Nature’s Bounty

August 20, 2017August 28, 2017 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Thursday, eat the meals that will be posted on Wednesday. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

This time of year, Nature seems to be determined to out-do herself. She is in high gear, producing all sorts of wild food for us to enjoy. Apples are ripening in the hedgerows along with wild cherries; mushrooms are coming up following recent rain; grain is golden in the fields; and the fishing fleet is out in force on the Gulf. Between mushrooms in the lawn and fish at the dock, meal planning is a snap. And all this very natural food goes along with this article which I recommend: What You Should Be Eating If You Want to Lose Weight http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/High-Protein-Low-Glycemic-Index-Diets-Weight-Loss-37254421

And tomorrow, Nature puts on the Show of Shows: a total solar eclipse in North America! “View” it if you can. Unforgettable.

Mushroom Bake: 280 calories 7 g fat 3.1 g fiber 15.2 g protein 38.5 g carbs 263 mg Calcium PB GF Natural goodness has everything to do with this delicious meal. Mushroom Bake w: peac 1 two-oz egg 1 Tbsp ricotta cheese, reduced-fat 1 oz chantrelle or other ‘wild’ mushrooms [foraged or purchased at the supermarket] 1.5 tsp Parmesan cheese, grated 1.5 oz peaches nearly black coffee or tea or lemon in hot water 6 oz green or fruit smoothie or natural apple cider

Spritz a ramekin [for 2 people, my husband prefers to use a 4×6” oval casserole] with oil or non-stick spray and set the toaster oven at 350 degrees. Chop the mushrooms and cream the cheeses together with the mushrooms. Whisk the eggs into the mushroom/cheeses and pour into the container. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Once you have prepared the beverages and fruit, you are ready for a bounteous day.

Mackerel Puttenesca: 298 calories 20.3 g fat [lots of Omega 3] 3.0 g fiber 22.8 g protein 7 g carbs 34 mg Calcium PB GF Such an easy summer meal, especially if your sauce is left-over homemade or from the supermarket shelf. Delicious and satisfying. Mackerel Puttanesca

4 oz mackerel [I fillet and broil the fish as soon as I get it home] ¼ cup puttenesca sauce, homemade or from a jar 2 oz green beans

Cook the green beans. Heat the sauce and mackerel together gently until warm. Plate. Done in minutes!

Summer Entertaining

August 6, 2017December 13, 2018 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes, you just have to have friends over for a summer afternoon on the terrace! A trip to the store, and you bring home the chips, the prepared dip, the hamburgers — and you blow a hole in your diet that will take weeks to fix! But if your party food is low in calorie and high in protein AND delicious, you can partake without fear.

Prepare any or all of these:

Zucchini Quiche [a favorite of my Mother’s for party food]: see Aug. 28, 2016 Easy to make ahead. Zucchini Quiche w: salad

Quesadillas [you can even heat them on the grill] : see August 3, 2016 Can be filled and shaped early in the day, wrapped in foil and refrigerated for later. chicken quesadillas w: zucc+yam

Falafel with Cucumber Raita: see March 1, 2017 Make the falafel patties days ahead and freeze. Felafel w: Cuke Raita

Meze Meal [lots of bowls of meze foods mean lots of choices] : see April 17, 2017 Instead of preparing the single-serving portions, triple or quadruple the amounts. Meze Meal w: chicken copy

Pizza [make several, cut each into 6 pieces] : see May 24, 2017

Pizza

Green Salad with homemade vinaigrette dressing: 1 tsp olive oil + 1 tsp vinegar/2 cups lettuce. Add tomatoes, cooked beets, blueberries, cooked green beans, nuts

Beverages: a] make your own wine spritzers with sparkling water, white wine, and ice cubes with fresh raspberries frozen inside. b] have lots of sparkling water on hand for after you have had your own spritzer.

What can your guests bring? Fresh fruit, some white wine, cut vegetables. If you trust yourself to resist, guests can bring chips or a nice artisan bread.

…And the living is easy.

July 26, 2017January 15, 2018 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Monday, eat the meals that will be posted on Sunday. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

Maybe the fish are jumping and the cotton is high… Maybe not where you are, but today we will enjoy some easy-living menus. How easy? Make use of leftovers from the fridge for breakfast and for dinner prepare finger-food spring rolls with a minimum of cooking over a hot stove. That’s easy to me!

Salsa-Chicken ScrOmelette: 275 calories 8.2 g fat 1.8 g fiber 21.5 g protein 227 mg Calcium PB GF The lively taste of salsa adds some lift to these scrambled eggs while the chicken and cheese add protein.

1 ½ two-oz eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume, crack three 2-oz eggs into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week. 1 Tbsp low-fat cottage cheese, drained if very liquid 1.5 Tbsp tomato salsa, drained if very liquid ½ oz chicken, cooked and diced dash of cumin and/or pinch of crushed red pepper if you like it spicier 2 oz strawberries blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water 3 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or unpasturized apple cider

Stir the cheese, salsa, chicken, and seasonings together. Heat a well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Whisk the eggs and pour into the pan. Dollop with the other fixings and scramble the eggs to mix everything together. Cook to your liking. Prepare the beverages. Plate the eggs along with the fruit and tuck in to a jolly meal.

Beef Spring Rolls: 277 calories 8.6 g fat 4.9 g fiber 19 g protein 29.7 g carbs 86.7 mg Calcium HINT: This makes 4 spring rolls, of which you will need 2/serving. Make the entire batch and invite a friend or save for lunch tomorrow. This recipe is for ‘fresh’ rather than fried or cooked rolls. Beef Spring Rolls w: asparagus

1 tsp olive oil 4 oz cabbage, sliced 4 oz carrot, sliced 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp oyster sauce 1 oz scallion, green and white parts sliced 3.5 oz roast beef, sliced into 1/2” strips [this could be left-overs or meat from the deli] ¼ tsp ginger 6 seven-inch Spring Roll wrappers per person: 3 oz asparagus Sriracha, ad lib

Stir the beef, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and ginger together in a bowl. Heat a wok or cast iron pan, then add the oil and 2 Tbsp water. Add the vegetables and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Put more water in the wok if it starts to dry out or if you can’t hear the vegetables cooking. Add the beef and marinade. Stir fry another minute, then take off heat. Run it all through the food processor to chop it coarsely. Put some water in the wok and cook the asparagus while you wrap the rolls.

Fill a pie plate with water and place a Spring Roll wrapper in the water until it just begins to become pliable. The wrapper shouldn’t be so limp that it begins to tear when you handle it. Take out immediately and lay it on a tea towel on the counter. Spoon 1/6^th of the filling onto the wrapper and roll it up following directions on the package. Put that one aside and continue with the others. Plate with the asparagus and use hot sauce ad lib.

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

Finn Crisp crackers	1.5 two-oz eggs
Herring marinated in white wine	1 Tbsp baked beans
Whipped cream cheese	Worcestershire sauce + HP Sauce
strawberries	Strawberries, fresh or thawed
	¼ oz pork loin
Whatever you need for your smoothie	Whatever you need for your hot beverage
Whatever you need for your hot beverage	Whatever you need for your smoothie

Dinner, single portion:

3 hardboiled eggs	Roasted/grilled chicken breast meat
Onion + garlic	Green beans
1/3 cup garbanzo beans	carrots
10 fluid oz tomatoes with their juice	Finn Crisp crackers
Swiss or Gruyere cheese	Sliced strawberries
broccoli
Sparkling water	Sparkling water

Quick and Easy

July 19, 2017April 27, 2018 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

Even though there are more hours of daylight in the summer, we seem to be too busy to plan a meal and cook the food. Here are some foods for summer: easy to prepare, easy to eat, easy on the waistline.

Egg McArnold: 283 calories 6.8 g fat 5.6 g fiber 17.7 g protein 35 g carbs [30 g Complex] 249 mg Calcium The Fasting version of a fast-food favorite. 1 two-oz egg 1 Arnold-brand multi-grain Sandwich Thin [100 calories] ½ oz Canadian Bacon or 1 slice Jones Brand 2 oz grapes blackish coffee or tea or lemon in hot water

Open up the ‘sandwich thin’ and lightly toast it. Fry or poach the egg to your liking and cook the Canadian Bacon in the same pan. Assemble, adding salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy it with your coffee in a to-go cup and the fruit. But don’t eat in the car – sit down and slowly savor this Fast food.

Strawberry-Chicken Salad: 200 calories 8.3 g fat 4.8 g fiber 16.7 g protein 16 g carbs 110 mg Calcium PB GF Sometimes you go through the recipe drawer and look at all the clippings and photocopies, and wonder, “Where did these come from?” This is one of those recipes, but I think it might be from Eating Well. It is as delicious as it is lovely to look at. Strawberry-Chicken Salad

2 oz [½ cup] cubed cooked chicken breast ½ cup sliced strawberries ¼ cup kiwi, peeled and sliced 1.5 cups fresh spinach 1 Tbsp slivered almonds, toasted 1.5 tsp poppy seed dressing*** OR a red wine vinegar dressing with poppy seeds + a pinch of dried mustard added

***Poppy Seed Dressing – 2 tsp red wine vinegar 1 Tbsp olive oil pinch salt ½ tsp dried mustard 1 tsp poppy seeds Whisk together vigorously. NB: there will be dressing left over.

Toss 1 and a half tsp of dressing with the spinach. Toast the almonds in a heavy dry skillet on the stove-top until just starting to brown. Plate the greens and arrange the chicken and fruit on top. Sprinkle with the nuts. A real hit in our family.

Here are the ingredients you will need for next week’s meals: breakfast, portion for one

1 two-oz egg	1.5 two-oz eggs
1/3 oz mushrooms	Cottage cheese, low-fat
½ oz roast ham or 3%-fat deli ham	Tomato salsa
1 Tbsp Gruyere cheese	Cooked chicken, ½ oz
½ cup raspberries	strawberries
Whatever you need for your smoothie	Whatever you need for your hot beverage
Whatever you need for your hot beverage	Whatever you need for your smoothie

dinner, portion for two

Four 2-3” mushroom caps	cabbage + carrot
Clam stuffing [posted on ___________	Soy sauce + oyster sauce
Fresh tomatoes	Roast beef, 3.5 oz
½ oz SnapPea Crisps	7” Spring Roll Wrappers
	Oil + ginger, ground or fresh
Sparkling water	Scallion Srircha or other hot sauce
	Sparkling water

Curried Foods

July 2, 2017August 21, 2018 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Thursday, eat the meals that will be posted on Wednesday. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. So easy.

Curry is such a versitile flavor: Indian or Thai? Your choice. Summer food or winter? Your choice. Hot or mild? Your choice. Fast Day meal or not? You can have it both ways! Below you will find meals for Fast Days which will indulge your craving for curry and still leave you slim. Here’s a good read about healthy diet [similar to the 5:2] can lead to healthy brains: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article127009359.html

Curried Vegetable Bake: 277 calories 5.4 g fat 2.3 g fiber 11.7 g protein 40 g carbs 214.7 mg Calcium PB GF If you like the warm, spicy taste of curry, then feel free to add more to this dish. Curry Bake

one 2-oz egg ¼ oz broccoli, cooked and diced 1/4 oz carrot, cooked and diced [HINT: use leftovers from a dinner] 4 Tbsp curry sauce [I had some in the fridge from a batch made and posted on 17 Sept, 2017] additional curry powder, salt, garlic powder, all to taste 1 oz applesauce 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or natural apple cider blackish coffee, blackish tea, or lemon in hot water

Spritz a ramekin with non-stick spray and set the toaster oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together the vegetables, seasonings, and the curry sauce until well blended. Whisk the egg into the mixture and turn into the ramekin. Bake about 15 minutes while you portion the applesauce and prepare the beverages. Hum a few bars of music from your favorite Bollywood film.

Curried Scallops: 244 calories 8.4 g fat 4.9 g fiber 21.4 g protein 12.3 g carbs 108.7 mg Calcium PB GF Our son used make his own Indian curry powder, which is fabulous-tasting. He has moved on to Thai curries, but we still cook with his original powder. These scallops are delicious and filling. It is Dear Husband’s recipe. Curried Scallops w: broccoli

¼ pound scallops 2 Tbsp Indian curry powder ½ Tbsp butter 1 Tbsp white wine 3 oz broccoli

Trim the scallops of the white tissue which may cling to the side. Slice the scallops so that each disk is half its thickness. Pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle a plate with the curry powder and dredge the scallops in the powder, coating on both sides. Choose a heavy saute pan which is just large enough to hold the scallops in one layer. Heat the pan over medium heat and add the butter. Place the scallops in the melted butter and cook on one side to brown them. Turn over and cook further, adding some water [carefully!!] if pan looks as if it will dry out. When the scallops are done [this takes very little time], remove to plate. Turn off heat and add the white wine to the pan to deglaze it, scraping up brown bits. Pour over scallops and plate the broccoli. A very easy and special meal.

Eat Your Vegetables

June 25, 2017April 19, 2018 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

And here’s a mention from the BMJ about increasing fruits and vegetables in your diet: https://www.yahoo.com/news/fruits-vegetables-linked-weight-loss-233030742.html

Roasted Vegetable Bake: 300 calories 7.4 g fat 3.7 g fiber 13.4 g protein 35.8 g carbs 236 mg Calcium PB GF If you are like me, you sometimes end up with a drawer full of fresh vegetables and no hope of eating them all before they spoil. Enter the roasted vegetable. So many uses for them, and here they are at breakfast-time. Roasted Vegetable Bake w: S-Bs

1 two-oz egg 2 Tbsp diced roasted vegetables, sprinkled and tossed with Worcestershire sauce 1/8 oz Gruyere cheese, grated 1.5 Tbsp marinara sauce 2 oz strawberries blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water 5-6 oz fruit smoothie, green smoothie or natural apple cider

Combine the vegetables, cheese, and marinara. Spritz a ramekin with oil or non-stick spray and add the vegetable mixture. Whisk the egg and pour into the ramekin. Bake in the toaster oven at 350 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Brew your warm beverage; shake and pour the smoothie, portion those delicious strawberries, and enjoy a healthy, yummy start to your day.

Shrimp Egg Rolls: 238 calories 3.5 g fat 2.5 g fiber 15.6 g protein 28.8 g carbs 45.8 mg Calcium PB I learned to make egg rolls when I worked for Jerry Willis. These have always been a favorite. But they are NOT deep-fat fried, which keeps their calories and fat down to permissable levels. HINT: This recipe makes 4 rolls and one serving = 2 rolls. Put 2 in the freezer for another day or eat for lunch later in the week.

3 oz shrimp, fresh or frozen, shells removed 1 Tbsp oyster sauce 1 Tbsp soy sauce one slice of fresh ginger, minced ½ garlic, sliced 2 oz carrot, sliced 1 oz onion, sliced 3 oz cabbage, sliced 4 six-inch egg roll wrappers 1 tsp canola oil 3 oz tomato slices duck sauce + hot sauce [wasabi or Sriracha]

If shrimp are frozen, thaw them in advance. Then slice in half across the body and mix with the oyster and soy sauces, the garlic and onion. Prepare the vegetables and put them all into a hot wok or wide saute pan with ¼ cup water and a squirt of Sriracha. [If the pan gets too dry, add a bit of the marinade combined with a few spoonsful of water.] Stir-fry the ingredients for 4 minutes or until the vegetables are just a little shy of done. Add the shrimp and marinade and stirfry about one minute longer – shrimp should be thoroughly cooked. Put everything from the wok into the food processor and run until coarsely chopped. [If a lot of liquid remains, cook it down some more until it is thick and add back to the ingredients.] Lay one of the wrappers on a flat surface, so it looks like a diamond, and use water to moisten the edge farthest from you. Measure out 1/3 cup of the filling and roll up the wrapper. There are usually diagrams on the back of the package to show you how. Put the oil in a clean, flat-bottomed pan and heat it. Put the egg rolls in the pan and roll them around to coat with the oil on all surfaces. Heat until the rolls are beginning to get brown and blister-y on one side, then turn to cook on the other side. You could continue in this way or you could put the pan in a 375 degree oven until they are crispy. Plate with the tomato slices and the dipping sauce.

Meals that begin with ‘S’

June 4, 2017August 23, 2018 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

Spring will soon segue to Summer, so we will eat meals that begin with ‘s.’ Why not? Other words that begin with ‘s’: slim, svelte, sexy, self-satisfaction. These can describe you as you work on the healthier body which the Fasting Lifestyle can bring you. Keep at it. You can do it.

Salsa Chicken Bake: 291 calories 5.6 g fat 2.3 g fiber 17 g protein 34 g carbs 221 mg Calcium GF Salsa for breakfast? Porque no? Does looking at this photo make you want to smile? See? Another word with an ‘s’! Salsa-Chicken Bake w: s-bs

1 two-oz egg 1 Tbsp low-fat cottage cheese 1.5 Tbsp tomato salsa, drained if too liquid dash of salsa verde ½ oz chicken breast meat, cooked [from a roast, perhaps], minced oregano [Mexican if you have it] 1 oz strawberries blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water 5-6 oz fruit smoothie, green smoothie or natural apple cider

Stir the cheese, salsas, and chicken together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the egg and seasonings. Spritz a ramekin with oil or non-stick spray. Pour in the egg mixture and bake in the toaster oven at 350 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Brew your warm beverage; shake and pour the smoothie, portion those delicious strawberries, and enjoy a zesty start to your day.

Spinach-Fish Timbale: 264 calories 7.4 g fat 6.6 g fiber 37.8 g protein 19 g carbs 342 mg Calcium PB GF — if you use GF bread Seen in cookbooks, this recipe lends itself well to our uses. Spinach-Fish Timbales w: gr beans

½ cup blanched spinach [this used most of a 4.5 oz bag of fresh leaves] nutmeg, salt 1 Tbsp onion/shallot, minced 1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese 5 oz sole or ocean perch fillets, skinned [this is 2 small fillets] ½ slice 70-calorie bread, ground to crumbs HINT: use fresh bread crumbs: dried crumbs have more calories + carbs per volume 3 oz green beans

Heat the toaster oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the spinach but do not dry it. Put into a wide pan and put over medium heat with a lid. Check the spinach frequently and remove from heat when the leaves are wilted. There might be some liquid still in the pan. When the leaves are cool enough to handle, remove by the hand-full and squeeze the liquid out, saving it in the pan. Coarsley chop the spinach leaves and put into a bowl with the salt and nutmeg. Add the cheese to the warm spinach and stir until the cheese mixes in. In the pan of spinach water, cook the onion/shallot until the water is gone. Combine the onion, bread crumbs, and spinach.

Lay the fish fillets out so that they make one long line, over-lapping by about an inch. Spoon the spinach stuffing on the fish to cover it. Spray the inside of a 1-cup ramekin or custard cup with oil or non-stick spray. Roll up the fish as compactly as you can and put it into the ramekin. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Cook the green beans. When the fish is baked, hold the ramekin in one oven-gloved hand while you invert a plate over the ramekin. Flip it all over so that now the ramekin is upside down. Lift off the ramekin. Plate with the beans.

Pizza-Pizza

May 24, 2017August 7, 2018 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

Thinking of starting a diet but afraid of what you’ll have to give up? No more pizza! NO-O-O-O! Here are two facts: 1) on the 5:2 diet, you can eat the foods you like 5 days a week, even pizza; 2) today’s recipes give you the tastes of pizza as breakfast and dinner.

Pizza ScrOmelette: 291 calories 8.8 g fat 1.7 g fiber 15.6 g protein 35.7 g carbs 250 mg Calcium PB GF Your favorite flavors at breakfast – delicious.

1 ½ two-oz eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume, crack 3 2-oz eggs into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week ¼ oz bell pepper one 2” slice pepperoni 1/8 oz mozzerella cheese, grated 1 Tbsp crushed tomatoes 1 oz applesauce or fresh apple 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or pure apple cider blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water

Chop or dice the bell pepper and cook it in a pan spritzed with non-stick pan. Chop the pepperoni and stir it in with the cheese, tomatoes, and peppers. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper. Pour into a pan which has been sprayed briefly with cooking spray. When the bottom of the eggs have set, add the cheese mixture and scramble to your heart’s content or fold like an omelette. Brew your beverage, portion the fruit, and take the previously-made smoothie from ‘fridge. Truly a treat.

Pizza with Vegetable Topping: 300 calories 13.3 g fat 4 g fiber 14 g protein 19 g carbs 269 mg Calcium PB Another winner from the Fast Diet book. The pizza shells are either whole grain wraps or corn tortillas. BE CAREFUL about the calorie and fat content when shopping! I get Herdez 8″ whole wheat fajita style tortillas. Each has 170 cal and 5 gm protein. Each person gets ONE of these pizzas. OR you could get Olé brand 6″ corn tortillas. Each of those has 65 cal and each person gets THREE AND a HALF pizzas. Pizza

1 whole wheat/whole grain tortilla at 170-cal [per person] 1-2 Tbsp tomato puree HINT: buy a can of puree and freeze in small portions 1 oz mozzerella, grated ½ oz mushrooms, chopped or sliced 1 ½ oz red pepper, cooked and chopped 1 oz spinach, steamed, squeezed and chopped 1 Tbsp red onion, chopped 2-3 pinches Italian herb mix + 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Set the oven at 400° F. Place the tortilla on an ungreased baking sheet and put it in the oven for 2 minutes to warm and stiffen. Put dollops of tomato purée on each tortilla and spread it around. Toss together mozzarella, mushrooms, red pepper, spinach, and onion. HINT: Sometimes I cook and chop all the veg and put them in a bag in the freezer to save time on a FAST day. Divide the mixture among the tortillas and sprinkle the seasonings on top. Bake for 5-10 mins at 400° F.

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

1 two-oz eggs	1.5 two-oz eggs
pear	Mushrooms, a few
Cooked asparagus [leftover from a prior meal, perhaps]	Ham from roast or deli
Proscuitto ham, ½ slice or less	¼ of an Arnold Sandwich Thin, multi-grain [optional]
Grated Parmesan cheese	raspberries
Whatever you need for your smoothie	Whatever you need for your hot beverage
Whatever you need for your hot beverage	Whatever you need for your smoothie

dinner, single portion

Hot dog: low fat, 100 calories	1.5 cups sauerkraut
1/3 cup baked beans	1 Dakin cob-smoked sausage
1 hardboiled egg + ½ tsp yellow mustard + salsa verde	1.5 cup raw collard greens
2” carrot + chopped cabbage + Hellman’s mayonnaise with olive oil + cider vinegar	Caraway seeds + unsweetened applesauce
	onion
Sparkling water	Sparkling water

Triangular Treats

May 21, 2017April 19, 2018 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Thursday, eat the meals that will be posted on Wednesday. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

Geometry is my favorite branch of mathematics. It was such a breath of fresh air to take that course in 9th grade and really understand what was going on! You see, I have a ‘geometry brain‘ as opposed to an ‘algebra brain.’ Such things exist! Triangles were always easy, with their three angles adding up to 180° and their complimentary angles. In honor of the line of thinking beloved of Pythagorias and Euclid, today’s food will be in the shape of triangles. Whether or not it has to do with their 3-sidedness, they are delicious and fun to make.

Chinese Pancakes ‘Jian Bing’: 300 calories 6 g fat 3.5 g fiber 15 g protein 59 g carbs 202.7 mg Calcium PB GF – if you use GF flour This delicious treat is a popular Chinese street-food. And now it is popular in our household. Quick to cook and fun to eat. The crisp tart apple is a nice foil to the salty-spicy food. HINT: this recipe makes 4 pancakes, of which 2 will do for the breakfast. Save the remaining 2 to eat cold for lunch tomorrow.

1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1.5 Tbsp white whole wheat flour 1 Tbsp semolina flour 2 two-oz eggs ½ cup water ¼ cup chopped scallions, white and green parts Kosher salt 2 tsp Srarcha sauce + 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce per person: 1 oz tart, crisp apple blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon juice & hot water 5-6 oz fruit or green smoothie or natural apple cider

Whisk together the flours, water, and one egg until lumps are gone. Hint: this can be combined the night before. Whisk again in the morning. In a separate bowl, beat the other egg thoroughly. In a custard cup, combine the hot sauce and soy sauce. Using a good non-stick pan, add 2 brief puffs of non-stick spray, then wipe with a paper towel. [Keep the paper towel handy.] Heat the pan and add 3-4 Tbsp of batter, swirling the pan quickly to distribute the batter evenly to make a thin pancake that coats the bottom of the pan. Let cook for a minute or 2, then spoon some of the egg on top and smear it around. Sprinkle with a small pinch of salt and one Tablespoon of the scallions. Cook until the egg on top is a bit set, then flip the pancake over. Brush the hot sauce mixture on top. Cook for 30 seconds, fold the pancake in 4ths, and plate. Use the paper towel to wipe the pan and repeat the cooking process until all the batter and scallions are gone. NB: I had whisked egg left over. If your hot beverage is brewed, your apples are sliced, and the smoothie is ready, then you are set for a real good start to a new day.

Ham & Cheese Crêpes, Street-Food Version: 272 calories 9 g fat 1.8 g fiber 21 g protein 25 g carbs 212 mg Calcium NB: The photo shows a meal for 2 [TWO]. Or dinner today, lunch tomorrow. This is the familiar street-vendor lunch in Paris, except that the food values will not break the bank on a Fast Day. Very quick and easy to prepare if you had made the crêpe batter before and have it thawed out. HINT: can be prepared in advance and rewarmed later. Good for traveling or for a make-ahead.

2 crêpes, using batter recipe below** 2 oz sliced deli ham 1/2 oz deli sliced Swiss cheese 1 wedge “Laughing Cow” [Vache Qui Rit] cheese at room temperature 2 oz tomatoes

Spread the Laughing Cow cheese on one half of each crêpe. Lay the ham on the cheese side of each crêpe and top with the Swiss cheese slices. Fold in half. Heat a heavy skillet, adding maybe a spritz or 2 of non-stick spray. Lay the folded crêpes on the hot skillet to heat one side, then flip to heat the other side. You want the cheese to get melty. Fold each crêpe once more into tidy triangles, and push down on with the turner to flatten them. Plate them with the tomatoes and voilà!

**Crêpe Batter, makes 15 6″ crepes 1 cup all-purpose flour 2/3 cup buckwheat flour 1 and 3/4 cup water 1/2 tsp salt 1 egg

Whisk the flours, salt, and water together. Vigorously whisk in the egg. Let batter sit at room temperature for 30+ mins or overnight in the ‘fridge. Heat a 6″ cast iron skillet. Add a spritz of non-stick spray, then wipe with a paper towel. Save the towel in case you need to spritz again. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the hot pan, then quickly swirl the pan to spread the batter. Cook until the sides curl up, then flip it over. Remove from pan when it begins to brown. Cook as many as you need for this recipe, then maybe a few more for another meal this week. Freeze the remainder for the next time we need them. HINT: fully-cooked crepes also freeze well in a zipper-lock bag.

Rolling Along

May 17, 2017April 19, 2018 ~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a total of less than 600 calories in the day. On Monday, eat the meals that will be posted on Sunday. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

To continue our series of food of certain shapes, today everything is rolled. Are you rolling merrily along with your health plan? I hope so. I am currently hiking along Hadrian’s Wall in England, something I never dreamed I’d be doing at my age. [I always compare myself to my mother at the same age. She liked a good walk in the woods, but 84 miles in 8 days was a bit beyond her.] But after training for this, I think it is doable. Fitness and weight control with the Fasting Lifestyle. Wahoo!

Japanese Rolled Eggs: 290 calories 8.6 g fat 1.9 g fiber 36 g carbs 245 mg Calcium PB GF Number One Son prepared these for us as part of a larger Japanese breakfast, and they are amazing. I added the crab and leek, since today this is the main attraction. Japanese Rolled Eggs w: leek & crab, S-bs

1 ½ eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume, into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week 2 Tbsp crab meat, frozen or fresh 2 Tbsp leek, finely sliced ½ Tbsp soy sauce ¼ tsp sugar 1.5 oz strawberries 5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or natural apple cider blackish tea or blackish coffee or hot water with lemon

Spritz a non-stick pan with non-stick spray. Cook the crab and leek until you can smell the leek, but don’t brown it. Remove from pan and set aside. Beat the egg with the soy sauce and sugar, and divide into 2 parts. Spritz the pan again and reheat. Put half of the egg in the pan and swirl/tip the pan to spread it out into a rough round. Distribute the crab and leek all over the egg. When top of egg is set enough that it is still moist but won’t jiggle much, roll the egg into a roll from one side of the pan to the other and leave it there. Pour the remaining egg in the pan and cook until almost set. Roll the roll across the pan again to incorporate the newly-cooked egg. Outside of the egg should be a little brown due to the soy sauce. Prepare the beverages and fruit and enjoy your meal from Japan.

Beef Egg Rolls: per roll 136 cal 4.6 g. fat 9.4 g. protein 17.5 g. carb HINT: the recipe makes 5 [five] egg rolls. Eat 2 of these with the roasted broccoli for a fine meal today. Put the remainder in a zipper bag in the freezer: have one for lunch some day, the other 2 for another Fast Day.

2 oz lean beef steak OR lean pork tenderloin 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce 1/2 tsp powdered ginger, or fresh, chopped 1 clove garlic 1/2 cup carrot, sliced 1/4” thick 1/2 cup sliced onion 1.5 cups cabbage, shredded 1 scallion, roughly chopped 5 egg roll wrappers 1 tsp oil 2 oz broccoli in large florets Sriracha sauce + soy sauce, together in a little dipping dish

Combine the beef, oyster sauce, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. In a heavy-bottomed pan or wok, stirfry the carrot, onion, and cabbage in ¼ cup water for 3 minutes. Add the beef with the marinade and cook until beef is done. Toss in the scallion and stir. Run the whole thing through a food processor to chop it coarsely. Following the directions on the wrapper package, fill and roll the egg-rolls. [if you end up with filling left-over, fill another wrapper and save for a lunch OR, if it is about ¼ cup, save it to make a ScrOmelette next week.] Turn the oven on to 375 degrees F. Warm the oil in a clean, flat-bottomed, oven-proof pan. Put the egg rolls and broccoli in the pan and roll them to coat with oil. Cook gently over warm heat until warm. Put the pan in the hot oven and bake until the egg rolls are getting crispy and the broccoli is tender-crisp. You will want to turn the rolls once while baking. Serve with the sauces for dipping.

Ingredients for next week’s meals. breakfast:

2 two-oz eggs	1.5 two-oz eggs
strawberries, fresh or frozen	Crushed tomatoes [1 Tbsp]
5 Tbsp flour + 1.5 Tbsp whole wheat flour + 1 Tbsp semolina	1 slice pepperoni bell pepper
3 scallions crisp, tart apple	mozzerella
Sriracha + soy sauce	Unsweetened applesauce
Whatever you need for your smoothie	Whatever you need for your hot beverage
Whatever you need for your hot beverage	Whatever you need for your smoothie

dinner:

3 buckwheat crepes: buckwheat flour, white flour, egg see recipe at “Holy Crêpes” on October 13, 2015	One 8” whole wheat tortilla: 170 calories or less
1 oz ham 3% fat	Tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
Jarlsberg cheese	mozzerella
3 Tbsp bechamel sauce without cheese: see recipe at “Hemispherical” Feb 22, 2017	Mushrooms red bell pepper
Tomato, fresh	Raw spinach onion
Sparkling water	Sparkling water

	me on Let Me Entertain You… Di…
	Mya on Let Me Entertain You… Di…
	Peter Eppig on Robert Gould Shaw
	me on 10 Years of FASTing
	Karen Loudon on 10 Years of FASTing

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