recipes for Michael Mosley’s 5:2 Diet

Comparing Plans: Paleo

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

Since 2002, there has been buzz about the Paleolithic or Caveman Diet**. This was first proposed by academics in the field of nutrition and physiology. While researching what foods our ancient [prior to 10,000 years ago] hunter-gatherer ancestors would have eaten, they wondered if we would be better off eating that way today. Their conclusion is that if we ate like the ancestors, we could skip obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Reay Tannahill, in her Food in History [Crown Publishers, 1989] discusses hunting, fishing, and gathering opportunities of that time, when most people died before age 40. What’s on the Paleo menu? Meat, of course, and vegetables. What is not on the plate? Processed foods, grains, sugar, dairy, salt. [In the early days of this diet, beer, wine, and modern fruits were taboo, but today they are permitted.] This is an antidote to the S.A.D. that has caused so many health problems in the world. The FAST diet has much in common with the Paleo diet: low glycemic load, emphasis on protein, lack of processed food. Many of the menus that I have shown you are similar to Paleo Diet meals. To compare the similarities, here’s a chart:

Is this food allowed on this diet…PALEOOn Fast Days
Fatty Animal protein: beef, lamb, porkYes: grass-fed Yes
Lean Animal protein: chicken, turkeyYesYes, preferred
Eggs Yes Yes 
Beer, wine, cocktailsWine, maybeOn Slow Days
Grains, starches: rice, wheat products, pasta, cereal Noin moderation
Nuts + seedsYes in moderation
Beans, legumes: peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeasNoYes 
Seafood protein, especially with Omega-3 fatsYesYes 
Apples, melons, pears, all other fruitsYesYes 
BerriesYes Yes 
Leafy green vegetables: spinach, chard, kale, lettuceYesYes 
Dairy: Cheese, milk, yogurt No Some 
Vegetable oils: olive, canolaYes in moderation
Animal fat: butterNo in moderation
Root vegetables: beets, sweet potatoes, carrotsNo white potatoes Yes 
Other vegetables: onions, tomatoes, peppersYesYes 
Fat 40% of diet No 
Protein 30% of diet Yes. lots 
Higher fiberNo Yes
Daily Carb intake30% of diet Keep it low
Whole grains No grainsYes
Simple carbs: cookies, pastries, cake, bread, processed foodsNoNot on Fast Day
16:8 intermittant fasting recommendedYesYes 
Number of days per week to follow the regimen 7 of 72 of 7
Do calories matter?No Only 600 on Fast Days
sources: https://thepaleodiet.com and https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/paleo-diet/detailed-paleo-diet-food-list-what-eat-avoid/

Bison ScrOmelette: 147 calories 8g fat 0.4 g fiber 14.5 g protein 4 g carbs [2 g Complex] 48.5 mg calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  GF  Bison meat is a fine source of protein and is more healthy than beef. You should try it.

Paleolithic people ate bison. You can too — depending on availability…..

1 ½ two-oz eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.   0.6 oz ground, cooked bison  ½ Tbsp [0.1 oz] sliced scallion ½ Tbsp spaghetti sauce 1 oz melon   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]

Briefly warm the bison and scallion in a saute pan spritzed with non-stick spray. Whisk the eggs with the spaghetti sauce and pour over the meat/scallion in the pan. Cook in your desired way: scramble or omelette. Plate with the melon and listen to Bing Crosby sing ‘Home on the Range.’

Chicken Stir-fry: 268 calories 7 g fat 6.5 g fiber 28 g protein 21 g carbs 113 mg Calcium  PB GF  From the official FastDiet.com  website! You just know it has to be a keeper.

4 oz raw chicken breast 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp olive oil 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1.5 cups cabbage, sliced 1 cup carrots, julienned ½ cup snow peas OR 2 oz asparagus OR 2 oz bell peppers OR 1 oz broccoli 

Cut chicken into strips and marinate in lemon juice and soy sauce while you prepare the vegetables. Stir-fry the vegetables in oil and 2 Tbsp water for 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger. Count to 30 and add the chicken and marinade. Stirfry 1-2 minutes more to cook the chicken through.

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

1 two-oz egg1.5 two-oz eggs + apple  
Ham Florentine mixture: spinach, Bechamel sauce, ham, onioncooked spinach
applesauceblack olive + basil
goat cheese/chevre
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverage optional hot beverage

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

Tuna steak + olive oil 1/2 cup Florentine Filling — prepared for Monday’s breakfast
red bell pepper2 galettes/crepes
zucchini
cherry tomatoes + lemon juice
Sparkling waterSparkling water

***cultural sidebar: Fred Flintstone, a candidate for any sort of diet, was certainly not following the Paleolithic Diet.

Slow Days: Chicken Chasseur

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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 FastDiet 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.

We enjoy eating the chickens that we raised ourselves — it is good to know that we have them in the freezer. Besides that, chicken is good for you: recommended in the Mediterranean Diet and the MIND Diet. When we schedule chicken for two Sundays each month, the cook must have many, varied ways to prepare it. Roast Chicken is wonderful, producing meals and soup stock. And then there is Chicken Chasseur. The name ‘chasseur’ refers to hunters, as does its Italian equivalent ‘cacciatore.’ This marks it as a meal of Autumn, when the hunting parties would be in the woods finding game AND wild mushrooms. Mushrooms are the hallmark of any proper chasseur recipe. We seek wild mushrooms all year ’round, but this meal is specifically for cool weather.

mise en place for Chicken Chasseur Recipe is from Salute to Healthy Cooking by the French Culinary Institute.

To serve two, I’m using two leg-thigh pieces which have been browned in a little oil. Even though the meat will be braised/stewed, it is a good idea to brown it first since that enhances the flavor. Here is the full recipe:

24 oz bone-in chicken parts
salt & pepper
1 tsp oil 		Season chicken and sear, skin-side down, for 3 mins in a Dutch oven or heavy cast-iron pan with a lid. Bake 20 mins @ 350F. Remove chicken from the pan, then skin and bone it.
½ cup sliced onion
1 carrot, chopped
2 c. brown stock or Veal stock		Put the veggies in the pan you used to roast the chicken. Cook 3 mins until caramelized. Add stock and simmer until reduced to 1 cup. Strain through a sieve and skim fat.
1 tsp oil
2 c. [5 oz] sliced mixed mushrooms
2 shallots, minced		Good mushrooms can be found in most supermarkets if you are not able to hunt for them. Saute shallots with mushrooms 5 mins or until mushrooms are golden. Add a sprinkle of salt and remove from heat.
2 Tbsp cognacAdd cognac to hot mushrooms and flame the mixture.
1/3 cup dry white wineAdd to pan and return to heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 mins. Add sieved, defatted stock and simmer 5 mins, until sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Fresh tarragon leaves
boned chicken meat		Add to sauce and warm while the noodles and carrots [see below] are cooking.
3 oz broad egg noodles
¾ cup carrot coins
½ tsp sugar		Cook noodles as the package describes. Cook the carrots in as little water as possible, along with the sugar. You want the water to boil away at the point when the carrots cook, which leaves them with a slight sugary glaze.

This is really quite easy to prepare and worth all the little steps. It makes a fine meal for Autumn into Winter.

For the perfect wine to pair with it, go to https://wordpress.com/post/peterspicksblog.com/7063

Lucky Lindy

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to dailyhealth123 and Ronald Oliver and Care Your and S Kendall who are now Following.

On February 4, 1902, Charles Lindbergh was born. I don’t know if that was a particularly auspicious date, but he came to be known as “Lucky Lindy.” He, of course, was the first person to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean and he did it to win the Orteig Prize of $25,000. After flying in radio silence [the ‘Spirit of St. Louis‘ did not have a radio] for 36 hours, a massively sleep-deprived Lindbergh landed in Paris to be greeted by a jubilant crowd and great acclaim. Eight other aviators had vied for the prize and died. Lindy was Lucky indeed. From that point, his life took several different turns. He married Anne Morrow, daughter of an ambassador, who became his co-pilot and a celebrated author. The drama of the kidnapping and murder of their first son shocked and riveted the attention of the world. Many good-will tours took the couple to Europe in the 1930s, where Lindbergh was tasked with assessing the status of the German air force to see if it was a threat to the Allies. His reports were glowing, which began to make experts think that he was pro-Nazi. Lindbergh, like his father, was anti-war and he did indeed admire the Germans. He continued to be against the war in Europe. Lindbergh keynoted at rallies, speaking with xenophobic and racist statements against the US becoming involved and for putting ‘America First.’ After Pearl Harbor, he was assigned [without rank] to help with the aviation efforts in the Pacific Theater. He flew 50 combat missions — was that fueled by his previous claim in 1940 that “No nation in Asia has developed their aviation sufficiently to be a serious menace to the United States at this time”? — one wonders. After the war, Lindbergh received the Pulitzer Prize for the book The Spirit of St. Louis, advocated for the World Wildlife Fund, and retired to Hawaii where he died in 1974.

Lindberg took a bottle of water and a bag of sandwiches on his 36-hour flight. I’m guessing they were ham and cheese sandwiches, and that’s what we find in our eggs for breakfast. Since the Lindbergs retired to Hawaii, our dinner includes the pineapple: Hawaii’s famous fruit.

Ham & Cheese ScrOmelette: 165 calories 10 g fat 2 g fiber 13 g protein 5.6 g carbs [4.6 g Complex] 111 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  You can prepare this as an omelette or as scrambled eggs. Either way, its a winner.

1 ½ two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.  ¼ oz Jarlsberg cheese 1-½ oz apples  ¼ oz ham [Fat and calories for this recipe based on roast ham. Use 3% fat ham, to lower both those values] 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]

Spritz a saute pan with non-stick spray and heat it. Put the ham into the hot saute pan to warm it briefly, then add the eggs and cheese. Scramble together [or cook like an omelette] until the way you like it. Plate with the fruit, prepare your optional beverage, and enjoy the goodness of ham&cheese.

Chicken with Limes: 283 calories 7.6 g fat 3 g fiber 23 g protein 35 g carbs [29 g Complex] 61 mg Calcium   PB GF Limes, chicken, and pineapple were added to the ecosystem of Tahiti by various visitors, and were promptly incorporated into the cuisine. We served this at a dinner party and no one would have guessed that it was a Fasting meal. Here is the one-serving method for <Poulet avec Limettes.>

3 oz chicken breast, boneless, skinless, and cut in 2 pieces across the width thyme + salt + pepper 1 lime: ½ of it zested and juiced; ½ of it sliced ¼ cup chicken stock ½ tsp sugar + 1 tsp cornstarch [cornflour] ½ oz heavy cream 3 oz slice of pineapple, fresh or canned in light juice ¼ cup brown rice, cooked

Marinate the chicken in the lime juice, zest, salt, pepper, and thyme in the ‘fridge for at least 2 hours. Remove the chicken from the marinade, and put 1/3 of the marinade into one small container and the remainder into a sauce pan. We grilled the chicken briefly and then removed it to a plate while the pineapple and lime slices were grilled. If you are not grilling today, put the pineapple and lime slices under the broiler until they are a little charred and hot all the way through. Meanwhile, add the stock and chicken to the pan with the marinade and heat it until the chicken is mostly cooked. Remove the chicken and keep warm. Bring the liquids to a boil and reduce by 1/3 of the volume. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and remaining marinade. Reduce the heat and stir until thickened. [This happens rather quickly] Return the chicken to the pan, add the cream. Stir to combine and to coat the chicken with the sauce. Plate with the rice and pineapple and lime slices for a taste of Hawaii.

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

1.5 two-oz eggs 
Next week I will talk about soups.ground bison meat
Choose a new favorite breakfastmelon + scallion
from the Archivespaghetti sauce
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

Presenting 3 soups for the Fasters.raw chicken + soy sauce
lemon juice + olive oil + carrots
fresh ginger + garlic + cabbage
snow peas or asparagus or broccoli
Sparkling waterSparkling water

La Vie Boheme

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to Cardio Health Guy and martiphypro and thecraftylife1984 and Proleefiq who are now Following.

It was a book, a play, an opera, and a Broadway play. What was? you ask…. “Scenes from the Bohemian Life,” that’s what. In 1846, Henri Murger began publishing a series of character sketches based on his life as a youthful writer. He and his friends had lived the life of the now stereotypical starving-artist-in-a-garret-in-Paris. He defined ‘Bohemians‘ as young people who live in poverty, both to flaunt society and for the adventure of it, while they pursue their art. In fact, the writer Rodolphe/Rodolfo/Roger is based on Murger. Living the Bohemian life was viewed as a phase to go through before settling down to the stable life of the bourgeoisie. Murger then joined forces with a playwright to produce a script for the stage. “La Vie de Boheme” turned out to be wildly successful enabling Murger to leave the Bohemian life to marry and settle down. He continued to write about his past life until his death in 1861, publishing “Scenes de la Vie de Jeunesse.” On February 1, 1896, Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Boheme” premiered in Turin, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. The opera was very well received. Such an opera! The four Bohemians go from the low of no food and no firewood, to the high of a boisterous meal at a restaurant, to the low of the death of the beloved Mimi. [if that scene doesn’t make you cry, you have a heart of stone] The opera is my favorite of all time and it was a huge pleasure to have worked as a grip on a performance by the Metropolitan Studio Company. In fact, “La Boheme” is one of the most popular operas in the world. In 1996, the musical “Rent” debuted on Broadway. “Rent” parallels the plot of “La Boheme,” but is set in New York City during the AIDS epidemic. This is a story that has real legs. That’s why it is a classic.

Eggs and cheese are popular, inexpensive foods and they go into our simple breakfast. Students and artists on Paris’ Left Bank have always made a feast of the street food sandwich Croque Monsieur, which I remember fondly from my days in Paris. For a little extra money, it would turn into a Croque Madame which is our dinner.

Camembert Bake: 146 calories 10 g fat 0.6 g fiber 9 g protein 6 g carbs [5 g Complex] 90 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  The best-known cheese of Normandy stars in this egg dish. Easy to prepare and so delicious. I hope you will try it.

One 2-oz egg ½ oz Camembert 1 tsp Dijon mustard a few grating of nutmeg 1.5 oz apple sauce, unsweetened OR 2 oz strawberries OR 1.5 oz apple slices   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water   Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]

Cut the cheese [rind and all] into small chunks and leave to soften at room temperature. Stir in the mustard and nutmeg. Whisk the egg, then stir in the cheese mixture. Pour into an oven-proof dish that has been spritzed with non-stick spray and bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes. When the beverages are ready, plate with the fruit.

Croque Madame:  286 calories 16.7 g fat 4.4 g fiber 17.5 g protein 23 g carbs 324 mg Calcium From Paris comes the ‘wife’ of one of France’s great sandwiches. The Croque Monsieur has been a mainstay of hungry college students on the Left Bank for generations. Add an egg and it becomes the more feminine [for some reason] and more filling “Madame.” Our version is open-faced.

1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread 1/2 oz 3%-fat ham or turkey 1/2 oz Gruyere cheese 2 Tbsp Béchamel sauce one 2-oz egg

Spread 1 Tbsp of the sauce on the bread. Lay the ham/turkey on next and spread with béchamel. Top with the cheese. Fry the egg until it is just set. Take the egg from the pan and transfer to the top of the sandwich. Place the sandwich in the pan and cover with a lid. Cook the sandwich on medium to low heat as the cheese melts, the bread toasts, and the egg continues to cook. Prepare the side salad and plate it. Remove the sandwich from the pan and serve with the salad. Hum “Musetta’s Waltz” while you dine.

Les Bourgeois de Calais

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to tips4diet2020 and easyeverydayketo and angelketo and BHS and emraldlifestyle who are now Following.

The story of the Burghers of Calais is a dramatic one and never was it told so touchingly or with so much feeling as in the full-life bronze installation by Auguste Rodin. During the 100-Years War, the English warred all over the French country-side, trying to take land or win back lands that had once been theirs, whether by marriage or acquisition. In 1347, the English King Edward III, following his success at Crecy, laid siege to Calais. After nine months, the town fathers signaled that they would yield. As told by the French chronicolers Le Bel and Froissart, that wasn’t enough for the King: the town had to send out 6 citizens to be sacrificed for the rest of the townspeople. The ruling council, ‘Les Bourgeois’ [or Burghers], volunteered to go. Out they walked, barefooted and dressed in sack-cloth with nooses around their necks, ready for the hangman. They carried the keys to the city to hand over before they died. On January 28, 1885, the City of Calais engaged Auguste Rodin to create a monument to the bravery of the Burghers. They wanted a single triumphal statue to put on a pedestal. Rodin envisioned six life-sized figures at ground level, so the viewer could ‘be there’ with the councilmen and feel their emotions. Such emotions! The youngest one looks back, to see his family one more time. The leader grimly stands in the center, resignation etched in his face. The others step forward with mixed emotions and anguished gestures. Calais didn’t like it, but it has become one of the best-loved of all of Rodin’s works. It was a thrill to see it in the garden of the Rodin Museum at the Hotel Biron, Paris. It can also be experienced in 12 cities around the world.. PS: Edward’s wife, Queen Phillipa, lobbied for the Burghers to be spared, and they were. Perhaps she also influenced how the story was told.

Calais is in Northern France, on the English Channel. Being cooled by the ocean water, plants in the Chenopodiaceae Family grow well there, and enter the cuisine. Swiss Chard is one such plant, which stars in the breakfast. And for dinner, how can I resist the play on words? Burgers, of course!

Swiss Chard Fritatta: 154 calories 8.4 g fat 1 g fiber 12 g protein 5.7 g carbs [5 g Complex] 58 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the Fritatta and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Susan Herrmann Loomis is a cookbook author whom I trust, so when I saw this, I had to try it. She serves it as an appetizer or main-meal, but by reducing the recipe, it makes a great breakfast.

1 ½ two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.  1 oz Swiss or rainbow chard, coarsely chopped or sliced; stems removed  several sprinkles of garlic powder 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese pinch salt + pinch paprika 2 oz strawberries    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]

In a saucepan, simmer the chard in water and add some pinches of garlic powder. Cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes until the leaves are limp and the water has cooked away. [keep a good eye on it so it doesn’t stick or burn]  HINT: I did this the night before. Find a small [8” diameter] heat-proof skillet which can be used both on top of the range and under the broiler. Spray it generously with non-stick spray and spread the cooked chard over the bottom. Whisk the eggs, then add the cheese, salt, and paprika. Whisk again and pour the eggs over the greens. Place on the stovetop over medium heat for 3-4 minutes while the eggs cook on the bottom but the top is still liquidy. Place under the broiler until set and slightly browned. Plate with the fruit. [Loomis wants you to invert it on the plate, but we preferred the puffy top to be on top] Delicious!!

Blue-Burger: 290 calories 6.7 g fat  5 g fiber 27.5 g protein 27 g carbs [10 g Complex] 100 mg Calcium The winter 2004 issue of Eating Well  magazine was the inspiration for this recipe. But this version suits our Fasting needs a little better. It is yummy.

This time, the coleslaw is made with red cabbage.

3-oz ground bison meat 4 Tbsp blueberries, fresh or frozen 1 Tbsp egg white ¾ tsp Dijon mustard + ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce pinch garlic powder + large pinch black pepper 1 Martin’s potato slider bun    ½ cup coleslaw  

Thaw the meat and break it up in a bowl. Add the blueberries and all the flavorings. Gently combine ingredients with your fingers, without squishing the berries. Shape in a patty using a 4” muffin-cutter as a mold. Try not to pack the burger too much, but it does need to hold its shape. Broil or grill 4-5 minutes per side. Serve on a toasted potato bun. And don’t forget the coleslaw.

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

1 two-oz egg1.2 two-oz eggs 
Camembert cheeseJarlsberg cheese
nutmeg + Dijon mustard3%-fat deli ham
strawberries or applesapplesauce
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

70-calorie whole grain breadraw chicken breast + chicken stock
3% fat ham from deli + Gruyere cheesethyme + fresh pineapple
side salad + 2-oz egglime + brown rice
Bechamel sauceheavy cream + cornstarch for thickening
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Burns Day

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to Dan Henry and HealthAndNutritionAdvice and nutritionalconsultants and healthylifemechanism and Jim Stanson and Cool Products Trending who are now Following.

Burns Day, January 25, is one of those celebratory days which demands that certain foods be eaten. What foods? In general, anything Scottish. In particular, haggis [Burns wrote a poem in praise of haggis]. And why is that? Because it is the birthday of Robert Burns, born 1759. From his humble early life, he became a literary star and assisted in a revival of the Scots language and culture. Snooty Englishmen who had looked down upon the Scots, read his poetry and sought after tartan designs to wear and for home decoration. Of course Queen Victoria’s love of the Scottish Highlands since 1848, helped too. But it was Burns, in 10 short years of writing about what he knew best, living large, and loving widely, who spoke to our hearts and so is remembered.

On Burns Day, it will be oat bannock at breakfast, a family favorite. For Burns Night dinner, Cock-a-Leekie Soup, which Burns would have remembered fondly from his childhood.

Bannock & Bacon:  143 calories 3.5 g fat 1 g fiber 12 g protein 14.6 g carbs [10 g Complex] 15 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  For years we have enjoyed this on Slow Days, only to find that it fits for Fasting, too.

3 two-inch bannock ½ cup applesauce, unsweetened 2 slices Hormel Canadian Bacon OR Jones brand Canadian bacon [similar to back bacon of 60-70 calories] 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]

Prepare the bannock according to the recipe and bake. Warm and lightly brown the Canadian bacon. Plate the applesauce and pour the beverages. We like to dip the bannock in the applesauce. Simple and delicious.

Cock-a-leekie soup:  202 calories 4 g fat 3 g fiber 13 g protein 22 g carbs 44 mg Calcium  PB GF   This Scottish farmstead soup goes back to the middle-ages, as you can tell by the Old World, Northern Europe ingredients. The ‘cock’ refers to a rooster, which can be eaten only if stewed for soup. This delicious recipe is from Graeme Taylor.  HINT: Makes 11 one-cup servings.

Preheat the oven to 200˚c/ 400 F
2 leg quarters + 1 back = 1 #
9 oz water		Roast chicken pieces ~ 30 minutes in a heavy-bottomed pot. Pour water over chicken until it is covered. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour, in oven or on stovetop to produce stock.
1 onion, chopped = 1cup
2 leeks, sliced = 1.5 oz
2 carrots, chopped = 3 oz
12 prunes, chopped 
2 sprigs of thyme + 1 bay leaf ½ tsp salt + grindings of pepper 		Add in the vegetables, prunes, herbs, salt, and a good grinding of pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender, around 20 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces, take the meat from the bones and stir meat back into soup. Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf. Strain the soup through a collander into a bowl, saving the soup solids and the stock. 
Cool and skim the fat from the top of the stock. I ended up with 3½ cups stock. Reunite solids with the stock. Check for seasoning and let sit in the pot for 8 hours+. Portion and freeze what you don’t serve today.
Per serving, 2 Tbsp quick barley Stir barley into the pot. Simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Serve.

Comparing Plans: Keto

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to jkimdol and Apoorva Dietician and Oliver William and yourweightlossguide who are now Following.

Ordinarily, the food you eat turns to glucose. Then your cells convert glucose into the energy your body needs to operate. If there is more glucose than the body can burn, it turns to fat. Hence, to paraphrase Mr Micawber, a calorie surplus and an energy deficit = gaining weight. During Ketogenesis, your body is tricked into burning fat for energy. The longer your body is in a Ketogenic state, the more fat your body burns. This is the principle of the Ketogenic Diet. Many of you are following that. To be a strict adherent, you eat only certain foods: no beans or whole grains or carrots and little fruit. The diet was originally developed to minimize seizures in children who are epileptic, and that worked. Then weight-conscious people said, “Hey! I want to burn the fat in my body faster, and Keto eating sounds like the way to do it.” The Keto Diet dovetails nicely with most tenants of the Fast Diet, as many of my Followers must know by now, since several of you are proponents of Keto. This chart will help you to see any differences and all of the similarities:

Is this food allowed on this diet…Keto On Fast Days
Fatty Animal protein: beef, lamb, porkSome Yes
Lean Animal protein: chicken, turkeySomeYes, preferred
Eggs Yes Yes 
Beer, wine, cocktailsNoOn Slow Days
Grains + starches: rice, wheat products, pasta, cereal No Yes, in moderation
Nuts + seedsYes Yes, in moderation
Beans, legumes: peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeasNo Yes 
Seafood proteinSome Yes 
Apples, melons, pears, all other fruitsNo Yes 
Berries: blueberries, strawberriesYes Yes 
Leafy green vegetables: spinach, chard, kale, lettuceYes Yes 
Cheese SomeSome 
Vegetable oils: olive, canolaYes, lots Yes, in moderation
Animal fat: butterYes, lots Yes, in moderation
Root vegetables: potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnipsNo Yes 
Other vegetables: onions, tomatoes, peppersYes Yes 
Higher fatYes No 
Protein — 81 g per day for person weighing 150#/68kglimited Yes. lots 
Higher fiberNo Yes
Daily Carb intake20 gKeep it low
Complex carbohydrates: whole grainsNoYes
Simple carbs: cookies, pastries, cakeNoNot on Fast Day
16:8 intermittant fasting recommendedYesYes 
Number of days per week to follow the regimen 7 of 72 of 7
Do calories matter?No Yes, only 600 on Fast Days
sources: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/should-you-try-the-keto-diet and https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-101#foods-to-eat

What shall we eat today that is in line with the Standard Keto Diet? Avocado-Egg Toast and a Beef Stirfry — without the rice or noodles. These meals are not pure Keto, since that would involve much more fat. However, these meals are prepared with Keto-approved ingredients as well as meeting the Fast Day calorie limits. If you are considering weight loss, think about which diet plan is for you.

Avocado-Egg Toast:  176 calories 10 g fat 4.5 g fiber 10 g protein 15.6 g carbs [~10 g Complex] 5 mg Calcium  NB: The food values shown are for the toast, egg, avocado, and the fruit, not for the optional beverage. PG GF– if using GF bread  Avocado Toast has been all the rage in celebrity diets, so we decided to try it. Very nice with the egg on top and a wholesome bread underneath.

1 two-oz egg 0.8 oz avocado 1 slice 70-calorie bread [Fasters would have this be whole-grain, hearty bread]   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water  

Lightly toast the bread while you fry or poach the egg. Spread the avocado over the bread and top with the egg. Pour the beverage and you are all set for a Keto day.

Beef Stir-fry: 245 calories 8 g fat 3 g fiber 17 g protein 21 g carbs 74 mg Calcium  PB GF From Eating Well comes this simple stir-fry that is good tasting and good for you.  TIP: for one serving, cook in a saute pan since a wok would be too large for the contents.

2 oz beef [mine was leftover from dinner]  ¼ cup chicken stock ¾ tsp fresh ginger, minced or grated ¾ tsp cornstarch 1 clove garlic ¼ tsp ground coriander small pinch red pepper flakes ½-1 tsp sesame oil ¼ medium onion [1.5 oz], sliced ½ cup broccoli florets ¼ cup red pepper in bite-sized strips 1 tsp sesame seeds optional: 1/4 cup cooked brown rice, adds 54 calories

Slice beef on the diagonal into bite-sized pieces. Stir together the stock, ginger, cornstarch, garlic, coriander, and red pepper flakes. Heat the oil until shimmering then stir-fry the vegetables for 3 minutes. Add the meat and if it is raw, stirfry for another minute. Stir the sauce well and add to the pan. If meat is cooked, add it now. Cook until bubbly and thick and meat is heated. Plate the stir-fry, with or without the optional rice, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

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

1 two-oz egg1.5 two-oz eggs 
bannockSwiss or Rainbow chard + Paprika
applesauce, unsweetenedgarlic powder + Parmesan cheese
‘Canadian bacon’ or back baconstrawberries
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

chicken leg quarters + leeks4-oz bison burger + catsup
onion + carrotscoleslaw or other vegetable
prunes + thyme + bay leaf90-calorie slider bun
quick-cooking barleymushrooms
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Under the Influence: Italy

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to Dominus O. Markham and bloghealth1 and Youth and Healthy and Scot Henry who are now Following.

Italian cooks are under the influence. No, they are neither drunk nor drugged, so let’s follow a culinary trail…. Central and Southern Italian cuisine involves tomatoes — everyone knows that. And in the North, there’s cornmeal polenta. And that’s been since forever, right? Well, no. Tomatoes and corn are not native to Italy or even to Europe. Spanish colonizers brought those foods from meso-America back to Europe in the early 1500s. The Spanish were not that impressed. From there, tomatoes and corn spread to Italy, where, by the 1600s, they were embraced like long lost relatives and quickly made part of the food culture. Tomato sauces and salads and pizzas abound all over the country, and corn shows up in the iconic polenta of the North — I even ate kernels of corn on a pizza in Rome. Italy owes much of its culinary traditions to the influence of far-away Indigenous Americans. Fancy that!

Our breakfast features tomatoes as part of a famously delicious Italian sauce, while dinner involves cornmeal polenta. You too can be under the influence.

Puttenesca Bake: 127 calories 6 g fat 0.6 g fiber 7.7 g protein 10 g carbs [10 g Complex] 77.7 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  Once you have Puttenesca Sauce in the freezer, preparing this breakfast is very easy.

one 2-oz egg 1½ Tbsp Puttenesca sauce, drained of excess liquid   ½ Tbsp Parmesan, grated ¼ cup peaches, fresh or canned in light juice   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water   Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]

Set the toaster oven at 350 degrees F. Spritz an oven-proof ramekin or small casserole [if serving 2 or more] with non-stick spray. Whisk the eggs with the sauce and cheese. Pour into the baking dish and heat for 12-15 minutes. Portion the peaches and prepare the beverages. Que bella!

Seafood with Polenta & Vegetables: 291 calories 8.5 g fat 3.5 g fiber 30 g protein 28 g carbs [24 g Complex] 180 mg Calcium  PB GF  Mediterranean Food, anyone? Here it is, a splendid way to eat healthily.

oops! This photo shows 3 logs of polenta when it should have only 2… must be Dear Husband’s plate.

½ cup Mediterranean Vegetables without chickpeas 2 ‘logs’ of home-made polenta, from a batch with 6 ‘logs’ 4 oz fish such as cod or tilapia, raw or cooked ¾ oz mushrooms, sliced 3 Tbsp Parmesan, grated Prepare or thaw the polenta. Prepare or thaw the Mediterranean Vegetables. Stir in the mushrooms and sea food and simmer, covered, until the fish is cooked through. Place the polenta on the side of the plate and spoon the warm mixture on top. Top with the grated cheese and enjoy your taste of Italy.

Slow Days: DIY Sauerkraut

~ me ~ 2 Comments

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 FastDiet 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.

I like sauerkraut. My mother served it, redolent with caraway seeds and topped with pork. Dear Husband used to dislike it — but he has since come around. How delighted I was to find out how easy it is to prepare one’s own pickled cabbage: from huge batches to one jar at a time. The method is from James Beard‘s American Cookery, page 500. For each quart jar, you need enough sliced cabbage to fill it and 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt.

Lightly pack the cabbage into the jar, add the salt, and pour in lukewarm water up to within a 1/2 inch of the top of the jar. You want to keep the cabbage submerged in the water so it doesn’t turn brown. I floated a small, upturned lid on the jar contents and then weighted it with one of those tiny jam jars. That worked. Then you put the jar in a not-too-cold place — mine was in the coolest corner of the kitchen, but the unheated basement would have been OK too. Check the jar every day or so — you are looking for bubbles to form amid the cabbage. It could be that you don’t see them until you jiggle the jar and then they emerge and race to the top. Depending on the temperature, this can take 5-10 days.

In the jar, with water and salt, weighted down.
After several days, it has fermented.

If using it within a week, put a lid on it and keep it in the refrigerator. If you are a canner, you may process it in a hot-water bath in the same jar in which it fermented. Process for 20 minutes in boiling water to cover. When cool, store on the shelf to use for all sorts of good meals. Once the jar is opened, left-over ‘kraut can be kept in the refrigerator for weeks.

Our’s is braised in stock [the Alsacians will add white wine, the Germans will add beer] with sliced onions and caraway seed, then baked with chunks of sausage. Served with mashed potatoes, as my mother did, along with some rye bread. A feast! For a Fast Day, you could use the sauerkraut to prepare dinners such as: Sauerkraut & Sausage, or Baltic Bake. Or at breakfast in Reuben Matzo Egg.

Berthe Morisot

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to adrianus67 and Ketoonbay and dvepublishing and Home Fat Loss Workout who are now Following.

Berthe Morisot was a woman who followed her dream. Born into a wealthy French family in 1841, she was expected to be the decorative wife, the doting mother, and the charming society hostess. But Berthe liked painting. Her parents made it possible for her to have good instruction and when the art professor said that the child had the talent of a professional, then her course was set. She became friends with Edouard Manet and his group: Renoir, Degas, Monet. The names are famous now, but in the 1860s these nobodies wanted to paint what they saw: everyday people doing everyday things, all lit by natural light. The loose brush-strokes and spontaneous look of their work became scornfully known as a mere ‘impression’ of how things looked. Berthe was the only woman in the movement. She was accepted by the men, her work was displayed and her work was purchased. Morisot married Manet’s brother, who supported her career. Berthe was a bit shy about her work: she would hide it away when guests arrived and did not discuss her life as an artist. Her dream was to be an artist — and her luminous paintings live on to show her talent.

Berthe specialized in paintings of women and children. They look natural and happy. So our breakfast will be cheerful and laughing. The dinner is very French: a little meat and vegetables wrapped in a galette. Women and children would enjoy it.

Laughing Herb Omelette:  155 calories 7.6 g fat 1.4 g fiber 11 g protein 9 g carbs [8 g Complex] 82.4 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  I’m a big fan of Vache Qui Rit , any day of the week. But as a low-calorie ingredient, it is super!

1½ 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  ½ section Vache Qui Rit [Laughing Cow] cheese   1½ Tbsp or more fresh herbs 2 oz applesauce or fresh apple  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 eggs and herbs together. Take the cheese from the ‘fridge [HINT: keep it cold so that it will slice better] and slice it into as many thin slices as you can. Spritz a hot non-stick or cast iron pan with cooking oil and pour in the eggs/herbs. When the bottom begins to set, lay the cheese slices over half the surface of the eggs. Cook to your degree of doneness, fold and plate. Slice apple, shake up the smoothie, pour your hot beverage and laugh along with the cow.

Beef & Asparagus Crepes:  302 calories 9 g fat 5 g fiber 19 g protein 31.5 g carbs 56 mg Calcium  PB  This is quick and easy – use with left-over galettes, meat, vegetables.

2 galettes  2 oz lean beef, raw or cooked 2 oz bell pepper, preferably red or orange 3 oz asparagus 2 tsp oyster sauce + 3 Tbsp chicken stock + 3 Tbsp water 2 tsp cornstarch + 3 Tbsp water

Slice the beef and pepper into thin strips. Cut the asparagus into 1” pieces. Spray a saute pan with non-stick spray and heat over medium. Add the beef and vegetables. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, adding a little water to prevent sticking. Turn down the heat. Add the oyster sauce, stock, and 3 Tbsp water. Cover the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Cook longer if vegetables are still uncooked. Stir the cornstarch into 3 Tbsp water, then stir into the pan of hot ingredients. Cook and stir until thicker. Warm the galettes and spoon the filling over them. Fold and serve.

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

1 two-oz egg1 two-oz egg 
puttanesca sauceavocado
parmesan cheese70-calorie bread
peaches in their juice
Optional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

mediterranean vegetables sirloin beef + asparagus
cod or tilapia + olive oilred bell pepper + oyster sauce
polenta + Parmesan cheesesoy sauce + chicken stock + cornstarch
mushroomsonion + garlic
Sparkling waterSparkling water