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: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.  Welcome to FashionCreative who is now Following.

Giovanni di Bernardone, nicknamed “Francesco” [the Frenchman], had a dilema. Should he pursue a life as a Christian preacher or leave the world to become a hermit?  He asked his spiritual advisors and they sent word that his path was as a preacher. He was on the road with friends when he received that message and knew he had to start preaching right away.  So he went into the field where a large flock of birds were assembled and to the amazement of his colleagues, Francesco began to preach to the birds about being grateful for the gifts which God had given to them. This incident was charmingly depicted in art by Giotto in 1297, in poetry by Seamus Heaney, and in music by Franz Listz. The preacher went on to become Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and ecology. I have always been fond of Francis and his simple view of faith and nature because he seems so genuine.  And as a lover of nature, I wish more people would think and act ecologically.  

We will celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis tomorrow by eating eggs of birds with a popular Italian vegetable, melanzane [aubergine]. And for dinner, no animals will be harmed in the preparation of our watercress soup.

Aubergine ScrOmelette:  152 calories  7.6 g fat  2 g fiber 10.5 g protein 11 g carbs [10 g Complex] 64.7 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  Eggplant and tomatoes are such a part of late summer, that you want to eat them with everything. Eating local foods in season is a real treat.

1½ two-oz eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid to store in the ‘fridge for next week.  1¼ oz eggplant 1¼ oz fresh tomatoes, diced OR same amount of canned, diced tomato ¼ oz onion OR 1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped 1¼ oz pear large pinch Herbes de Province + pinch crushed red pepper flakes   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]

Chop the eggplant and onion. Simmer the vegetables and herbes in the tomato sauce in a covered pan until they are tender. If too thick, add a little water. Whisk the eggs with the vegetables and put into a hot pan spritzed with cooking spray. Scramble or cook as an omelette. Slice the pears and prepare your beverages. Savor the summer.

                                                                                                                                                                                     

Watercress Soup: 157 calories   5.4 g fat  2.9 g fiber  8.4 g protein  22 g carbs [19 g Complex] 63.5 mg Calcium   PB GF  Jacques Pepin’s Good Life Cooking is the source of this recipe and the stream that flows to the beach is the source of our watercress. So low in calories, you might want to add some Finn Crisp crackers for filling fiber or the Caprese Salad for more protein. HINT: This recipe makes 5 cups of soup which serves 4-5 people.

2 tsp canola oil                       4 oz [weight, not volume] watercress leaves and tender stems                                                                   1 cup celery, coarsely chopped                   2 cups onion, coarsely diced             ¾ tsp salt                                                                                                                  2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed              2-1/2 cups good stock – vegetable/chicken/beef                                                                                                                   10 oz [weight, not volume] potatoes, peeled, cut in 2” chunks    OR  12 oz white potato total                                                                       2 oz [weight, not volume] sweet potato, peeled and cut in chunks                     per serving: 1 Tbsp chèvre cheese                                                                                                          optional: Caprese Salad– 46 calories 2.2 g fat 0.6 g fiber 3.9 g protein 2.6 g carbs 115.6 mg Calcium     PB GF   ½ oz mozzerella cheese, thinly sliced  +   2 oz tomato, thinly sliced and sprinkled with salt   +  fresh basil leaves There should be equal numbers of cheese slices as tomato. Arange the cheese, tomato, and basil in overlapping on the plate.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the cress, celery, onion, and garlic, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Put the stock, salt and potatoes into the pan and bring to a boil. [NB: my stock was very dark, which changed the color of the soup to a darker shade of green] Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool slightly then puree in blender/food processor or with imersion wand. If not thoroughly pureed, run through a sieve. Heat the soup before serving. In the bowl, put the chevre in the center, let it soften a bit, then swirl it into the soup. Serve the salad on the side.

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

1 two-oz egg	1.5 two-oz eggs
Mexican Pickled Vegetables [see SPICY 2, 12 Sept 2018]	Pimenta da Queijo sauce
Cheddar cheese	Gouda or Azores cheese
cumin  + oregano	kiwi fruit
pear or apple
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:

2 all-beef hot dogs, 110 calories each	Smoked ham hock
tomato   +  dill pickle spears	sauerkraut
onion  + peperoncini	garlic
hot dog relish	canned red beans
yellow mustard	red potatoes
celery seed  +  poppy seed	raw spinach
Sparkling water	Sparkling water