Recipes for Intermittent Fasting Days

George Stephenson

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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.

George Stephenson was not supposed to become an engineer. He was not supposed to rise above his origins. But he did. George Stephenson was born in tiny Wylam, Northumberland, on June 9, 1781. His parents were illiterate, so George was destined to follow his father into the coal mines. Which he did — at age eight. But George was not cut out for a life of grinding drudgery. He had a good mind, and he liked to see how things worked. In his off hours, George taught himself to read and write. While in the mines, he observed the pumping and lifting machines and surely asked a lot of questions about them. His aptitude and quick intellect were noted, and over time Stephenson became a mining engineer. One of his strengths was seeing new applications for technology, and he saw a need for moving goods like coal from the mines to the shipping port of New Castle. There was a wagonway where carts riding on iron rails were pulled by oxen, hauling coal from the Wylam pit down the river to Newcastle. From the little white house where he grew up, Stephenson could see the slow parade of coal. In 1776, James Watt had perfected the steam engine, and it was used in mines to pump out water. In 1814, Stephenson built a steam-powered railroad engine — with several improvements over existing steam locomotives. In 1815, the ox-carts on the Wylam Wagonway were replaced by a railroad, as the use of trains took over the hauling of freight. George Stephenson is called the “Father of the Railroad”, and the title is well-deserved. His locomotives and the coal they carried fueled the Industrial Revolution and made Newcastle into an industrial giant of steel-making, ship-building, and coal exporting. The first passenger railroad was established in 1825 — the rest is history. All because little George Stephenson in Wylam looked out the window and thought of a better way to “Carry coals to Newcastle“.

Robin Hood Egg: 150 calories… 6 g fat… 1 g fiber… 15 g protein… 26 g carbs… 111 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB What this breakfast has to do with the legendary outlaw, I don’t know. At least no robbery is involved – you can keep your wallet and your waistline.

++ ½ multi-grain Sandwich Thin @ 60 calories ++++ one 2-oz egg ++++ 1 slice “Canadian bacon” [or 1 round = 1 oz = 20 calories slice of ham] ++++ 2 oz sliced tomato  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] ++

Lightly toast the sandwich thin and plate it. Broil the tomato slice and lightly cook the Canadian bacon while you fry the egg in a pan lightly-spritzed with non-cook spray. Assemble the layers in your order of preference and pour the optional beverages. Tuck [not Friar Tuck] in with knife and fork.

Bleu Cheese & Oyster Pie: pie filling only, 1 of 6 servings = 116 calories… 8 g fat… 1 g fiber… 5.6 g protein… 5 g carbs… 88 mg Calcium…  With pie crust, 1 of 6 servings: add 193 calories [the entire pie crust for an 8” pie plate = 1160 or fewer calories] PB GF  NB: if you want a GF meal, do not use any pie crust – especially not a purchased GF crust which is very high in calories. The pie makes a fabulous, indulgent meal but it is low in protein and fiber. For a very special treat, it is wonderful. The left-hand column gives the recipe is for an 8”, full-sized pie plate, which serves 6. The center column gives amounts to prepare a 6” pie plate to serve 4.  HINT: leftover pieces freeze well.

8” pie pan with pie crust6” pie pan +pie crustRoll out dough, fit into pie pan. Crimp edge. Blind bake 15 mins. Remove foil and weights + bake until golden, ~ 5 mins.  SEE ABOVE NOTE ABOUT PIE CRUST
++++1 Tbsp butter++++ ½ c leeks++ ½ c fennel bulb++++½ c tart apple++ ½ tsp ground black pepper+++ pinch salt ++2 tsp butter ++++¼ c leeks+++++++ ¼ c fennel bulb++++¼ c apple++++++ ¼ tsp pepper+++++pinch saltFinely chop leeks and fennel. Dice apple. Melt butter in a skillet, add leeks, fennel and apple, and sauté on low until tender and translucent. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Heat oven to 400F.
12 oysters – we like East Coast oysters which are brinier
6-8 oysters

Put oysters flat in a saucepan w/ just enough water to cover. Heat pan on med-high until water reaches 131F/55C, on a food-safe thermometer. Shut off heat and let sit on burner 5 mins. Take oysters from water, cool in a bowl. Open shells, remove oysters, catching juices in bowl. 
++4 oz blue cheese +++++++3 Tbsp reserved oyster juice ++++++++++++
1 egg white		++2 oz blue cheese ++++1.5 T oyster juice +++++ ½ egg white In a separate bowl, mash cheese, adding reserved oyster juice. Beat egg white until softly peaked and fold into cheese.
Spread leek mixture in pie shell. Spread cheese mixture on top. Bake 20 mins.
oystersoysters Take pie from oven, arrange oysters on top. Bake 2 mins.
fennel fronds +++++4-5 asparagus stalks/personfennel fronds+++ 4-5 asparagus stalks per personTake from oven, strew with fronds. Let pie set about 10 mins, cut in portions and serve with steamed asparagus.

Bridget Bishop

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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.

(Original Caption) Illustration, “THERE IS A FLOCK OF YELLOW BIRDS AROUND HER HEAD,” depicting the accusation of a bedeviled girl during the Salem witch trials. Engraving by Howard Pyle.

Bridget Playfer was born in Norwich, England in the 1630s. She married her Samuel Wasselbe  in 1660, and they had one child who died in infancy. Bridget, pregnant with her second child, immigrated to Massachusetts Colony after the death of her husband. There she married a widower with three teenaged children, and they lived on Washington Street in Salem Town. [Salem Village is now the town of Danvers. Salem Town is now called simply Salem.] When he died, after 19 years of a volatile and probably abusive marriage, there were rumors that Bridget had done him in. She inherited the house and orchards, and then married a sawyer named Edward Bishop. In 1692, there was something odd in the air — or was it in the food? — in Salem Town: young women began to say that they were being afflicted by witches! There was no actual evidence of this, except that when the young women saw the ‘witches’, they screamed and writhed in pain. On April 16, Bridget Bishop was accused of witchcraft, and she was arrested on April 19 and put in jail. Although she was not the first to be accused, Bishop was the first to be tried. Why? It seems that a lot of people did not like her. Her trial began on June 2. Since she could provide no evidence that she was not a witch, Bridge Bishop became the first person to die when she was publicly hanged on June 10. Before the hysteria had run its course, 19 people had been executed. From those events came the term ‘witch hunt‘, meaning a sham accusation with no evidence of guilt. The infamous anti-communist investigations by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the early 1950s have been characterized as a ‘witch hunt.’ These days, no matter what the evidence, accused and arrested people will cry out that they are victims of a witch hunt, and that they are being persecuted by enemies. It all depends on the amount of evidence provided. In 2001, the government of Massachusetts officially exonerated Bridget Bishop.

The people of Salem Town were farmers and fisher folk. Our meals are simple and are the sort of foods that could be prepared in a pot over an open fire, as Bridget Bishop would have cooked.

Oatmeal Pudding: 258 calories… 4 g fat… 5 g fiber… 14 g protein… 36 g carb… 55.6 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. GF PB A riff on a recipe found in Marion Cunningham’s Breakfast Book, this can easily be prepared the night before. HINT: THIS MAKES ENOUGH FOR TWO [2] SERVINGS. Make them both, since two are as easy as one, and freeze the other.

++ ½ cup rolled oats, cooked in 1 cup water ++++ 2 tsp maple syrup ++++ ½ cup fat-free cottage cheese ++++ pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon ++++ 4 Tbsp. blueberries [fresh or frozen] ++++  Optional:  blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

Cook the oatmeal in the water. Take off the heat, stir in the maple syrup and nutmeg. While it is still a little warm, stir in the cottage cheese. Let sit to cool.  HINT: I did this part the night before while cleaning up after dinner.  If cooking for one, pour half of the pudding into a freezer container and top with 2 Tbsp blueberries. Freeze it. HINT: make the entire batch, eat half of it today and freeze the rest for a really simple-to-prepare breakfast for another day. With the remainder, stir in 2 Tbsp blueberries and pour the pudding into a ramekin. Nuke it for a minute to heat through – longer than that and it will bubble over. Serve with the hot beverage of your choice for a hearty, healthy meal.

Seafood Chowder: 275 calories… 11 g fat… 1 g fiber… 15 g protein… 16 g carbs… 117 mg Calcium… GF It freezes nicely, but it is great to share! Dear Husband found the recipe in Yankee magazine. He prepares this every year. It is wonderful. The directions look long and involved but the results are worth it.

10 one-cup servings
4 strips thick-cut American streaky baconDice bacon. In a medium skillet cook it until crisp and brown. Remove bacon . 
1 Tbsp bacon fat+++++1 medium yellow onion, finely diced ~1 cupAdd onions. Cook slowly over low, stirring, until translucent – 10 mins?Put into a bowl with bacon.
1# baking potatoes, peeled + cut in ½” cubesIn a separate saucepan, cover potatoes with salted water and boil until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, add to bacon/onions. [Save water for baking]
2# steamer clams in shells+++++1 Qt waterPut clams in a large pot with water. Heat to boiling, cover, and cook until clams open, 3 mins. 
Take out clams, leaving liquid in pot. Strain liquid through paper towel-lined sieve. Take clams from shells, cut into smaller pieces if necessary. Add to potatoes, onion, and bacon.
one 1½# lobsterPut strained broth back into empty pot, bring to a boil. Put lobster head-first into boiling broth. Cover and cook 20 mins. Remove lobster and let cool. Crack shell, remove meat. Cut into ½” chunks and add to potatoes.
1 pound scallops, trimmed++1 pound shrimp, peeledHeat broth until boiling. Add scallops, shrimp. Turn heat to low. Simmer ~3 mins, until scallops + shrimp are just cooked through.
++1 quart whole milk ++++4 Tbsp butter ++++++++
2 sprigs parsley+++++¼ tsp paprika++++salt + pepper to taste		Finely chop the parsley. Add all the previously cooked ingredients to the liquid, along with the milk, butter, parsley and seasonings. Heat until steaming but not boiling. Take off heat.
Cover and cool. Let soup sit in the ‘fridge or on a cool back porch 12-24 hrs.This enhances the flavors.
To serve, heat to steaming hot but do not boil.
Freeze what is left over in serving-size containers.

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.

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 ++

Elizabeth I

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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 nickidoeshair who is now Following.

Elizabeth Regina. Gloriana. The Virgin Queen. Good Queen Bess. When little Elizabeth Tudor was born to Anne Boleyn in 1533, she was never intended to be a reigning monarch. Her father, Henry VIII, desperately wanted a son to inherit his throne, so daughters need not apply. Eventually, a son was born who became King Edward VI at age nine. But he died young, and his will stipulated that his cousin Jane Grey should become queen. That was short-lived as Mary, Edward and Elizabeth’s older half-sister, positioned herself to be queen. When Mary died in 1558, Elizabeth came to the throne. She had been well educated and reigned ably for 44 years. Having seen how powerless wives could be — her mother was beheaded at her father’s order, and Mary’s mother had been divorced — Elizabeth never married. Besides, she said that she was married to England. She enjoyed being queen: the jewels, the palace intrigue, the parties and dancing. During her reign, the arts flourished: Shakespeare wrote plays, Spenser wrote poems, the lute and viol were played. Internationally, the Spanish invasion of England was curtailed by the loss of the Spanish Armada, and the protestant Church of England was firmly established. Stability at home lead to vigorous trade and the growth of a middle class. Elizabeth was famously vain, which is why her skin looks so pale in portraits. To hide her smallpox scars, she painted her skin with a white, lead-based makeup. To look younger, she put it on thicker as she aged. Her vanity may have caused the health problems of her older age. Elizabeth I is buried at Westminster Abbey.

In her youth, Elizabeth was not coddled — but your breakfast egg can be. The dinner is classic English cookery, just as Gloriana was a classic Renaissance queen.

Coddled Egg: 143 calories… 6 g fat… 2 g fiber … 9.5 g protein… 12.4 g carb… 71 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. – PB GF– if using GF bread – A really retro breakfast. So nice.

++ one 2-oz egg ++++ 1½ tsp grated Parmesan cheese ++++ seasonings to taste ++++ ½ slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread ++++ ¼ cup blueberries ++++ 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] ++

Bring a small pan of water to a simmer. Use enough water to cover the egg coddler by 1”. Spritz some cooking spray into an egg coddler. Break the egg into the coddler, and add cheese with salt/herbs to taste. Screw on the lid of the coddler and lower it into the water. Put the lid on the pot. Simmer 4.5 minutes then turn off the heat and leave the eggs in the water for about 3 minutes more. Toast the bread and plate with fruit. Pour your beverages of choice. You will feel coddled and cossetted when you treat yourself to this breakfast.

Pheasant Casserole: 250 calories… 9.5 g fat… 5.4 g fiber… 22.5 g protein… 21.6 g carbs… 86 mg Calcium… – PB –  This recipe is based on one from English Provincial Cooking by Elisabeth Ayrton and it dates back to the18th century. Whole partridges were stewed with onion, carrot, and cabbage for 2.5 hours and served on thick slices of bread. Well, this is a modified version and it is delicious. This uses left over cooked pheasant meat and works well. You could substitute cooked turkey or chicken – or partridge.

++ 2½ oz cabbage, sliced 1-1½” thick ++++ 1½ oz baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise ++++ ¼ oz onion, cut in rings ++++ 2 Tbsp chicken or pheasant gravy ++++ 2 oz pheasant meat, cooked and taken off the bone ++++ ½ Arnold Multi-Grain Sandwich Thin +++

Prepare the carrots, cabbage, and onion and steam them for 25 minutes until the carrots are tender. If the cabbage is not yet done, leave it in the steamer with the lid on but off the heat until needed. Warm the pheasant in the gravy + 2 tsp of the water from the steaming liquid. Warm the Arnold Thin in the toaster oven. Plate the bread. Spoon a tablespoon of gravy on top. Place the meat atop the bread. Stir the warm vegetables into the warm gravy and plate them. Put the raw onion rings on top and pour any remaining gravy over the meat.

Magritte

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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.

René Magritte was a Surrealist artist. That style of art bloomed in the inter-war period, in France. Magritte was born on November 21, 1898 in Belgium. His father was a tailor-turned-textile merchant, his mother was a former milliner. The family was prosperous and they encouraged young René’s interests by providing drawing lessons when he was 10 years old. Two years later, his mother drowned herself after several attempts at suicide. Magritte tried a lot of art styles before he found his favorite. Early on, René painted in the Impressionistic style, then he was pulled toward Cubism. He studied for two years at the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, but left because he did not like the instruction. René painted female nudes in the style of Futurism, roses for a wallpaper manufacturer, and was a graphic artist for an advertising firm. In 1927, he showed his first exhibition of surreal paintings. It was such a critical failure that he moved with his wife to Paris, where he worked with Andre Breton, the founder of Surrealism. The Surrealists, in a reaction to the trauma of World War I, created art that challenged rational ideas. The dream-scape, sometimes nightmarish quality of the genre was influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud. After World War II, Magritte chose themes that were more playful and whimsical than his previous work. At the same time, René painted forgeries of the paintings of Cubists and also engaged in making false bank notes. His work was introduced to the US at an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art [New York City] in 1965. I remember being bemused, delighted, and perplexed when I first saw his work. From then on, his paintings such as Son of Man and Golconda were spoofed and memed in tribute to our pondering of his art. René died in 1967. His paintings still fascinate me.

Our meals are Francophone and not at all surreal.

‘Pan Bagne’ ScrOmelette: 149 calories… 10 g fat… 1 g fiber… 11.4 g protein… 6 g carbs… 63 mg Calcium… NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Pan Bagne is a wonderful layered sandwich which we enjoy in the summer. Each of the 7 layers is a distinct yet complimentary flavor. This recipe combines several of the components, without all the oil, tuna, and bread. The result is delicious at breakfast.

++ 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. ++++ ½ black olive, pitted and chopped ++++ ½ Tbsp chevre cheese ++++ 1 Tbsp crushed tomatoes ++++ ½ Tbsp spinach, cooked and chopped ++++ ¼ tsp dried basil ++++ 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] ++

Stir and cream the olive, cheese, tomatoes, spinach, and basil until nicely blended. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper to taste. Continue whisking as you add the vegetable/cheese mixture and blend as thoroughly as possible. Scramble to taste. Brew your beverage and shake the smoothie. Slice the apple and settle in for a flavorful meal.

Beef & Asparagus Galettes: 302 calories… 9 g fat… 5 g fiber… 19 g protein… 31.5 g carbs… 56 mg Calcium… – PB – This is quick and easy – for left-over galettes, meat, vegetables.

++ 2 galettes** ++++ 2 oz lean beef, raw or cooked ++++ 3 oz asparagus ++++ 2 oz bell pepper ++++ 2 tsp oyster sauce ++++ 3 Tbsp chicken stock ++++ 2 tsp cornstarch ++

Slice the beef and pepper into thin strips. Cut the asparagus into 1” pieces. Spray a saute pan with non-stick spray and heat over medium. Add the beef and vegetables. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, stock, and 3 Tbsp water. Cover the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Cook longer if vegetables are still uncooked. Stir the cornstarch into 3 Tbsp water, then stir into the pan of hot ingredients. Cook and stir until thicker. Warm the galettes and spoon the filling over them. Fold and serve.

**BUCKWHEAT GALETTES:  1 batch makes 20 galettes, each using 3-4 Tbsp batter each one = 50 calories… 0.5 g fat… 1.4 g fiber… 2 g protein… 8.5 g carbs… 6 mg Calcium…  TIP: Keep some cooked galettes in the freezer for ‘instant’ use.

++ 1 cup unbleached flour ++++ ¾ cup buckwheat flour ++++ scant 2 cups water ++++ 2 eggs ++++ ½ tsp sea salt ++

Whisk the flours and the water until batter is smooth. Add the salt, then the eggs one at a time. Whisk vigorously. When you lift the whisk, the batter should fall off in ‘ropes.’ Let sit for 2 hours or over night. HINT: batter could be divided into 1 cup or ½ cup portions and frozen.  If using frozen batter, whisk it vigorously after it thaws, and add a bit of water. Heat an 8” cast-iron pan or ceramic saute pan. Lightly spritz with oil. Dip a ¼ cup measure into the batter and let the extra drain off. Grasp the handle of the cook pan with one hand as you slowly pour the batter into the center of the pan. Tilt the pan quickly in a swirling pattern to let the batter form a circle roughly 6” in diameter. Don’t get hung up on perfectly round or perfectly flat. Watch the galette cook and look to see when the edges start to dry and curl a bit. Using a heat-resistant but non-scratching tool [I use my fingers], lift the galette and turn it over. Cook the other side until done. Time will vary, depending on the heat of your pan. Lift the cooked galette out, put it aside, and cook the next one. HINT: if storing them for later today or tomorrow, let them cool on a tea towel, then stack and store in a plastic bag.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large1.5 two-oz eggs 
Parmesan cheeseScallion + mushrooms
70-calorie whole-grain breadpear + plain, fat-free yogurt
blueberriespaprika + marjoram
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

cooked pheasant meat + carrotschicken stock + potato + beef
cabbage + chicken or pheasant gravycabbage + carrot + onion + sauerkraut
onionbutter + dill weed + parsley
Arnold Multi-Grain Sandwich Thinwhipped cream cheese + dark rye bread
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Time Zones

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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 Claudia D’Arcadia who is now Following.

When people traveled on foot or by boat or by horse/coach, time did not matter much. When you set out, and traveled three hours, when you arrived it would be indeed three hours later at your destination. When the world became larger in 1492, people still traveled slowly. Timepieces were set at noon, which was defined as the moment when the sun was at its zenith. Everyone everywhere had a noon, but when it was noon in New York, it wasn’t noon in San Francisco — in fact, the sun was barely up. With the advent of faster travel, such as the railroad train, time and distance created a dilemma. Faster communication methods, such as the telegraph, exacerbated the problem. Setting a train schedule for a vast nation such as Canada was a conundrum. When a railroad engineer missed his own train, he realized that time had to be standardized. Sandford Fleming was the engineer, and he proposed four ‘time zones’ for Canada. All locations within a given zone would set their clocks to the same time. The width of a zone would be 15 degrees of the 360 degree circle of the Earth. That was arrived at by dividing 360 degrees by the 24 hours that it takes the Earth to revolve once. Fleming’s idea was adopted first by railroad lines in Canada and the US, and was implemented on November 18, 1883. Prior to that date, there were 144 different time regions in North America! A very large country like Russia has 11 time zones. Please note that this has nothing to do with Daylight Savings Time, which came later and is a silly idea. But it does explain why you have to reset your analog wrist watch when you drive across the border from Texas to New Mexico.

Our breakfast is from the Gulf Coast of the USA, which is 1 time zone West of my present location. Travel 12 time zones West from there, and you arrive in eastern China, home to our dinner.

Creole Bake: 137 calories… 6.5 g fat… 2 g fiber… 8.4 g protein 11.6 g carbs… 67.3 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.– PB GF – Creole flavors add zip to the morning eggs.

++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ 1 Tbsp tomato dice or puree ++++ 1.5 tsp onion, minced ++++ 1 Tbsp bell pepper, minced ++++ 1 Tbsp bacon, chopped and measured raw ++++ 1.5 tsp Cheddar cheese,finely grated ++++ Pinch file powder ++++ 1.5 tsp creole seasoning ++++ 2 oz pear or apple ++++  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

Put the tomato, onion, bell pepper, and bacon in a small pan and cook until the bacon is mostly cooked. HINT: You could do this the night before. Spritz an oven-safe pan with non-stick spray and set the oven to 350 F. Whisk the egg and then stir in the cheese, vegetables, and seasonings. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 12-15 minutes. Prepare your beverages of choice and slice the fruit.

Shrimp Egg Rolls:  238 calories… 3.5 g fat… 2.5 g fiber… 15.6 g protein… 29 g carbs… 46 mg Calcium…  – PB – I learned to make egg rolls when I worked for Jerry Willis at his first restaurant. These have always been a favorite. But they are NOT deep-fat fried, which keeps their calories and fat down to permissable levels.  HINT: This recipe makes 4 rolls and one serving = 2 rolls. Put 2 in the freezer for another day or eat for lunch later in the week.

++ 3 oz shrimp, fresh or frozen, shells removed ++++ 1 Tbsp oyster sauce ++++ 1 Tbsp soy sauce ++++ one slice of ginger, minced ++++ ½ garlic, sliced ++++ 2 oz carrot, sliced ++++ 1 oz onion, sliced ++++ 3 oz cabbage, sliced ++++ 4 six-inch egg roll wrappers ++++ 1 tsp canola oil ++++ 3 oz tomato slices ++++ duck sauce + hot sauce [wasabi or Sriracha] ++

If shrimp are frozen, thaw them in advance. Then slice in half across the body and mix with the oyster and soy sauces, the garlic and onion. Prepare the vegetables and put them all into a hot wok or wide saute pan with ¼ cup water and a squirt of Sriracha. [If the pan gets too dry, add a bit of the marinade combined with a few spoonsful of water.] Stir-fry the ingredients for 4 minutes or until the vegetables are just a little shy of done. Add the shrimp and marinade and stirfry about one minute longer – shrimp should be thoroughly cooked. Put everything from the wok into the food processor and run until coarsely chopped. [If a lot of liquid remains, cook it down some more until it is thick and add back to the ingredients.] Lay one of the wrappers on a flat surface and moisten the edge farthest from you with water. Measure out 1/3 cup of the filling and roll up the wrapper. There are usually diagrams on the back of the package to show you how. Put the oil in a clean, flat-bottomed pan and heat it. Put the egg rolls in the pan and roll them around to coat with the oil on all surfaces. Heat until the rolls are beginning to get brown and blister-y on one side, then turn to cook on the other side. You could continue in this way or you could put the pan in a 375 degree oven until they are crispy. Plate with the tomato slices and the dipping sauce.

Michael Mosley, MD

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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.

Michael Mosley, MD, has died. He was born in Calcutta, India, but lived mostly in England from age seven when he was sent there for boarding school. After university, Mosley worked for a few years as a banker. He decided to go into psychiatry, though in his last year of training he concluded that he did not want to practice in that field. At med school Mosley met his wife, Claire Bailey, and they had four children. After receiving his degree, he pivoted to work as a producer for the BBC, focusing on science programs. When a show that he pitched could not find a presenter, Mosley stepped to the other side of the camera and made a name for himself. After many years of producing shows for television, he began working on the Horizon series. In 2012, the episode “Eat, Fast, and Live Longer” demonstrated the benefits of calorie restriction: lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol, weight loss, better brain health, reduced cancer risk, longevity. This finding lead Mosley to create the 5:2 Diet, incorporating what he had learned from researchers and his own experiments on himself. His book became an international best-seller and Fasting took the world by storm. My Dear Husband and I took up Fasting in 2013, and have been so pleased with the results that we still continue this lifestyle. 5:2 Fasting has improved our health. When Mosley died on June 5, while on vacation in Greece, it was not from prostate cancer, or diabetes, or heart disease — the usual conditions of old age. Rather, he lost his way on a hike in hot weather, and died of heat stroke. A sad loss.

Our featured meals will, of course, come from the Fast Diet book, co-authored with Mimi Spencer. Both of these are delicious, filling, good for you, and perfect for a Fasting Day. Thank you, Dr. Mosley.

Nordic Breakfast: 192 calories… 12 g fat … 7 g fiber… 11.6 g protein… 21 g carbs… 40 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB  This is based on a recipe from the Fast Diet book, but I once thought it looked like a puny amount of food. Au contraire: the protein and fiber will fill you up. 

3 slices of Finn Crisp crackers++++ 1.3 oz smoked salmon ++++ 2 Tbsp whipped cream cheese ++++ ++++pinch of dill weed++++2 rings thinly sliced red onion ++++ ½ cup raspberries ++++ Optional: 3 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [44 calories] ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Gently spread the cream cheese on the crackers. Divide the salmon among them. Arrange the onion rings atop the salmon. Plate the fruit and pour your hot beverage. Skip the aquavit.

Tuna-Bean-Garlic Salad:  261 cal… 7 g fat… 5.5 g fiber… 33 g protein… 33.4 g carb… 152.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF  This is from the Fast Diet book. Great meal. HINT: this recipe serves 2 [two]

1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed +++++ one 5-oz can light tuna in water, drained and flaked +++++ 2 cloves garlic, chopped +++++ 4 oz tomato, left whole if bite-sized or sliced +++++ salt, pepper, thyme, parsley +++++ 3 oz spinach or mixed greens +++++ 1 tsp lemon juice ++++ 1 tsp white wine vinegar +++++ 1 tsp olive oil ++++ 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

Gently stir the beans, tuna, and garlic together. In a wide, shallow bowl whisk the lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil. Stir ½ tsp of the dressing into the bean mixture. Toss the greens and herbs with the remaining dressing, then stir the bean mixture into the greens. Top with the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Art Nouveau

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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