recipes for Michael Mosley’s 5:2 Diet

Bram Stoker

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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.

Little Abraham Stoker was a sickly child, born into the middle of the Great Potato Famine. His mother kept him entertained for his first seven years by telling him tales of Irish lore: interweaving the supernatural with the real in fanciful stories with a Gothic slant. Somehow he out-grew his infirmities in time to attend Trinity College. There, the handsome, sociable man excelled at oratory and debate while being a champion at many sports. While living the life of the Big Man on Campus, young Bram was employed as a civil servant, his father’s career path. After graduation, Stoker was often promoted within the Civil Service and ended up as head of his department, then head of the district. And on the side, he wrote theater reviews, just for fun. A review of Sir Henry Irving‘s Hamlet, lead to a friendship and a job offer. In 1878, Stoker married actress Florence Anne Lemon Balcombe and they moved to London where Stoker became the manager of Irving’s Lyceum Theater. In that job, he met many luminaries of the theater, the literary world [Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, Lord Tennyson], and politics [Theodore Roosevelt, Lord Churchill, Gladstone]. Meanwhile, Stoker wrote and published short stories, just for fun. In 1890, he began to write a book about a ‘Count Wampyr’ from Austria. A chance reference in the Whitby Library changed the lead character to Count Dracula from Transylvania. For seven years he worked on perfecting his novel about the ‘un-dead,’ which was published in 1897. Reviews were good and the rest is history: movies, plays, breakfast cereal [probably as deadly as a vampire bite], parodies, and Hallowe’en costumes show the extent to which Count Dracula has permeated culture world-wide. On April 20, 1912, Stoker died. Not from a silver bullet nor from a stake through his heart, but from locomotor ataxia.

Our breakfast is made from fine Irish ingredients — did Stoker yearn for these flavors when he lived in London? The dinner is very much of the country, and typical of the diet of a tenant farmer’s family.

Breakfast in Ireland:  282 calories 11 g fat 1.5 g fiber 19 g protein 26 g carbs 207.5 mg Calcium  NB: The food values include the tea with milk. PB  From the soda bread to the cheese to the back bacon – this is a meal from all over Ireland.   HINT: Prepare the soda bread in advance for less breakfast hassle.

The meat is Canadian Bacon, the bread is a slice from the large loaf, and the cheese is Irish Cheddar.

1 oz Irish back bacon or ‘Canadian bacon’ @ 33 calories 1 oz Irish Soda Bread** 1 egg, fried or hard-boiled 1½ oz apple ½ oz Cashel Blue or Irish Cheddar   Optional: hot Irish Breakfast Tea, served with 3-4 Tbsp milk [pour the milk into the teacup, then add the hot tea]

**Makes 12 individual Soda Breads or 1 large loafPreheat oven to 400F. Buttered cookie sheet.
1 cup white flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp butter		Cut the ingredients together, using two knives or a pastry blender.
Purists would do it with their fingers.
Non-purists might do this in a food processor.
½ – 1 cup raisins or currants
1 Tbsp caraway seed		Stir these into the dry mixture.
¾ cup buttermilk or soured milk – all of milk may not be needed, or it might need moreAdd milk bit by bit, stiring with a fork, until the dough is moistened and forms a ball.
For individual biscuitsRoll or pat out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 2” or 3” round cutter. Use a knife to mark an ‘X’ on the top of each.
For one large loafGather the dough into a single ball, and flatten slightly. Use a knife to incise an ‘X’ on the top.
Bake at 400F 10-15 mins or 20 mins for large loaf

Cook the bacon until done to your liking. Cook the egg to your preference. Slice the Soda Bread and plate everything. Pour the tea and sip your way up to the Top o’ the Morning.

Forager’s Soup: 271 calories 17 g fat 6 g fiber 13 g protein 29 g carbs 250 mg Calcium   PB GF  Here is an Irish soup made with summer greens. Did you say ‘weeds’? A weed is a plant in the wrong place. The cook-pot is the right place, where ‘wild greens’ are put to splendid use. The recipe is one of Darina Allen’s from Reclaiming Ireland’s Culinary Heritage, One Roast Lamb Or Sponge Cake At A Time. HINT: The recipe makes 3 cups, enough for 3 servings.

2 tsp butter ½ c onion ½ potato = 4 oz
salt + pepper		Melt butter in pot over medium-high. When it foams, add vegetables, and stir to coat. Season. Turn down to very low, put parchment paper atop vegetables, to trap steam. Put on lid and cook gently 10 mins, until vegetables are soft but not brown.
1 c chicken stock ½ c + 1/3 c whole milkHeat stock and dairy in a saucepan to simmering. Remove parchment and add hot liquid. Simmer 5-10 mins to cook vegetables fully.
4 oz by weight = 2 c. wild greens: dandelion; garlic mustard; sorrel; chives
¼ c ricotta		Add greens + simmer uncovered 2-3 mins until greens are just cooked through (do not cover pot or overcook, or else bright green color will be lost.)  Add ricotta. Purée until smooth. Taste for seasoning.
1 oz chorizo/ bacon per personSlice chorizo and cook on low in a skillet until fat is rendered and meat is crisp, 5-10 mins. Drain on paper towels. 
Edible flowers 2 Finn Crisp per servingAt serving time, warm soup over medium-low heat, uncovered. Scatter chorizo/bacon bits on each bowl, and garnish with flowers.

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

1 two-oz egg1.5 two-oz eggs 
feta cheesewatermelon
melonbrown rice
moussaka sauce: ground lamb, eggplant, marinara sauce, onionMediterranean Vegetables with chickpeas
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

Hake, 4 ounces + onion3 oz roast lamb + mint or cilantro
garlic + sugar + red winecanned white beans
whole tomatoes, canned‘English’ peas [not dried peas]
Moroccan seasoning
Sparkling water Mint tea or Sparkling water

Diet of Worms

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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.

A diet of worms?? — doesn’t that sound delicious!! Surely if there were such an eating plan, it would guarantee rapid weight loss — no one would want to eat at all! But in this case, a ‘diet’ is not a WOE/way-of-eating, but a political gathering called for the purpose of deliberating a matter of interest. In January 1521, Emperor Charles V assembled the leaders of the German States, both nobles and clergymen, to a meeting at the city of Worms. Worms was a ‘free city’ meaning that it ruled itself, free from the dictates of a prince or the church, so it was beholden to nobody. One of the matters to discuss came up in mid-April. The Church was offended by the proposals of the Augustinian monk Martin Luther for reforms of the Church. Luther had posted his 95 proposals in October, 1517 and they had caused much debate. He was especially against the selling of indulgences to raise money for the Pope. In 1520, Pope Leo X issued a condemnation of 41 of the 95 theses, and so the stage was set. On April 16, Luther appeared before the Diet and acknowledged that the 95 theses were his own ideas. The Pope’s representative asked Luther to repudiate his ideas. Luther asked for a day to think about his answer. On April 17, when asked again, Luther said that if anyone could show him that his writings were in opposition to what was in the Bible, then he would recant. Otherwise, he declared, “Here I stand. [“Hier stehe ich”] I can do no other. [“Ich kann nicht anders”] Amen.” Such a commotion ensued, that the meeting was suspended. When a vote was taken about Luther’s fate as a heretic, the group could reach no conclusion. Upon leaving Worms, Luther was “kidnapped” by men sent by his benefactor Elector Frederick III the Wise of Saxony, and spirited away to Wartburg Castle. Meanwhile, a subsequent Diet passed the Edict of Worms, seeking Luther’s arrest. It was never enforced. His courageous stand at the Diet of Worms rallied supporters to his cause and the German version of the Protestant Reformation movement grew into the Lutheran Church.

Our breakfast is from the Franconia region of Germany, and Franconia shows the divisions that the Reformation caused: parts of the region are staunchly Roman Catholic, and the other parts are resolutely Protestant. Our German dinner would be popular anywhere, no matter what your religious views are.

Franconian Breakfast: 163 calories 4.4 g fat 4 g. fiber 13 g protein 22.5 g carbs 117 mg Calcium  NB: These values are for the Fruit Hearts alone and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  Here some favorite flavors of the German State of Franconia come together for breakfast. My stars!! This is delicious!

++ 1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread ++ 1 oz smoked trout ++ 2 Tbsp small-curd cottage cheese ++++ 1 Tbsp snipped chives ++++ 2 oz plum  ++++ 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] ++++ 

Lightly toast the bread. Stir together the cottage cheese and chives, and spread on the toast. Plate along with the trout and plum. Some might prefer to place the trout on the bread and eat it thus, which is a great way to do it. 

Herring Salad:  278 calories 6 g fat 7 g fiber 16 g protein 24 g carbs 103 mg Calcium  PB GF Luchöw’s Restaurant will live in memory as long as a certain generation yet breathes. And there was a lot to remember about it: the decor, the old-world service, the menu. Not a hokey tourist trap – it was a genuine German restaurant in Manhattan. This is one of their fine Old World recipes.  NB: if you take a MOIA anti-depressent, be aware that herring has high amounts of tyramine. 

1½ oz herring marinated in wine, drained ¼ cup beets, cooked, cooled and diced 1½ oz apple, peeled and diced ¼ cup white beans, drained and rinsed ½ hard-boiled egg, sliced 2 Tbsp onion, minced ½ oz dill pickle, chopped pinch sugar 2 tsp vinegar, or more 1 cup lettuce, shredded

Put the vinegar and sugar in a bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently until everything is well-incorporated. Taste to see if it needs more sugar or more vinegar. A herring-lover’s delight.

Religions: Sikhism

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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.

Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in the world, yet many people are unaware of it. After 9/11 in the United States, Sikhs were attacked around the country. Why? Because Sikhs wear turbans, and those who were more scared than thoughtful thought that turbans = Arabs = al Quaida. NOT true. Who are the Sikhs? They are a religious movement from the Punjab region, now partly in Pakistan and partly in India. Five hundred years ago, the Guru Nanak taught that there was one god, that people were equal to each other, and that our bodies are just a temporary vessel for our souls. Nine successive Gurus succeeded Nanak, all emphasizing the core tenets of the faith: honest work and truthfulness; giving to those in need and sharing what you have; and living with humility. Over the centuries, the Sikhs came to wear turbans, both to distinguish them on the battle field and to bind up their long, unshorn locks. At that time only nobility wore turbans, so the Sikhs were asserting that everyone is equal. They also adopted unifying names: the last name of Singh for the men, and the last name Kaur for the women. The new religion was attacked by the invading Moghuls and also by the local Hindus, their Gurus being arrested or executed. On April 13, 1699, at the Harvest Festival, the 10th Guru,  Gobind Singh, decided that the Sikhs needed to be able to defend themselves. He established the Khalsa Panth, a fighting force of men and women. This group successfully fought to defend themselves and they regained territory over the following decades. In 1801, they established Punjab as an independent state with Lahore as capital. After being defeated by the British, the warrior Sikhs became an important element of the British army. The nation of India, freed from colonialism in 1947, divided Punjab with Pakistan, and the Sikhs opted to ally with the Indians. Today Sikhs can be found all over the world, with the greatest numbers in Canada, England, the US, and Australia, following the 5Ks and hoping not to be misunderstood in a fearful world.

Some Sikhs refrain from eating meat as part of their faith, so our breakfast is meatless. Our dinner is from Northern India, utilizing a popular street food as the main component. For those Sikhs who do eat meat, this one is for you. To all of you, happy Vaisakhi, happy New Year. As I learned more about the Sikhs while writing this blog, I couldn’t help comparing them to the Mandalorians of Star Wars popularity: they do not take off their turbans/helmets in public; men and women are trained as warriors; and they follow a creed/The Way which directs their actions. I sincerely hope that this is taken in the complementary way that I intend it.

Mango-Citrus Parfait: 254 calories 6 g fat 2.6 g fiber 23 g protein 23 g carbs 265 mg Calcium   NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB GF  Fast Food Restaurants decided years ago to offer ‘healthy options’ in the form of yogurt parfaits. Full-fat yogurt, fruit, and lots of high-fat granola. Poor choice. Here is a more acceptable breakfast option, full of protein yet low in fat and enough calories to keep you going for hours.  NB: This could be a healthy Slow Day lunch option. HINT: This recipe serves two [2].

½ cup low-fat [1%] cottage cheese ½ cup plain yogurt 1 oz mango cubes ½ clementine [skin it and use half the segments] 2 Tbsp granola Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Stir the cottage cheese and yogurt to combine thoroughly. Divide the fruit into two portions. Spoon half of the dairy mixture into a wide-mouthed wine glass and top with half the fruit. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of granola. Repeat with the remaining ingredients in the same order, topping with granola. Prepare a beverage and enjoy that dairy-fruit goodness.

Momos with Chicken: 222 calories 1.5 g fat 2 g fiber 15.4 g protein 30 g carbs 58 mg Calcium   PB  Steamed momos are one of the most popular street foods of Northern India, due to the influence of neighboring Nepal and the fact that they are delicious. Try them and you will agree. Looks long and complex, but it is do-able.

Filling: makes 2 cups; you will need 1 Tbsp for each piece. Freezes well.

8 oz chicken breast, cubed 1 tsp tumeric 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste 2 tsp ginger, minced 3 Tbsp carrot, grated or chopped 3 Tbsp cabbage [Bok Choy or Napa] chopped 1 Tbsp scallion, sliced 1 cup onion, chopped pinch sugar [or omit] salt + pepper 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp chili sauce 1 tsp catsup

Prepare a mise en place. Put the chicken, tumeric, and garlic paste in a small pan with 1-2 Tbsp water. Put on a lid and cook until chicken is just a little pink. Remove from heat and strain the liquid from the chicken. Return the chicken liquid to the pan and add the ginger and the garlic. Cook on high for 30 seconds, turn heat down, add the carrot, cabbage, scallion, and onion. Cook until vegetables are soft and onion is translucent. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper, and return the chicken to the pan. Stir and cook. Transfer to a food processor and reduce to a mince. Set aside to cool. Enough for 30 momos.

Forming the momos: for 1 serving, you will need six 3.5” wonton wrappers. for the entire batch, you will need 30 wrappers

Put some water into a custard cup. Lay the wonton wrappers on a large, clean surface. With your finger, moisten all the edges of each wrapper with water. Put a tablespoon-full of filling in the center of the wrapper. I brought up each corner to the center and pinched the four edges together to look like a crab rangoon. Or make triangles, as you would for wonton soup. Put each finished momo aside, covered with a damp cloth until ready to steam.

Steaming the momos: Prepare your steamer in the wok by adding enough water that the level comes up the side of the steamer but is not above the level of the bottom rack. Put parchment paper or foil on each rack but allow the steam to flow freely. You could use cupcake papers. When the water in the wok is hot and steaming, add the momos. Cover and steam 10-15 minutes. Remove from steamer and plate.

Side dish: I spiral cut 3 oz zucchini and put it in to steam for 5 minutes. It was overcooked. Profit from my mistakes. Then I tossed it with one tsp plain yogurt and ½ tsp curry powder. Next time I’d just cube raw zucchini or cucumber to mix with the yogurt. Serve along with chutney mixed with catsup.

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

70-calorie whole-grain bread 1 two-oz egg + back bacon or Canadian bacon, 33-calories 
2%-fat cottage cheeseapple + Cashel or other Blue cheese + raisins
chives + plumIrish Soda Bread: white whole wheat flour + flour
smoked troutsugar + caraway seed + butter  + baking soda
Optional smoothiesour milk/buttermilk + baking powder
optional hot beverageoptional Irish Breakfast Tea + milk

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

herring marinated in wine + onionbutter + onion + potato
beets: canned or freshly-cookedchicken stock + whole milk
apple + vinegar + lettuce + dill pickle wild greens:  dandelion; garlic mustard; sorrel; chives
canned white beans + hard-boiled eggricotta, part skim + chorizo  +  Finn crisp 
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Religions: Salvation Army

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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.

William Booth was born on 10 April, 1829 in Nottinghamshire, England. His life would have many twists and turns, and along the way he would revolutionize outreach to the poor. When he was a child, Booth’s parents were wealthy, then their finances collapsed. William was apprenticed at age 12 to a pawnbroker. His family were not religious but when he was 15 years old, Booth attended a church service and was moved to dedicate his life to God. A friend encouraged him to become a Methodist, and the two became lay preachers to the poorest people of Nottingham. Economics drove William to London and employment with a pawnbroker. This positioned him in the poorer part of the city where he saw first-hand the desperation of abject poverty. At that time, people were actively working to ‘reform’ the Anglican Church, from changing the internal organization to moving from comfortable tradition to a moral imperative of social outreach. Booth was eager to preach to the poor and to bring them to a happier state, both spiritually and physically. In the streets and bar-rooms, he preached salvation. By 1852, Booth had married Catherine Mumford and joined a reformed branch of the Methodists. Chafing at the restrictions he felt within that group, he and his wife formed their own organization: The Christian Revival Society. Charity workers were looked down upon by high society and often rejected by their very target audience. But Booth soldiered on, believing that he was part of an army fighting sin. In that vein, he changed the name of the group to the Salvation Army. He dressed his workers in quasi-military uniforms and hit the streets with musical instruments and hymn singing. And it worked — the Salvation Army grew in popularity and their outreach multiplied. Booth traveled to 58 countries to evangelize. The Army is a church, “an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church with its own distinctive governance and practices.” The goal is to meet the physical needs of people with “soap and soup” with the hope of leading them to salvation. General Booth was so known and respected that in 1902, he was invited to the coronation of King Edward VII. When Booth died in 1912, Queen Mary attended his funeral and Vachel Lindsay composed General Booth Enters Into Heaven. The Salvation Army appears in plays such as Major Barbara by G. B. Shaw and Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser [renamed ‘Save-a-Soul Mission’] and on street corners in cities at Christmas-time, ringing bells and collecting money to support their world-wide net of social outreach.

When the goals and aims of the Salvation Army were exported to other countries, the first location on the Continent was France. One nation that really embraced the organization was the United States. Our meals today represent those two countries.

Cajun Bake: 128 calories 5 g fat 2.5 g fiber 8.6 g protein 13 g carbs 78 mg Calcium   NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  Green peppers, onions, and celery are three key ingredients in Cajun cooking, so naturally they find their way into this breakfast. A ‘Cajun’ is someone from Louisiana who is descended from the French ‘Acadians’ of Canada. They were deported from Canada by the English in the 1700s.

1 two-oz egg 2 Tbsp green pepper [¾ oz], chopped 2 Tbsp celery, chopped 2 Tbsp onion, chopped 2 pinches Cajun Seasoning   dash of Tabasco   1 Tbsp reduced-fat cottage cheese, drained 2 oz pear  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] or lemon in hot water

Drain the cottage cheese overnight to remove excess liquid. Chop the pepper, celery, and onion and cook them in a little water until they are softened. This can be done in the microwave or on the cooktop. Drain the vegetables and put them in an oven-proof dish that has been spritzed with non-stick spray. Whisk the egg with the cottage cheese and Cajun Seasoning, and pour into the ramekin. Bake at 350 degrees F. 12-15 minutes. Prepare beverages of your choice and plate the melon. Pass the Tabasco if you like extra heat.

Moules Gratinees:  268 calories 14 g fat 3 g fiber 19 g protein 35 g carbs 168.5 mg Calcium   PB GF – if using GF crackers  This is a spin-off of a dish we enjoyed in Brittany: they used local scallops but mussels work wonderfully. There are those who opine that you never combine cheese with seafood but they are WRONG. HINT: This recipe serves two [2].

10 0z [25] mussels ½ cup Bechamel Sauce with cheese  1 oz grated Cheddar cheese 1 Tbsp white parts of scallion + 1 Tbsp green parts of scallion   per serving: 2 oz broccoli + 2 Triscuit crackers or GF crackers of your choice

Cook the mussels in a little bit of water until the shells open. Remove from shells. In a sauce pan, put the Bechamel, the cheese, scallions. Cook gently until warmed through and the cheese is melted. Add the mussels and pour into oven-proof dishes such as ramekins or porcelain ‘shells’ or genuine shells, such as surf clam or scallop. Bake until bubbly and starting to brown. Plate with the broccoli and crackers for a really good meal.

Slow Days: Babka

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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.

View of the mills from the Lamprey River, Newmarket, New Hampshire. photo from town website.

The hand-lettered sign posted in the window of the little grocery store said: “Order your babka now for Easter.” Curious, I went in and asked, “What’s ‘babka’?” The clerk said that it was a traditional Polish yeast bread, eaten at Easter. This was in Newmarket, New Hampshire in the 1970s. At that time, Newmarket had been a mill town for more than 125 years, the main street dominated by the two huge factories built of granite blocks next to the river. The mill-workers were of French Canadian and Polish descent. Students such as I from near-by University of New Hampshire lived there due to low rents. Liking traditional foods, and thinking that this would be an interesting contribution to the breakfast table of my Pennsylvania parents, I bought one and we ate it. It turned out to be a basket-ball sized sphere of sweet yeasted dough, studded with raisins. If you Googled ‘babka’ or ordered one from Zabar’s, that is not what you would get. Everyone today thinks that Babka is streaked with nuts and sugar and chocolate. Have you seen them agonize over its preparation on the Great British Baking Show? In the King Arthur Cookbook, I found a recipe more like the one from Newmarket: straightforward, no-fuss, fruit-speckled dough. As an embellishment, it is baked in a Bundt pan — and doused in a rum syrup at the end. This is an easy preparation to make ahead. As many days as you wish before Easter, prepare the dough, put it in a well-buttered pan, and freeze the whole thing. On Easter-eve, remove the pan from the freezer, and let it thaw out overnight on the kitchen counter. You will find that next morning it has risen [very appropriate for Easter morning, yes?] and is ready to bake for a lovely breakfast.

Ingredients for the sponge
Sponge is bubbling up
1 large loaf2/3 batch2-Qt Bundt or tube pan, well buttered
½ c fat-free milk
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp = 1 packet dry yeast ½ c unbleached flour		5 Tbsp fat-free milk
2/3 tsp sugar 1+1/3 tsp active dry yeast
5 Tbsp unbleached flour		Warm milk and pour into a medium-size mixing bowl/ bowl of stand mixer. Stir in sugar to dissolve and add yeast. Blend in flour. Let sit 10-15 mins.
Ingredients for 2/3 recipe
Batter for 2/3 recipe in Bundt Pan, ready to rise or freeze
3 two-oz eggs  ½ tsp salt2 two-oz eggs  1/3 tsp saltWhisk eggs with salt in a small bowl. When yeast sponge has doubled, whisk in eggs.
4 Tbsp/ ½ stick butter
¼ c sugar		3 Tbsp/1½ oz butter 3 Tbsp sugarSoften butter and stir into batter with sugar.
¼ c mixed candied peel
¼ c currants or raisins 1 c. white whole wheat flour ¾ c unbleached flour		1/3 cup candied lemon peel + candied citron + currants**
¾ c white whole wheat flour 1/3 c unbleached flour		Combine fruit and flours and stir to coat each piece of fruit. Stir into batter.Beat with large spoon or stand mixer until dough is smooth and elastic.
**I like to use 3 different fruits, for the Trinity.Cover with a damp towel, let rise.  IF FREEZING: let rise 20 mins.  IF NOT FREEZING: let rise 60 minutes.
Scrape batter into baking pan.  IF FREEZING:wrap in plastic bag and put in freezer.  IF NOT FREEZING: let rise 30 minutes on counter OR overnight in a cool, not cold, place.
Babka is baked, glazed, and ready to serve on Easter morning.
If baking it fresh, preheat oven to 350F 15 mins before baking. Bake 35-40 mins.
If using frozen dough, put frozen pan of dough on counter at 9 pm on Easter Eve. Next morning, preheat oven to 350F 15 mins before baking. Bake 35-40 mins.
½ c sugar ¼ c water
1 Tbsp rum		½ c sugar
¼ c water 1 Tbsp rum		Optional syrup: combine in small saucepan, bring to a boil. 
When cake comes out of oven, while still in the pan, prick cake top all over with a long-tined fork or skewer. Pour syrup slowly over bread until it is all absorbed.
Turn cake from pan onto serving plate and let cool 10 minutes.

The Last Supper

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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.

The Thursday before Easter [as a ‘movable feast,’ it has no set date] is Maundy Thursday, when Christians observe the occasion of ‘The Last Supper.’ Jesus, knowing that he would be arrested that night, was going to have a special dinner with his friends. He had told his disciples many times that he would be arrested and killed, but they did not believe him. In this modern era, one hears of a prisoner on Death Row being offered a last meal of his choice. What would you order for such a meal? The imagination runs wild! But the original Last Supper was not a meal of favorite or luxurious foods. It was the first night of Passover, so naturally this group of Jews would have a Seder meal: a set menu enshrined by tradition. That was the special dinner with his friends, not a farewell feast, but a religious observance. The sense of foreboding that Christians have when reading this story lead to its depiction by many artists. Da Vinci’s painting is probably the most famous, showing the moment when Jesus tells the group that one of them will betray him; sometimes the artist shows the washing of the apostles’ feet; sometimes we see an empty chair or Judas departing to alert the Roman guards. Always, we see the bread and wine on the table in front of Jesus, ready to be blessed and shared. What these images do not show is an accurate portrayal of the table. The Romans had borrowed heavily from Greek culture, and those customs were assimilated by conquered nations. Thus, instead of sitting upright in chairs, all on one side of the table [‘Everyone on this side for the photo!’], Jesus and the 12 apostles would have been reclining, Roman-style, all around the table. [The pre-Roman denizens of Italy, the Etruscans also reclined.] The washing of feet was a ritual in Jewish, Greek, and Roman cultures. The offering of wine at the end of the meal was the ancient Greek and Hebrew custom of libation. The meal as depicted in the Gospels is a combination of many cultures, even though their meaning is lost to us in modern times. But the rituals remain, to guide and reassure us through our own troubled days.

The meals presented here contain the elements of Passover foods, interpreted for breakfast and for dinner.

Passover ScrOmelette: 143 calories 7.5 g fat 1 g fiber 10 g protein 8.4 g carbs 56 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  The flavor combinations of Passover are too good not to enjoy at breakfast.

1½ two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week  1 Tbsp diced beets [I used pickled beets] 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped 1 tsp horseradish 1.5 oz unsweetened applesauce, sprinkled with ½ tsp cinnamon Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Whisk the horseradish and salt/pepper to taste with the eggs. Pour into a pan which has been sprayed briefly with cooking spray. When the bottom of the eggs have just set, add the beets and parsley. Scramble to your heart’s content or fold like an omelette. Prepare the optional coffee/and smoothie. The applesauce with cinnamon will be delicious with the sweet beets and tangy horseradish.

Lamb Salad [Aka Seder Salad]: 261 calories 15 g fat 3 g fiber 21 g protein 26 g carbs 85 mg Calcium   PB GF If a previous dinner could involve a leg of lamb, save a few slices to make this salad. This meal is great for sharing with a guest, as it doubles well.

1 cup salad greens 1 Tbsp fresh parsley 3 Tbsp celery, diced 1½ oz apple, cubed 2 oz cooked lamb, from the leg or other lean cut 4 walnut halves 1 hardboiled egg 1½ tsp horseradish dressing

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

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

1 two-oz egg + green pepper2%-fat cottage cheese
cottage cheese + pearplain, fat-free yogurt
celery + onionmango + clementine
Tabasco sauce + cajun seasoning granola
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

22-25 musselswonton wrappers + turmeric + ginger
bechamel sauce with cheesegarlic + soy sauce + carrot
Cheddar cheese + scallioncabbage + scallion + onion + raw chicken breast
Broccoli + Triscuit/whole-grain crackersyogurt + curry powder + chili sauce + catsup
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Washington Irving

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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.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It would seem impossible to celebrate Hallowe’en in the US without invoking the tale of the Headless Horseman! We owe that story to the fertile pen of historian, diplomat, and author Washington Irving. When he was born on April 3, 1783, his patriotic parents named their 11th child for the leader of the Revolution and the first among equals of the Founding Fathers. Irving was educated at local schools until age 16 — an indifferent student but an avid reader of adventure/travel books. A few years later he was a reporter for his brother’s newspaper under the nom de plume ‘Jonathan Oldstyle.’ In that role, he covered the trial of Aaron Burr. He read for the law until his eyesight began to fail, so in 1804 he took off to Europe for a Grand Tour of sorts to a spa in Bordeaux. Quickly picking up the French language, the gregarious Irving made himself welcome all over the continent. His return to New York saw him become a lawyer and become engaged to Mathilda Hoffmann. She died at age 17, and Irving never had another woman in his life. Irving did not really care for the law, and to relieve his ennui he wrote a book: 1809 –  “History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty“ by ‘Diedrich Knickerbocker.’ When the British burned Washington DC in the War of 1812, Irving was an enthusiastic soldier and a military secretary. At war’s end, he traveled to England and remained in Europe for 17 years. He was tapped to be aide-de-camp for the American Minister to London. In that time, he published two collections of short stories: The Crayon Papers and The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon [another one of his pseudonyms] These tales put him on the map, being widely popular in both the US and in Europe. At that time, only James Fenimore Cooper had an audience on both sides of the Atlantic. While in Spain, Irving turned to history, writing The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (1828), Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada (1829), and Tales of the Alhambra (1832). Once returned to America in 1832, Irving bought a homestead in the Hudson Valley and named it Sunnyside. He lived there for the rest of his life, except when he was sent back to Europe as Minister to Spain. His 16 books of history, travel, and biography would certainly cement his place in literary history. But more than that, he is hailed as the creator of the American Short Story form of writing. His stories are humorous and Gothic and highly readable. Irving’s stories are given credit for the way Hallowe’en and Christmas are celebrated in the USA. His fame is well-deserved.

The lower Hudson River Valley was heavily influenced by the Dutch colonizers, and many of Irving’s characters have Dutch names: ex: Rip Van Winkle. Our breakfast also has a Dutch name. Our dinner combines meat and fish — country food from a coastal region.

Dutch Baby: 165 calories 8 g fat 4 g fiber 8 g protein 17 g carbs 95 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  On Sundays, we sometimes have Dutch Babies as a special breakfast treat. The recipe, found in the Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham, is delicious. I was determined to make these fruit-covered popovers work for a Fast Day. Here it is: still delicious, but I would save it for a day with a high protein dinner. HINT: This recipe makes 2 [two] of the Dutch Babies. Either invite a friend for breakfast or freeze half of the batter for another time.

3 oz of egg [one 2-oz egg + 1 egg white] ¼ cup milk 3 Tbsp white whole wheat flour + 1 Tbsp high gluten flour 2 tsp melted butter ¼ cup raspberries sprinkle of confectioner’s/icing sugar 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] or lemon in hot water 

If starting the night before: combine the egg, milk, and flour in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate. The next morning, beat in the melted butter with a mixer. If starting in the morning: combine the egg, milk, flour and beat in the melted butter with a rotaty mixer. Set the toaster oven at 450 F. Spritz two 4” custard cups or 4” cast iron pans with non-stick spray and pour the batter into them. Bake for 15 minutes, until the babies are puffed up, golden brown, and cooked on the bottom. Remove from baking dishes to plates, top with berries and a sprinkle of 10X sugar. Celebrate something special while you enjoy your optional beverage.

Ham-Stuffed Fish: 267 calories 5.4 g fat 4.5 g fiber 32 g protein 21 g carbs 74 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF bread Another recipe of unknown origin… very similar to Nero Wolfe’s “Trout Montana.” Glad I saved it.

4 oz perch or sole 1 oz 3%-fat sliced ham from the deli ½ tsp soy sauce + ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 egg white ½ piece of whole-grain 70-calorie bread 1 Tbsp finely-chopped or ground walnuts 1 oz carrots, cut as batons + 1 oz celery, cut as batons 1/4 cup pickled beets 1 scallion, sliced 2 slices lemon

Trim the fish so that it is in 2 pieces of equal length and thickness. Crumble the bread into the finest crumbs and blend thoroughly with walnuts. Whip the egg white until it is very frothy. Blend in the soy sauce and sherry. Make a ‘sandwich’ of the ham slice between the two pieces of fish. Dip in the egg mixture to coat, then dip in the bread/walnuts. Cook in a heavy non-stick pan, sprayed with non-stick spray, until fish is cooked – about 5 minutes per side. Cook the carrots and celery. Warm the beets or serve cold. Plate vegetables. Plate the fish, top with lemons, and sprinkle with sliced scallion.

Rudolf Steiner

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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.

Rudolf Steiner was a complicated and complex polymath. His parents were former servants of a noble family in Lower Austria. Leaving service, their son was born in what is now Croatia where his father was a telegrapher for the railroad. As the family moved for work opportunities, young Rudolf was partly educated at village schools, partly at home. In 1879, Steiner began studies at the Vienna Institute of Technology where he took courses in many sciences, while auditing classes in philosophy and literature. Upon graduation, Rudolf became an editor of the Goethe archive. By 1894, he had published four books of philosophy and had earned a PhD in philosophy. During that time, Steiner began to develop his ideas of anthroposophy, and he lectured widely on philosophy. His work with the Anthroposophical Society lead to the establishment of a cultural and theatrical center in Dornach, Switzerland, where he then lived with his second wife. The Goetheanum was designed by Steiner, wearing his ‘architect‘ hat. [when it burned down, he designed another model which still stands] There, he began his School of Spiritual Science. In the field of education, Steiner is best known for his Waldorf Schools, begun at the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart, Germany in 1919, when the factory owner invited Steiner to speak. The Waldorf philosophy of education is employed today in 1000 schools in many countries. Although the world at that time was heading toward increasing use of technology, Steiner was afraid that chemicals used in agriculture would be the death of farming. After a series of lectured to farmers, the idea of the inter-connectedness of soil, animals, plants, and humans gave rise to biodynamic farming. It is true that many of Steiner’s ideas were based on science. But although he had no medical training, he gave medical advice about the treatment of diseases. He also wrote about the occult and mysticism as part of his ‘spiritual science.’ Steiner’s ideas on evolution and the superiority of the Aryan race caused many in Hitler’s inner circle to praise his ideas. Others in the same group vilified him as a Jew, which he was not. He died on March 30, 1925 in Switzerland.

Our breakfast is as Germanic as Rudolf Steiner himself. “Waldorf School” often makes me think of “Waldorf Salad” — which I dislike. Our dinner is a thoroughly German version of a fruit salad, with nuts and chicken for protein and some savory elements for contrast. Steiner the biodynamicist would approve of these plant-based meals.

Fruited Toast w/ Sausage:  225 calories 11.5 g fat 2.5 g fiber 10.4 g protein 20 g carbs 39 mg Calcium   PB GF – if using GF bread   Another fine Frühstück [breakfast] from Germany.

1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread [we like Dave’s ‘Good Seed’] 2 Tbsp small-curd cottage cheese, reduced fat ¼ c mixed berries or sliced strawberries 1½ oz Bockwurst   Optional:blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

If fruit is frozen, thaw in a sieve overnight. Slice sausage and braise or bake to cook thoroughly. Toast bread lightly and spread with cheese. Pile the fruit on the bread and plate with the hot sausage.

Honeydew-Chicken Salad:  264 calories 9 g fat 3 g fiber 23 g protein 23 g carbs 102 mg Calcium   PB GF  The now-gone Manhattan restaurant Luchow’s created this recipe for their Sommer Fest menu of cooler fare. True, I swapped out some original ingredients for those with a lighter impact on the waistline. That said, this is a fine meal. It makes you feel cooler just to look at it.  HINT: This serves two [2] people.

5½ oz/1 cup chicken breast meat, cut in ½” cubes 2 oz dill pickle, chopped 2 Tbsp slivered almonds 2 oz red seedless grapes, each cut in two 8 ripe olives, halved ½ tsp capers 3 Tbsp plain yogurt + 1 Tbsp whipped cream cheese 2 cups crisp lettuce, roughly cut 1¼ cup honeyew melon, cut in ½” cubes

TIP: For the chicken, I cut 5.5 oz breast meat into cubes and poached them in a little water until cooked. Place the chicken, pickle, nuts, grapes, olives, and capers in a bowl and stir to combine. Whisk the yogurt and cream cheese together and pour over the ingredients in the bowl. Gently add and mix in the lettuce. Arrange two small Romaine lettuce leaves on the plate and mound the salad atop them. Surround the salad with the honeydew. Lovely.

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

1 two-oz egg + 1 egg white = 3 oz egg1.5 two-oz eggs 
white whole wheat flourparsley + prepared horseradish
milk + butter + high gluten flourbeets — fresh cooked or pickled
raspberries + icing sugarunsweetened apple sauce with cinnamon 
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

tilapia or perch + egg whitesalad greens + fresh parsley
70-calorie whole-grain breadcelery + walnut halves + apple
soy sauce + sherry + scallionhard-boiled egg + cooked lamb
walnuts + carrots + 3%-fat ham from deliHorseradish dressing: 
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Typhoid Mary

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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 ______ who is now Following.

As explained by the World Health Organization, “Typhoid fever is a life-threatening infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. It is usually spread through contaminated food or water. Once Salmonella typhi bacteria are eaten or drunk, they multiply and spread into the bloodstream. Symptoms include prolonged high fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, and constipation or diarrhoea. Some patients may have a rash. Severe cases may lead to serious complications or even death.” NB: Typhoid fever is not the same as Typhus fever. In the past, Typhoid was a recurrent problem throughout the world, causing the Plague of Athens in 430 BC, and the deaths of Abigail Adams, Lord Byron, Willie Lincoln [son of President Lincoln], Mao Ze Dung’s father, Theodore Roosevelt’s mother, and the Wright Brothers. The bacillus was identified by 1880, and the cause of the infection was known to be contamination of food or water by human feces. One of the worst outbreaks in the United States was traced to one person: Mary Mallon. Born in Ireland, she immigrated to New York City where she hired out as a housekeeper and cook. Mary loved to cook — good, plain home cooking and her specialty was peach ice cream. In 1906, she was hired to cook for the wealthy Warren family at their summer rental on Long Island. During those two weeks, six of the 11 members of the household came down with Typhoid Fever. Mr Warren hired George Sober, a sanitary engineer, to figure out why [Typhoid was most common among the poorer classes, not often seen in the wealthy]. At first, the culprit was thought to be fresh clams from the bay, but not everyone had eaten them. Sober then noticed that Mary showed symptoms of a mild case of Typhoid, though not enough to make her sick. He wrote a scientific paper identifying her as an ‘asymptomatic carrier‘ — a new term to medicine, meaning someone who can transmit a disease yet who shows no ill effects of it. Mary Mallon continued to be hired by families to cook for them, and in 1907, 3000 people came down with Typhoid, mostly due to Mary — directly or indirectly. At play here was a lack of personal hygiene [washing hands after using the toilet] and a lack of culinary sanitation [washing fresh fruits and vegetables before eating]. Mallon was sent to a hospital at North Brother Island, where she was kept for two years. Released on the promise that she would not cook professionally again, Mary changed her name and got a job as a cook. She was re-arrested on 27 March, 1915, and spent the last 23 years of her life in confinement, all the while denying that she carried the disease. Her name became a punchline and a cautionary tale. When I was a child, my mother would never let us cut open an apple or a melon without washing it first: “Remember Typhoid Mary,” she cautioned. To this day, all fresh produce that might have been handled by other people is washed in our kitchen before using. Although Mary Mellon died in 1938, she cast a long shadow on public health.

Our meals today require fresh, uncooked vegetables — the sort you must thoroughly wash before using, after you have thoroughly washed your hands.

Breakfast BLT w/ Egg: 180 calories 8 g fat 4 g fiber 10 g protein 15 g carbs 50 mg Calcium  NB: The food values are for the meal and fruit only and do not include the optional coffee.  PB GF – if using GF bread  A Summer evening favorite is the inspiration for this filling breakfast.

1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread [Dave’s Killer Thin-Sliced Bread is great]   one 2-oz egg, hardboiled 1 strip uncured bacon [the streaky American type @ 30 calories/slice] 1 oz tomato, sliced leaf of romaine lettuce 3 cherries   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Cook the bacon and drain well. Toast bread if you wish. Slice egg and tomato. Lay the lettuce leaf on the plate and position the bread so that it covers half of the leaf. Break bacon so that it will fit within the edges of the bread and put it as the first layer. Top with tomato and a bit of salt. Top with sliced egg. Fold the letuce leaf so it comes up and over, becoming the top layer of the sandwich. Plate with the fruit. Ummmm-yummmm.

Springtime Shrimp Salad: 292 calories 16.5 g fat 4 g fiber 23.6g protein 21.5 g carbs 130 mg Calcium  PB GF This is a delightful meal-salad, with clementines from Winter joining asparagus from Spring.

2 cups mesclun/baby greens 2.5 oz tiny shrimp 8 sections clementine 2 oz asparagus, cooked and cut into 1” pieces ¾ oz mango chunks 1 two-oz hardboiled egg   dressing: 2 tsp mayonnaise 1 tsp Sriracha pinch garlic powder 2 tsp lemon juice

Poach shrimp, drain, cool. Slice or chop the egg. Whisk the dressing ingredients. Toss with greens in the serving bowl. Decorate with shrimp, asparagus, mango, clementine, egg.

William ‘Strata’ Smith

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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.

William Smith was born on 23 March, 1769 into the family of a village blacksmith. He was destined to be a laborer all his life and could/should never aspire to be anything better. During his school years [probably up to age 10 or 12], he did well at geometry and drawing. Young William enjoyed rambling in the Oxfordshire countryside and collecting what people then called ‘curiosities.’ Those were fossils, embedded in the rock layers as they were laid down, one on top of the other. Smith taught himself surveying and after an apprenticeship, set himself up in business. In the early 1800s, two factors made lots of work for a surveyor: the search for coal to fuel the Industrial Revolution, and the need for canals to ship coal and other goods to consumers. As Smith directed the digging of canals, his eye was drawn to the layers of rock that were cut through and the fossils they contained. Although far from his home, here were the same fossils in a rock that looked very similar. He began to collect fossils and to study the rocks systematically. Soon, he could predict the order in which layers of rock could be found in an area. Smith traveled extensively, for work and for his own research, to collect rocks and fossils from across the United Kingdom, earning him the sobriquet ‘Strata.’ He realized that if rock strata could be mapped, that the recovery of resources in the rocks would be simplified. Coal miners knew about rock layers, but no one would ask them — they were common laborers. Smith tried to get backing for his work, but of course no one would listen to his ideas — he was a common laborer. At last, in 1815, Smith published a large format map: the first geological map of England, one that included descriptions of the rock strata and their identifying fossils. It is referred to as the Map that Changed the World. And it did. The beginning of the science of Stratigraphy and the importance of Geology as a science are due to that map. But his work was pirated, and Smith spent time in debtor’s prison until his brilliant and sensible insights were recognized. In 1831, the London Geological Society created a new award. The Wollaston Medal was awarded to William Smith, and he was hailed as the Father of English Geology. William Smith’s map and the fossils shown in it are on display at the Rotunda Museum at Scarborough. Smith was a remarkable man and his accomplishments show us that we should never judge a person’s mind or potential based on what we perceive as their ‘station’ or origins.

The stacked pancakes are like rock layers, strata, laid down by nature one on top of the other. The bottom one was there first: that is the Law of Superposition. The felafel is an Eastern Mediterranean treat made of chickpeas. We can see the connection between felafel in Syria and felafel in Egypt and felafel in Algeria — just as we correlate similar fossils found in widely-spread rock layers.

Cornmeal Pancake Breakfast:  303 calories 11.6 g fat 1.5 g fiber 7 g protein 32 g carbs 72 mg Calcium  PB Pancakes are rarely a diet food, but these delicate delights fit into our guidelines. What a treat.

2 cornmeal pancakes, recipe for full batch below 1 chicken breakfast sausage [33 calories] OR 1 oz scrapple 1 Tbsp maple syrup   Optional: blackish tea = 6 oz black tea [28 calories] with 3 Tbsp skim milk + ½ tsp honey

Prepare the batch of pancakes.  TIP: When cooled wrap the other pancakes in a zipper bag to freeze for subsequent breakfasts. Cook the breakfast meat on the griddle with the pancakes until crisp and brown. Plate with the pancakes and drizzle everything with maple syrup. Enjoy your tea with milk and honey.

Makes 12-14 pancakesGriddle or large cast iron skillet
½ c yellow cornmeal
½ c boiling water		Put cornmeal into a 1-Qt measuring cup and pour the water over it. Stir briskly until blended.
1 egg, beaten
½ c milk		Beat the egg and add the milk. Stir/whisk to combine.
¼ c/ half a stick butterMelt butter and add, with egg-milk to the cornmeal-water. Whisk thoroughly until blended and smooth. 
½ c white whole wheat flour
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar 1 Tbsp baking powder		Whisk or sift these together to blend.Add to the wet ingredients and beat until smooth.Let sit while the griddle heats – this is an important step.
Heat griddle to medium-high. Spray it with non-stick spray or smear griddle with a bit of butter.
Use 3-4 Tbsp batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the top surface of the pancake and break. Then cook on other side.

Felafel with Red/Green Salad: 287 calories 14.5 g fat 9 g fiber 11.6 g protein 29 g carbs 113 mg Calcium  PB GF  Looks great, tastes great, SO healthy. Win-win-win.

5 felafel patties  1 cup baby spinach leaves ½ cup red cabbage slaw** ¼ c pickled beets, sliced or cubed ½ hard-boiled egg, chopped 1 tsp olive oil + 1 tsp lemon juice

Thaw the felafel patties and warm them. If unbaked, heat them in a 400 F. oven for 10-15 minutes. Prepare the vegetables for the salad. Whisk the lemon juice and oil, then toss the salad vegetables in the dressing. Top with the felafel and the chopped egg. Quick and easy.

**RED CABBAGE SLAW  Serves 3-4  A very nice recipe from acouplecooks.com 

2 c. thinly sliced red cabbage  
1 Tbsp finely chopped red onion		Prepare and set aside.
3 Tbsp plain yogurt, drained
1½ tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar or maple syrup
pinch dried dill
pinch celery seed
2 pinches Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper 		Drain 3 Tbsp plain non-fat yogurt through paper toweling for 15 minutes. 
Measure 1 Tbsp strained yogurt into a large bowl, then thoroughly whisk in these ingredients.
Add the cabbage and red onion and toss to combine.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

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

1 two-oz egg, hard-boiled1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread 
Slice 70-calorie whole-grain breadstrawberries or mixed berries
tomato + large leaf of lettuce, such as Romainesmall-curd, reduced fat cottage cheese 
1 strip uncured bacon + cherries/peachBockwurst sausage
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

mesclun/baby greens + tiny shrimp chicken breast meat + dill pickle + slivered almonds
clementine + asparagus + mangoripe olives + red seedless grapes + plain yogurt
hard-boiled egg + mayonnaisewhipped cream cheese + crisp lettuce + capers
sriracha + garlic powder + lemon juicehoneydew melon + Romaine lettuce
Sparkling waterSparkling water