How to eat if you want to lose weight

For, lo, the Winter is past…

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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.

“Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing birds has come. And the voice of the turtle[dove] is heard in the land.”

The 10th century BCE author of the Song of Songs [Solomon did not write it, although the piece is often called the Song of Solomon] had his own idea of when winter ended: rain over, check; flowers bloom, check; songbirds return, check; turtledoves sing, check. Does that define the end of winter where you live? Here in April in Northern New England, the Peepers are singing, the daffodils have begun to bloom, and the snow remains only in shaded hollows. It is not yet time to plant vegetables, except for cold-hardy ones like peas and spinach. Easter has come and gone, but snowfall can come as late as May… Still, the sun rises higher in the sky each day, and the earth becomes warmer. Sap Season is over and the maple trees are in flower. Winter is clearly over and Spring is underway. May will bring apple blossoms, and after the lilacs bloom, the hot weather comes to stay. For now, we will savor the mild sunny days, the absence of biting insects, and the awakening of the land after its winter dormancy. Rise up, my friends, come outside into the garden, and be rejuvenated.

Our meal offerings are all about Springtime, from ingredients suggesting the Vernal Equinox to a crunchy green dinner salad.

Vernal Equinox Bake: 249 calories… 8.4 g fat… 2 g fiber… 14 g protein… 17 g carbs… 212 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  For the change of seasons, a breakfast with cured meat [to represent Winter] and artichokes [to stand for Spring]. Simple and flavorful.

++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ ½ oz capicola, diced ++++ 1 oz artichoke hearts, marinated and purchased in a jar ++++ 1 clementine OR ¼ cup blueberries ++++ ¼ cup plain, fat-free yogurt ++++ 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] ++

Drain the artichokes and chop them. Spritz an oven-proof dish with non-stick spray and sprinkle the capicola and artichokes on the bottom. Whisk the egg with salt and pepper, pour it into the dish, and bake at 350F. 12-15 minutes. Combine the fruit with the yogurt in a ramekin and plate with the egg bake. Serve with the optional beverages and be happy that Spring is on the way.

Feta Nicoise Salad: 192 calories… 12 g fat… 2.4 g fiber… 7 g protein… 29.5 g carbs… 163.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF  There is a lot of food on this plate – bring your appetite.

++ 2 large romaine leaves OR 1½ cup lettuce, sliced cross-ways ++++ ¼ cup green beans OR 1.5 oz colorful sweet pepper ++++ 1 scant cup cucumber OR zucchini, diced ++++ ¼ c feta cheese, crumbled or diced ++++ 3 black olives, quartered ++++ 1 tsp flavorful olive oil ++++1 tsp white wine vinegar ++++ 1 tsp plain fat-free yogurt ++

Pour oil, vinegar, and yogurt into a wide, shallow bowl and whisk briskly. Steam the peppers or green beans, drain, and put into the dressing to cool. Slice the romaine crosswise into 1” strips. Prepare the other ingredients as described. Remove peppers from bowl of dressing, and put all the other ingredients in the bowl. Toss gently to coat with dressing, then garnish with peppers/beans. Welcome to southern France for fine dining.

Anthony Trollope

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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.

Portrait of Anthony Trollope (1815-1882), English novelist, engraving.

 “The primary object of a novelist is to please, and this man’s novels have been found more pleasant than those of any other writer.” So wrote Anthony Trollope in his 1833 Autobiography. Indeed, his novels gave pleasure to many, many readers. Writing was his side-hustle. By day, Trollope was a postal employee. He was born on 24 April 1815, in London, England into a family of reduced circumstances. His father did not succeed as a country barrister due to his bad temper. Was he angry because all his ambitions seemed to go amiss? A lost chance at a noble title and bad investments lead to money troubles, so the family moved to Belgium where Anthony’s mother Frances supported the family by writing novels and travel books. After a miserable childhood, his choice between joining the Belgian army or working for the UK postal system was a no-brainer, so Trollope returned to England. He was not exactly Emplo-yee of the Month, but an open post within the system took him to Ireland. There Trollope’s life turned around. The 26-year-old became a Surveyor’s Clerk, traveling around the country, checking up on various post offices. He was quite good at that, and on long train trips he began to write. By 1850, his first three novels — the Irish stories — had been published. A visit to Salisbury Cathedral gave him the idea to pen a book about clerics, and so The Warden appeared in 1855. That lead to the popular Chronicles of Barsetshire books. Along the way, he championed the pillar-shaped Post Box, seen around the Kingdom to this day. How did he manage the two careers? By paying his servant extra money to wake him up at 5 am every day, so he could write 1000 words per hour from 5:30-7:00 am, then have breakfast and go to work. Some people were shocked at that idea, as it implied a mechanical rather than artistic thought process. But it worked for Trollope, who produced 47 novels. His postal inspec-tions had him traveling to foreign outposts of the Empire, so Trollope wrote travel books, in addition to short stories, biography, and criticism. In 1867, having amassed a large bank roll from his writing, he resigned as a civil servant to devote his time to running for office [he lost], and writing. Why were Trollope’s novels so successful? He wrote about “the commonplace”: details of everyday life and the “politics” of the vestry, the bank, and the tea table. As Trollope wrote, “A novel should give a picture of common life enlivened by humour and sweetened by pathos.” His work did that, showing us little insights into the minds and actions of relatable little people. Delightful.

 Frau Frohmann, from the short story about why she raised the prices at her country inn, might well have served a breakfast like this one. The lamb at dinner is a nod to Trollope’s son, whom he bankrolled to run a sheep ranch in Australia. In true Trollope family tradition, the venture failed.

Senefeier Sauce Omelette:  178 calories… 9.6 g fat… 3 g fiber… 12 g protein… 13 g carbs… 127 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF A popular German comfort food is the inspiration for this breakfast. Delicious and easy to prepare. 

++ 1½ two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week. ++++ ¼ cup frozen spinach ++++ 1½ Tbsp Bechamel Sauce ++++ 1 Tbsp grainy mustard ++++ large pinch nutmeg ++++ 1½ 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] ++

NIGHT BEFORE: Put frozen spinach in a sieve so it can drain and thaw overnight. NB: if Bechamel is frozen too, measure it out and put into sieve with spinach. Stir together spinach, Bechamel, mustard, nutmeg. Whisk eggs and pour into a hot non-stick pan spritzed with olive oil or cooking spray. Lift edges of eggs as they cook, to let uncooked egg flow underneath. When top sets, spoon spinach mixture onto half of the egg and spread it to the edges. Fold and plate with the fruit. Splendid. Zippy.

Lamb With Mediterranean Vegetables: 295 calories… 14 g fat… 9 g fiber… 22 g protein… 40.5 g carbs… 205.6 mg Calcium… PB GF Here’s a fine meal, full of complex carbohydrates and good flavor. 

+++++ 1 oz ground lamb +++++++ 1 cup Mediterranean Vegetables ++++++ ¼ cup cooked brown rice ++++++ ½ oz Gruyere cheese, grated ++++

Cook the ground lamb, keeping it in biggish chunks rather than tiny flecks. Pour into a sieve to drain any fat and rinse in hot water. Season the meat well with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Heat the Mediterranean Vegetables TIP: so much easier if they were waiting for you in the freezer. Preparing food ahead is such a good idea. Mix the lamb with the vegetables. Plate the rice, then pour the Lamb/Veg on top. Serve topped with grated cheese.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large1.5 two-oz eggs 
capicola hamdandelion greens
marinated artichokesbrown rice
blueberries + plain fat-free yogurtmelon + garlic
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

Romaine lettuce + green beanschicken breast meat + asparagus
olive oil + cucumberbechamel sauce with cheese
feta cheese + black olives4 buckwheat galettes
plain fat-free yogurt + white wine vinegarraw vegetables: carrots, radishes, broccoli
Sparkling waterSparkling water

San Jacinto

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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.

For a few years now, the State of Texas has been having a row with Mexico. It involves would-be immigrants from Mexico [and other nations] coming over the Texas border to seek citizenship in the US. This is not the first time the two anta-gonists have quarreled, but in the beginning the roles were reversed. Spain was the original colo-nizer of Mexico, since the 1500s, next, for a minute, the French held sway. The Spaniards ruled again in 1815, then Mexico gained independence in 1821. Mexico was a very large country, including all of Central America [except Panama] and parts of the current western United States up through California, Nevada, and Utah. When the United States bought New France [Louisiana Purchase], the US bumped up against Mexico. Eager to colonize its more remote areas, Mexico solicited American settlers. Land Agents were hired to arrange for lots of 300 immigrants from the US to come to settle in the “Texas” area of Mexico. By the late 1820s, the Mexican government began to suspect that there was a plot by the USA to invade/purchase/take over some sovereign Mexican territory. They passed a law forbidding more immigration, and questioning land titles. This lead indeed to a rebellion among the Anglo residents of “Texas”. Throw in a large population of Indigenous tribes who were choosing sides, and things got heated. While Mexico was undergoing some political unrest, the Texians took it upon themselves to write a constitution and form military units for resistance. There were battles and skirmishes, with wins and losses [remember the Alamo?] on both sides. A retreat by the Texians found them in the marshes along the San Jacinto River on April 20, 1836. Mexican reinforcements marched all night and arrived on the 21st, too tired to do anything. That afternoon, the Texians fell upon them yelling “Remember the Alamo!” The battle lasted 18 minutes, then the Mexicans ran away. Six hundred were killed, and as many were taken prisoner. When the leader of Mexico,  Antonio López de Santa Anna, was captured the next day, the Texas Revolution was over, and the Republic of Texas was formed.

Our meals celebrate the Tex-Mex cuisine of the region. If only we could unite over food and stop disputation.

Salsa-Chicken ScrOmelette: 150 calories… 8 g fat … 1 g fiber… 17 g protein… 6 g carbs… 62 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF The lively taste of salsa adds some lift to these scrambled eggs, while chicken and cheese add protein.

++ 1½ two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week. ++++ 1 Tbsp low-fat cottage cheese, drained if very liquid ++++ 1.5 Tbsp tomato salsa, drained if very liquid ++++ ½ oz chicken, cooked and diced ++++ dash of cumin and/or pinch of crushed red pepper if you like it spicier ++++ 1 oz mango OR 2 oz strawberries ++++   Optional:  blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++++   Optional:  5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++

Stir the cheese, salsa, chicken, and seasonings together. Heat a well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Whisk the eggs and pour into the pan. Dollop with the other fixings and scramble the eggs to mix everything together. Cook to your liking. Prepare optional beverages. Plate the eggs along with the fruit and tuck in to a jolly meal.

Eggs Pancho Villa: 283 calories… 9 g fat… 6 g fiber… 16 g protein… 30 g carbs… 157 mg Calcium…  PB GF From La Cuisine magazine comes another eggs-for-dinner meal. This one is named after the notorious Mexican border-raider of the 1800s.  TIP: doubles easily.

++++ ¾ cup white beans, canned, drained, rinsed ++++ ¼ cup chopped onions ++++ 1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed ++++ 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes ++++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ ¼ oz Swiss cheese, grated ++++ ground cumin + chili powder to taste ++++

Cook the onions and garlic in the tomatoes until they are soft. Add some water if the tomatoes get too thick. Stir in the beans and the seasonings. Turn into an oven-proof dish about 4” wide – a small cast-iron skillet works well. Poach the egg and put it on the beans/tomatoes. Top with grated cheese and bake at 400 F. for 3 minutes.

17 Degrees North

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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.

By now you know how much I enjoy tracing a random line on a map to see where it will take me. On the sphere [well, not exactly a sphere, but close enough] of the Earth, the equator girds the middle like a belt. From any point on that line to the North Pole, one traverses 90 degrees of the arc of the circumference of the Earth. Each degree is a line of Latitude, the ones that run East to West across the map. Since the Equator is the “0” line, the lower Latitude values are found in the tropics and sub-tropics. Such a one is Latitude 17 North. If you were to go to your globe or a world map, you would find that Lat.17N goes through Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Cape Verde, Guadeloupe, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Burma, India, Yemen, Eritrea, Sudan, Chad, and Niger. That’s quite a world tour! These nations have developed their unique cuisines over centuries of living in warm, humid climates. Local ingredients plus foods brought in by colonizers have turned into meals that are recognized around the globe for their flavor. Whether is is Mandi in Yemen or Chicken Adobo in the Philippines, one can eat well on 17N. From 1954 to 1976, the 17th parallel was the dividing line between North Vietnam and South Vietnam, holding great signi-ficance during the Vietnam War. A lot of lives were lost fighting over a line drawn on a map.

Our meals are from only two of the 20 countries on the 17th North parallel: India and Thailand. It would take us a while to eat our way through all those nations!

Kedgeree: 142 calories… 6 g fat… 1.6 g fiber… 12 g protein… 13.6 g carbs… 69 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PG GF Smoked haddock and asparagus from the British Isles + curry powder = a flavor combination invented during the colonial days in India. Delicious and satisfying for a Fasting breakfast. 

++ ¾ oz smoked haddock ++++ ¼ cup cooked brown rice ++++ 1½ tsp 10% cream ++++ ¼ tsp curry powder ++++ ¼ tsp nutmeg ++++ 1 two-oz hard-cooked egg ++++ 1 oz asparagus ++++  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or  berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

Combine the rice, cream, and the two spices. Cut the asparagus into 1” pieces and put into a small pan with some water. Put the smoked haddock [finnen haddie] on top of the asparagus so that it is not in the water. Cover and simmer until the asparagus and haddock are cooked. Remove the fish and break it into bite-sized pieces or smaller. Drain the asparagus. Stir together the rice mixture and the egg until well-blended. Fold in the fish and the asparagus. Bake in an oiled dish at 350 F. until the egg is cooked and the mixture is set, about 12 minutes. Pour the optional smoothie and enjoy a cuppa with your Indian/English breakfast.

Pork Pad Thai: 265 calories… 7 g fat… 4.5 g fiber… 20 g protein… 28 g carbs… 94.4 mg Calcium…  GF This is our son’s recipe, with a few tweeks by me to make it fit our calorie requirements.  HINT: Makes enough for 2 [two] servings. Share with a friend or pack it up for a later lunch or dinner.

++ 1 oz Asian noodles [I used buckwheat soba noodles] ++++ ½ tsp oil ++++ 2-3 Tbsp water ++++ ½ cup onion, chopped ++++ 2 cloves garlic, chopped ++++ 2 cups sliced cabbage ++++ 1 cup mung bean sprouts or chopped celery ++++ 2 oz scallions [about 3], slice in 1” pieces ++++ 3 oz lean pork, cooked or raw, sliced into thin pieces about 1” square ++++ 6 oz sugar snap peas, cut in half cross-wise ++++ one 2-oz egg ++++ 2 Tbsp Thai fish sauce ++++ pinch hot pepper flakes ++++ 1 tsp sugar ++

Heat a wok or large cast iron pan. Stirfry all the vegetables in the oil and 3 Tbsp water for 3 minutes, adding more water if the vegetables ever stop sizzling in the pan. Cook the noodles according to package directions, drain, rinse, and set aside.  If using raw meat, add to cooking vegetables after 2 minutes. Add the raw egg to the pan of vegetables and scramble it in.  If using cooked pork, add it with the noodles to the wok and stir over the heat to combine. Mix well as you add the fish sauce, the sugar, and red pepper flakes. Pass the Sriracha for added kick.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large 1.5 two-oz eggs 
tomato salsa + 2% cottage cheesefrozen spinach + mustard
crushed red pepper + cuminBechamel Sauce, no cheese
cooked chicken + strawberriesnutmeg + pear
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

1 two-oz egg + Swiss cheeseground lamb
cumin + canned garbanzo beans Gruyere cheese
garlic + crushed tomatoescooked brown rice
chili powder + onionMediterranean vegetables
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Hail

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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.

When you think of ice falling from the sky, you picture winter sleet or snow. Hail — balls of ice from the clouds — are a summertime pheno-menon. It occurs when warm, humid air rises into the Troposphere to form clouds. If those clouds become tall enough, so much that the temperature at the top of the cloud is mark-edly cooler than at the bottom of the cloud, then a convective flow begins. Air within the cloud rises and sinks due to the temperature differences. In the cooler temperatures at the top of the cloud, water precipitates out as ice crystals, and begins to fall through the cloud. But the air currents kick the rain back to the top, where it refreezes and falls again. Each time the ice goes back to the top, another layer of ice is added to it, until the iceball is so heavy that the convective winds cannot lift it, and the ice falls to earth. That is hail. Hail can cause a lot of damage. Even small hail can damage fruit and vegetable crops, and larger hailstones can dent cars or break windows. On April 14, 1986, hail in Bangladesh reached the size of 1.02 kg/2.2 pounds [the heaviest ever recorded], and killed 92 people. On April 14, 1999, a hail storm in the Sydney, Australia area was the costliest storm ever in that country. 20,000 houses and 70,000 cars were damaged, costing $1,700 million AUD — equivalent to $3,542,959,397.31 Australian dollars today. Don’t look up.

Our meal suggestions are round, like hail stones. The sliders are about the size and shape of the record-setting hail of 1986.

Rounds, with Egg: 175 calories… 8 g fat… 2 g fiber… 12 g protein… 20 g carbs… 38 mg Calcium… NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB GF Simple to prepare, easy to eat. Having a few pan muffins tucked into the freezer makes life easier. This breakfast will keep you rolling along through your morning: there is lots of protein and every element is ROUND.

++ 1 two-ounce egg: crack an egg into a small dish ++++ 1 slice Canadian bacon [aka: ‘back bacon’] ++++ 1 pan muffin** ++++ 1 oz apple, cut down the cheek of the apple to make a round slice ++++ 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] ++

Thaw or prepare the pan muffin. Warm the bacon and the muffin in a non-stick pan spritzed with non-stick spray. Then cook the egg by putting a 2.5” round cookie cutter on the surface of the same pan. Spray inside of round mold and surface of pan with cooking spray. When pan is hot, pour a little of the egg into the mold and let it set, to plug any gaps where egg might leak. Pour in remaining egg and cook until mostly set. Use a table knife to run afound inner edge of mold to release egg. Turn egg over, to cook the top. Plated in moments, but be sure to eat it mindfully.

**PAN MUFFIN each: 71 calories… 2.5 g fat… 1 g fiber… 2 g protein… 11 g carbs… 8.5 mg Calcium… These are a dandy little bread to add to a breakfast plate. You will see them in Roman Breakfast and in Cottage Breakfast with egg 

1 c dry Bob’s Red Mill 10-grain hot cereal …………… 1¼ cup buttermilk/soured milk Combine cereal and milk in a small bowl. Let sit 10 minutes. 
1/3 cup butter @ room temperature …………. 1/3 cup sugar …………… 1 two-ounce egg Cream butter and sugar, then mix in egg. 
1 cup unbleached flour ………….. 1 tsp salt ………………1 tsp baking powder……..1 tsp baking sodaAdd dry ingredients and cereal/milk mixture. Stir until just combined. 
2 Tbsp batter for each pan muffinPortion batter onto a hot griddle or flat-bottomed pan spritzed with non-stick spray. Cook on both sides.

Cajun Catfish Sliders: 286 calories… 7.6 g fat… 3.5 g fiber… 27.6 g protein… 28 g carbs… 132 mg Calcium  PB Nothing could be simpler on a busy day, than to pan-fry some catfish for dinner.  HINT: this preparation serves two [2].

++ 9 oz catfish filet ++++ 2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning ++++ 3 slider buns [90 calories each] ++++ Side salad OR ¾ cup coleslaw** ++++ optional: 2 oz tomato, in 3 slices ++

Cut catfish fillet[s] into 3 equal pieces. Dredge the pieces in Cajun seasoning. Heat a non-stick pan to medium, spray with cooking spray or olive oil. Cook the fish until done on both sides. Open each slider bun, put slice of tomato on each bun, then top with one portion of fish. Serve coleslaw on the fish or on the side. Cut one slider in half, serve one and one half sliders on each plate.

**Coleslaw: Makes ¾ cup PB GF ½ cup = 41 calories… 2.4 g fat… 3 g fiber… 1 g protein… 5.5 g carbs… 38 mg Calcium…  ++  1 cup chopped cabbage ++++ ½ oz carrot grated [makes ¼ cup] ++++ 1½ tsp ‘Mayo Dressing’ made with olive oil -OR- 1½ tsp plain yogurt ++++ 1½ tsp cider vinegar ++++ pinch celery seed ++

Star-Crossed Lovers: Gatsby and Daisy

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

My mother told me that there are seven basic plots in literature, and one of them is the story of the “Star-Crossed Lovers.” This plot centers around two people who are in love yet fate intervenes, in one way or another, to keep them apart. Shakespeare coined the term, implying that one’s astrology [one’s stars] controlled one’s destiny. In literature there are star-crossed lovers, and one such famous pair is found in The Great Gatsby, the story of Jay Gatsby and his yearning for the wealthy Daisy Fay. F. Scott Fitzgerald published his most famous novel 100 years ago, on April 10, 1925. Set mostly on Long Island, New York, it centers on the bachelor Gatsby, a mysterious young parvenu who lives an extravagant lifestyle on the north shore of the island. All of his partying and living large are an attempt to catch the eye of his youthful love, Daisy. They now live across the bay from each other, and Gatsby would stand at the end of his dock in the evening, gazing at the green light at the end of her dock. But in the intervening years, Daisy Fay has married. Her husband Tom Buchanan is a philandering lout, so we hope [along with Gatsby] that she will leave him. But she doesn’t/won’t/can’t. Gatsby’s life-long love and his years-long plan to amass a sufficient fortune to win Daisy’s acceptance, make the book a classic of the star-crossed genre. It is also emblematic of the decade of the 1920s: shallow, greedy, careless, hedonistic. The narrator of the book, Nick Carraway — Daisy’s cousin — is driven to near madness by the lifestyle and zeitgeist, and the tale ends in tragedy. As expected.

What were Americans eating during the Roaring 20s, when The Great Gatsby was set? Our breakfast was developed in 1926, in Louisville — hometown of Daisy Fay. Antipasto plates were popular in that decade, too, so we will enjoy one for dinner.

Hot Brown: 200 calories… 5.6 g fat… 3.6 g fiber… 9.5 g protein… 19.5 g carbs… 66.6 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the plated foods only, not the optional beverages. PB GF — if using GF bread  HINT: This recipe serves 2 [two], the photo shows one [1] portion. The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, is the origin of this delicious breakfast. Originally, it was a late-night snack, without an egg. But with the egg, it becomes a wonderful morning meal, with calories left over for a suitable brevrege. TIP: If you want to serve only 1 [one], whisk one egg and pour it into a 10” saute pan. Cook it flat until top is set. Fold the egg into thirds, then cut in half crosswise. Save the other half for an egg sandwich tomorrow, or slice it to garnish a salad or a stir-fry.

++ 2 slices uncured American bacon @ 30 calories each ++++ 2 slices 60-calorie whole-grain bread ++++ 2 oz turkey breast, sliced thinly ++++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ 4 Tbsp Mornay sauce** ++++ 2 oz sliced tomatoes ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [85 calories] ++++   Optional:  5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++

Cut bacon strips in half, cook until as crispy as you wish. Drain. Pour out most of the bacon fat, then whisk the egg and cook as described in the TIP above. Toast the bread lightly. Spread lightly with Mornay sauce, all the way to the edges. Put cooked egg on top, smear with a bit of Mornay. Top with turkey, then with the tomato. Spoon the remaining Mornay sauce on top. Put under the broiler until sauce is bubbly and browning. Plate, then top with a criss-cross of bacon.

**Mornay Sauce: makes ½ cup ++ ½ cup Bechamel Sauce, no cheese ++++ ½ oz Swiss cheese ++++ 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated ++ Gently heat the Bechamel sauce in a small pan. Chop the Swiss cheese into small pieces, and stir both cheeses into the sauce until they melt. Take off heat and use now or store in the ‘frige in a jar with a lid.

Antipasto with Tuna or Smelts: 282 calories… 10.6 g fat… 9 g fiber… 20 g protein… 24 g carbs… 250 mg Calcium…  PB GF  This one is a keeper: simple, off the shelf, pretty on the plate, good to eat. The photo shows enough for 2 people. Invite a guest who is Fasting, too. When I made it with smelts, even my smelt-leery spouse was converted.

++ 2 oz roasted red pepper, without oil [I roast my own, slice and freeze them] ++++ 2 oz mozzerella, cut into ‘sticks’ [I buy mozzerella in blocks for slicing] ++++ 3 oz tuna, packed in water, drained and broken into large chunks OR 3 oz smelts, boned and fins removed ++++ 5 oz tomato slices ++++ 3 oz whole green beans, steamed, drained ++++ 1 ½ oz marinated mushrooms ++++ 1/3 c. garbanzo beans, drained if canned++++++ 4 black olives, pitted and sliced ++++ 3 slices pepperoni, chopped ++++ 1 tsp flavored oil ++++ salt ++++ chopped fresh herbs ++

Prepare the ingredients and keep separate. On a platter, arrange the ingredients in rows as shown in the photo. Suit your own artistic nature as to what goes where. Be liberal with the fresh herbs.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large1 two-oz egg  + Indian curry powder
‘Canadian’ baconasparagus + cooked brown rice
pan muffin1/2 & 1/2 [10%-fat] cream
applesmoked haddock + nutmeg
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

catfish filet + Cajun seasoningbuckwheat soba noodles + 2-oz egg + garlic
slider buns [90 calories each]hot pepper flakes + oil + onion + sugar
tomato + celery seedsugar snap peas + scallions + lean pork
cabbage + carrot + mayonnaise + cider vinegarThai fish sauce + mung bean sprouts + cabbage
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Mazu

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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.

Q: What deity is nicknamed “Queen of Heaven”? A: Mazu, 媽祖, Goddess of the Sea. Q: After whom is Macau named? A: Mazu, Goddess of the Sea. Q: Which deity is attended by two demons? A: Mazu, Goddess of the Sea. Q: Which Chinese goddess is neither Taoist nor Buddhist? A: Mazu, Goddess of the Sea. Who is Mazu? She was born in 960 CE, on Meizhou Island, in China’s Fujian province. Her name was Lin. From infancy she was known as the Silent Maiden. The whole town saw her as someone special. It seemed that she could predict the weather better than anyone. As a young woman, her projected spirit saved her fisherman father and brothers from a ship wreck — even though she was sitting at home, weaving. After she died [or ascended to heaven] at age 26, people called upon Mazu for relief from floods and drought; for safe ocean travel; for a successful catch of fish — and her reputation as a compassionate helper grew. She was declared a deity by the Chinese government in the 1200s, and throughout coastal China, temples to Mazu were built. Her cult really took off in Taiwan in the 17th century. Worship of Mazu unified the diverse people of the island and she became the principal deity of the Taiwanese. Every year a Festival is held in Taiwan on her birthday, with processions and pilgrimages attracting tens of thousands of people to honor Mazu, Goddess of the Sea.

To celebrate Mazu’s March birthday, one eats seafood [naturally!], especially oysters, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. Both breakfast and dinner contain these elements deliciously.

Mazu’s Breakfast: 165 calories…1.5 g fat… 5.3 g fiber… 9.5 g protein… 40 g carbs.. 36.5 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF – if using GF flour  The Sea Goddess Mazu is honored by eating seafood, fruits, and vegetables. We score that trifecta in this lovely breakfast, adapted from a recipe in Stefan’s Gourmet Blog. HINT: The oyster cake recipe makes seven [7] cakes. Freeze what you don’t eat for today.

++ Oyster Cake** ++++ 3.5 oz mango with skin ++++ 1.5 oz kiwi fruit/Chinese Gooseberry] ++ 

7 **Oyster Cakes7 custard cups
7 oysters, fresh or cannedFresh oysters: Lay flat in saucepan with ½” water. Cover pan.  Heat on med-high until water reaches 131F/55C. Turn off heat, let sit 5 mins. Put oysters in a bowl.
Open oysters over bowl to catch liquid. Take from shells, rinse if sandy. Cut into quarters, set aside.
Oyster liquid + enough water to bring volume to 150-200 ml/1 to ¾ cStrain oyster liquid through a paper towel. Add water
37 g/½ c shredded cabbageShred cabbage leaves.
20 g/ 2 Tbsp shredded carrot ++++ 6 g/ 2 Tbsp sliced scallionsMix cabbage with carrot and scallions.
150 g/1 c white whole wheat flour ++++ oyster-liquid/ water ++++ mixed vegetablesSift flour into a bowl, add oyster-flavored water, whisking to break up lumps. It should be like thick pancake batter. Fold in vegetables.
Salt to tasteAdd salt.
Oysters, cut in quarters +++++ vegetable batterIn a small bowl/custard cup, combine ¼ c batter + 4 oyster bits. Repeat, until all oysters and batter are used. 
2 Tbsp ketchup  ++++ 1 Tbsp oyster sauce ++++ 1 Tbsp soy sauceCombine these ingredients, and stir well. If too thin, reduce liquid over medium heat. = Dipping Sauce for 7 cakes.
vegetable Oil Heat a griddle or cast iron pan, coat with a thin layer of oil.
Scrape contents of each cup onto cooking surface one at a time. Cook over med-high until browned on both sides.

Taiwanese-Style Seafood Pancakes: each pancake = 298 calories… 11 g fat …1.6 g fiber… 20 g protein… 21.5 g carbs… 141 mg Calcium…  PB The recipe is taken from Wok On by Ching He Huang  HINT: This is enough for two [2] dinner pancakes. Invite a fellow Faster or cut recipe in half.  Note to purists: the original recipe does not call for wheat flour, let alone whole wheat flour. But I am into nutrition and insist that there be some fiber and complex carbs in my food, hence the heretical addition.

+++2 Tbsp of hoisin sauce ++++ 2 Tbsp of oyster sauce ++++ 2 Tbsp red srirachaCombine the ingredients for a sweet-hot sauce. = 6 Tbsp: 1½ Tbsp = 20 calories.. 0.3 g fat.. 0.2 g fiber.. 0.3 g protein.. 4.5 g carbs.. 5.5 mg Calcium… 
1/3c/ 20g potato flour or flakes ++++  ¼c/ 30g white whole wheat flour ++++ 2 Tbsp/ 14g cornstarch ++++ 180ml/ 6oz/180g cold water Mix dry ingredients with water and stir to combine. Let sit to wet the ingredients, then stir again, adding more water if batter is too stiff. Batter should have the consistancy of milk so it will flow well in the pan. Divide batter into 2 equal portions.
++ 2 spring onions ++++ ½ tsp crushed red pepperCut scallions into a fine dice. Add with crushed pepper to the portions of batter above. Stir.
75g/ 2oz mixed seafood: mussels/shrimp/fish/squid Cut seafood into pieces less than ½” in size. Divide seafood into 2 equal portions
++ 2 eggs ++++ 50g/ 2oz pak choi Beat eggs to break them up. Slice pak choi thinly across the leaves. Divide eggs and greens equally between 2 bowls.
++ ½ tsp light sesame oil ++++ one portion of seafood mixtureHeat a flat-bottomed wok or heavy saute pan over medium heat. Add oil, swirl it around, then spray pan with cooking oil. Add mixed seafood and fry for a few seconds. 
++ one portion of batter ++++ one portion egg-greens mixtureAdd the flour batter, and tip pan to distribute. Immediately add the egg-greens. Cook 60 secs, flip and cook on the other side. Put on a plate.
½ tsp light sesame oil ++++ 1 portion of seafood mixture ++++ 1 portion of batter +++ 1 portion egg-greens mixtureMake the second ‘pancake’ in the same way, using the remaining ingredients. 
1½ Tbsp hot sauce per servingTo serve, drizzle with the sweet hot sauce.

Pony Express

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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.

In 1860, if you were a teen-aged orphan boy who weighed less than 125 pounds, your prospects might have been bleak. On April 5 of that year, a job opportunity opened — riding for the Pony Express between St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California. Half a million people had moved to California after the start of the Gold Rush in 1848, and they keenly felt that they were out of touch with the rest of the country. At that time, mail was delivered by stage coach, but it was often delayed by weeks. A senator from California pushed for a swifter alternative, and so William Evans, William Waddell, and Alexander Majors took on the job of figuring it out. Though all of them worked in freight hauling, they knew that the task required more agility. Majors established 200 stop-over stations along the 1,966 mile route, one third of them including sleeping rooms, store rooms, and extra horses. Eighty young men were recruited, and then they signed a pledge never to drink or swear on the job. They had to be orphans because of the dangerous nature of the work. The riders had to be light-weight so that their small horses could run faster to their desti-nation. The job involved riding night and day, across trackless wilderness, then handing off the bag of mail to the next guy. Although the service was highly successful, it ran for only one year. Once the telegraph lines were completed across the continent, it was the end of an era for the famous, short-lived, much romanticized Pony Express.

Pony Express riders had to stop to change horses. At the stables along the route, they would surely have eaten pork ‘n’ beans, so we will have that with eggs at breakfast. Since they rode through Indian country, the cooks might have picked up a recipe or two from the Indigenous People, such as our dinner made from local ingredients.

Pork ‘n’ Beans ScrOmelette: 146 calories… 8 g fat… 1 g fiber… 12 g protein… 7 g carbs… 50 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. As for the inspiration for this combination, I thought, ‘Well, why not?’ And it tastes good, too – like a meal while camping. 

++ 1½ two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week ++++  1 Tbsp baked beans, straight from the can ++++ ¼ oz pork tenderloin, raw or cooked [left-over from a previous dinner] ++++ ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce ++++ ¼ tsp HP sauce ++++ 1.5 oz strawberries, thawed or fresh ++++  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 the pork is raw, mince it and combine with the beans and a little water. Put in microwave for 45 seconds.  If the pork is cooked, mince it and combine with the beans. Pour pork & beans to warm into a pan which has been sprayed briefly with cooking spray. Whisk the eggs with the two sauces and pour over the pork and beans. Scramble to taste, seasoning with salt and pepper. By now the beverage is hot, the smoothie is shaken, and the strawberries are looking wonderful. Sit, eat, enjoy your breakfast at camp.

3 Sisters Stew: vegetarian version: 211 calories… 3 g fat… 9 g fiber… 8 g protein… 41.4 g carbs… 71 mg Calcium…  meat version: 280 calories… 5 g fat… 11 g fiber… 20 g protein… 41.4 g carbs… 81 mg Calcium…  PB GF  The author of this recipe, Alex Aguilera, based it on a classic Chilean dish. But First Nations people all over North, Central, and South America would recognize the ingredients, which they called ‘the 3 Sisters’. Turkey was a common food of early Americans and can be added if you wish. HINT: this recipe makes 4.5 cups of stew. One serving = 1 cup.

¾#/12 oz butternut squash ++++ 2 cups corn kernels ++++ waterPeel, seed squash and cut as 1” cubes. Put vegetables in pan with water to cover. Cover, simmer until squash is just tender, ~10 mins.
9 oz kidney beans, cannedDrain and rinse beans, add to pot, cook until hot.
Put 1½ cups stew in a food processor or blender, along with some of the liquid. Puree, then return to pot to keep warm.
½ Tbsp canola oil ++++ ½ c onion ++++ ½ red bell pepper ++++ ½ green bell pepperCoarsley chop onion and peppers. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and bell peppers, and cook over moderate heat, stirring sometimes, until softened, 8 mins.
½ tsp cumin, seeds or ground ++++ ½ tsp oregano ++++ ½ tsp crushed red pepper +++ salt & pepperAdd seasonings to vegetables in the skillet. Cook, stirring, ~4 mins until fragrant. Stir into corn-squash-beans, and season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to your preference.Serve 1 cup per person, freezing the remainder.
Optional per serving: 1½ oz turkey dark meatIf turkey is raw, add it to the previous step.If turkey is cooked, add it at end and heat stew to warm meat.

John Constable

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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.

These days, the art of John Constable is beloved in his native land — his 1821 The Hay Wain, at left, was voted most popular painting in the UK. But in his own day, not so much. Constable was born in Suffolk in 1776, and hardly ever strayed from there. His father was prosperous, trading in coal and milling grain. Although his father wanted John to take over his business, the young man had other ideas. In his youth, he was taught to paint by a local amateur or two and became enamored with the process. When he was 23, his father paid for his training at the Royal Academy Schools. Three years later, Constable’s father granted permission for his son to be a painter. As an artist, Constable was a bit of a rebel. The art public wanted to see heroic scenes from history — he gave them scenes of country life. Most artists worked in a studio — he painted outside, en plein aire. Nevertheless, Constable’s work was acceptable enough to be exhibited at the Academy every year until his death. His happy marriage to Maria Bicknell produced seven children, but ended after 12 years with Maria’s death. The artist traveled a bit — to the Lake District, and around southern England, yet his art went farther afield. Three of his landscapes were exhibited by the French Salon in 1824, earning a Gold Medal and great acclaim. His work inspired French artists like Millet and Delacroix to paint from nature. Most of Constable’s paintings were commissioned and sold in France. The curious thing about his ‘paint from nature’ art is that he painted not what he saw but what he remembered. These were scenes of childhood rambles through the Stour Valley. It is a landscape inhabited and built upon by humans — mills, cottages, locks — but it does not show the heavy industry that was actually encroaching on that country-side during the time. His work was nostalgia for how the landscape used to be: a bucolic, simpler England that is depicted today on chocolate boxes and biscuit tins. No doubt that is why Constable’s art is so popular today.

Our breakfast is based on a poem by John Keats, a contemporary of Constable and a fellow Romantic. The dinner is French-inspired, to honor the nation that truly appreciated Constable’s work during his lifetime. He died on March 31, 1837, in the heyday of the Industrial Revolution.

Porphyro’s Picnic:  252 calories… 6 g fat… 6 g fiber… 6.5 g protein… 53 g carbs… 128 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. —PB GF– This is based on the foods described by Keats in his romantic poem The Eve of St Agnes. The meal is rather sweet [key to a teenage girl’s heart!] despite its low calorie count. Due to the sweetness, it needs some other taste to cut it: black coffee? Full of fiber, this meal is sure to kick-start your tally of fruits/vegetables for the day.

++ 2 Tbsp lowfat Vanilla yogurt +++ 2 Tbsp almond meal ++++ 2 oz apple, diced ++++ 2 oz melon, cubed ++++ ¼ cup pitted plums [I used canned plums in light syrup, drained and rinsed], use fresh if in season ++++ 2 tsp cider syrup [or use 2 tsp syrup from the plums] +++ ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, or omit the syrup ++++ ¼ oz Deglet Noor date, cut in 4 pieces. ++++  Optional: coffee or tea ONLY if it is nearly black 

Stir the yogurt and almond meal together and spoon onto the center of the plate. Chop the apple, cube the melon, and arrange them around the almond cream, along with the plums. Place pieces of date at random. Combine the cider syrup with the cinnamon and drizzle it over the apple and melon. All set to eat and you still have 48 calories left over for a beverage. Not responsible for what happens if you eat this by moonlight on January 20.

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

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

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

Saint Rupert

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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.

Saint Rupert with a cask of salt.

Rupert was a Frank who was born around 660 CE somewhere in Gaul. Rupert may have been related to the Merovingian royal line. He chose to make a career in the church, and it turned out pretty well. Working his way up the ranks of the church, he was named Bishop of Worms, with the charge to convert the local non-Christians. At first he was accepted for his piety, but eventually the people turned on him and drove him out of town. His next posting was to convert the Bavarians. Rupert and his acolytes sailed down the Danube River, preaching in every town with great success, and converting the ruler, Duke Theodo II. Rupert had heard of a ruined Roman town in modern Austria, and he asked permission to set up a monastic community there. The Romans had called it Iuvavum. Rupert built the Church and monastery of St. Peter, and a convent where his niece Erendruda became the Prioress. All followed The Rule of Benedict. In an effort to stimulate the local economy, Rupert promoted the salt-mining industry at the site. This was not a new idea — salt had been mined there by the Celts, then a little bit by the Romans, but the mines were unworked for 200 years. Rupert declared that the name of the community should be Saltzburg [‘Salt Fortress’], and so it is still today. The city became wealthy and was a center of Christian power. Rupert died on March 27, c. 715 CE, after saying Easter mass. He is buried at Saint Rupert’s Cathedral. Salzburg holds their St Rupert Festival on August 24.

At the St Rupert Festival, people eat lots of pork schnitzel, so we will have that at dinner. It is traditional to eat salty food in honor of St. Rupert. Our breakfast contains a common Medieval use for salt: storing fish in salt to preserve it.

Medieval Omelette: 194 calories…11 g fat… 0.7 g fiber… 18.5 g protein… 4 g carbs… 86 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF In Medieval times, fish was an important protein source any day. Add to that the fact that one was obliged to skip the meat on the many church-dictated fast days, fish became a must-have commodity. For those inland or not near water, salted and smoked fish were the answer. Salt cured cod, kippered herring, smoked salmon: these were part of a well-stocked larder. Our breakfast is flavored by fish.

++ 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 oz kippered herring OR 0.75 oz salt cod ++++ 1 Tbsp 2%-fat cottage cheese ++++ 1 clove garlic, minced ++++ 1 oz strawberries ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++++  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or  berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++

The night before: put the fish into 1 cup+ water, and soak 30 minutes. Drain, cover with water, and soak overnight.  Next morning: Drain fish, blot dry, mince. Whisk the cheese and garlic into the egg, then stir in the fish. Pour into an oil-wiped non-stick pan over medium-high heat, and cook until the bottom is set and the top is cooked to your taste. Fold and plate with the fruit.

Pork Schnitzel: 233 calories… 10 g fat… 3 g fiber… 14.4 g protein… 23 g carbs… 31 mg Calcium…  PB If you find breaded pork loin cutlets at the butcher shop, snap them up for this easy, yet low calorie meal. Have the butcher verify that the cutlet is indeed 3 oz in weight.

++ 3 oz breaded pork loin cutlets [each ounce: 62 calories– 3 g Fat– 0.3 g fiber– 4 g Protein–  4.4 g carbs — 6 mg Calcium] ++++ 2 oz beets ++++ 1 oz small roasted red potatoes ++++ ½ oz mushrooms ++

Set the oven for 425F. Slice the potatoes in half and place in an oven-proof pan. Spray liberally with non-stick spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and put in the oven. Set timer for 15 minutes. [Check the potatoes for done-ness at 15 minutes. They may need another few minutes – your call.] While the potatoes cook and the beets warm up in a pan, spray a heavy non-stick skillet with non-stick spray. When it is hot, begin to cook the pork schnitzel. Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip it over and put the mushrooms in the pan as well. Cook both for another 3 minutes. Plate the pork and vegetables. Pour the mushrooms on top of the schnitzel along with any pan juices. Very simple and satisfying.

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

apple +++ melon +++ deglet noor date1.5 two-oz eggs 
plum — canned or fresh1/4 oz pork loin + 2 Tbsp baked beans
cinnamon +++ almond mealstrawberries
plain low-fat yogurt ++++ optional cider syrupWorcestershire sauce + HP sauce
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

Ahi tuna or a mixture of fish ++++ fish stockbutternut squash +++ corn kernels ++++ cumin
Laughing Cow cheese ++++ 2 buckwheat galettescanned kidney beans ++++ canola oil
Bechamel without cheese  +++ caulifloweronion ++++ red + green bell pepper +++ oregano
carrot ++++ zucchini crushed red pepper +++ optional: turkey
Sparkling waterSparkling water