recipes for Michael Mosley’s 5:2 Diet

Spanish Style

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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.

Spain is known for sunny beaches and for passionate Flamenco dancers. In other words, HOT stuff! Is the summer hot where you are? Does it make you not want to cook or eat? Here is a remedy: for a summer day, let’s enjoy two Spanish-inspired meals. Even though winters can be cold there, the Spaniards know about eating during warm weather — after all, they shut things down in the heat of the day to rest! Your busy life may not lend itself to a siesta, but let’s prepare some fine meals to enjoy before and after the heat of the day.

Baked Eggs Flamenco    269 calories…    8.8 g fat…     3.2 g fiber…    9 g protein…     13.3 g carb…     42.6 mg Calcium…           PB GF – if using GF bread       From Everyday Tapas, this recipe shows how a meal can go from being a dinner to being a breakfast. Similarly, any breakfast could also be a dinner. Recently, I enjoyed a very similar dish as an appetizer at a restaurant.

Flamenco eggs w: berries

++ 1 Tbsp tomato puree or 1/2 oz tomato, chopped ++++  1 ½ tsp parsley, chopped     ++++ ++ 1 1/2 Tbsp onion, chopped [1 oz]      +++++ 1 ½ Tbsp bell pepper, chopped [1 oz]   ++++ salt & pinch cayenne ++ ++   1 two-oz egg ++   ½ slice 70 calorie bread  ++++  2 oz melon or 2 oz grapes or 3 oz apple +++ optional:   blackish coffee or tea ++++  optional:   5-6 oz fruit smoothie or unpasturized apple cider +++                                                                                                                                                                      Spritz a small ramekin with cooking spray or olive oil. Put the tomato, parsley, onion in the ramekin. Microwave for 4-5 minutes to cook the onion. Add the pepper and seasonings, and microwave for another 4 minutes. [Alternatively, saute the above ingredients as described, instead of microwaving]. HINT: you can do this the night before. Remove from microwave and make a ‘nest’ in the cooked vegetables. Crack the egg into the nest. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Toast the bread, brew your hot beverage, prep the fruit. Prepare the smoothie, or take the previously-prepared jar of smoothie from the fridge and shake it well before serving.

Tuna-Egg-Tomato Salad   248 calories…    15.8 g. fat…     23.4 g. protein …    13.5 g. carbs…  GF — if using GF bread, or omit it    PB     This  Spanish-inspired meal is also from Everyday Tapas.   I took out the potatoes and substituted garbanzo beans. The recipe is very simple and delicious as well – perfect to dress up with pansy blossoms [they are edible] to honor a day in spring or summer. HINT: This makes enough for two meals. Invite a friend or enjoy it as a lovely lunch the next day. Today’s lettuce will wilt by tomorrow, so plan around that.  

Tapas Tuna w: egg & tomatoes

                                       5 oz canned white-meat tuna in water   +++   2 eggs, hardboiled and cut into 1/2” dice                                                         +++4 oz tomato, cut into 1/2” dice   ++++ ½ cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed +++                                                          1 cup baby salad greens    ++++ 1 ½ tsp olive oil  ++++ 1 tsp white wine vinegar ++                                                                  ++ fresh parsley, salt, pepper  ++++ pansy or violet flowers for garnish ++                                                                                                                                       

Drain the tuna and flake the meat into 1” pieces. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and toss with the lettuce. Add everything else, except the flowers, and gently toss to combine with the salad dressing. Garnish with as many flowers as you wish. Serve at room temperature.

Summer Day

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I hope the weather is nice where you are.  We are in full Summer, so there should be lots of vegetables and fruit in our diet.  That’s every day, not only on a Fast Day. Today’s menu features the fresh strawberries which currently abound.

Vegetable-Chèvre Omelette 293 calories 9.3 g fat  2.3 g fiber    17 g protein 32.4 g carb   247 mg Calcium   PB GF           Take advantage of the goodness of vegetables and use up some left-overs at the same time! Win-win.Veg:chevre omelette

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 3 2-oz eggs into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.                                               1/2 Tbsp soft goat cheese [chèvre]                                                                                                                              1/4 cup coarsely chopped 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                                                                                                                                                                 salt, pepper, herbs of your choice                                                                                                                   1.5 oz strawberries [ or  2 oz apple]                                                                                                                     blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water                                                                                   5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or unpasturized apple cider

Add the cheese to the chopped vegetables and stir with a fork to distribute the cheese through the vegetables. Spritz a fry pan with olive oil or non-stick spray and heat. Whisk the eggs and pour them into the pan. As bottom of eggs begins to set, put the vegetables and seasonings on the eggs. Cook to your liking, fold and plate with the fruit. Pour your beverages and have a great day.

Lamb Salad  299 calories  15.6 g fat  1.9 g fiber  26.5 g protein  5.5 g carbs   71.6 mg Calcium  GF A summer Sunday dinner could involve a grilled leg of lamb….yummmmm. Save a few slices to make this salad. This meal is great for sharing with a guest: doubles well.Seder Salad

¾ cup salad greens                                                                                                                                                 1.5 oz cooked lamb, from the leg or other lean cut                                                                                       1 walnut half                                                                                                                                                           ½ hardboiled egg                                                                                                                                                  ½ oz fresh strawberries, sliced in half                                                                                                                 1 tsp horseradish dressing**

**horseradish dressing                                                                                                                                             1 Tbsp mayonnaise made with olive oil                                                                                                         ½ tsp prepared [purchased in a jar] horseradish                                                                                          2 Tbsp parsley, chopped                                                                                                                                       2 tsp vinegar                                                                                                                                                       Whisk all ingredients together. Save unused portion for some other salad.

Chop the walnut into large pieces and toast in a dry skillet until fragrant. Cut egg into wedges, slice the lamb and berries. Toss the greens with the dressing and arrange other ingredients to suit the eye.

 

There is a lot of wisdom in the following article.  Think about your goals and what you hope to achieve by them.   Do You Want to Lose Weight More Than Anything?

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenn-hand/do-you-want-to-lose-weight-more-thananything_b_9532458.html?

 

 

Home Foods

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Today’s breakfast makes me think of a meal in an English country-side cottage. Not that I’ve ever had that experience, but I can imagine it.  The dinner is not anything my mother ever served us at home, but imagine eating it in a cottage on a hillside above a Greek fishing village. Travel through imagination, while enjoying a real life Fasting Lifestyle!

Cottage Breakfast:   278 calories    3.8 g fat    4.8 g fiber    10.2 g protein    24.2 g carbs       180 mg CalciumCottage Breakfast

1 griddlecake   [made from 2 Tbsp batter from 10-grain muffins**]                                                                                                                                                   ½ c. raspberries, fresh or frozen                                                                                                                         1.5 Applegate chicken sausage     33 cal/link       OR    1 AlFresco chicken sausage    50 cal/link                                                                                                                                   5-6 oz fruit smoothie or green smoothie or natural apple cider                                                                                                                           blackish coffee, blackish tea, or lemon in hot water                                                                                             

HINT: I prepared 8 griddlecakes from the 10-grain muffin batter*, cooked them, and froze them. I made the rest into muffins to eat on Slow Days. Take one griddlecake from the freezer the night before and let it thaw.  Cook the sausage in the microwave or warm it in a non-stick pan along with the griddlecake. Dish the berries, brew the hot beverage, pour the smoothie. What a sweet meal.

**10-Grain Muffin Batter: 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill 10-grain hot cereal mix                                           1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk   [combine cereal + milk and let sit 10 minutes+.]                                                                                                                                                                            1/3 cup butter                                                                                                                                                         7 Tbsp sugar                                                                                                                                                          1 egg                                                                                                                                                                              1 cup unbleached flour                                                                                                                                       1 tsp salt      +    1 tsp baking powder      +     1 tsp baking soda

Cream the butter and sugar; mix in the egg. Add the dry ingredients and the cereal/milk mixture. Stir until just combined. Use 4 Tbsp batter to make each muffin and use 2 Tbsp batter for each griddlecake

 

Feta Niçoise Salad    298 calories   20.2 g. fat  3.9 g fiber   16.8 g. protein   33 g. carb  250.4 mg Calcium   PB  GF — if using GF bread or omitting.  From the  book, this recipe convinced us that a 300-calorie meal could be very filling!

Feta Nicoise Salad copy                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             1 and 1/2  romaine leaves    or  1 cup  Spring Mix baby greens                                                                                                                                          ¼ cup green beans                                                                                                                                             1 scant cup cucumber, diced                                                                                                                            1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled or diced                                                                                                                       1.5 black olives                                                                                                                                                       1 tsp olive oil    +    1 tsp white wine vinegar   +  large pinch Herb de Province                                 1/2 oz whole-grain baguette or omit

Steam the green beans, cool and set aside. Slice the lettuce crosswise into 1” pieces. Prepare the other ingredients as described. Pour the oil and vinegar into a wide, shallow bowl and whisk briskly. Put all the other ingredients in the bowl and toss gently to coat with dressing.

Have you seen this article?  Fact or fad? Controversial fasting diets boost weight loss, beat ‘plateaus’     http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2016/jul/05/fact-fad-controversial-fasting-diets/

 

1789, Naturellement

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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.

Bastille Day, July 14 is celebrated with parades in Paris. No heads are rolling today. This is the day to commemorate the storming of the Bastille Prison, resulting in the release of a dozen or so prisoners. [Did you know that the key to the Bastille is at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate?]  We celebrate with French-themed foods, naturallement. Even though it is a Fast Day tomorrow, we don’t have to say <<quelle horreur!!>> and give up.  We can have our good French food and still lose weight on the Fasting Lifestyle. After these meals, feel free to hum the Marseilles.

Ratatouille ScrOmelette 285 calories… 9.4 g fat… 3 g fiber… 19 g protein… 31 g carbs… 297 mg Calcium… PB GF, if using GF bread or no bread     Mediterreanian ScrOmelette

1 ½ 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                  1/4 cup Mediterranean Vegetables, drained      see: Because its June! June 1, 2016                                                                                       ½ oz goat cheese [chèvre]               half of a slice Arnold multi-grain sandwich thin                                                                                                                                    1 and 1/2 oz strawberries                                                                                                                                                                             blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water                                                                                                                    5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or unpasturized apple cider

 HINT: the night before, thaw the Mediterranean Vegetables which we prepared June 1st “Because Its June!” Heat a cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Add the prepared vegetables and stir to heat . Whisk the eggs with the cheese and pour into the pan, stirring to incorporate the vegetables. Cook to your favorite degree of doneness.  Dish up the fruit, toast the sandwich bread, brew your hot beverage, and pour the smoothie.

 

Crêpes w/ Chicken & Broccoli 295 calories 8.8 g fat 3.4 g fiber 21.6 g protein 36.6 g carbs 190.3 mg Calcium      This utilizes the crepe batter which we made for “Holy Crepes” on October 13, 2015 and froze for later. HINT: thaw the batter the night or morning before.Chciken&amp; Broc Crepes

1.5 oz broccoli, cooked  ++     1.75 oz chicken breast, cooked  ++ 3 crepes   ++     2.5 Tbsp bechamel sauce**                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ++  1/2 oz cherry tomatoes

Cook 3 crepes and lay flat on a baking sheet. Warm the oven to 320 degrees. Chop the broccoli and dice the chicken. Stir together with the bechamel sauce. Add salt/pepper/herbs to taste. Divide the mixture among the crepes. Fold the crepes over and press gently. Heat filled crepes until warmed through, about 15 minutes, but don’t let them dry out. Plate with the tomatoes. Voila!  Actually this was a huge meal for me: I ate 2 and saved the other one for lunch the next day!

**Béchamel Sauce: makes 1.75 cups. Freezes well.                                                                                     1.5 cups chicken stock                    slice of carrot              slice of onion              3 Tbsp butter              3 Tbsp white whole wheat flour             ½ cup skimmed milk               ½ cup half&half                  1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese

Simmer the stock, carrot and onion for about 15 minutes until the liquid measures 1 cup. In another saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Slowly add the stock and whisk at a gently bubble until thickened. Add the half&half and the cheese. Continue to whisk until thickened.  Adjust seasonings.   Freeze what you don’t use today for later.

Protein!!

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It makes me cringe when I see salads recommended for dieters.  Either the dressing is very high in fat or the meal is woefully low in protein.  We need protein: especially on a Fast Day. Protein builds muscle.  When we lose fat from under our skin, the skin sags.  Build up your muscles to replace the space under the skin. Stay strong! Maintain and build muscle.  Get exercise and eat protein.  Today’s meals should help, supplying 40 grams of protein.

Improper English   265 cal       4.3 g. fat          17.2 g. protein         47.5 g. carb          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.Improper English

¼ cup canned baked beans                                                                                                                                    one 50-60 calorie sausage, patty or link      Al Fresco and Applegate are our favorites.                                                                                                             ½ piece of 70-cal toast                                                                                                                                                                                 ½ a 2.5” diameter tomato                                                                                                                                       1 oz mushrooms                                                                                                                                                       a few grapes                                                                                                                                                             5-6 oz fruit smoothie or unpasturized apple cider                                                                               blackish coffee or tea or lemon in hot water

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 sausage and mushrooms 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!

Seafood Tacos:      270 calories       2.1 g. fat      23 g. protein       36.4 g. carbs    GF  PBseafood tacos w: slaw &amp; salsa

two 6” corn tortillas        I like Ole brand                                                                                                               3 oz cooked fish HINT: next time you grill or broil fish, cook an extra 3 oz for this recipe. Wrap it and label and store in freezer until needed.                                                                              ½ cup tomato, cubed and drained                                                                                                                   ½ cup cabbage, chopped                                                                                                                                      1 oz red onion, sliced                                                                                                                                                        1 Tbsp lime juice or salsa verde [Herdez brand is good]                                                                                                  pinch chili powder  +   pinch cumin                                                                                                              1.5 Tbsp plain yogurt, drained

Combine the cabbage, tomato, and onion in a bowl with the lime juice and spices. Heat a large griddle or cast iron pan and put the tortillas in it until they are warm, pliable, and beginning to brown. Remove to your plate. Spread the tortillas with the yogurt. Divide the fish between the tortillas and add a splash of lime juice or salsa verde. Top with the vegetable slaw. If there is too much slaw to fit into the tortillas, serve it on the side. What a simple summer dish!

READ THIS:  Dieting Secrets Revealed By Men Who Are In Shape   http://www.cheatsheet.com/health-fitness/8-dieting-secrets-revealed-by-men-who-are-in-shape.html/2/

 

Simple. Yummy.

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Simple foods are often the best: easy to prepare yet good to eat. Today we serve some meals which fill the bill. We can have good food and eat it too!  Got a craving for something else?  Eat it tomorrow. With the Fasting Lifestyle it all works to our benefit.

Green Eggs & Ham    295 calories      8.8 fat     15.9 pro      25.1 carb        GFgreen eggs &amp; 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 and 1/2 oz apple or ½ cup berries NB: Northern fruits are more healthy than tropicals. Andrew Weil said so.                                                                                                                                 blackish coffee or tea or lemon with hot water                                                                                           5-6 oz 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!”

Beet & Bleu Cheese Salad   288 cal    11 g fat   5.3 g fiber   13.7 g protein       39 g carb  424 mg Calcium    GF  PB     This recipe takes me back to a little restaurant 2 blocks north of Notre Dame in Paris. Dinner at Au Bougnat was a treat and this meal evokes fond memories.Beet &amp; Bleu Cheese Salad

2.5 oz beets, cooked, skinned, sliced or cubed, cooled                                                                            1 and 1/4 oz bleu cheese, cubed or crumbled                                                                                                      1.5 oz tomato, sliced or cubed                                                                                                                             3.5 walnut halves [or use slivered almonds if you don’t eat walnuts]                                                     1 oz white beans, rinsed and drained if using canned                                                                                2.5 c. salad greens                                                                                                                                                    3/4 tsp olive oil + 3/4 tsp balsamic vinegar                                                                                       garnishes: pansy, chive, or nastursum flowers; scallions

Assemble and prep all vegetable ingredients. Whisk oil and vinegar in a wide bowl. Put greens in the bowl and toss. Place in serving bowl and arrange the other ingredients on top. Add a few garnishes. Voila! A beautiful meal.

1776

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The Glorious Fourth! Summer has hit with full force, so a cooling breakfast and a hot off the grill dinner will keep us in the celebratory mood and help to stay in the Fasting Lifestyle.  To those of you in other countries, you don’t have to honor the 4th of July, but you can still Fast along with us!

Red White and Blue     295 calories        1.4 g fat         3.8 g fiber       20 g protein     45 g carbs     504 mg Calcium PG GF if using GF bread             Ricotta is higher in protein and Calcium than cottage cheese, but you could substitute that if you wish.Red White &amp; blue

½ cup fat-free ricotta                                                                                                                                              ¼ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen [if frozen, keep frozen until ready to use]                                     ½ cup sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen [after slicing, put into a strainer to drain]                                                                                       1 slice of 70-calorie multi-grain bread [Nature’s Own] cut into a star with the largest cookie cutter that will fit the bread                                                                                                                             2 small pinch of cinnamon sugar                                                                                                                blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water                                                                                 5-6 oz fruit smoothie, green smoothie or natural apple cider

Cut your slice of bread with the star cookie cutter, freezing the scraps for use in Crab Cakes or Stuffed Clams. Sprinkle the bread with a small pinch of cinnamon sugar and toast it. Measure the ricotta onto your plate. Put the fruit on top. [I do not recommend stirring the fruit into the cheese, since it will ‘stain’ the cheese.] Top with a small pinch of cinnamon sugar and plate with the toast. Pour the hot beverage and the smoothie. Huzzah!

Bison Burgers with Coleslaw 305 calories   11.4 g fat    35.4 g protein   11.1 g carbs    23 mg CalciumBison Burger, slaw, peas

one 4-oz bison patty [not beef. Venison is a good substitute if you have it]                                  1/2 oz sliced mushrooms                                                                                                                3/4 tsp of catsup                                                                                                                                  1/4 cup peas, fresh at this time of year or frozen                                                                                                1/2 cup homemade coleslaw**  

**coleslaw:  1 cup chopped cabbage            1″ of carrot, grated         1.5  tsp mayonnaise made with olive oil    1 tsp cider vinegar   salt     pepper   Enough for two

HINT: Prepare the coleslaw at least an hour beforehand, and refrigerate.  Sprinkle a small, hot skillet with Kosher salt.  Cook one 4 oz bison burger  on one side for about 3 minutes. Flip it and cook until done as well as you’d like.  Put on a plate to stay warm. Sides: Add some water to the same  pan and stir/ cook the mushrooms until soft.  Meanwhile cook the peas.  Whisk the mayonnaise with the vinegar. Toss with the cabbage and carrot, the salt and the pepper.  To serve, put the ketchup on the burger, top with mushrooms. Arrange those colorful sides on the plate and get ready for some good eating. HINT: Cabbage and carrots will keep a long time in the ‘fridge, so don’t worry about having lots left over.   

Here’s To You, Lillian!

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Our friend Lillian is a wonderful cook: dinners at her house are legendary.  But when it comes to Fasting, she wants to keep it very simple. Here are some menus for the easiest to prepare meals for a Fasting Lifestyle for Lillian and Stephen. Just in time for Canada Day.

Monday Breakfast:  220 calories                                      total calories for the day = 591                                                                            2 eggs, hard-boiled                                                                                                                                             2 oz apple                                                                                                                                                               1/2 slice bread   I recommend Dempster’s multi-grain thin-sliced                                                                             lemon in hot water or big glass of water

Monday Lunch:  92 calories                                                                                                                                2 oz 3% fat ham = 2 slices                                                                                                                                1/2 slice bread                                                                                                                                                     big glass of water

Monday Dinner:  279 calories                                                                                                                          5 oz baked cod                                                                                                                                                       1 oz beets                                                                                                                                                                  2 oz carrot                                                                                                                                                              2/3 cup canned garbanzo beans [chick peas] drained and rinsed, topped with a generous pinch of savory or rosemary                                                                                                                         big glass of water

Thursday Breakfast: 160 calories                                total calories for the day = 579                                                                                                                1 egg, hard-boiled                                                                                                                                                 1 slice bread                                                                                                                                                            1/2 cup sliced strawberries                                                                                                                          lemon in hot water or a big glass of water

Thursday Lunch:    137 calories                                                                                                                    1/2 cup vegetable soup, made with white beans but not noodles                                                            1/2 slice bread                                                                                                                                                      big glass of water

Thursday Dinner: 282 calories                                                                                                                      4 oz baked chicken breast                                                                                                                                 2 oz beets, boiled                                                                                                                                                    2 oz carrots, sliced and boiled                                                                                                                           1/2 cup baked beans, without added molasses or sugar                                                                         big glass of water

Street Food

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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.

Whether its hot dogs on Coney Island, soft pretzels with mustard in Philadelphia, or something you’ve never before eaten in Singapore, street food is fun, tasty, and easy to eat.  I present today’s menu as an homage to Fast food which could be street food: in Santa Fe or in Baltimore.

Breakfast Burrito   291 calories    11.9 g. fat   4.7 g fiber   18.7 g. protein    38 g. carbs  79.4 mg Calcium  GF    Inspired by breakfasts enjoyed at the Frontier Restaurant in Albuquerque, N.M., this has all the tastes of the Southwest in a filling yet low-calorie meal.breakfast burrito

one 6” corn tortilla, MUST be 65 calories per tortilla                                                                                               one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                                               1 Tbsp roasted green chiles, available canned under the ‘Hatch’ brand                                              1 Tbsp carne adovada – this is boiled pork shoulder with hot spices. Make a batch and freeze it in small amounts or see if you can find it at a Mexican market.                                            Large pinch oregano, Mexican oregano if you can find it.                                                                   [Hot sauce to taste]                                                                                                                                                    1 tsp cheddar cheese, finely grated                                                                                                                   2 ¼ oz of apple                                                                                                                                                                             5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or natural apple cider.                                                        Black-ish coffee, black-ish tea, lemon in hot water

Whisk the egg with the chiles and carne. Heat a dry, well-seasoned cast iron pan and heat the tortilla until it is warm, soft, and just beginning to brown. Remove to a plate. Scramble the egg to your preference in a spritz of oil on your pan. Put the egg on top of the tortilla. Sprinkle the cheese on the egg and put it all in the toaster oven for about a minute. Douse with hot sauce if you wish, serve with the apple, smoothie, and hot beverage of your choice.

Crab Cakes:   275 cal     7.2 g fat   4.2 g fiber     27 g protein    19.7 g carbs  231 mg Calcium  PB    GF- if using GF bread                  Rock and Jonah crabs abound on the coast of New England and they are grand as crab cakes. This recipe is from Todd English’s Olive’s Table cookbook. Note: this is the full recipe and makes 5 cakes – more than you will eat at one meal. Prepare them all and cook as directed. HINT: This will provide a few future meals.crab cakes w: asparagus

½ pound crab meat                                                                                                                                                 2 T [1 oz] plain nonfat yogurt                                                                                                                           1 tsp Dijon mustard                                                                                                                                               2 Tbsp. chopped green or white onion                                                                                                                 1 T. parsley, minced                                                                                                                                             one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                                              1 tsp salt & ¼ tsp pepper                                                                                                                                     1 slice fresh 70-cal bread, crumbled                                                                                                                  4 T. flour, for dredging                                                                                                                                            2 tsp oil                                                                                                                                                                       5 oz asparagus                                                                                                                                                          1 tsp low-fat mayonnaise + few drops of lemon juice + pinch each of tumeric and garlic powder [this is your aioli dressing]

Gently combine 1st 8 ingredients in a bowl. Dust a large plate with the flour. Using a 1/3 c. measure as a mold, form the crab cakes and turn them out onto the flour. There should be 5 cakes. Dust the top of the cakes with some of the flour. Heat a non-stick skillet and add 2 tsp olive oil. Handling them carefully, cook the crab cakes until they are beginning to brown on the top and bottom. Cook the asparagus. Put aioli on crab cakes and asparagus.

One Fast Day serving = 1.5 crab cakes. Cool the others, wrap in cling wrap and freeze. Reheat in a toaster oven, since the cakes will have been previously cooked.

Flavorful Plants

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Everything is growing and blooming and looking wonderful outside, so let’s eat some meals made with plants.  Don’t get nervous, this food is full of flavor. The Fasting Lifestyle can be delicious for meat-eaters and plant-eaters alike.

Zucchini Nests w/ Egg   302 calories    8.9 g fat      3.9 g fiber      14.4 g protein     19.2 g carbs         228.7 mg Calcium       PB GF [if using GF bread]                           Found this recipe online [allaboutfitnesssite.wordpress.com], then I changed it to fit our calorie restriction requirements. Note that the egg used for the photo is a pullet egg, which weighs in a 1.5 oz instead of the 2 oz eggs we usually use. If you can find them, pullet eggs can be useful as they give you the egg flavor but with reduced fat and calories. Pullets, as you know, are merely young hens which lay small eggs until they grow up enough to lay larger eggs. HINT: This recipe makes enough for 2 nests which serve 2 people.Zucchini Nests w: Egg

1 tsp olive oil                                                                                                                                                           ¼ cup diced onion                                                                                                                                                  2 tsp fresh sage or 1 tsp dried sage, chopped                                                                                                  1 clove garlic, minced or pressed                                                                                                                  large pinch hot pepper flakes or 1 jalepeno, chopped                                                                                  1 c. zuchinni, grated on the coarse side of the box grater                                                                               2 tsp cider vinegar                                                                                                                                                   1 oz roasted red pepper                                                                                                                                parsley, chopped                                                                                                                                              salt and black pepper                                                                                                                                             per person:     1 egg [2-oz or pullet]                                                                                                                                             1/2 slice multi-grain 70-calorie bread                                                                                                     blackish coffee or tea or lemon in hot water                                                                                                  5 oz fruit smoothie or green smoothie

In a non-stick pan, spritz lightly with olive oil or add 1 tsp.   Cook the onions until lightly browned, 4-6 minutes. Add the sage, garlic, and hot pepper and stir for 30 seconds. Add vinegar, zucchini, some black pepper, and ¾ tsp salt. Cover and cook about 6 minutes longer. Add roasted pepper and parsley. Cook 6 minutes longer ‘until zucchini is light brown.’ Mine never looked light brown, but it looked done to me! HINT: Do this part the night before to save time in the morning.

Next morning: Divide cooked vegetables into two heaps [scant ½ cup each].  Put one portion in storage, for another breakfast later in the week.  Put the other portion  in the saute pan and make an indentation in the top to form the nest. Cover and heat for 1 minute. Uncover and break egg into the ‘nest.’ Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then cover and cook on the stove top for 4-5 minutes longer or until the egg is cooked to your liking. Plate with the toast, pour your hot beverage and smoothie. Now that’s something different!

Felafel with Cucumber Raita 256 calories   10.2 g. fat   16 g. protein    33.5 g. carbs PB   GF        SORRY, NO PHOTO AT THIS TIME

5 felafel patties [see Because It’s June! June 1, 2016                                                                                              1 cup raw spinach                                                                                                                                                   1/2 tsp olive oil                                                                                                                                                       large pinch ground nutmeg                                                                                                                                4 oz plain, non-fat yogurt                                                                                                                                      1 scant cup cucumbers, cubed                                                                                                                                      1 tsp white wine vinegar                                                                                                                                    1 and  ½ tsp fresh mint, chopped or dried dill weed

Thaw out 5 of those felafel patties what we prepared on Sept. 9. Heat them in the toaster oven or in a non-stick pan on the stove. Do not cook them in oil. Cut the spinach into a chiffonade [make a pile of leaves and cut thinly across their width]and put into a bowl. Cube the cucumbers. Stir together the yogurt, vinegar, and dill or mint. Add the cucumber cubes and stir gently to combine. Toss the spinach with the olive oil and nutmeg. Plate it and love it.