5:2 diet

Chili Time!

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As the weather gets colder, we want to curl up with some warm, spicy food. Chili! Here are two recipes which we enjoy: Venison Chili and Chili Non Carne. The second is the springboard for a breakfast next week. How easy is that!?

Venison Chili:     297calories            5 g. fat             35.6 g. protein            GF                        HINT: This is enough for 2 one-cup servings. Save the remaining chili for another dinner later or invite a fellow-Faster for dinner.venison chili w: melon

½ pound ground venison                                                                                                                             16 oz canned tomatoes – in chunks or diced                                                                                          1 clove garlic, chopped                                                                                                                                     1 cup red onion, chopped                                                                                                                            1/2 green pepper, chopped  and seeded                                                                                                    1 cup canned red beans, drained and rinsed                                                                                          2-4 tsp chili                                                                                                                                                         ¾ tsp salt                                                                                                                                                             ½ – 1 tsp ground cumin                                                                                                                                 per serving: a small slice of melon, as a garnish

Cook the venison, onion, garlic, and green pepper in some of the tomato juices until tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook gently until the chili is hot throughout. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning. Serve one cup for dinner tonight with the melon on the side.

Chili non Carne:     277 calories    3.5 g. fat    15.6 g. protein      48 g. carbs   PB    GF              HINT: This is enough for 2 one-cup servings. Save the remaining chili for a lunch or watch for future postings to see how we use it for breakfast!   The recipe is my mother’s, except that she added beef. And she served it on a heap of mashed potatoes, but we won’t do that on a Fast Day.

15 oz canned red beans, drained and rinsed                                                                                         16 oz canned tomatoes – in chunks or diced                                                                                           1 cup chopped onion                                                                                                                                            1 green pepper, chopped                                                                                                                                2-3 tsp chili pepper, or more if you like it spicy                                                                                                    ½ – 1 tsp ground cumin                                                                                                                               per serving: 1 Tbsp cheddar cheese, grated, as a garnish

Cook the onion and green pepper in some of the tomato juices until tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook gently until the stew is thickened. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning. Serve one cup for dinner tonight with the grated cheese on top.

I’m not hungry, I’m…..

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On a Fast Day and even on a Slow Day, there are times that we get hungry.                                         But are you REALLY hungry? The body sends all sorts of conflicting messages to the brain and the brain responds in very simple ways: eating or vomiting are some of the common reactions. Is your ‘hunger’ actually due to a lack of food, or is it caused by something else? Here is a list of ‘something else’ which might lead you to eat when you really don’t need to and shouldn’t.

a.”I’m not hungry, I’m thirsty.”  This is a big one. Most of the time if you feel hungry, go get a glass of water. Ice water is even better, in my opinion. If you like sparkling water, that’s fine — but not flavored water or sports drinks.

b.”I’m not hungry, I’m annoyed.”      So, what is annoying you? Solve it and in so doing, the hunger disappears.

c. I’m not hungry, I’m sad.”  Go chat with a friend. Call someone you like.  Speak with a stranger on the plane.  Don’t kvetch about feeling sad, just talk with someone about anything. But don’t eat when you are sad — it creates bad habits.

d. “I’m not hungry, I’m bored.”  This happened to me yesterday. I was wandering around the house thinking about what to snack on.  I said aloud, “I’m not hungry, I’m………bored!” So I put on my jacket and went out to weed the herb garden. It worked!

e. “I’m not hungry, I’m anxious/depressed.”  Back to ‘c’ and ‘a’. Being thirsty can make you feel depressed.  So drink some water or tea. Anxiety is like sadness or being annoyed. Sit down with a comforting cup of tea, chamomile might be good, and work out the problem. Set the timer for 60-90 minutes and think about solving your problems instead of thinking about eating. Then open up to a close friend who will lend a sympathetic ear. But don’t eat, just because you are anxious.

f. I read this somewhere. Wish I knew who said this!  “If hunger is not the problem, the food is not the answer.”   SO true.

g. “I’m not hungry, I have gas”   I used to get gas in my stomach [the actual organ, not the abdominal region] and it felt just like hunger.  So I’d eat more and feel even more miserable.  Solve the gas, solve that ‘hunger’ feeling.

Number One Son

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Today is the birthday of Number One Son, so we will celebrate with a breakfast that he might not like and a dinner he would enjoy.  The breakfast involves blueberries which he stopped eating when he saw that the insides were actually green and gooey-looking. But he does like oatmeal. The crab cakes are a real winner and a family favorite.

Oatmeal Pudding      295 cal       2.6 g. fat          12.1 g. protein      49.7 g. carb      GF PBoatmeal pudding w: green smoothie

A riff on a recipe found in Marion Cunningham’s Breakfast Book, this can easily be prepared the night before. NB: THIS MAKES ENOUGH FOR TWO [2] PERSONS OR 2 [two] MEALS FOR ONE PERSON

½ cup oatmeal, cooked in 1 cup water                                                                                                      2 tsp maple syrup                                                                                                                                             ½ cup fatfree cottage cheese                                                                                                                  pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon                                                                                                                     4 Tbsp. blueberries [fresh or frozen]                                                                                 …………………………….                                                                                                                                           per serving 1  oz of watermelon per person                                                                                            5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or natural apple cider                                          blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water

Cook the oatmeal in the water. Take off the heat and stir in the maple syrup and nutmeg. While it is still a little warm, stir in the cottage cheese. Let sit to cool. HINT: I did this part the night before while cleaning up after dinner. If making one portion, pour half of the pudding into a freezer container and top with 2 Tbsp blueberries. Freeze it. HINT: make the entire batch, eat half of it today and freeze the rest for a really simple-to-prepare breakfast for another day. With the remainder, stir in 2 Tbsp blueberries and pour the pudding into a ramekin. Nuke it for a minute to heat through – longer than that and it will bubble over. Serve with the melon, smoothie, and hot beverage for a hearty, healthy meal.

Crab Cakes:     250 cal        4.7 g fat         24.0 g protein                14.2 g carbs   PBCrab Cakes w: beans

Rock and Jonah crabs abound on the coast of New England and they are grand as crab cakes. This recipe is from Todd English’s Olive’s Table cookbook. Note: this is the full recipe and makes 5 cakes – more than you will eat at one meal. Prepare them all and cook as directed. HINT: This will provide a few future meals.

½ pound crab meat                                                                                                                                                      2 T [1 oz] plain nonfat yogurt                                                                                                                        1 tsp Dijon mustard                                                                                                                                      2 Tbsp. chopped green or white onion                                                                                                      1 T. parsley, minced                                                                                                                                           1 two-oz egg                                                                                                                                                         1 tsp salt & ¼ tsp pepper                                                                                                                                 1 slice fresh 70-cal bread, crumbled   [I like Nature’s Own wholegrain]                                                                                                        4 T. flour                                                                                                                                                                   2 tsp oil                                                                                                                                                                 4 oz green beans                                                                                                                                                    1 tsp low-fat mayonnaise + few drops of lemon juice + pinch each of tumeric and garlic powder [this is your aioli dressing]

Gently combine 1st 8 ingredients in a bowl. Dust a large plate with the flour. Using a 1/3 c. measure as a mold, form the crab cakes and turn them out onto the flour. There should be 5 cakes. Dust the top of the cakes with some of the flour. Heat a non-stick skillet and add 2 tsp olive oil. Handling them carefully, cook the crab cakes until they are beginning to brown on the top and bottom. Cook the green beans.  Put aioli on crab cakes.

One Fast Day serving = 1.5 crab cakes. Cool the others, wrap in cling wrap and freeze. Reheat in a toaster oven. Since the cakes will have been previously cooked, they need only to be reheated at this point.

You Want To, But Your Partner Doesn’t….

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I hear this a lot from people: “You are lucky that your husband is Fasting too.  Mine isn’t [won’t/ thinks he doesn’t need it] and it is so hard to cook two different meals. I can’t keep this up.”  I hear you and here’s the solution: cook the same meals for everybody! Then the preparer gets the convenience of one preparation and the non-Faster gets the benefit of the meals without fearing that he/she will be starving.  The key difference is amount.

Fish Tacos for 2For example, Fish Tacos are one of my summertime favorites. By increasing the recipe slightly, I produced 5 tacos. I ate two, he ate three.

PB
Baked White Fish for 2

Then there’s Baked White Fish with Cheese. Same recipe but he gets some left-over rice pilaf as a side dish.  PB  GF

Chicken Dinner for 2

Or a Chicken Dinner. Each plate has 4 oz roast chicken breast and a cup of snap beans.  But my plate has the tomatoes and he has a bit of left-over potato casserole. So much food it was tough to eat it all!      GF

Breakfasts are easy! Serve any of the egg meals and add a piece of toast for your table-mate. Or extra fruit.

On Fast Days, your partner may feel like eating lunch. OK, it is a free world. You don’t have to be at the table or even in the same room. Take your cup of tea and go do something else. You aren’t being anti-social, it is a matter of self-preservation. Feel free to stay true to your Fasting Lifestyle  and be safe in the knowledge that everyone had eaten well and that you will have lost weight tomorrow.

Hope this helps to bridge the gap in a House Divided. And maybe your dining partner will come to like the Fast Food that you are serving and wish to join you on the quest for healthy eating

Last Call for Vegetables

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Frost may hit this weekend, so the fresh vegetables will be disappearing. Time to use them for a Fast Day breakfast and dinner. The breakfast also uses some of those crepes that we stored in the freezer last week. This all fits into our Fasting Lifestyle — lots of fresh veg, good flavors, high protein, ease of preparation.

Breton Breakfast:        310 calories                  PB                                                                                  Here is one way to use the crepe batter which we made last week and you stored in the freezer. You need one crepe per serving. Make some extra for a lunch or dinner later this week.Breton bfast w: apple

1 crepe                                                                                                                                                                  1 two-oz egg                                                                                                                                                       ¼ cup diced zucchini                                                                                                                                     ¼ cup diced tomatoes                                                                                                                                            ¼ cup diced bell pepper, any color you want                                                                                        1/4-1/3 tsp curry powder [seafarers brought a lot of spices to Brittany’s ports]                              2 oz apple                                                                                                                                                             5-6 oz green smoothie or apple cider                                                                                                   blackish tea or coffee or hot water with lemon

Put the 3 vegetables and the curry in a small sauce pan with a bit of water and cook uncovered until the veg are soft and the liquid has evaporated. If your crepe was cooked previously, warm it a little to take off the chill. Cook the egg by frying it in a lightly-oiled non-stick pan. Spoon the vegetable on the crepe, put the egg on top. Hold briefly, if needed, in a warm oven while you pour the smoothie and warm beverage, and while you slice the fruit.

Antipasto with Tuna: 282                                                               PB  GF                                         This one is a keeper. Simple, off the shelf, pretty on the plate, good to eat. The photo shows enough for 2 people. Invite a guest who is Fasting, too.Amtipasto w: herbs

2 oz roasted red pepper, without oil [I roast my own, slice and freeze them] 2 oz mozzerella, cut into ‘sticks’ [I buy blocks of mozzerells for slicing] one 5-0z can tuna, packed in water, drained and broken into large chunks 5 oz tomato slices 3 oz whole green beans, steamed, drained 1 ½ oz marinated mushrooms 1/3 c. garbanzo beans, drained if canned 4 black olives, pitted and sliced 3 slices pepperoni, chopped 1 tsp flavored oil, salt, chopped fresh herbs

Prepare the ingredients and keep separate. On a platter, arrange the ingredients in rows as shown in the photo. Suit your own artistic nature as to what goes where. Be liberal with the fresh herbs.

Holy Crepes

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In the 1970s the crêpes really hit the pan in the USA. Restaurants featuring the French ‘pancakes’ were very popular, giving the impression that this type of food was newly invented.  Au contraire, mon ami. The original crêpes come from Brittany, the peninsula in NW France where they grow buckwheat instead of wheat. Buckwheat crêpes are seldom seen in the US, and the tourist food from street corners in Paris use crêpe batter without it.

Crêpes are easy to make, without fancy equipment, and lend themselves to a variety of healthy fillings. By using a combination of unbleached wheat flour and buckwheat flour, you get a crêpe which is lighter in texture and in flavor. The batter can be made ahead and frozen. Or the crepes themselves can be made ahead and stored for a few days in the ‘fridge.

Crêpe batter   1 batch makes 16 crepes, each using ¼ cup batter      each crepe =  55 calories   0.8 g. fat   2.4 g. protein  9.9 g. carbs       PB   The recipe is from Susan Herrmann Loomis’ terrific book, French Farmhouse Cookbook.                                

1 cup unbleached flour                                    ¾ cup buckwheat flour                                                                                                                                         1 ¾ cup water                2 eggs               ½ tsp sea salt                                                                                                                                                              

Vigorously whisk the flours and the water until batter is smooth. When you lift the whisk, the batter should fall off in ‘ropes.’ Let sit for 2 hours or over night. HINT: batter could be divided into 1 cup or ½ cup portions and frozen. If using frozen batter, whisk it vigorously after it thaws. Heat a small cast-iron pan or ceramic saute pan. Lightly spritz with oil.  {If your pan is well seasoned or you use a ceramic pan, you should not have to oil the pan more than once.}  Dip a ¼ cup measure into the batter and let the extra drain off. Grasp the handle of the cook pan with one hand as you slowly pour the batter into the center of the pan. Tilt the pan in a swirling pattern to let the batter form a circle roughly 6” in diameter. Don’t get hung up on perfectly round or perfectly flat. Watch the crêpe cook and look to see when the edges start to dry and curl a bit. Using a heat-resistant bur non-scratching tool [I use my fingers], lift the crêpe and turn it over. Cook the other side until done. Time will vary, depending on the heat of your pan. Lift the cooked crêpes out, put it aside, and cook the next one. HINT: if storing them for later today or tomorrow, let them cool on a tea towel, then stack and store in a plastic bag.

What shall we do with the crepes? Are you getting ideas already of what to put inside? Stay tuned in future weeks to put your frozen crêpe batter into use.

Busy Week-end?

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In Canada, this is Thanksgiving week-end. Here in New England, these October weeks hurry by with leaf-peepers visiting for Columbus Day Week-end or apple picking or long drives to see the foliage display. No time to cook doesn’t mean a break from the Fast Diet. Plan ahead for simple meals.

Easter-After Breakfast   296 calories    8.9 g. fat       16.1 g. protein     18.6 g. carb                                This is a simple breakfast for the day after a big family meal, using a few left-overs from the dinner table. Last time this was served was after Easter, hence the name.Easter Breakfast

1 two-oz egg, hardboiled                                                                                                                              ¾ oz ham  [I save some ham slices from a roast and keep them in the freezer]                                                                              ¼ cup Yorkshire Pudding batter with added herbs. HINT: This batter is left over from before and you put some in the freezer. Add a pinch of thyme and a pinch of basil.  Never made the Y. Pud before? Recipe below.                                                                                 2 oz fresh pineapple OR ¼ cup mixed berries                                                                              pinch of chopped mint leaves                                                                                                                          5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or natural apple cider                                            blackish coffee or tea or lemon in hot water

It begins with a Yorkshire Pudding batter which you need to prepare in advance. Like, say, the night before. The Yorkshire Pudd recipe is from the King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook.                                                                                                                                Y. Pudd batter:                                                                                                                                            one 2-oz egg                                     1 cup flour                           ½ tsp salt                                                  ½ cup water                                     ½ cup fat-free milk

Mix all the ingredients together and let the batter stand at room temp for 30-60 minutes or in ‘fridge overnight. You will need 1/3 cup of the batter per person. HINT: The remainder can be frozen in 1 cup or 1/3 cup batches for future meals. When it is time to use the batter, beat it with a rotary beater until it is frothy. Two minis = one serving.

Whip batter with a rotary beater. Pour batter into a mini-muffin pan, bake at 400 for 13 minutes. Warm the ham or not. Mix the fruit with the mint. Plate the ham, egg, and fruit. Brew your hot beverage, prepare your smoothie. Sit down and relax with your easy breakfast of left overs.

Morrocan Tuna:    297 calories    [sorry. no photo available for this one]

4 oz tuna steak  [When I see frozen tuna steaks at the supermarket, I get a few]                                 2 pinches of Moroccan spices  OR ground cumin                                                                                                         1/3 cup white beans, rinsed     [Goya brand is always reliable]                                      1 slice preserved lemon OR 1 slice fresh lemon                                                                    2/3 cup peas                                                                                                                         cilantro                                                                                                                                           1 cup broccoli florets

Rub tuna on both sides with Moroccan spices. Chop the lemon and stir into the beans. Bake the tuna on a cast iron skillet for 4-5 minutes per side in a 400 degree oven.  Meanwhile cook and season the broccoli  and peas. When the peas are cooked, drain and stir in the cilantro. 

Some of that…

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Sampling different cuisines is something I enjoy. One of my challenges as a meal-planner is to mix it up and have a lot of variety. You don’t have to sample everything I post, but if you are an adventurous eater, then you can say, “I’ll have some of that today.”  AND you can still lose weight.

Laughing Herb Omelette 287 calories                                                                             PBLaughing Herb Om w: apple

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                                                                         1/2 section Vache Qui Rit [Laughing Cow] cheese                                                                             1.5 Tbsp fresh herbs — your choice                                                                                                              3 oz apple                                                                                                                                                             ½ slice bread  Nature’s Own is still my go-to for Fast Day                                                                 5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or natural apple cider                                              blackish tea or blackish coffee or hot water with lemon

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, toast bread, shake up the smoothie, pour your hot beverage and laugh along with the cow.

Red Beans & Rice   280 calories   1.2 g. fat    13 g. protein    57.5 g. carb   PB    GFRed Beans & Rice w: gr. beans

This is the old classic recipe for the ‘perfect protein’. Yeah, you’re right, the carbs are way out of control, but for a once-in-a-while this is really good. HINT: This is enough for 4 servings! Either have a gathering or cut the recipe or freeze in 1 cup portions for later.

2 cups brown rice, cooked                                                                                                                        ½ cup celery, chopped                                                                                                                                 ½ cup sweet yellow pepper, diced                                                                                                              1 cup onion, chopped                                                                                                                                     2 cloves garlic, minced                                                                                                                                  ¾ cup tomato sauce                                                                                                                            oregano,   black pepper                                                                                                                                 2 cups red beans, drained and rinsed [Goya brand is very good]                                                   ½ cup green beans per serving

Cook the rice. Spritz a non-stick pan with oil and saute the celery, pepper, and onions for 5 minutes, adding a bit of water if it seems dry. Add the garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Add the tomato sauce and seasonings. Stir in the red beans and heat through. When the rice is done, add 2 cups to the mixture. Serve with the cooked green beans.

This is for you, D.C.P.

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Today is the birthday of our good friend DCP who recently said, “It’s easier for you to Fast — you like eggs.”  For those of you who would rather not see an egg on the plate at breakfast, try these. Many are Plant-based and all are Fasting-friendly. Many of the recipes are high in Carbs, so be careful to pair with a low-carb and high protein dinner. Happy Birthday, DCP.                                                                                                                Nordic Breakfast, September 20                                                                                      French Toast, September 6                                                                                                     Toad in the Hole, July 9                                                                                                     Cottage Cheese and Pears, July 2                                                                             Improper English, May 17                                                                                              Oatmeal Pudding, May 26                                                                                                   Rotate these meals through your Mondays and Thursdays, and you won’t repeat for three weeks.  Of course some people like to eat a favorite again and again. Go for it!  But keep Fasting.  Hmm… those breakfasts look so good, I might even eat one on a Tuesday!

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it

Happy October

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On October first, even in Northern New England, we still have some fresh vegetables around to incorporate in meals. Fruit and vegetables are one of the key-stones of a Fast Diet.  They add bulk, texture, variety, and a bit of sweetness to a meal. Eat up.

Basquaise Omelette: 283 calories                                      GF  PB                                            This recipe, full of the flavors of the Basques region of SW France, comes to us from Saulte to Healthy Cooking, published by the French Culinary Institute. Wonderful book from which we cook all year long. Note that this is a baked omelette, so the method is a little different. Faites bien attention.Basquaise Omelette

3 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.                                                                 3 Tbsp tomato sauce, such as Hunt’s                                                                                                           2 Tbsp bell pepper, chopped                                                                                                                          ½ clove garlic, minced or pinch granulated garlic                                                                                2 tsp parsley, chopped                                                                                                                                     1 ½ tsp Parmesan cheese, grated                                                                                                                  3 oz apple or 4.5 oz melon                                                                                                                                                                      5-6 oz natural apple cider or green smoothie or fruit smoothie                                              blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water

Heat the oven broiler. In an oven-safe skillet, put the tomato sauce, peppers, garlic, parsley, and 2 Tbsp water. Cook gently until the veg are soft and the water is evaporated. Remove from pan. Add a spritz of non-stick spray and heat the pan. Whisk the eggs with 2/3 of the tomato mixture and pour into the pan. As the eggs cook, gently lift the edge of the eggs and let uncooked egg flow underneath. Do not flip or fold the eggs. Top the eggs with the cheese and put the skillet under the broiler to finish cooking. Prepare the fruit and beverages. Slide the omelette onto the plate and top it with the remaining tomato/pepper mixture.

Felafel with Cucumber Raita 276 calories   10.2 g. fat   16 g. protein   33.5 g. carbs     PB GF

5 felafel patties [see Sept 9]                                                                                                                                                             1 cup raw spinach                                                                                                                                           1/2 tsp olive oil                                                                                                                                             large pinch ground nutmeg                                                                                                                         4 oz plain, non-fat yogurt   if yogurt is runny, put it in a strainer and let it set for 15 mins                                                                    1 scant cup cucumbers, cubed                                                                                                                  1 tsp white wine vinegar                                                                                                                                 1 ½ tsp fresh mint, chopped or dried dill weed

Thaw out 5 of those felafel patties what we prepared on Sept. 9. Heat them in the toaster oven or in a non-stick pan on the stove. Do not cook them in oil. Cut the spinach into a chiffonade [make a pile of leaves and cut thinly across their width]and put into a bowl. Cube the cucumbers. Stir together the yogurt, vinegar, and dill or mint. Add the cucumber cubes and stir gently to combine. Toss the spinach with the olive oil and nutmeg. Plate and love it.