Recipes for Intermittent Fasting Days

A Different Feast

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You know that the Pilgrims did not eat roasted turkey and pumpkin pie, don’t you? Sorry to burst your bubble….  With Thanksgiving on a Thursday, you have a dilemma: to Fast or to feast.  If you are really committed to Fasting, carry on. Your health may depend on it. Here is a suggested menu for Thanksgiving Thursday.

Vegetable Omelette     283 calories     9.5 g. fat       19.5 g. protein      30 g. carb          PB  GF if you eliminate the bread or use gluten-free bread.  Take advantage of the goodness of vegetables and use up some left-overs at the same time! Win-win.Vegetable Scramble w: toast, apple

1 ½ 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, crack three 2-oz eggs into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.                                                                               1/2 tsp Parmesean cheese, grated                                                                                                                          2 tsp red onion, chopped                                                                                                                                            1 oz cooked summer squash/ green beans/ broccoli/ HINT: prepare extra vegetables at dinner on Wednesday or Sunday and save for this meal the following Fast Day                                                                                                              ½ slice 70-cal bread                                                                                                                                              salt, pepper, herbs of your choice                                                                                                                      1 oz apple                                                                                                                                                        blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water                                                                                5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or unpasturized apple cider

Spritz a fry pan with olive oil or non-stick spray and stir the onions until they are soft. Chop the cooked vegetables and add to the pan to warm. Whisk the eggs and pour them into the pan, stirring to mix with the vegetables. As bottom of eggs begins to set, put the cheese, salt and pepper on the eggs. Cook to your liking, fold and plate with the fruit and toasted bread. Pour your beverages and have a great day.

Seafood Chowder   275 calories   11.2 g. fat   15.2 g. protein  15.9 g. carb GF This makes 10 one-cup servings. It freezes nicely, but it is great to share! My 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. HINT: this chowder should be made the day before.Seafood chowder on Wedgewood tile

4 strips thick-cut bacon, diced                                                                                                                               1 medium Spanish [yellow or white, not sweet] onion, finely diced                                                                             1 pound baking potatoes, peeled + cut in ½ cubes                                                                                          2 pounds steamer clams in their shells                                                                                                  one lobster weighing 1 and ½ pounds                                                                                                              1 pound scallops                                                                                                                                                            1 pound shrimp, peeled                                                                                                                                                     1 quart whole milk                                                                                                                                                     4 Tbsp butter                                                                                                                                                                  2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped                                                                                                                                  ¼ tsp paprika + salt + pepper to taste

In a medium skillet or saute pan cook the diced bacon until brown and crisp. Remove bacon and reserve. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp fat and add the onions. Cook slowly over low heat, stirring, until translucent [10 mins?].  Set aside with the bacon in a large bowl.

In a separate saucepan, cover cubed potatoes with salted water and boil until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and add to the bacon/onions.

Put clams in a large pot and add 1 quart water. Heat to boiling, cover, and cook until clams open, about 3 minutes. Remove the clams but leave the liquid in the pot. Strain the liquid through a sieve lined with paper towel. Remove the clams from their shells and cut them into smaller pieces if necessary. Add to the potatoes, onion, and bacon.

Put the strained clam broth back into the empty pot and bring to a boil. Add the lobster head-first into the boiling broth. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove lobster and let cool. Crack the shell to remove the meat. Cut the meat into 1/2” chunks and add to the previous ingredients.

Heat the broth until boiling. Add the scallops and shrimp. Reduce heat to low. Simmer about 3 minutes, until the scallops + shrimp are just cooked through.

Add all the previously cooked ingredients, along with the milk, butter, parsley and seasonings. Heat until steaming but not boiling.

Cover and cool. Let the pot sit in the ‘fridge or on a cool back porch for 12-24 hours. This really enhances the flavors. When ready to serve, heat to steaming hot but do not boil. Freeze what is left over in freezer containers which are the same size as a serving.

Summer Greens

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Momday, eat the meals that will be posted on Sunday.  Eat sensibly the other days of the week.  That’s it.  Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

I hope you have access to lots of fresh herbs and greens and vegetables this summer.  So nice to incorporate them into delicious meals. But a Fasting Lifestyle isn’t about eating ‘rabbit food,’ as some people might think when dreading the thought of dieting. There are many good things to eat without a steady diet of salads.  Dinner is based on salad — but what about all the delicious things on those greens? Wonderful!

Green Eggs & Ham   295 calories   8.8 fat   15.9 pro     25.1 carb                 GF        PBgreen eggs & ham w: apple

three 2-oz eggs of which you will use 1 ½ eggs per person HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.                                                                                                                                                       1 oz. ground or chopped ham                                                                                                                         1 green onion, chopped white and green parts or use fresh chives                                                    1 1/2 oz apple or ½ cup berries NB: Northern fruits are more healthy than tropicals. Andrew Weil said so.                                                                                                                            blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon with hot water                                                                     5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or natural apple cider

Whisk the eggs with salt & pepper to taste. Put the white part of the onion into a hot pan sprayed with cooking oil. Stir around for a few seconds. Add the eggs. When bottom of eggs begin to set, sprinkle the ham & green scallions over the eggs, scramble to taste, and plate. Brew the beverage, pour the smoothie or cider, prep the fruit, and “Eat them! Eat them, here they are!”

Shepherds’ Salad        275 cal      15 g. fat      13.2 g protein          23.6 g carbs GFshepherd's salad

This delightful meal is from Lynne Rosetto Kaspar’s The Italian Country Table. I have included a version of the original cooked salad dressing, but you may use a simple herbed vinaigrette made with 1 tsp oil and ½ tsp red wine vinegar.

½ oz salami                                                                                                                                                       ½ c white beans                                                                                                                                              2.5 cups [3 oz] lettuce                                                                                                                                             1 oz mozzerella                                                                                                                                                    1 radish, thinly sliced                                                                                                                                      2” celery, thinly sliced on diagonal                                                                                                              2 cherry tomatoes or 2 large chunks of tomato                                                                                      2 tsp of boiled dressing

For the dressing: put 3 Tbsp olive oil, 4” rosemary, and 6 sage leaves in a pan and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add 4 smashed cloves garlic and a pinch of hot pepper flakes. Stir for a few seconds. Add ½ cup red wine vinegar and boil down the whole recipe to 1/3 cup. Strain and cool. For this dinner, you will need 2 tsp/ serving. Put the remainder in a jar and store to use anytime.

Prep your toppings: slice the salami rounds into matchsticks; shred the lettuce; cut the cheese into strips about 1/4” square; slice the radish and celery. Measure 2 tsp dressing into a serving/salad bowl and add the lettuce. Toss to coat with the dressing. Arrange the meat, beans, cheese, and radishes in decorative groupings. Place the tomatoes on top. Hearty and delicious.

West Meets East

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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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

One can go around the world by sampling different cuisines while never leaving your own kitchen. Today, we start in Northern Europe, where oats grow better than wheat. And we end the day in Korea, eating pancakes with shrimp.  Feel like a world traveler yet?

oatmeal-cottage cheese pudding

Blueberry-Oatmeal Pudding      301 calories                  Another fine recipe ‘inspired’ by Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book. Well, actually I used only a few of her ingredients. Those of you who like oatmeal must try this. HINT: the recipe makes enough for two meals. One to eat now, one to freeze for another morning.

1/2  cup oatmeal, cooked in 1 cup water                                       2 tsp maple syrup [the REAL stuff, please]                                 1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese                                                 pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg                                                         2 Tbsp blueberries [fresh or frozen] per serving                         2.5 oz of apple per person                                                                 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or natural apple cider                                                                                           blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water

Cook the oatmeal in the water.  Take off heat and stir in the maple syrup.  Let cool a bit.  While it is still warm, stir in the cottage cheese. Let sit until cool. HINT: I did this part the night before while cleaning up after dinner.  If making one portion, pour half of the pudding in 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 later.  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 apple slices, fruit smoothie, and hot beverage for a hearty, healthy, yummy meal.

Korean Shrimp Pancakes 290 cal 8.5 g. fat 15.35 g. protein 35 g. carbs PB Adapted from Rush Hour Cookbook, this is enough to serve TWO people.

2 oz egg white two 2-oz eggs 1 cup flour 1/4 pound shrimp 2 green onions = 1 Tbsp green parts, 2 Tbsp white parts ¾ cup zucchini, julienned 2/3 cup carrot, julienned ½ c water 1 Tbsp soy sauce oil to spray on the pan

Thaw the shrimp in a bowl, retaining the thawing liquid. Poach the shrimp in the liquid until just cooked. Remove shrimp and chop. Put the green onions, zucchini and carrots in the liquid, adding water if needed. Steam the veg until they are softening — note that the carrot will take longer. Reserve the cooked veg. Beat the eggs and egg white together. Add the flour, ½ cup water, soy sauce and whisk together. Add the shrimp and vegetables. Stir to combine. Heat a nonstick pan until medium hot. Add a spray of oil if needed. Scoop up the batter by using a 1/4 cup measures being sure to include shrimp, vegetables, and batter each time. Pour into the pan while tipping the pan to spread the batter a little. Let cook until browned on one side, then flip over. Batter should make 3 pancakes. Stack the cooked pancakes and cut in wedges to serve.