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.

At 5 am, on November 11, 1918, the Armistice was signed. At 11 am, the fighting stopped. The armistice was not a peace treaty, but it was the official end to the fighting of World War I, the Great War. How sad that the Allies in that conflict thought that this would be ‘the war to end all wars.’ Surely, they said, no nation would ever want to go through that experience again! Surely, nations and their leaders would learn to avoid conflict in the future. The actual treaty was signed at Versailles in June of 1919. Unfortunately, the conditions of the agreement sowed the seeds of the next war. Rather than approach peace with the enemy ‘with malice toward none‘ [as Lincoln said at the end of the Civil War in the USA, which is still going on….], the victors imposed humiliating and debilitating conditions on defeated Germany. Blockades and partition exacerbated food shortages. The Allies thought that if they prevented Germany from being able to fight again, that there would be lasting peace. Instead, bitterness and anger built up in Germany during the 1920s, fueled by an economic recession. When the Depression hit in the 1930s, Germany was ripe for the jingoistic, racist demagoguery of Hitler. And the rest is history. How happy everyone was when the cease-fire was signed! How hopeful the world was that war would be banished forever! But the armistice lived up to its name: not peace, but a cessation of fighting for the time being. We need a better plan going forward. “War is not healthy for children and other living things.” True in 1966, true in 1916, true now.

Our menus for the day involve ingredients that might have been available in war-ravaged northern France where the Armistice was signed in a railroad car outside Compiégne, France.

Chevre & Spinach Bake: 132 calories 7 g fat 2 g fiber 9 g protein 9 g carbs [8.5 g Complex] 57 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  This one is really delicious. It makes a little bit of flavor go a long way.

1 two-oz egg 2 Tbsp cooked spinach, drained/squeezed and chopped 2 tsp creamy chevre cheese lemon-dill seasoning + salt + pepper 2 oz pear OR 2 oz apple OR applesauce  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]

If spinach is frozen, thaw it in a sieve and press down to remove water. If spinach is fresh, saute it in a little water until limp, then squeeze out the water. Chop the spinach and combine it with the cheese, and seasonings. Whisk in the egg and pour into a lightly-oiled or spritzed ramekin. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the beverages of your choice and plate the fruit. What a nice way to start the day.

Chickpea Ragout:  makes 2-1/4 cups  PB GF  This is from Jacques Pepin’s Fast Food My Way  As written below, this is NOT a vegetarian meal, since it contains chicken stock. With vegetable broth, it becomes vegan and vegetarian.

The entire batch has 484 calories, so divide into appropriate portions: if divided in 2: 242 calories 5 g fat 11 g fiber 12 g protein 40 g carbs 51 mg Calcium if divided in 3: 161 calories 4 g fat 7.5 g fiber 8.6 g protein 30 g carbs 37 mg Calcium if divided in 4: 121 calories 3 g fat 5 g fiber 6 g protein 20 g carbs 26 mg Calcium

½ tsp olive oil ½ cup diced onions ½ cup scallions, chopped 1 Tbsp garlic, minced 2 cups diced tomatoes, fresh or canned and drained 1½ cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed if canned ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock ½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper herbs to taste

Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the onion, scallion and garlic. Stir briefly over the heat then add the tomatoes, chickpeas, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat until liquids are mostly evaporated. If using now, separate out your portion and keep warm. Cool the remaining ragout and freeze it in serving portions.

If you wish to add more protein, then you could add chopped hard-boiled egg and/or grated Cheddar cheese. For a one cup serving of ragout with garnish, the food values would be: with 1/4 of a chopped egg: 259 calories 6 g fat 10.5 g fiber 13 g protein 40.4 g carbs 43 mg Calcium with 1/4 oz grated cheese: 270 calories 7 g fat 10.5 g fiber 13.4 g protein 40.4 g carbs 86 mg Calcium with both egg and cheese: 281 calories 8 g fat 10.5 g fiber 15 g protein 40.5 g carbs 93 mg Calcium

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

1 two-oz egg	2 two-oz eggs  + 1 egg white
1 buckwheat galette	70-calorie whole grain bread
roasted green chilis, canned	mustard + 3%-fat ham + milk
pear or apple	Gouda cheese + herbs
Optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

2 six” corn tortillas + lime juice	olive oil + onion + mushrooms + garlic + carrots
fish filets + plain yogurt + cabbage	potato + celery + green beans + cauliflower
red onion + tomato	vegetable broth + cornstarch + soy sauce + puff pastry
chili powder + ground cumin	Gouda Cheese + rosemary + thyme + [za’atar]
Sparkling water	Sparkling water