recipes for Michael Mosley’s 5:2 Diet

Turkey Day

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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.

American Thanksgiving is observed on the 4th Thursday of November every year. [Thanksgiving was made official by President Lincoln in 1863.] Although a Day of Thanksgiving was held at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621, that was more of a First Nations Harvest Festival than what we would call Thanksgiving. After all, the early settlers were always holding ‘Days of Thanksgiving’ when things were going well. Turkey is native to the Americas, so it has become the main course for most everybody. [Turkey was made official by the Norman Rockwell painting “Freedom from Want”] It is so ubiquitous that many people refer to Thanksgiving as “Turkey Day.” Turkey meat, white and dark, is delicious and nutritious; low in fat and high in protein. One can roast it with stuffing, spatch-cook it with dressing on the side, prepare it as a roulade, or confit the legs. The pounds are added the day after due to 1] fatty, caloric side dishes and 2] unrestrained eating. More than food, Thanksgiving is about being with family and friends. Enjoy the day.

For breakfast, those traditional Thanksgiving ingredients are baked with eggs. So easy! For dinner, a nod to the Indigenous People with a dinner of squash and venison [sausage]. The combination of autumn flavors is wonderful.

Turkey/Stuffing Bake: 135 calories 6.5 g fat 1.5 g fiber 11 g protein 9 g carbs 44 mg Calcium   NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  GF- if using GF bread  Here’s a breakfast to use Thanksgiving leftovers! Another in the dinner-for-breakfast series.

1 two-oz egg ½ oz turkey breast, raw or cooked, diced finely 0.75 oz prepared turkey stuffing —OR— ¼ slice of 70-calorie whole-grain bread [¼ oz] + 1-2 Tbsp onions + 1-2 Tbsp celery lots of rosemary + thyme + sage + salt + pepper 1 oz pear 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]

Without pre-made stuffing + raw turkey: In a saute pan, cook onions, seasonings, celery, and turkey [if it is raw] in a little water and a spray of cooking spray until vegetables are softened. Cut bread in ¼” dice and add it to the pan of cooked vegetables. Stir to mix all ingredients completely. Spritz a ramekin with non-stick spray. Distribute turkey-stuffing mixture over bottom. Whisk egg thoroughly and pour into the ramekin. Bake at 350F until puffed and starting to brown. About 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the pear and prepare the optional beverages. With pre-made stuffing + cooked turkey: Dice turkey finely and add to stuffing and herbs. Spritz a ramekin with non-stick spray. Distribute turkey-stuffing mixture over bottom. Whisk egg thoroughly and pour into the ramekin. Bake at 350F until puffed and starting to brown. About 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the pear and prepare the optional beverages. Be thankful for the start of another good day.

Venison Sausage w/ Roasted Vegetables:  295 calories 12 g fat 5 g fiber 9 g protein 36.4 g carbs 88 mg Calcium  PB GF  “Sheet Pan” meals seem to be all the rage now. Roasting everything together, while keeping all the elements separate, makes for a simple process with the flavors intact yet blended. This version is very good and rich and makes a small amount of meat punch above its weight.  HINT: As written, this recipe serves two [2] people.

1 venison sausage, 290 calories or less 10.5 oz/300 g delicata squash, seeds removed 6.5 oz sweet potato 1 oz/28 g parsnip, cut as coins 10 fresh cranberries crushed red pepper thyme sprigs salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 450F. Cut the sausage into 8-10 slices. Cut the squash into ½” slices, and remove the seeds. Peel and slice sweet potato ¼” thick, then cut into half-moons, if very large. Peel parsnips and cut into coins. Spray a cast iron skillet with cooking spray or olive oil. Put all the vegetables in the pan in one layer. Spritz it all over with olive oil or cooking spray. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper. Liberally top with thyme sprigs. Heat oven to 425F, and pop the pan in. Roast for 10 minutes, then remove from oven. Turn oven down to 400F. Turn over the vegetables in the pan, then place the sausage and cranberries in the centers of squash slices. Spritz again with oil/cooking spray and return to oven for 10-15 minutes. Voila: pleasing to the eye and palate.

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

Bob’s Red Mill 10-Grain cereal or equivalent bulk sausage meat
low-fat or non-fat milkchickpeas + onions
blueberriesscallions
potato + [Savoy] cabbage
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

delicata squash veal + pork + turkey
Chili Non Carne milk + sage + cabbage leaves
melonfresh bread crumbs + pickled beets
mustard + egg white
Sparkling water Sparkling water

The Essex

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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 Watchurdiet who is now Following.

On August 12, 1819, The Essex left Nantucket Harbor to hunt whales. Thirty-three other whaling vessels left from that port that year, but the Essex did not return. The 20-year-old ship had a crew of 21, a racially-mixed group, all eager to cash in on the booming whale oil industry. The Essex, with a thick hull of oak, recently sheathed in copper, was thought to be a lucky ship due to her past success. On her way to the whaling grounds in the South Pacific, The Essex was nearly rolled over in a gale, losing two of her five whaleboats. When the ship took too long to reach the Pacific, the crew began to think her luck had changed. One man defected in South America, leaving them under-staffed. On November 20, a male Sperm Whale that almost as long as the ship deliberately rammed her twice, stoving in the bow. As the ship slowly sank, the crew salvaged what they could and piled into the three long-boats. The captain and the first mate debated whether to sail downwind to the Marquesas Islands, 1200 miles away or to sail south 1000 miles, then 3000 miles east to South America. Wishing to avoid supposed cannibals on the Marquesas, they opted for the long route. After 20 days afloat, the men were rationed half a pint of water and six ounces of hard bread per man per day — guaranteed starvation at 500 calories per day. On the 31st day, they landed at Henderson Island and ate all the animals there within a week. They then went back to the boats, except for three who chose to remain there. [They were later rescued] On Day 57, the cannibals who were not on the Marquesas, were in their boat: a crew member who died was eaten by his boat mates. One of the three boats drifted off and was not seen again. By Day 74, having continued to eat those who died of natural causes, the men in the Captain’s boat drew lots to determine whom they should murder and then eat. At last, 96 days after the whale attack, the remaining five men were rescued. They recovered and went home. Two of them wrote memoirs. Captain Pollard retired after another failed voyage. Every year, on November 20, he would lock himself in his room and fast, recollecting The Essex crew. The horrible events captured the popular imagination: Melville’s Moby Dick was inspired by the whale attack, and even Anne of Green Gables meets a family who’s sea-faring ancestor ate his crewmates.

The crew ate 500 calories a day, which is less than what we eat on a Fast Day. We don’t starve because our meals are nutritionally balanced, and the next day we can eat normally. Our meals come from Goa in the Indian Ocean, since whale boats sometimes went that far to hunt. The dinner is from the Azores which had a long tradition of whaling from its own shores. Many Azoreans signed on with New England whaling crews, and then settled in Fall River and New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Goan Scramble:  150 calories 7.6 g fat 1 g fiber 10.4 g protein 10 g carbs 57 mg Calcium NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF The mixture of spices and spicy foods called Cafreal Masala is typical of Goan cuisine. It really delivers a punch to these eggs!

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, pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid, and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.  1.5 tsp Cafreal Masala ½ oz shrimp, cooked and chopped 1.5 oz mango   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Whisk the eggs and pour into a hot pan that has been spritzed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle the shrimp on top. Drizzle the masala paste onto the eggs and swirl it into the eggs as they cook, sort of like putting the chocolate into marble cake batter. Plate with the mango and serve with your choice of optional beverages.

Cozido Soup:  Cozido is a specialty of the Azores island of Sao Miguel. Some of the dormant volcanoes still have warm magma and send steam out through vents and fissures. Locals lower cauldrons of meats and vegetables into steaming wells, then serve the cooked meal at restaurants. The serving for two at O Miroma in Furnas consists of vast quantities of beef, pork knuckles, blood sausage, carrots, potatoes, collards, cabbage, and turnips. Like a New England Boiled Dinner, but cooked in a volcanic vent! We took the remainders from our meal home.  You could make this soup at home using readily- available ingredients and your humble cooktop.

The next day, I put the bones, sausage, and juices in a pot with water and Piment da Queijo. While that simmered, I cut up the vegetables and meat into bite-sized pieces [discarding the blood sausage to which I have an aversion]. Combined, it provided a hearty, nourishing, and low-calorie soup for a Fast Day.

Hometown Heroine: Fort Washington

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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.

Margaret Cochran had a difficult life. She was born on a subsistence farm in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, which was then on the far western frontier of the 13 Colonies. Her father was killed in an Indian raid, during which her mother was abducted, never to be seen again. Little Margaret and her brother were taken in by relatives. She married John Corbin when she was 21 years old. Three years later, the Colonies asserted their independence, the Revolutionary War began, and John Corbin enlisted. Wives of soldiers had three choices: go live with their parents; stay home and run their farm alone; or join their husbands at the army camp. Margaret took her only option and became a ‘camp follower.’ Contrary to popular opinion, these women were not prostitutes and, although General Washington tried to outlaw them, they served a purpose. The women who lived with the army did the cooking and laundry for the troops, providing a useful service and earning money for their work. It was not an easy life, especially during battles when the women would take food and water and ammunition to the soldiers under fire. They would also move the injured to the medical tent and tend them. John Corbin was part of a 5-man team who manned a cannon. His job was to swab the bore of the cannon with a wet mop, to cool it down between shots. After the cannon was loaded with shot and powder, he tamped the charge into the barrel. On November 16, 1776, during the battle of Fort Washington on Manhattan Island, Margaret Corbin put on man’s clothing and stood with her husband by the cannon. When he was killed, she took his place, doing the work as well as any man, much to the admiration of her crew-mates who called her ‘Captain Molly’. The superior British forces closed in on the fort at last and a cannon shot hit Margaret’s position. She was badly injured in her jaw and chest, and her left arm was almost blown off. When the fort fell, Corbin was captured but later released. Her injuries healed poorly and she was in pain for the rest of her life, losing the use of her arm. She joined the Invalid Regiment at West Point, one of many disabled soldiers who help tend the wounded until her discharge in 1783. Margaret was not a likable women by all accounts but she was tenacious. When she heard that veterans received a stipend, she applied for one. The Congress awarded her a life-long pension [half-pay] and a new suit of clothes for her service. In Manhattan’s Fort Tryon Park, a plaque describes Margaret Corbin as the first woman to fight for her county’s freedom. She died in obscurity in her late 40s, but her remains found a home at West Point and were buried with military honors. A monument to her marks her grave. Margaret proved that there was a place for women in ‘this man’s army.’ In 1976, female cadets were admitted for the first time to the US Military Academy at West Point.

Our menu consists of food that would have been familiar to farm families who lived off foods of their own production.

Scrapple Bake: 149 calories 7 g fat 4 g fiber 8.5 g protein 10 g carbs 62.5 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  GF  Scrapple is one of the specialty foods of the “Pennsylvania Dutch” people of South Eastern Pennyslvania. Excellent for breakfast, served as a side dish like sausage or combined with eggs in this bake.

1 two-oz egg ½ oz scrapple, baked until cooked ½ oz scallion, chopped ½ cup raspberries + 1 Tbsp fat-free vanilla yogurt  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]   Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

The night before, bake the scrapple in the oven until firm. Dice it and combine with the scallion.  In the morning, set the toaster oven at 350 F. Spritz a ramekin with oil or non-stick spray. Scatter the scrapple and scallion in the ramekin. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper and pour over the scrapple. Bake 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, portion the berries and dollop the yogurt on top. Brew a beverage and enjoy a fine, homey breakfast.

Corned Beef & Cabbage:  299 calories 22 g fat 4 g fiber 22.5 g protein 15 g carbs 220.5 mg Calcium  Fannie Farmer’s cookbook provides the inspiration for this recipe. Add deli corned beef to creamed cabbage with cheese, and you are in the spirit of subsistence farmers in early America.

3 cups sliced cabbage ¼ cup plain bechamel sauce, without cheese  2 oz corned beef [thinly sliced, from the deli] cut into strips ½ oz deli Swiss cheese salt & pepper

Steam the cabbage for 5 minutes. Stir in the bechamel sauce, corned beef, and seasonings. Put into an oven-proof dish and lay the cheese slice on top. Bake at 350 degrees F. until the cheese melts.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large1 two-oz egg + olive oil 
mangopear + onion + celery + herbs
shrimpturkey breast meat, cooked or raw
cafreal masala 70-calorie whole-grain bread
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverage optional hot beverage

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

pork meat + beef meat venison sausage @ 290 calories or less
carrotsdelicata squash + sweet potato
kale + turnipparsnip + fresh cranberries
cabbagecrushed red pepper + thyme sprigs
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Pineapple

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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 Harbans who is now Following.

Pineapples, Ananas comosus, originated in South America. This member of the Bromeliaceae Family, came from southern Brazil-Northern Argentina and was cultivated widely in South America and the Caribbean by pre-Columbian peoples. The plants range between 3′ and 5′ high, each producing a large cluster of flowers. In the wild, hummingbirds are the chief pollinator of the flowers. Each flower becomes a ‘berry’, and the berries grow together to form what looks like one large fruit, topped by a bunch of spiky leaves. The first mention of pineapples by Europeans was in 1493 in Guadaloupe. They were taken to the Philippines [for textiles] and to Europe by the Spanish, where pineapples became a symbol of luxury. The Portuguese introduced them to India. Carvings of pineapples on buildings in the 1700s bespoke hospitality and welcome. In 1886, pineapples were grown commercially in Hawai’i for the first time. James D. Dole, the entrepreneur, arrived to start the operation that became synonymous with his name and the state: the Hawaiian Pineapple Company on Oahu. On 13 November 1895, Dole’s canned pineapple became available for the first time. After surviving the Depression, pineapple production on Hawai’i declined as the Philippines and Thailand could grow and can them more cheaply. Today the main producers of pineapples are the Philippines, Indonesia, and Costa Rica. The last Dole cannery in Hawai’i closed in 2007.

Pineapples can appear in a fruit salad, as a garnish for ham, or in an upside-down cake. Our menu uses them in a riff on the much-debated Hawai’ian Pizza at breakfast and in a quirky side-dish turned main course at dinner. Eat all you want of this tropical fruit: pineapple is good for you.

Pineapple Express: 130 calories 1.6 g fat 2.5 g fiber 8.5 g protein 17.5 g carbs 38.6 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  To meteorologists, a ‘pineapple express’ is a stream of warm, humid air that brings rain to California. What we have here is a delicious breakfast with the ingredients of a Hawai’ian Pizza that arrives quickly to the table.

½ whole wheat sandwich thin @ 50 calories 1.5 oz pineapple, canned in juice 1 oz 3%-fat ham 1 Tbsp fat-free vanilla yogurt   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]

Drain some of the pineapple, chop it finely and measure two ounces. Chop the ham finely and combine with the pineapple. Stir in the vanilla yogurt. Spread on a toasted sandwich thin and pour the optional breakfast beverages. If you were not having one of the suggested beverages, then enjoy two of these fine ‘breakfast sandwiches.’

Pineapple Pompeii:  286 calories 9.5 g fat 5 g fiber 15 g protein 40.6 g carbs 85.5 mg Calcium  PB GF This is served in South-Eastern Pennsylvania as a side dish to baked ham. The fanciful name is unique to the neighbor who gave me the recipe. I put the ham in the casserole to make a complete meal. HINT: Serves 6 as dinner.  This was a real hit at a pot-luck.

5 cups whole-grain bread cut in ½” cubes four 2-oz eggs 1 Tbsp butter + ¼ cup loosely-packed brown sugar 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained but saving the juice 1 cup 3%-fat ham, cut in ¼” dice   per person: 1 side salad with beets 

Cream the butter and sugar together, then whisk in the eggs. Add bread cubes to the bowl and stir together to combine. Add the ham and drained pineapple. Stir to combine thoroughly. The batter should be moist, so if it is too dry, you may add some of the drained pineapple juice to bring it to the right consistancy. Spray a 6×10” baking pan with non-stick spray and pour in the batter. Smooth it into the corners and bake at 350F for 25 minutes, until set and starting to brown on the top. Cut into 6 pieces. Serve with the Side Salad. Freeze the pieces that you don’t use today for another meal.

Hedy Lamar

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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.

What must it be like to have both great beauty and an excellent mind? Most of us will never know, yet that describes Hollywood glamour girl Hedy Lamar. Hedwig Eva Kiesler was born on 9 November 1914. Her father, although a bank director, knew a lot about how things worked and would instruct his little girl about street-car engines or printing presses while they took long walks together. From an early age, little Hedwig was curious about machinery. She was taught piano and ballet as well. At age 16, she was ‘discovered’ by a director and was in two movies in quick succession. The film Ecstasy became infamous, and Hedy left films for the stage. An infatuated arms dealer married her, stopping her career. Their dinner parties had Nazis and other fascists at the table, discussing munitions and radio-controlled weapons. Hedy, of Jewish ancestry, left her over-bearing husband and met Louis B. Mayer in London. He signed her up for Hollywood fame and fortune, and a new career was launched for “Hedy Lamarr”. Hedy was paired with the leading men of the 30s, starring in many hit movies. But she still loved mechanical devices, and worked on innovations in her trailer between takes while filming. In 1940, Lamarr was upset that she could not contribute to the war effort. She teamed up with film composer George Antheil, another would-be inventor. They knew that one problem in war was that radio-controlled torpedoes could be jammed if their radio signals could be intercepted. Lamarr and Antheil worked out a way to operate a torpedo on a signal that jumps from frequency to frequency in a random pattern, thwarting its interception. This was called frequency-hopping spread spectrum. They patented the idea and tried to give it to the Navy, but it was rejected. Lamarr then did her best to sell War Bonds, and she was very good at that too. Skip to 1962, when the US military employed the idea during the Cuban Missile Crisis. If the patent hadn’t expired, Lamarr might have been paid for her development. In 1985, communications corporations saw a need for FHSS as they developed mobile phones and internet transmissions. Too bad Hedy Lamarr could not profit from her invention. She is quoted as having said,  “Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.” Hedy Lamarr was always glamorous but she was never stupid.

A breakfast from Miss Lamarr’s youth, and a dinner of Cesar Salad that was popular in the California of her adulthood.

Wiener Fruhstuck:  287 calories 10.5 g fat 3.4 g fiber 16 g protein 18 g carbs 140.6 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the plated items only, not the optional beverages.  PB In Vienna, this is a very popular meal, as I am sure you will agree when you sample it. The name means “Viennese Breakfast”.

One half of a 2-oz egg, hard-boiled 1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread ¼ oz Emmental or Gruyere cheese 1 oz pear or apple or 1.5 oz melon 27 g/1 oz veal sausage, such as Bockwurst   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Steam or cook the sausage in a pan with cooking spray. Slice needed amount of sausage and enjoy the remainder at lunch or dinner tomorrow. Plate all the elements, sip your coffee, and imagine yourself in a Viennese coffee house. Very pleasant.

Cesar Salad:  240 calories 9 g fat 4 g fiber 33 g protein 5.4 g carbs  106 mg Calcium  PB GF Straight out of the Fast Diet book, with quantities clarified a teensy bit. Large portion, good flavor.

2.5 slices Canadian bacon 3 oz chicken breast, left over from a roast 2.5 c chopped romaine or 2.5 c. mesclun 1 T grated Parmesan 3 oz tomatoes salad dressing: 1 tsp olive oil + 1 tsp lemon juice + Mexican oregano [Cesar Salad after all is of Mexican origin, not from Roman rulers]

Heat the bacon on a hot, ungreased griddle until it begins to brown. Remove and slice into strips. Cut chicken meat into strips or chunks, as you wish. Roughly chop or tear the romaine, if using. Whisk the oil and lemon juice in a salad bowl. Add the lettuce and toss to coat with the dressing. Plate the greens and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and oregano. Arrange the meat and tomatoes on top of the greens. Isn’t that a big meal?!

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

Whole wheat ‘sandwich thin’1 two-oz egg 
pineapple canned in juicescrapple + scallion
3%-fat hamraspberries
fat-free vanilla yogurtfat-free vanilla yogurt
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

5 cups whole-grain bread cut in cubes  3 cups shredded cabbage
four 2-oz eggs + 3%-fat ham corned beef
20 oz can crushed pineapple  + brown sugarBechamel sauce, no cheese
1 Tbsp butter +  side salad with beets Swiss cheese
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Sax

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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.

All Seven Saxophones

Antoine-Joseph Sax should not have grown up, but he did and he changed the way music is played. Between his birth in Dinant, Belgium, on November 6, 1814, and his 14th birthday, young Adolphe fell from a height of three stories; drank a bowl full of acid-water; swallowed a pin; was badly burned in a gunpowder explosion; burned his side when he fell onto a hot frying pan; was almost asphyxiated from sleeping in a room where varnished furniture was drying; and was hit on the head by a cobblestone, then fell into a river and almost drowned. Maybe that is why he changed his name to “Adolphe.” His father,  Charles-Joseph Sax, an excellent wood-worker, was hired by William I of Orange to re-design the wooden instruments of the Belgian Army’s band, such as fifes and bugles. Adolphe grew up in his father’s workshop and learned the trade first-hand. When he was 14, he improved upon the clarinet. Adolphe studied flute, voice, and clarinet at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Sax wanted to invent a range of new instruments that would cover a wide range of notes. Combining a reed [found in clarinets and oboes, both wooden wind instruments] with a wooden instrument that had larger fingerings, Sax produced a hybrid. He called it the ‘Saxphone’. He entered an instrument-building competition in Belgium in 1840, and when he did not win, he went to Paris, France. There he hoped to supply the French Army with new band instruments. He was off to a rough start until he met Hector Berlioz, composer and music critic. Berlioz was enraptured by the new sound of the saxphone and wrote glowing praise about it. The original instrument was made of wood, but soon Sax switched to brass, creating the ‘saxophone’ we know today. But wait! Not just one saxophone, but eight sizes of different ranges! Then Sax made a wide array of other brass instruments which defy description. The French Army Band adopted the saxophone right away and Sax should have been raking in the money. Unfortunately, he did not patent it until 1846, then spent many years and much money fighting off those who would copy his invention. Sax was a lousy money manager, going bankrupt three times. His invention is still in use — in brass bands, in orchestras, and in jazz bands. Yet Sax died in poverty. Even brilliant innovators need good financial advisors.

French meals today, for Adolphe Sax’s adopted nation.

French Toast:  187 calories 6 g fat 2.6 g fiber 12.6 g protein 15 g carbs 95 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. HINT: This recipe makes French Toast for 2 people or two breakfasts. If serving one, prepare all the toast, but put the remainder in a bag in the freezer for a really fast breakfast later.

4 slices 70-cal whole grain bread one 2-oz egg 2 Tbsp fat-free milk   per person: 1 oz strawberries, fresh or unsweetened frozen per person: 1½ tsp maple syrup per person: one 60-cal chicken breakfast sausage   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]

THE NIGHT BEFORE: Whisk the egg and milk together. Cut the pieces of bread into appropriate shapes using a cookie cutter small enough to cut two shapes from each slice of bread. [This step is important for the calorie count to come out right, so don’t skip it even if it seems too much like ‘crafty food.’ The bread that is left over can be fed to the birds or saved to make Stuffed Clams] Put the bread into a pan with a rim which is just big enough for the bread pieces. Pour the egg/milk mixture over the bread, making sure it is all wetted. Let stand OVERNIGHT. Also, mash the strawberries and stir into the syrup.

THE NEXT MORNING, cook the batter-soaked bread in a hot non-stick pan with a spritz of non-stick spray. Cook until browned on both sides. NOW PUT ½ OF THE PIECES ASIDE TO COOL. PUT INTO A BAG AND FREEZE THEM FOR A LATER DATE. Cook the sausage, too. Warm the mix of berries and syrup, and smear onto the plated toast. Enjoy with the sausage and beverage of choice.

Asparagus Omelette:  270 calories 14.5 g fat 3.5 g fiber 18 g protein 10 g carbs 178 mg Calcium  PB GF Susan Herrmann Loomis comes up with another super dinner omelette. HINT: This recipe serves two [2], but you could cut it if you wish, or double it to serve four [4]. 

4 two-oz eggs  ½ oz [3 Tbsp] Parmesan-Reggiano cheese Whisk eggs, just to blend in the yolks. Grate cheese and stir it in.
4 oz asparagus, tough ends snapped offCook until tender, ~7 mins. Cut off bud ends and slice the stalks thinly.
2 slices uncured bacon [30 cal/slice], cut into ½” pieces Cook in a non-stick pan until ‘lightly golden’, 2-3 minutes.Drain off all but ½-1 Tbsp fat.
1 scallion [1 oz], thinly sliced reserved bud ends cooked baconSaute in fat until transluscent and add asparagus. Heat until hot. Add eggs without disturbing the other ingredients. Sprinkle with chopped bacon.
Cook until top is done to your liking. Fold and plate. Garnish with bud ends.
Side salad with beet and tomatoToss the salad and plate with the omelette.

Slow Days: Beer Batter Pancakes

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People who are new to Fasting often pose the questions: “Can I really eat ‘anything I want’ on a Slow Day?” and “What should I eat on Slow Days?” To answer those questions, I have decided to add some blog posts to show some of the foods we eat on what the world calls NFDs [non-fast days] but which, in our house, we call ‘Slow Days.’ This feature will appear sporadically. 

Now for the answers. Can you really eat ANYTHING you want on a Slow Day? Not really. If you eat too many calories every Slow Day, you will not lose weight. There are many questions asked on the Fast Diet Forum which attest to that. Once in a while you can splurge, as long as it isn’t everyday. For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet. As for how we eat, an example follows.

This might be an odd question: Do you ever have left-over beer? Say, you opened one to drink while you watched the game, but you didn’t finish it because you left the room in disgust. Did you know that you can bake with beer? Practically any recipe that has a liquid [milk, water] in it can have beer substituted for the original liquid. You don’t taste the beer, and although some alcohol remains in the baking, you don’t have to worry about getting the Book Club tipsy. Think of the possibilities! Bread, cake, pancakes, waffles. Swap the beer ounce for ounce with the original liquid, or use half of each. Saves on the milk budget, uses up a liquid that would otherwise be wasted. Win-win.

Beer pancakes are very simple to prepare. Or, you can cook the same batter as waffles. This is straight off the Allrecipes.com website, but you can play around with different recipes.

1 cup sifted white whole wheat flour
¼ cup white sugar
¾ tsp baking powder + ½ tsp salt		In a large bowl, stir these together. 
1 egg, beaten
1 c. beer
2 Tbsp butter, melted 		Pour in these ingredients. Whisk just until blended – a few lumps are okay.
Brown ale or stout adds a depth of flavor.
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. 
Spoon 2-3 Tbsp batter onto the hot surface for each pancake.
When bubbles appear on top of the pancakes, flip, and cook until browned on the other side.
The bubbles on the pancake and the reduced gloss on the surface tell you that it is time to flip them over.

I prepared enough pancakes for two people, then used a little waffle iron to make four 3×3″ waffles for another breakfast.

All Souls

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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.

At the end of October/early November occurs one of the four ‘Cross-Quarter Days‘ of the solar year. These days fall half-way between the two Solstices and the two Equinoxes. In Pre-Christian times, societies around the world observed holidays on all eight of these days, as they watched the progression of the sun through its year. To the Gaelic Celts of North-Western Europe, this time of year was Samhain [Sow-an], a dividing point between Summer and Winter, between Light and Dark, between warmth and coldness. On that day, the veil between our world of the living and the world of the dead was pulled aside — who knows what could happen then! Part of that multi-day festival of yore has turned into Hallowe’en on October 31. The Catholic Church then instituted All Saints Day for November 1, dating from the early middle ages when the church was young. The ‘saints’ were defined as the martyrs who had died for their faith and thus their souls had gone straight to Heaven. In the 10th century, Bishop Odilo of Cluny established the next day to pray for the ordinary people, those departed family members who were not martyrs and might not be in Heaven yet. [To the Catholics, those souls end up in ‘purgatory‘ and one’s prayers might move them on to Heaven.] The idea became popular and was adopted quickly among the faithful. Thus November 2 became All Souls Day. There are many homey ways to observe the day. In Guatemala, people fly giant kites with messages to their ancestors attached to them. In Poland, people return to their ancestral homes for a visit to the graveyard. In the Philippines, families set an extra place at the table and eat a meal of foods their ancestors enjoyed. [In our house, we cook special meals on our parents’ birthdays.]

For breakfast, eggs [always a symbol of rebirth] are paired with sprouts, to symbolize life. For dinner, a version of “Soul Food” from the American South, where collards and pork are popular New Year’s Day foods. [Samhain was considered the start of the New Year for the Celts.] On All Souls Day, walk in nature, visit the cemetery, look at photos of your ancestors, or fly a kite to celebrate all the Souls who came before us.

Sprouted Bake: 129 calories 5 g fat 2 g fiber 9.5 g protein 8 g carbs 45.5 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  Time to get the sprouts out of the sandwiches and into the breakfast.

1 two-oz egg ¼ c radish sprouts OR microgreens ½ oz avocado 1 Tbsp low-fat cottage cheese 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-yogurtsmoothie [88 calories]

Mash the avocado and mix with the cottage cheese. Heat the toaster oven to 350 degrees F. Spritz an oven-proof dish with cooking oil or spray and put the sprouts in it. Whisk the egg with the avocado mixture and pour over the sprouts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Portion the fruit and pour the optional beverages. 

Collards & Bacon w/ Pasta:  276 calories 9 g fat 6 g fiber 10 g protein 10.6 g carbs 161.6 mg Calcium  PB GF  In the American South, collard greens and pork are a popular meal, especially for New Year’s and Mardi Gras. The pasta used here is made with chickpea flour, so it is gluten free and full of fiber. HINT: This preparation is enough for two [2].

4 oz collard greens 2½ oz chickpea pasta, uncooked 1 oz uncured bacon 1 clove garlic, chopped ¼ c onion, sliced thinly ¾ tsp crushed red pepper ½ tsp oil 2/3 c crushed tomatoes 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated   optional: 2 tsp red wine vinegar

Chop the collards and cook in boiling water 10 minutes. Drain, saving the cooking liquid. Cook the pasta in the liquid from the greens, plus extra water as needed. Drain, saving the pasta water. Chop the bacon and cook in a 10” skillet until browned. Take bacon from the pan and pour off most of the fat. Cook the garlic, onion, and red pepper in the pan over low heat until the onions soften and the garlic is golden. If the pan gets too dry, add some of the pasta water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the greens, bacon, pasta, and tomato to the pan and stir to combine. Some cooks like to add vinegar at the last moment. Divide into two portions and top with Parmesan.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large1 two-oz egg, hard-boiled 
a few slices whole grain 70-calorie bread70-calorie whole-grain bread
maple syrup + fat-free milkbockwurst + Emmentaler cheese
strawberries + 60-cal chicken sausagepear
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

eggs + Parmesan-Reggiano cheese‘Canadian’ or back bacon + Mexican oregano
asparagus + baconchicken breast + olive oil
scallionlemon juice + tomato
Side salad with beet and tomatoRomaine lettuce + Parmesan cheese
Sparkling waterSparkling water

War of the Worlds

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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.

In 1897, a book by H.G. Wells called The War of the Worlds was serialized in the Pearson’s Magazine in the UK and the US’s Cosmopolitan. It was a science fiction tale of creatures from Mars invading Earth. Science Fiction had been around since 1616, but Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein had reignited interest in the genre in 1818. Wells, who had trained as a science teacher, was up-to-date with the science of his time. In 1895, American astronomer Percival Lowell proposed that the random lines seen around the equator of Mars were irrigation channels, constructed by an intelligent race of sentient beings. Wells said that his book about invaders wiping out the indigenous population was based on what happened to Aboriginal Tasmanians. The book was popular and still makes a good read today. Skip ahead 41 years. Actor and script-writer Orson Welles [no relation to H.G.] lead a weekly radio program on CBS called Mercury Theater on the Air. On October 30, 1938, they presented an adaptation of War of the Worlds. Cleverly written, it lulls the listeners into thinking that they are hearing music from a New York ballroom, but then the program is ‘interrupted’ by news flashes about an object that has landed in New Jersey. Horror, death, madness, and despair ensue, narrated by a scientist character voiced by Welles. According to Welles, the show created a nation-wide panic:  “Six minutes after we’d gone on the air, the switchboards in radio stations right across the country were lighting up like Christmas trees,” Welles said. “Houses were emptying, churches were filling up; from Nashville to Minneapolis there was wailing in the street and the rending of garments.” Or maybe not. Rather few people listened to the show, so Welles was probably hyping the result. My parents were both in college at that time. My father recalled listening to the radio play and thinking that it was a well-played joke. My mother, typically, was doing her homework. It is a good radio play, that still holds up well today — especially as an example of early “fake news.” If you have never read the book, give it a go. Then listen to the 1938 version, and enjoy a little shiver at Hallowe’en.

In all the versions of the story, Martian ‘cylinders’ and ‘Tripods’ appear all over the world in the wide-spread invasion. Our foods come from wide-spread areas of the world: Wales and India.

Welsh ScrOmelette: 156 calories 9 g fat 0.6 g fiber 11.5 g protein 6 g carbs 91 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF This is a real taste sensation and a great way to start the day. Reward yourself by making the effort to find the correct cheese.

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 to store in the ‘fridge for next week.  0.3 oz Cheddar cheese, preferably Caerphilly or Red Dragon  ¾ oz sliced leeks, white and green 1 oz melon  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Slice the leeks across the leaf and rinse under running water. Put into a small sauce or saute pan, add a few tablespoons of water, put on the lid and ‘sweat’ the leeks until they soften. HINT: I did this the night before. Cut the cheese into small dice. When ready to cook, spritz a non-stick pan with cooking spray and add the leeks. Cook about 10 minutes more until limp and maybe beginning to brown on the edges. Whisk the eggs with salt, pepper, and a pinch of thyme. Pour over the leeks in the pan, scramble until cooked. Then sprinkle the cheese over the eggs at the last minute. Serve with melon and beverages of your choice. Fabulous.

Mushroom-Pork Vindaloo: 250 calories 7 g fat 5 g fiber 21 g protein 15 g Carbs 52.5 mg Calcium  PB GF  This unique curry dish comes from southern India. If you can’t find packaged Vindaloo Seasoning, you can prepare your own.  HINT: this recipe serves 2 [two]. 

1½ Tbsp Vindaloo seasoning  2 cloves garlic ½ tsp ground ginger 2 tsp canola oil ¾ cup onions [2.5 oz] 3 Tbsp cider vinegar ½ tsp sugar 5 oz cubed pork tenderloin or turkey breast [1.25 cups] 7 oz mushrooms [200 g] 3 oz broccoli florets, steamed ½ cup cooked brown rice

Press the garlic and stir into the vindaloo powder. Combine with the vinegar. Marinate the meat in that mixture for 30-60 minutes. Saute the onions in the oil until beginning to brown. Add the ginger, then add the sugar right away. Pour in the meat with the marinade and stir-fry until the meat is almost cooked. Add the mushrooms and cook over low heat until the sauce is thick. Plate with the rice and top with the broccoli.

dei Mille

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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.

Italy in 1860.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Italian Peninsula ceased to be one, united nation. It broke into city states and small fiefdoms which lasted until the 1800s. Some parts were dominated by strong families, others were owned by neigh-boring nations, and varying amounts of land were the property of the Pope. There was no “Italy.” Napoleon conquered the peninsula and divided it into three sections, one of which he personally governed. During that time, the ideas of the French Revolution were introduced, and some Italians began to think about unification and throwing off the old ways. The Congress of Vienna, 1814-15, broke up the landscape again, reverting to conservative rule. Plotting began, fueled by the continent-wide reforms in 1848, and people began to yearn for Risorgimento [Rising Again]. Through elections, the Northern realms began to consolidate, but a larger effort was needed. Giuseppe Garibaldi, a Genoese who had been a freedom-fighter in South America, raised an unlikely army of 1000, “dei Mille” to aid the cause. They were often called the “Red Shirts” because that was their uniform. They were doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, students, and one woman, and in May 1860, they sailed to Sicily. Despite their lack of training and their antique weapons, they were victorious in battle after battle. They moved up the peninsula and on October 26, Garibaldi met Victor Emmanuel II [King of Sardinia, see above map]. Garibaldi officially gave the King all the lands he had conquered. The march of the Mille was ended and the unification of Italy had begun.

Foods from the Italian Peninsula will naturally be on the menu today: with cheese from Parma at breakfast, and pasta for dinner.

Parmesan-Chive Scramble: 159 calories 9.5 g fat 1 g fiber 12.5 g protein 5 g carbs 139 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the Scramble and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  This is the Scramble version of Dear Husband’s ‘Bake’ of the same ingredients. Still wonderful! So is he.

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   1.5 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese 1.5 Tbsp minced fresh chives 1 oz kiwi fruit or pineapple or 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]

Whisk together the chives, cheese, and eggs. Turn into a hot pan spritzed with oil or non-stick spray. Scramble to perfection and plate with the fruit. Pour your choice of beverages and dig into a bright breakfast, even on a grey day.

Tortellini with Sausage & Spinach:  234 calories 10.6 g fat 3.6 g fiber 15 g protein 25 g carbs 202 mg Calcium   PB  This meal is from the site Salt & Lavender. I jiggered it around a tad, which cut the calories in half and reduced the fat by 75%. AND it still tastes great and goes together in a flash.

Serves 2 –
70-80 g Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing, crumbled or sliced in small piecesCrumble into a skillet. Cook over med-high, stirring a bit, until browned. Drain fat, if there is any.
56 g/ ½ c/2¼ oz dry cheese tortelliniPar-cook tortellini 4 mins in boiling water. Drain
2 cloves garlic
4 T. chicken broth
8 fl oz canned diced tomatoes with juices ¼ cup whole milk
par-cooked tortellini		Slice garlic thinly. Add to pan with these ingredients. Cook 5-7 mins, until tortellini is tender and sauce has reduced to your liking. 
2 c spinach, loose packed baby leaves Cut spinach if large leaves. Add, stir in until it wilts. 
Salt & pepper to taste 1 Tbsp. fresh Parmesan/servingSeason w/ salt & pepper as needed, plate, and top with cheese.

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

1.5 two-oz egg = US large1 two-oz egg  + avocado
Welsh Cheddar cheese2%-fat cottage cheese
leekradish sprouts or micro greens
melonblueberries
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

pork or turkey tenderloin + mushroomscollard greens + chickpea pasta
vindaloo seasoning + ground gingeruncured bacon + garlic
canola oil + onion + cider vinegaronion + crushed red pepper
broccoli + brown rice + garlic + sugarcrushed tomatoes + Parmesan cheese
Sparkling waterSparkling water