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.
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.
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 large
1 two-oz egg, hard-boiled
a few slices whole grain 70-calorie bread
70-calorie whole-grain bread
maple syrup + fat-free milk
bockwurst + Emmentaler cheese
strawberries + 60-cal chicken sausage
pear
optional smoothie
optional smoothie
optional hot beverage
optional hot beverage
Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:
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.
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 pieces
Crumble 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 tortellini
Par-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/serving
Season 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 large
1 two-oz egg + avocado
Welsh Cheddar cheese
2%-fat cottage cheese
leek
radish sprouts or micro greens
melon
blueberries
optional smoothie
optional smoothie
optional hot beverage
optional hot beverage
Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:
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.
James Ussher
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” The quote from Psalm 118 is often read at the beginning of a church service. In 1650, James Ussher wanted to go beyond a general celebration and to get to the date of the actual day that the Earth was made. Ussher, born in Dublin, Ireland in 1581, rushed into his career: entered Trinity College at age 13, became an Anglican priest at age 20, a professor at age 25, and Bishop of Ireland at age 34. He was known as the best Biblical scholar of his time. In his lifetime, science had shaken the faith of Christians, when Galileo proved that the Earth was not the center of the universe. The Reformation had begun only 135 years previously, and as the Protestants were always trying to one-up the Roman Catholics, Ussher was eager to show that he was smarter than the Jesuits. The idea of using the chronology described in the Old Testament [the ‘begats’] to make a guess at the age of the Earth was not a new one. Previous scientists and philosophers bandied about the idea that the Earth has been formed around 4000 years prior to the birth of Jesus. Wishing to be more precise, Ussher spent 20 years visiting libraries in Western Europe, correlating Biblical events with known historical dates. He was a good scholar, using all the information that was available to him in the early 1600s. Through his research, he calculated that the Creator began to form the Earth in 4004 BCE. But what was the exact date? Since the fruit in Eden was ripe, the month must be October. Since theologians of the time believed that God was impressed by astronomical events [like the four divisions of the solar year], then it must be on or near the Autumnal Equinox. Since Genesis said that creation took six days, then the work began on Monday. This was all presented in Ussher’s master-work The Annals of the Old Testament, in which he stated that creation commenced on Sunday, October 23, 4004 BCE. In the years after that declaration, we have learned a lot about ‘telling time’ and determining the age of the Earth. A century later, Buffon deduced that the Earth was 75,000 years old. Study of fossils, of stratigraphy, and the invention of radiometric dating have lead us to conclude that the Earth is 4.6 billion years old. Science is all about challenging older ideas and finding new ones — it is not static. Today’s knowledge will seem quaint in 200 years as more and more is discovered. Do not laugh at Ussher. Rather, celebrate his scholarship — and eat an apple, the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.
For a man who was a biblical scholar, a breakfast of foods eaten in Old Testament times. For dinner, a meal with apples, of course.
Biblical Breakfast: 237 calories 0.4 g fat 6 g fiber 9 g protein 63 g carbs 229 mg Calcium NB: the food values given are for the plated items only, and do not include the optional beverages.PB Food historians name them the “Biblical 7”– two grains and 5 fruits that made up the menus of residents of the Iron Age Levant. In this meal, there are 5 of the 7, excepting olives and pomegranates.
When you see apples on this plate, you’ll say, “Hey! that’s not one of the Biblical 7!” But we are discussing the Creation Story today, and apples are rather important there, so apple instead of grapes, OK?
2 Barley Cakes** ½ oz dried Turkish fig ½ oz grapes or 1 oz melon 2 deglet noor dates ½ cup plain, fat-free yogurt Optional:blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]
**Barley Cakes: each cake = 51 calories 0 g fat 1.5 g fiber 1.6 g protein 16.5 g carbs 14 mg Calcium
24 barley cakes
Large griddle or skillet.
1½ c barley flour ½ c white whole wheat flour ¾ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp baking soda
Combine thoroughly in a medium-sized bowl.
½ c fat-free milk ½ c plain fat-free yogurt 1 oz egg ¼ c honey, warmed
To get only 1 ounce of egg, crack open a 2-oz egg, whisk it and use 1 oz. [give the rest to the cat or use in baking] Whisk together in a bowl.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and let sit until wetted, while griddle heats.
Cooking spray
Spray griddle with cooking spray. Using a 1.5 Tbsp scoop, drop batter on griddle, then flatten slightly with wet fingertips.
Cook until browned on both sides and not squishy on the equator. Freezes well.
Pork with Apples: 273 calories 8 g fat 4 g fiber 22.5 g protein 19 g carbs 84 mg Calcium PB GF Long a favorite combination in lands where local meats and local fruits are blended in hearty meals, this combo of pork with apples is a winner.
3 oz pork tenderloin, raw or cooked 2 oz round slices of apple, unpeeled ½ oz cubed apples, unpeeled 4 oz chicken stock 4 Tbsp Bechamel sauce, no cheese thyme/sage salt + pepper to taste 2 oz broccoli florets 1 oz carrots
Poach the apple slices in the stock until they are tender. TIP: if cooking for 2, this may require poaching in 2 batches. Remove slices and reserve. Slice th pork into rounds about 1/4” thick. If pork is raw, braise it briefly in the hot stock, and remove from stock. Put 1 Tbsp stock in the oven-proof pan in which you will cook the dinner. Combine diced apples, Bechamel, seasonings, and remaining stock in the sauce pan, stirring until apples are soft and sauce is medium-thick. Adjust seasonings. Arrange alternating slices of pork and apple in the baking pan. Nap with the sauce and bake at 350 until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Steam the vegetables and enjoy a hearty winter meal.
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.
Poor Camille! Her’s was a life of family strife, thwarted love, artistic yearning, artistic muse, and involuntary incarceration — a real-life ‘soap opera.’ She was born in 1864, to a well-off family in Fère-en-Tardenois, northern France. Recognizing her talent as an artist, her father moved the family to Paris in 1881, so that Camille could study. [Her mother was against it.] She learned at the studio of a friend of Auguste Rodin. Impressed with her talent, Rodin took her on as an assistant in his busy studio in 1884. He was smitten with her looks as well. He was 44, she was 21. Camille posed for some of his statues and was assigned to sculpt the hands of several pieces — including those of the Burghers of Calais. As Camille learned new skills from her teacher, she was also in love with him. They inspired each other’s work. Claudel exhibited her sculptures at exhibitions, but they were often thought too sensual for general viewing. Two of her most famous pieces are Sakuntala, 1886, and The Waltz, 1889. Their love affair came to a halt in 1893, when Rodin made it clear to the 29-year-old that he would not leave his original partner, 49-year-old Rose Beuret. Camille was shocked, incredulous, and desolate. From that time, Claudel actively tried to distance herself from Rodin. Within a few years, she created the amazing Age of Maturity. To see it is to enter into the emotional state of the three characters: the older woman, her arm around the man, confidently leads him away; the man goes willingly, although a bit numbly, having just released the hand of the younger woman; the younger woman, on her knees, implores him to stay with her. Whew. Over the next 20 years, Claudel would be awarded commissions, but then they would be canceled. She blamed Rodin for scuttling her career, but behind the scenes he was her champion and secretly funded her life. She became reclusive, living alone in her studio, until her brother Paul had her committed to an asylum in 1913. Was she certifiably mad? Was she put away so her siblings could have her inheritance? Did her mother’s distaste for her career have something to do with it? We will never know. On October 19, 1943, the life of the talented and tormented Camille Claudel ended. Her work is on display at the Musee Rodin, where Rodin insisted that it be on view, and at the Musee Camille Claudel outside Paris.
Our foods today could be only from France, to honor the doomed life of the woman Rodin called “Madmoiselle C.”
Cepe Bake: 139 calories 6.5 g fat 1.5 g fiber 10 g protein 6 g carbs 61 mg Calcium NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.PB GF Am I bragging when I say that Bolete mushrooms [aka porcini] come up wild in our front yard? Sort of… but it is the truth – thanks to a stand of oaks which partner with the mushrooms. After researching which flavors go best with Cepes, here is an amazing breakfast.
1 two-oz egg 1 oz cepes/porcini [fresh or dried and rehydrated in hot water] 1½ tsp Parmesan cheese 1 oz tomatoes 0.13 oz prosciutto 1½ oz peach or 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]
Slice the mushrooms into small pieces [your call]. Cube the tomatoes. Coarsley chop the prosciutto. Spray a non-stick or small cast-iron pan with non-stick spray and cook the three above items until they are softened and have lost their liquid. Put the cooked ingredients into a lightly-oiled oven-safe dish and distribute over the bottom. Whisk the eggs with the cheese, and pour into the prepared dish. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until set. Plate with the fruit for a real mid-Summer delight.
Poulet Pierre: 286 calories 6 oz fat 3 oz fiber 31 g protein 24 g carbs 141 mg Calcium PB GF – if using GF bread crumbs A few decades ago, Dear Husband stuffed cheese in a chicken breast, breaded it, and dubbed it ‘Poulet Pierre.’ It was a family favorite. Here it is upgraded for Fasting. Still a favorite.
Two servings
1 chicken breast: that’s half of a whole breast, skin and bones removed.
Began with one chicken breast and remove tenderloin. Divide meat in half by cutting parallel to the cutting board to produce two cutlets.
Two 3½ oz chicken breast cutlets
You now have 2 cutlets, each around 3½ oz. If you wish, you can pound them to create an even thickness or to enlarge the diameter.
2-3 Tbsp white whole wheat flour
Put some flour on a plate on the counter.
One 2-oz egg
Whisk an egg and put it in a wide, shallow bowl on the counter.
one 70-calorie slice whole-grain bread
Whirl bread in a food processor along with some thyme and rosemary, salt and pepper. Put crumbs on a plate on counter.
0.4 oz Gruyere
Grate cheese and put it on the cut side of the chicken fillet. Then fold the fillet over the cheese.
Holding the folded chicken in one hand, put it in the flour, turning it over to get the flour to stick to all surfaces. You will not use all the flour.
Then dip floured meat into the egg, turning it so that the egg coats both sides. You will not use all the egg. [feed it to the cat]
Then dip the egged meat into the crumbs, turning it so that crumbs coats both sides. You will not use all the crumbs.
Put prepared meat onto a glass pie plate, spritzed with cooking oil. Bake 10 mins at 350F. Spritz the top of the Poulet Pierre with cooking oil, return to oven, cook 10 mins.
2 oz beets per serving ¼ c barley pilaf** per serving
Heat the beets and prepare the pilaf. Plate it all and enjoy the flavors.
**Barley Pilaf: Makes 1.5 cups1 serving = ½ c = 160 calories 1.5 g fat 3.6 g fiber 7g protein 31.6 g carbs 10.6 mg Calcium PBNOT GF This recipe is from Rush Hour Cookbook. It is a super alternative to plain rice or purchased pilaf.
Yield: 1.5 cups
Heavy, medium-sized skillet
1 cup quick-cooking barley
In skillet, cook barley over med-high ~5 minsuntil toasted and golden.
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Add the grlic and stir 1 minute.
1½ c. chicken stock
Add stock and bring to a boil.
½ c whole-wheat orzo 1 Tbsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
Add to pot, stir, turn heat to low, cover and simmer 10 mins.
Take off heat, let sit 5 minutes.
2 Tbsp chopped chives or scallions salt + pepper to taste
Add these, stir, plate
Ingredients for next week: Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:
barley flour + white whole wheat flour
1.5 two-oz eggs
2-oz egg + baking powder + deglet noor dates
fresh chives
baking soda + fat-free milk + fat-free plain yogurt
Parmesan cheese
honey + Turkish fig + grapes
kiwi fruit or pineapple or apple
optional smoothie
optional hot beverage
optional hot beverage
Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:
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 Officebethlem who is now Following.
Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde. With a moniker like that, what choice does one have but to “make a name for himself.” The man in question was born 16 October, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. His parents were a noted and knighted eye specialist and a multi-lingual writer. Both of them had a fervor for social justice. After winning awards at Trinity College, Wilde went to Oxford on a scholarship. There he began to publish his poetry and to practice ‘aesthetics.’ That philosophy embraced a way of life dedicated to beauty, espousing that the sole purpose of life is to live as artfully and as beautifully as possible. After his degree, his volume Poems was published in 1881. Although reviews were mixed, he embarked on a lecture tour of the US and Canada: 140 engagements over nine months. He met elite writers and dined with coal miners. People lined up to hear him: either to heckle [“Mr. Wilde is too effeminate in his appearance to be a handsome man, and he is too masculine to pass for a good looking woman,” wrote a newspaper in Charlottetown, PEI.] or to soak up the idea that they too could surround themselves with beauty. This was followed by a lecture tour of England and Ireland. Thus he made a name for himself, becoming famous for being famous. The public was fascinated by his flamboyant style and outlook on life. At age 30, he married and fathered two sons. All normal so far, but from 1886, his wife was his ‘beard’ in polite society, for, on the side, he was in love with Robert Ross. Wilde was very busy and productive in the following years — he contributed to several newspapers, edited a moribund ladies’ magazine, and wrote two books of tales for children. In 1891, his life changed forever. In that year, Wilde published The Picture of Dorian Grey and met Alfred Douglas. The book scandalized society at the time with its hedonism and its implied homosexuality, but today it is hailed as a fascinating read, and has been made into films. Alfred Douglas was to be Wilde’s downfall. Over the next three years, Wilde dazzled theater-goers with Lady Windemere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest. The dialogue was witty and the plots wickedly skewered popular mores. They were a hit. Meanwhile, the Marquess of Queensbury [Alfred Douglas’ father] loathed Wilde and accused him of lewd acts. Wilde sued Queensbury for libel, but when the suit was dropped, the Crown charged Wilde with “gross indecency,” a crime in Victorian England. After two trials, he was sentenced to two years of hard labor in Pentonville Prison and Reading Gaol. The conditions broke him physically and emotionally, and upon his release he went to France where he wrote his famous Ballad of Reading Gaol. He died in Paris of meningitis, drinking a lot and in debt. Robert Ross paid for his burial at Père Lachaise Cemetery, where he commissioned the now-famous headstone of Oscar Wilde.
Our meals are not from Wilde’s native land, which he left; nor from England, which he fled. They are from France, where he sought refuge and finally died in 1900.
Charcuterie Bake: 137 calories 10 g fat 1 g fiber 11.4 g protein 8 g carbs 37 mg Calcium NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.GF One Sunday, we invited friends over for what we call a “French Lunch” – bread, sausage, cheese, fruit, wine, and good fellowship. Dear Husband thought, “I know what breakfast will be.” And he was correct: left-overs reborn as breakfast.
One 2-oz egg ½ oz chorizo sausage ½ Tbsp chevre cheese, the creamy type ¼ tsp Dijon mustard pinches of herbes de Provence 1½ 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]
Set the toaster oven at 350 degrees F. Cut the sausage into a small dice, then cream it together with the goat cheese, mustard, and herbes. Spritz an oven-proof ramekin/dish with olive oil or non-stick spray. Whisk the egg with the sausage mixture and pour into the dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes while you pour the beverages and slice the pear. As simple as the meal which preceeded it.
Fish Timbale: 276 calories 17 g fat 1.6 g fiber 23.5 g protein 8 g carbs 95 mg Calcium PB GF Sounds high-falutin’ but really very easy.
1.5 oz mackerel or salmon 1.3 oz haddock or cod ¾ oz egg [either pullet egg or an egg white] 1/3 oz white beans 2 Tbsp cream 2 Tbsp spinach ½ Tbsp shallot 1 oz Swiss chard 1/8 tsp olive oil nutmeg + granulated garlic
Wash the spinach and leave water on the leaves. Put in a lidded pan along with the chopped shallot. Put on the lid and let cook until the spinach is limp. Remove, chop, and squeeze the water out of the spinach. Thoroughly mash the white beans and add the cream. Stir the spinach-shallot into the bean/cream. If fish is raw: Put in a pan with a little water. Cover and steam until fish is cooked. Flake the fish and combine with the other ingredients, except the chard. Turn into a spritzed ramekin and bake at 400 degrees F. for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsley chop the chard and cook it in a little water until done. Drain and season with nutmeg and granulated garlic. Run a knife around the sides of the timbale and invert the plate over it. Turn the plate right-side-up and remove the ramekin. Plate the chard around the fish timbale.
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.
The late, lamented Gourmet Magazine had a practice of publishing favorite recipes from readers. One of them was for this coffee cake. What makes it “Pennsylvania Dutch” is probably the method of cutting the butter into the flour to form a crumb, then combining most of the crumbs with the moist ingredients. This is similar to the process of preparing a Shoo-Fly Pie, a classic of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine. Since the recipe makes two 8″ cakes, there is one to eat and one for gifting or for the freezer.
Fresh from the oven, in an 8×8″ pan. Cut into 9 pieces.Served with strawberry yogurt, back bacon, mocha cafe au lait, and orange-rhubarb juice.
The coffeecake is delicious and easy to prepare. Have only one egg to use? You can just as simply make one cake from the recipe. Either way, the cake is moist and flavorful. This is a regular in our breakfast rotation.
Two 8 or 9” cakes
1 cake or 12 muffins
8 or 9” round cake pans
2 eggs 1 c. milk, fat % of your choice
1 eggs ½ c. milk, fat % of your choice
Whisk together and set aside.
2 ½ c. white whole wheat flour 1 ½ c sugar or 1¼ c. ½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp baking powder ¾ c/12 oz butter
1¼ c. white whole wheat flour ¾ c sugar or 2/3 c. ¼ tsp salt 1½ tsp baking powder 1/3 c/ 6 oz butter
With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut together until mixture looks like a coarse meal. SAVE OUT ½ OR ¼ CUP OF CRUMBS, set aside
Stir egg-milk into flour crumbs until combined.
Pour into pans, buttered or lined with parchment paper.
½ cup crumbs
¼ c crumbs
Sprinkle tops with crumbs.
Bake @ 375F 25-30 mins, until top begins to turn golden.
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.
Prince Ludwig and Therese.
On September 16, 2023, the 188th Oktoberfest began. It ran for 18 days, closing on October 3. So, if it is called ‘Oktoberfest’, why is it in September?? The answer is: it shouldn’t be. Oktoberfest is billed as ‘the Biggest Beer Party Ever,’ but, again, it is not supposed to be. On October 12, 1810, Prince Regent Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. To celebrate the event, a clever cavalry major suggested to the prince’s father that a horse-race be staged, so that all the citizens of Munich could enjoy the event. Thus, on October 17, at the newly-named Theresienwiese [Therese’s Meadow], a 42 hectare field in Munich, a horse-race was held along with food for all. It was so much fun, that people clamored to hold it again. From 1811 to 1813, a large, food-filled gathering was held at the ‘wiese, sponsored by the Bavarian Agricultural group. The Napoleonic Wars interrupted the fun, but the festival returned, now sponsored by the government. Throughout the years, epidemics and wars have shut it down, but Oktoberfest comes back with big beer tents, brass bands, roasted chicken, and lots of sausage. Oh — and beer. So why does it start in September? Beats me!
Since the original occasion was a wedding, we will feast on hearts at breakfast. Although chicken outsells sausage at Oktoberfest, we will dine on sausages. Happy Anniversary, Therese and Ludwig!
Waffle Fruit Hearts: 211 calories 5.4 g fat 4 g fiber 6.5 g protein 46.6 g carbs 87.4 mg Calcium NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.PB Does your waffle maker turn them out in heart shapes? Save out a waffle or two for this treat on a Fast Day.
4 waffle hearts, each 2×3″ 2 Tbsp vanilla fat-free yogurt 1 Tbsp almond meal 4 sections of Clementine 1 oz blueberries 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]
Stir almond meal into yogurt and let it sit. Briefly warm the waffle hearts, then spread them with the yogurt mixture and top with clementine sections. Plate with blueberries, serve with an optional beverage.
Vegetable-Sausage Bowl: 295 calories 15 g fat 4.4 g fiber 10 g protein 22.5 g carbs 124 mg Calcium PB GF A riff on a recipe by Sarah Copeland in the New York Times, this fusion of German sausage and Asian flavors was a real hit at our house. Very quick to prepare and a great way to add vegetables to the diet.
2 servings
big wok, skillet or cast-iron pan
½ oz almond slivers pinch Kosher salt
Add nuts, salt and stir until toasted, 1 min. Remove from pan and save.
1 tsp canola oil/other neutral oil 2-3 celery stalks, sliced on bias ½ c. carrots, sliced in thin rounds
Heat oil over med-high until shimmering. Add these and stir-fry until slightly softened, 1-2 mins.
1.5 tsp sesame seeds
Sprinkle on seeds, toss until toasted, 1 mins.
1 c. kale, without stems, fresh or frozen 1 c. torn lettuce
Chop kale roughly. Add greens to pan, stir to combine.
1½ tsp rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar 2-3 T. water
Add these, scraping bottom of pan. Cook until greens are lightly wilted, ~1 min
2½ oz bulk bratwurst sausage
Brown in separate pan, breaking into small bits. Add.
½ c. cooked brown long-grain rice
Add to pan and stir well while rice heats.
3 T. torn mintleaves 1 tsp Go-Chu-Jang sauce 1½ tsp soy sauce
Scatter with herbs, add soy sauce and hot sauce. Stir together, serve in bowls with reserved nuts on top.
Ingredients for next week: Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:
1 two-oz egg = US large
1 two-oz egg + cep mushrooms
chorizo sausage + chèvre cheese
tomato + prosciutto
pear + Dijon mustard
Parmesan cheese
herbes de Province
peach or pear
optional smoothie
optional smoothie
optional hot beverage
optional hot beverage
Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:
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 Apurba Sarma who is now Following.
A Roman citizen name Dionysius [granted, that is a Greek name, but the Romans borrowed a lot] was born in what is now Italy in the 3rd century CE. He became a Christian, and was sent to Roman Gaul to tend to the souls of Christians in Lutetia [now called Paris], and to be their bishop. The most of the Roman town was on the hills of the Left Bank, so Dionysius set up on an island in the River Seine now calledÎle de la Cité. Things were going fine, until the priests of the Roman pantheon became alarmed at Dionysius’ number of converts. The bishop and his two companions, Rusticus and Eleutherius, were arrested and sentenced to death. On a high hill overlooking the river, the three were beheaded on October 9, 250. Some say that is the origin of the name of the hill: Montmartre, Martyrs’ Mountain — or maybe not… But Dionysius refused to die. Legend has it that he picked up his head and walked North for six kilometers. All the while, his head preached the Gospel. Thus he joined the ranks of the cephalophores: saints who carry their heads. He was buried where he finally fell, and a shrine was built — then a chapel, then an abbey. Eventually, it became the town of Saint Denis on the outskirts of Paris and the chapel was rebuilt as the first Gothic-style church ever seen, the Basilica of St-Denis. Since the time of King Dagobert the Merovingian, all French kings were entombed at St Denis. The necropolis is a sight to behold. Along with the tombs of royalty, the church held another relic: the Oriflamme. This was the battle banner of French kings, called the Oriflamme of St-Denis, although he had nothing to do with it in his lifetime. Flying the flag represented the presence of Saint Denis at the battle. It was lost at the battle of Agincourt. Dionysius name was changed to ‘Denis’ in later centuries and he is one of the Patron Saints of France.
Our breakfast is aptly named and fit for a king. Our dinner is from Italy, just like St-Denis.
St Denis ScrOmelette: 144 calories 8 g fat 2 g fiber 12.5 g protein 6.4 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 James Beard’s comprehensive volume American Cooking gives us the recipe for this breakfast. Delicious, and rich, and wonderful. Worth getting up for.
1½ two-oz eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week. 1 Tbsp leek or scallion, minced ½ clove garlic, minced ¼ oz mushrooms ¼ oz ham [3% fat], minced 1 tsp chicken liver OR chicken liver pate parsley for garnish 4 Bing cherries -OR- 2 oz melon of any sort 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]
Heat a well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Add the leek, garlic, ham, and mushrooms and stir to cook. Whisk the eggs with the pate and pour over the vegetables in the pan. Cook as thoroughly as you like. The optional beverages are prepared and the fruit is plated. What a remarkable start to your day.
Polpette Supper: 296 calories 11 g fat 4 g fiber 12 g protein 34 g carbs 166 mg Calcium PBGF – if using GF breadcrumbs and zucchini This is one of the ‘poverty foods’ of Europe: meatless, filling, plant-based meals for the people who lived by subsistence farming. The original recipe calls for Ricotta, but Cottage Cheese is less caloric and lower in fat.
2 polpette balls** 2.5 fl oz sauce side salad with cucumbers ¾ oz whole-grain sourdough bread -OR- 1 cup cooked zucchini slices 2 basil leaves, torn in bits 2 tsp grated Pecorino Romano
Warm polpette balls and the sauce together. Plate, topped with sauce, basil, and grated cheese. On the side, the salad, and zucchini or bread.
Tear basil leaves in 1/2. Smash garlic. Stir everything together in a small saucepan. Cook over very low heat 10 mins. Don’t brown garlic.
Take off heat, strain oil, discard solids and set infused oil aside.
14 fl oz canned crushed tomatoes 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste 3/4 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/2 c. water infused oil
Combine these in a big pot. Bring to a boil over med-high, then turn down to a simmer. Partially cover, simmer over low heat, undisturbed.
8 oz 2%-fat cottage cheese 1/2 c.+ 2 T. dry bread crumbs 1.4 oz unshelled egg 1 T. Pecorino Romano cheese 1/2 Tbsp fresh parsley 1/4 Tbsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp black pepper
Break an egg into a bowl and whisk briefly. Measure out the portion required. Drain cottage cheese of excessive liquid, mash with fork to break up large curds. Finely grate Pecorino-Romano. Chop parsley. In a bowl, mix all ingredients until combined. The mixture will be quite soft.
With wet hands, pinch off eight portions, each ~2 Tbsp. Roll into balls: ~2” wide, ~40 g each. Put on a baking sheet.
Bring sauce to a low boil. A few at a time, add balls carefully to sauce. Shimmy pot back and forth after each addition, to prevent sticking or clumping. Do not stir, lest balls break apart.
Cover pot, cook in sauce, undisturbed, 4 mins. Take off lid and shimmy pot. Balls will have begun to firm.
Cover pot again, cook 10 mins, until balls are firm, plump and cooked through.
Eating well, with creative recipes, to follow the Fasting Lifestyle according to Michael Mosley's "Fast Diet." 