks. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour to thicken.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large + cantaloupe1.5 two-oz eggs  + onion
2 cucumbers + mint leavessport pepper or pepperoncini
piment d’esplette or paprikatomato + yellow mustard + apple
fromage blanc or plain Greek yogurtcelery seed + poppy seed
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

olive oil + 3 cloves garlic + lemon juiceground lamb + pearled barley
white wine + 6 oz raw shrimpcarrot + turnip + onion
tzatziki + fennel seed OR fennel frondparsnip + lamb broth
farro + large leaves romaine lettucebutter + rosemary
Sparkling waterSparkling water

The One Ring

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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.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them In the Land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie.

In JRR Tolkien’s masterwork The Lord of the Rings, The One Ring was created by the evil wizard Sauron. He put much of his power into it, so that the Ring itself became evil. At the same time, he also forged 19 other rings which he gave to leaders of Elves, Dwarves, and Men. The One Ring controlled the others, unless the wearer of the ring had the fortitude to resist its power. Like much in Tolkien‘s work, the Ring is a metaphor. Is the Ring is a powerful idea that captures weak minds and draws them in to it? One thinks of Nazi ideology, or other demagogs who believe that their word transcends the Laws that have kept humanity safe and on an even keel. Is the Ring an addiction, which grows stronger as time goes by? The weak-minded character Gollum had become physically and psychologically dependent on the Ring, after having it in his possession for decades. Only death breaks its hold. Even the character Frodo, a simple, kindly Hobbit without a bad bone in his body, falls under the Ring’s spell and fears for his ability to be normal again. Is the Ring an obsession? That is a sort of desire that impels people to do things they should not. The entire trilogy is based on the quest to destroy the Ring, thus ending the power of evil in their world. In our world, we all need to be vigilant so that we can identify those forces that would bend our will to their’s. We must identify them and call them out before they can work their spell.

Today’s meals are drawn from the pages of The Hobbit and The Return of the King, by JRR Tolkien. The breakfast consists of the seedy scones that Bilbo Baggins fed to the hungry [greedy?] Dwarves when they came for tea; as well as apple and cheese, which characters in the Peter Jackson movies eat continually. The dinner is the meal that faithful Samwise prepares in Ithilien for Frodo.

Hobbiton Breakfast: 217 calories 6 g fat 3.4 g fiber 5.5 g protein 29.4 g carbs 60 mg Calcium  NB: These values are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB  A simple-to-prepare and delicious combination of textures and flavors. For Halflings and Big People alike.

1 full-size or 2 half-size [from 3 Tbsp Scone ‘Mix’] Seedy Scones*** 3 oz apple ½ oz Camembert cheese   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]  

***Seedy Scones: This makes 2 cups of ‘Scone Mix’. 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup white whole wheat flour 3 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1.5 tsp cream of tartar mixed seeds + a pinch of salt 2 Tbsp unsalted butter buttermilk or sourmilk, as needed Combine the dry ingredients [except seeds] in a bowl. Cut in the butter until well incorporated. 

Prepare the Scone Mix. Take out 3 Tbsp [1.6 oz] of the mix and stir in just enough buttermilk or sour milk [1½ Tbsp? 2 Tbsp?] to cause the dough to come together in a rough ball. TIP: store the remaining mix in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a lid. Ready to use when you wish. Knead briefly on a lightly floured surface. Pat out into one scone, or divide into 2 scones. Brush the surface with milk and scatter the seeds on top. Place in a buttered dish to bake.  HINT: I did this the night before and left it on the counter to bake in the morning. Slice the apple and cheese. Bake the scone[s] at 400 F. for 7-10 minutes. Plate to please the eye. Serve with the beverage of your choice.

Ithilien Rabbit Stew: 286 calories 7 g fat 4 g fiber 24.5 g protein 30 g carbs 41 mg Calcium   PB GF This foraged meal, originally cooked over a campfire in Ithilien, can be easily prepared in your kitchen. Purists will note that the dried fruit, a gift from Faramir, was given to the Hobbits later, but it adds a nice flavor note to the meal. I included the po-ta-toes that Samwise wished he had.

4 oz boneless rabbit meat, cut into bite-sized pieces 2 oz carrots, sliced or cubed 2 oz potatoes, cubed bay leaf + thyme + sage + lavender buds 2 dried apricots 1 piece dried pear [which is ½ of a pear]

Put the meat, vegetables, and herbs in a sauce pan and cover with water. Cover and simmer until all is cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the dried fruit on the side. Long live Frodo!

Pocahontas

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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.

Pocahontas, National Portrait Gallery

Amonute was born around 1596, in the Tidewater Region of Virginia near the Chesapeake Bay. Her father was Wahunsenaca the head chief of the Powhatan Tribe, and her mother was his favorite wife. The little girl was nicknamed ‘Pocahontas’ because it meant ‘the lively one.’ She grew up learning the ways of her people, preparing to take her place in their society. That all ended in 1607, when the English landed and built a fort called Jamestown. The settlers had no clue how to survive in the Americas, so the Powhatans gave them food. Pocahontas would go to the fort as a child to help hand out the provisions, thus the English knew who she was. She has become famous for ‘saving the life of Captain John Smith’. By his account, Pocahontas prevented her father’s men from killing Smith. Most likely the child was not even present at that occasion, but the story endures. The Powhatans liked Smith, and the natives continued to help with food donations, until their own supplies ran low. The angry English demanded food and violence ensued. Meanwhile, Pocahontas married Kocoum, of the Patawomeck tribe, and had a son. Hoping to squeeze more food from the Natives, some English kidnapped Pocahontas. For four years, she lived with the English, learning their language, adopting Christianity, taking the name ‘Rebecca’ and falling in love with John Rolfe. [Divorce was a simple option for women in the Powhatan Tribes.] They were married with her father’s representative in attendance. John Rolfe wanted to return home, so he, Rebecca, their child, and several other tribal members sailed for England in 1616. Dressed as a European lady, Pocahontas was paraded about the country, attending balls and meeting King James I. Message: “Look how successful we are at turning savages into White People!” For a while, the Rolfes stayed at Brentford where Rebecca had a testy reunion with John Smith. Was she happy in England? Some reports say no. At any rate, she was not like Joseph Brant, the indigenous man who embraced English ways a century later. In 1617, on board a ship bound for America, Pocahontas fell very ill [pneumonia? dysentery? misery?] and died on March 21 at age 21. She was buried at Gravesend. So many wealthy Virginians over the years claimed that they were Pocahontas’ descendants, that the “Pocahontas clause” was added to the bigoted Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which otherwise would have forbidden those with Indian blood to marry Whites.

Pocahantus’ Breakfast: 160 calories 2.5 g fat 2 g fiber 4 g protein 30 g carbs 20.4 mg Calcium  PB GF Native Americans grew and ate corn, and they consumed it in many different ways: roasted on the ear, popped over the fire, in stews, and as a mush. Cornmeal mush is much like the polenta of Italy, so we will prepare cornmeal polenta-style, and eat it Native-style, with maple syrup and berries. Dear Husband pronounced this to be “Delicious!”

2 oz sliced polenta @ 43 calories** 1/3 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen 1 T. maple syrup 1 chicken breakfast sausage @ 40 calories  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Combine syrup and berries in a small dish and microwave until warm but not too hot. Heat a small saute pan and spritz with cooking spray. When hot, add the sausage and the piece of polenta. Cook polenta on both sides until it is heated and beginning to get brown spots. Plate polenta and sausage. Pour berry syrup over polenta and serve with a beverage of choice. If you let it sit a few minutes, the polenta will soak up the fruity syrup — Yum!

**POLENTA: recipe from Bob’s Red Mill  makes 12 slices, 2.25 x 3 x 0.3” in size, each slice ~3.7 oz 2 oz = 43 calories 0.2 g fat 1 g fiber 1 g protein 9 g carbs 0 Calcium 1 cup dry polenta + 3 c water or vegetable stock + 1 tsp salt + olive oil Bring salted water/stock to a boil in a 2-qt saucepan. Add polenta, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring after each addition. Once all the polenta is in the water, turn down the heat to its lowest [I used the smallest burner on its lowest setting] and cook for 30 minutes. Stir often: to prevent lumps, to scrape down the sides, and to keep it from sticking to the bottom. Unlike risotto, it does not need constant stirring. After 30 minutes, the polenta will be very thick – the spoon should stand up by itself. Then cook 2-3 minutes more. Brush a very thin layer of oil on a 9×13” baking pan, and turn the polenta into it. Nudge batter into the corners and smooth out the top. Let it cool as the polenta solidifies. Before serving, cut into 12 squares. Heat a non-stick skillet and spray with cooking spray. Cook the polenta portions until they begin to take on a little color and are heated through. Individually wrap pieces and freeze cooked or uncooked, until needed.

Game Pie: 293 calories 8 g fat 4 g fiber 37 g protein 14 g carbs 62 mg Calcium   PB GF – if using a GF bread or omitting the bread  This is a real treat. Various game meats can be found at some markets or online. We had these bits and bobs in the freezer, remaining from previous meals. 

1½ oz quail or pheasant
½ oz rabbit liver 
1 oz wild boar loin meat
½ tsp Dijon mustard 
½ oz cranberries  2 Tbsp rich broth, any sort 
1 oz egg = 1/2 of US Large egg		Put quail, liver, boar, mustard, cranberries, broth, and egg in the food processor and chop briefly. Add water if it is dry.
1½ oz turkey, cubed 
½ oz onion, minced  ½ oz peas 
pepper + salt + mace 		Remove to a bowl and add these. Pat into an oven-safe dish that has been spritzed with non-stick spray. 
¼ Arnold Multi-grain Sandwich-thin [½ of one slice]Nestle the sandwich-thin on top and bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. 
1 oz carrot coins grainy mustardServe with the cooked carrots and a bit of mustard.

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

Seedy Scones: butter, flour, sugar…1 two-oz egg + salami  
+ baking soda, white whole wheat flour…garlic + sheep sorrel or arugula
+ cream of tartar, mixed seeds, saltPecorino cheese + reduced-fat ricotta
apple + Camembert cheesecherries
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

rabbit meat + carrotPuttanesca sauce 
potato + dried apricot Whole wheat pasta, any shape
dried pear or dried appleParmesan cheese 
Thyme, bay, sage, lavendergreen beans
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Mary Tudor

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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.

Through most of recorded time, women have had little say about how their lives would unfold. If you were a woman of noble birth, even less so. If you were a princess, you were a mere pawn in the power struggles of nations. Such was the story of Mary Rose Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England. How did a princess live? At age six, she had her own household staff — several noblewomen to tend to her needs, a doctor, a teacher — and a yearly income from the Crown. Mary was taught latin, French, music, dancing, and embroidery. When she was seven, her mother died; her father died when she was 13. At age 11, she was engaged to marry Charles of Spain who was four years younger than she. In the meantime, her dear brother became King Henry VIII, happy to have a pretty, nubile sister to trade for political gain. In 1514, the Chess Game of State dictated that she marry the widowed Louis XII of France. He was 52 years old, gouty and ‘poxy’, and the lively teenaged Mary [‘the most beautiful princess in Europe’] rebelled at the idea. She sulked and cried, but to no avail: Mary became Queen Consort of France. King Henry had made a deal with his sister: be a good sport and marry Louis now, then when he dies, you can marry whom you wish. That sounded good, since Mary was already enamored of her brother’s good friend Charles Brandon. King Louis died after three months of wedded ‘bliss’. When Charles Brandon arrived as part of the entourage to escort Mary back home, Mary proposed to him and they secretly married in Paris. King Henry was wild with rage. He was very fond of his sister, but to marry a commoner and without his permission — that was going too far, and they would pay! And they pay did: over several years, Mary and Brandon paid a total of  £7,200,000 in cash and jewels to the Royal Exchequer for the privilege of being married and living in peace. They retired to Suffolk and lived quietly, having four children of whom two survived to adulthood. The flagship of Henry VIII’s navy was the Mary Rose, which sank in the Solent in 1545 and was raised in 1982. Was the ship named for his favorite sister? Perhaps.

Our meals for Mary Tudor’s birthday, March 18, 1495, are from France. Firstly, because her first husband was the French king. Secondly, because after she and her second husband married, they stayed in France for a while until they had made nice with Mary’s angry brother, Henry VIII.

Breton/Norman Bread Pudding: 204 calories 8 g fat 1.5 g fiber 11.6 g protein 14 g carbs 124 mg Calcium PB GF– if using GF bread. This dish was invented to clear out the fridge when leaving a rental cottage in Brittany. We repeated it when departing Normandy. It works well anywhere, even at home.

¾ fluid oz milk ½ slice = ½ oz whole-grain bread 1 two-oz egg 1 oz tomato 1 oz cooked fish OR ¾ oz cooked chicken ¼ oz cheese 2 oz strawberries OR 1.5 oz melon  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Cube or dice the bread and tomato. Flake the fish and grate the cheese. Stir together everything, except the strawberries. The mixture should be moist throughout, but not soupy. Heat a saute pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Turn the bread pudding into the pan. Pat and nudge it into a large, flat patty. Cook until brown on one side, then turn it over. [Alternatively, bake it in an oven-proof dish for 18 minutes.] When done, it should be set and cooked all the way through and browned on both sides. Plate with the berries and reminice about the vacation you just enjoyed.

Fish with Polenta and Mediterranean Vegetables: 229 calories 6 g fat 3 g fiber 26.5 g protein 16 g carbs 180 mg Calcium  PB GF  Awfully good and easy, too.  HINT: serves two people.

1 cup Mediterranean Vegetables* 2 slices polenta** each 3.5×3.5” 8 oz fish: cod- tilapia-perch 1.5 oz mushrooms 3 Tbsp Parmesan, grated ½ tsp olive oil hot pepper flakes herbes de Provence garlic powder

Thaw or prepare the vegetables*. Thaw or prepare the polenta**. Saute the fish in oil, cooking both sides. When you flip fish over to cook the other side, add squares of polenta to the pan to heat. Heat Mediter-rinean Vegetables, adding the mushrooms, herbes de Provence, and garlic powder. Plate polenta, top with vegetables, and nestle the fish into place. Top each portion with grated cheese.

*MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLES:  makes 3+ cups  PB GF  2 cups eggplant, peeled & cubed  OR 1½ cup bell peppers, cubed 2 cups tomato, cubed 2 cups zucchini, cubed 2 cloves garlic 1.5 tsp oregano Prepare all the vegetables, and put them in a saucepan. Simmer, covered, until cooked through. If watery, remove lid and continue to simmer. Add oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and the chickpeas, if using. Use whatever amount you wish for this meal and freeze the remainder in ½-cup or 1-cup portions.

**POLENTA:  12 slices   recipe from Bob’s Red Mill PB 1 cup dry polenta 3 c water or vegetable stock 1 tsp salt Bring salted water/stock to a boil in a 2-qt saucepan. Add polenta, a few table-spoons at a time, stirring after each addition. Once all polenta is in, turn down heat to its lowest [I used the smallest burner on its lowest setting] and cook 30 mins. Stir often: to prevent lumps, to scrape down the sides, and to keep it from sticking to the bottom.  Unlike risotto, it does not need constant stirring. After 30 minutes, the polenta will be very thick – the spoon should stand up by itself. Then cook 2-3 minutes more. Brush a very thin layer of oil on a 9×13” baking pan, and turn the polenta into it. Nudge batter into the corners and smooth out the top. Let it cool as the polenta solidifies. Before serving, cut into 12 squares. Heat a non-stick skillet and spray with cooking spray. Cook the polenta portions until they begin to take on a little color and are heated through. Individually wrap pieces and freeze cooked or uncooked, until needed.

Hometown Heroine: Mount Tabor

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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.

Deborah, by Gustave Dore

Deborah and her husband  Lapidoth lived in the Levant in the early 1100s BCE. At that time, there was no Kingdom of Israel, only 12 tribes following their flocks across the Promised Land. They worshipped their god Yahweh in a windowless tent which housed the Ark of the Covenant containing the 10 Commandments. The space was lighted by a golden menorah fueled by olive oil, and Deborah was the tender of the menorah. Because she was a wise woman and a prophet, people came to her with their problems as she sat under a date-palm tree. Their individual problems were small com-pared to those of the tribes of Israel. For 20 years, the Israelites had been under the rule of King Jabin of Hazor. This was said to be a punishment for not having followed Yahweh’s ways. Jabin and his Canaanites resented the incoming Children of Israel, and they subjugated the Israelites by superior force and weaponry. No one dared stand up to them. One day, Deborah called the warrior Barak to her. She revealed that the Lord wanted him to take 10,000 men to Mount Tabor to fight the Canaanites. He said he would go only if Deborah went with him into the fight. She agreed, but teased him with the thought that history would name a woman as the victor of the engagement. Barak was fine with that, so their army made camp on the mountain. When the Canaanites found out, they took their 900 iron chariots, their heavy horses, and their army to the Kishon River valley at the mountain’s base. As Deborah foresaw, it rained heavily that night. When the Israelites stormed down the hillside the next morning, the enemy chariots were mired in mud. The river overflowed, drowning many soldiers and horses. The Canaanites who were left were struck down by the Israelites. Deborah’s army had won! In Judges 5, we find one of the earliest writings in the Bible, The Song of Deborah, said to have been written by the victor herself. Deborah was declared to be a rescuer [that is to say a ‘judge’] of Israel, and peace reigned for 40 years. We could use some peace in our time, and in our children’s time as well.

Our breakfast is made from ingredients typical of the Levant [the land where the sun rises]: hummus, olive, dates [for Deborah’s date-palm], local vegetables. The dinner similar to our’s might have appeared on the Kosher table for Deborah and her family.

Levantine ScrOmelette: 142 calories 8 g fat 1 g fiber 10 g protein 5 g carbs 50.5 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  These fine ingredients yield a flavorful result. The sun rising in the East will smile on you.

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.  1 Tbsp Mediterranian vegetables, chopped 1.5 tsp hummus** 1 black olive, minced 2 deglet noor dates  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, then stir in the hummus and vegetables. Pour into a saute pan which has been spritzed with non-stick spray and scramble to your taste or prepare as an omelette. Pour the optional beverages and plate with the fruit.

**HUMMUS: makes 2 cups  Recipe from Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook.  1 can [15-oz] chickpeas, drained + rinsed 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1½ tsp salt 4 tsp lemon juice 5 T tahini black pepper + cayenne ¼ c chopped scallions/onions Put everything in the food processor and whizz until smooth. Taste for seasonings. Freezes well. Variation: Add a few slices of cooked beet to obtain an amazing pink color.

Apricot-Glazed Lemon Chicken:  262 calories 2 g fat 3.4 g fiber 28 g protein 33 g carbs 56.5 mg Calcium  PB GF  Lightly sweet, slightly sour. This chicken is very easy to prepare and it is delicious. You will want to eat this often. The recipe comes from the Great Hadassah Wizo Cookbook, via Omgyummy.com. So you know that then I modified it….

4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast 1.5 tsp apricot preserves/jam ½ tsp chopped lemon zest 1 tsp fresh lemon juice 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 or 2 slices of lemon ½ cup delicata squash, cubed 3 oz sweet potatoes garlic powder paprika pepper + salt

Take one boneless chicken breast and place it on a cutting board. Put one hand flat on top of it and cut through the meat parallel to the cutting board. This should give you two equal pieces of breast meat, each 3-4 ounces. [If serving one person, save one of the fillets for another meal.] Whisk the jam, mustard, lemon juice, and zest. If the jam is too solid, warm it gently so it will combine with the other ingredients. Spray a baking pan or pie plate with olive oil and put in the chicken. Pour the sauce over it and place the lemon slices on top. Cut the delicata squash, skin and all, and put into an oven-proof dish, such as a pie plate. Cut the sweet potato into skinny French Fries, toss them with garlic powder, paprika, and pepper, and add them to the pie plate. Spray liberally with non-stick oil or olive oil. Put the chicken and the vegetables into a 400 F oven for 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables and salt them. Return to oven, raise the temperature to 425 F and continue cooking for 10 more minutes. Happy eating awaits.

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

1 two-oz egg = US largepolenta
whole-grain bread + milkblueberries, fresh or frozen, unsweetened
tomato + strawberriesmaple syrup
cooked fish or chicken + cheese
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

Mediterranean Vegetables  + polenta small amount quail or pheasant meat + rabbit liver
herbes de provence + mushroomsDijon mustard + peas + fresh cranberries
Cod-tilapia-perch + Parmesan cheeserich broth + egg + turkey meat + onion + mace
olive oil + pepper flakes  +  garlic powder carrot + wild boar meat + Arnold sandwich-thin 
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Thayendanegea, aka: Joseph Brant

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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 Royal Kiss who is now Following.

Stuart, Gilbert; Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant, c.1743-1807); British Museum. Brant wore native garb for the portrait, but preferred English clothes for daily life.

While on a hunting trip to the Ohio Nations [modern-day State of Ohio, USA], a Mohawk couple gave birth to a son whom they named Thayendanegea [in Mohawk: ‘He places two bets together’]. The father died soon afterward and the mother, with her new-born and a young daughter, made her way back to the British Colony of New York to her family. There she married a man who was half-Mohawk and half-Dutch, who’s name was Brant. Young Thayendanegea was raised Christian [with the name Joseph] in the Mohawk community where his mother had a lucrative ginseng business. Through that, she met the Englishmen William Johnson who married her daughter and chose her son to enroll in an “Indian School” in Connecticut that was the pre-cursor to Dartmouth College. Joseph excelled at math and languages. He adopted ‘English ways’ — in his dress, language, lifestyle, and political leanings. At that time, American Colonists were making noises about revolution. In Joseph’s way of thinking, the British had treaties with the Indigenous People but the Americans could not be trusted. He feared that the Americans would take as much land as they could from the Natives, so Brant sided with the British during the Revolution. Brant went often to London to negotiate for his people’s right to land. He was very popular socially: think of it, my dear — a wild Indian who dresses like us and speaks English! Back home, he fought for the British, commanding Brant’s Volunteers, made up of both Natives and Loyalists. The Loyalists lost, and Brant was proved wrong: the British ceded all the land East of the Mississippi to the Americans — despite a prior treaty with the Six Nations to give them land rights there. So Brant negotiated with the Americans to name lands reserved for the Indigenous People. When that failed, he took his followers to Canada, where he settled on lands given to him near Ontario. He died there in 1807. Was Thayendanegea a defender of his people? Was Joseph Brant a man who lost touch with his cultural heritage and became a White Man? He probably saw elements of English life that he liked and adopted, figuring that the way to change the system was from within. Unfortunately for Joseph Brant, it did not work.

Our breakfast contains elements of Indigenous farming that Thayendanegea would have known. Our dinner is a very English dish, the sort that Brant would have enjoyed.

Summer Vegetable Bake:  129 calories 6 g fat 2.4 g fiber 8 g protein 11 g carbs 33 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg-bake and fruit only, not the optional hot beverage. PB GF Corn, beans, and tomatoes are native American foods and they find themselves to be right at home in this breakfast.

1 two-oz egg ¼ cup corn-black bean-tomato salad  pinch of chili pepper 2 oz melon   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]

Whisk the egg with the chili pepper. Heat the toaster oven to 350 F. Spritz an oven-proof dish with cooking oil or spray and put the corn salad into it. Pour the egg on top and bake for 12-15 minutes. Plate with the melon for a taste of Meso-America.

Marish Mushroom Casserole: 299 calories 9 g fat 6 g fiber 24 g protein 41 g carbs 165.6 mg Calcium  PB If you are a mushroom lover, this meal will make you happy. Vaguely inspired by a recipe from Theodora FitzGibbon’s A Taste of England , it contains some very English flavors: mushrooms, mustard, bacon, and Worcestershire in a Yorkshire Pudding batter. HINT: This recipe is enough to serve two [2] diners.

BATTER: 1 egg + ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup white whole wheat flour
½ cup skimmed milk + 1 tsp baking powder		Whisk together and let the batter sit for 30+ minutes. You will need 2/3 cup for this recipe. Bake the remainder tomorrow like Yorkshire Pudding.
3 slices uncured bacon @ 30 calories/slice Chop bacon and cook until almost done
8 oz mushrooms, several varieties, if possible  1 clove garlic  one scallion, slicedChop mushrooms, slice the garlic and scallion. Cook in the bacon until softend and most of the liquid has evaporated. Take off heat.
2 T Worcestershire sauce 
2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour 1 oz egg [that’s ½ of one US Large egg] 
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated		Stir Worcestershire and flour to combine. Then add the egg and cheeese, an stir.Combine in the pan with the mushroom mixture.
2/3 cup batterPour into an oven-safe dish which has been spritzed with non-stick spray. Smooth out the top of the mixture. Pour the batter on top.
Bake at 425 until batter is cooked.
½ tsp prepared mustard 
1½ oz green beans		Serve with green beans and mustard.

Maud Lewis

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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 artwork of Maud Lewis has been gaining renown over the decades since her death in 1970. It is folk art, similar in style to that of Grandma Moses in the US, painted on pieces of wood or metal showing country scenes in vivid colors with no shading or shadows. But Maud’s life had many shadows. She was born on March 7, 1903, in South Ohio, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her father was a harness-maker. Maud developed juvenile rheumatoid arthritis as a young child, which stunted her growth and deformed her hands and feet. After completing third grade, Maud stayed home with her mother who taught her to paint Christmas cards in watercolors. When she was 25, a liaison with a Mr. Allen resulted in a baby named Catherine. Allen abandoned Maud, the child was given up for adoption and never discussed again. After her parents’ deaths, Maud went to Digby to live with an aunt. There she took a job as housekeeper for Everett Lewis who worked selling fish door to door. They married and lived in his tiny two-room house in Marshalltown. Initially, Maud painted greeting cards and sold them along with the fish to her husband’s customers. Then she began to paint their house: the interior walls, stair risers, doors, furniture — every surface is painted in bright colors and cheery themes. Everett encouraged her to paint pictures by obtaining wood for her ‘canvases’ and buying her a set of oil paints. As she became more infirm, Everett kept house while his wife painted. Maud depicted country scenes from her childhood and sold them out the front door. People began to drive out to Marshalltown to buy her paintings for $2-3.00. Why did she paint? Was it for the money? Not really. The income helped, but Maud loved color and surrounded herself with pretty pictures for the sheer fun of it. She died of pneumonia after a fall broke her hip. Her Painted House was eventually moved inside the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax. Today, Maud’s little paintings are now worth thousands of dollars.

Maud was from Nova Scotia, one of the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Our breakfast has many flavors of the region and our dinner is based on the late-night fast food from Halifax which now can be found from coast to coast [and maybe even to the other coast].

Maritime ScrOmelette:  161 calories 8.5 g fat 1 g fiber 15 g protein 5 g carbs 84.4 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  Between the salt cod and the potatoes, this breakfast is a taste of the Canadian Maritimes. And then you add the cheddar to kick it into high gear.

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   ¼ oz salt cod 1 Tbsp mashed potato OR 1.5 tsp instant potato flakes + 1 Tbsp water 1/8 oz Cheddar cheese, grated ½ tsp herb savory 1 oz strawberries or melon  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]

The night before, put the salt cod in a bowl of water for 30-45 minutes. Drain and cut the fish into small pieces. [Combine the potato flakes with 1 Tbsp water and let sit to reconstitute.] In the morning, stir the cod, potatoes, and Cheddar together. Heat a cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Whisk the eggs and pour into the pan. As the eggs start to cook, scramble in the cod mixture along with savory, salt, and pepper. Cook as long as you prefer. Prepare the beverages and plate the fruit. Listen to some good Maritime fiddle music. 

Donair:  297 calories 15.5 g fat 2.5 g fiber 19 g protein 18.5 g carbs 96 mg Calcium   PB  The original Halifax Donair is based on a lamb gyro sandwich, so here it goes back to its roots. You can prepare the bread dough in advance and cook it in advance, or cook it same day you serve donair.

2.4 oz gozleme bread** 3 oz ground lamb 1 oz tomatoes, diced 2 Tbsp raw onion, chopped 2 Tbsp ‘donair sauce’+ carrot sticks cucumber slices

+’Donair Sauce‘  makes ~ 2 Tbsp, enough for one serving 2 Tbsp non-fat vanilla yogurt 2 tsp cider vinegar 2 tsp garlic powder Stir everything together and put in a side dish for serving. **Gozleme Bread makes four 2.4 oz flat-breads 

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 four equal pieces. Roll on a floured surface into flat breads. Cook on an oil-sprayed skillet 3-4 mins per side until turning brown in spots.

Brown the lamb meat and drain off all the fat. While the lamb is cooking, dice the tomato and chop the onion. Prepare the sauce. Plate the bread and top with lamb. Season with salt and pepper. Top with tomato and onion. Put the dish of sauce on the plate. Spoon on sauce to taste, then bring up the sides of the bread to enclose the toppings and start eating. 

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

1 two-oz egg = US large1.5 two-oz eggs 
Corn-black bean-tomato salad hummus + black olive
chili powderMediterranian Vegetables 
melonstrawberries
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

uncured bacon + mushrooms + garlic + eggraw chicken breast + fresh lemon
scallion + green beans + mustard + white flourapricot preserves or jam
Worcestershire sauce + white whole wheat flourDijon mustard + delicata squash
Parmesan cheese + skim milk + baking powdersweet potatoes
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Viking Tales: Sons of Rognvald

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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 Revelação do funk brasileiro who is now Following.

Rognvald ‘The Wise’ Einsteinsson, Jarl of Møre, friend of Harald Fair-hair, had many children through various liasons – typical of a strong leader in the Viking Era. One of his wives was Groa Thorsteinsdottir, grand-daughter of Aude the Profound. Bernard was her son [and my ancestor]. Ragnhild Hrolfsdatter, the Official Wife, produced Ivarr, Thorir, and Hrolf [aka: Rollo the Granger]. Un-named ‘friðla‎s’ [concubines/enlsaved women] gave birth to Einarr, Hallad and Hrollaug. All six sons, with their varying personalities, formed the ‘board of directors’ for ‘Rognvald Enterprises.’ Viking families operated like corporations, overseeing the home farms, the fleet of ships, the many crews of men for the ships, and the trading branch of the business. This struck viewers of the Vikings Series as incongruous, but being a Viking wasn’t just pillaging and drinking — Vikings were businessmen. Here is a story to rival the series Succession: the 6 sons of Rognvald and their fates. After Ivarr was killed on a raid with King Harald, Rognvald was given the Earldom of the Orkney and Shetland Islands as compensation. Since Rognvald already had lands at Møre/Maer in Norway, he gave the islands to his brother Sigurd. When his brother was killed by rival pillaging Vikings, Rognvald sent his son Hallad to rule — a big promotion. But the Earldom had a catch: to keep it, one had to repel other Viking bands who wanted to take over.  [After two years, Hallad returned, saying that he was sick and tired of continually fighting Vikings. He became the laughingstock of the family and of the community.]  Rognvald, enraged at and embarrassed by his son, called a Family Meeting. Topic: who next shall take over the Orkneys and Shetlands? Thorir volunteered, but Rognvald said that his fate lay in Norway. [After Rognvald’s death, Thorir inherited the Earldom of Møre.]  Hrolf, volunteered to go. His father said, “No – I see other lands in your future.” Bernard would have volunteered, but he always palled around with his half-brother Hrolf.  [Hrolf became the Duke of Normandy France in 911, ancestor of William the Conquerer. He rewarded his brother Bernard for his support with lands of his own. Bernard’s descendants became the families Harcourt and Beaufort in England, and d’Harcourt in France.] What about Hrollaug? No, said his father, he was foretold to have a future in Iceland.  [Hrollaug did indeed move to Iceland, dying around 904 CE, at Eyiafiord.] So Einarr spoke up, saying, “You give me enough fighting men and I will go. And happily, since none of you care about me and I get no respect in this family.” His father said, “Good. You’ve never made anything of yourself here, so go there.”  [Einarr left for the Orkneys and never came home again. On the Orkneys, there were no trees, so Einar started the custom of digging peat to burn for fuel. Hearing this, his family called him Torf-Einarr, or Einarr the Turf-Digger. Einar was the only son of Rognvald to avenge his murder. He killed Halfdan son of King Harald.] Did you ever think that your’s was the only dis-functional family? Think again.

The Orkneys and the Shetland Islands are part of Scotland nowadays. Our meals utilize local ingredients for a breakfast from the rivers and a dinner from the barnyard.

Leek & Salmon Bake: 129 calories 6.5 g fat 1 g fiber 10 g protein 7 g carbs 64.5 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  Simply delicious. 

One 2-oz egg ½ oz salmon [could be leftover from a previous meal] 1/3 oz leek, sliced thinly cross-wise 1 tsp low-fat sour cream OR plain Greek Yogurt dill weed to taste dash lemon juice small plum   Optional:  5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Spritz an oven-proof ramekin [for 2 people, Dear Husband likes to use a 6×4” oval casserole] with non-stick spray and set the oven for 350 degrees F. Slice the leek and put in a microwave-safe dish. [NB: if the fish is raw, cut it into small pieces and put it in the dish with the leeks] Cook in microwave for 30 seconds at high heat to soften the leek. Add to the ramekin. Whisk the egg with the sour cream, dill, lemon juice, and salt/pepper to taste. [NB: some people find dill to be a very strong flavor, so go easy] Pour over the salmon/leek mixture and bake for 12-15 minutes. Prepare your beverages of choice and dish the berries. Have a wonderful breakfast and a wonderful day.

Cock-a-Leekie Soup:  202 calories 4 g fat 3 g fiber 13 g protein 22 g carbs 44 mg Calcium   PB GF  This Scottish farmstead soup goes back to the late middle-ages, as you can tell by the simple, Old World, Northern Europe ingredients such as barley, onions, dried fruit, and leeks. The recipe is from Graeme Taylor.  

11 one-cup servingsPreheat the oven to 200˚c/ 400 F
2 leg quarters + 1 back = 1# 9 oz water to coverRoast chicken pieces ~ 30 mins in a heavy bottomed pot. Pour water over chicken until it is covered. Bring to a boil, simmer 1 hr, on stovetop to produce stock.
1 onion, chopped = 1cup
2 leeks, sliced = 15 oz  3 oz/ ¾ c carrots, chopped 
12 prunes, chopped  
3 sprigs of thyme + 1 bay leaf ½ tsp salt + grindings pepper 		Add in these ingredients. Cook until vegetables are tender, around 20 minutes. Remove chicken, take the meat from the bones, and stir meat back into soup. I ended up with 1½ cups meat. Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf. 
Strain soup through a collander into a bowl, saving solids and the stock. After cooking, there were 5 cups vegetables. 
Cool and skim fat from the stock. I ended up with 4 cups stock. Reunite solids with stock. Check for seasoning and let sit in the pot for 8 hours+. Portion and freeze.
Per serving: 2 Tbsp quick barley  Stir barley into the pot. Simmer, covered, 8 mins. Serve.