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: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

Christmas will be celebrated around the world on December 25 — except for some Eastern Orthodox and Coptic Christians who follow the ‘Julian’ calendar and celebrate on January 7. [The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates on January 7, which they had insisted upon for Ukraine. In 2023, Ukraine switched its Christmas to December 25.] There are many words that are heard at Christmastime, and they are not interchangeable. Let’s look at some of them, and see what they actually mean. **********Christmas: this is a shortening of the name of the church service for December 25th. It was ‘Christ’s Mass’, which was contracted to ‘Christmas’. Originally, it was called the Feast of the Nativity. The first time the words ‘Christ’s Mass’ were used was in 1038 CE. *********X-mas: this is a contraction of ‘Christmas’. In Greek, the spelling of the word ‘Christ’ begins with a “Chi”, the letter “X”. [No connection with Elon Musk.] When people complain that this term ‘takes Christ out of Christmas’, they are unaware that for centuries ‘X’ was a universal symbol for ‘Christ’, and therefore X-mas is still naming Christ. *********Yule: is one spelling of the pre-Christian festival of the winter solstice in Northern Europe. The festival was held for several days around the solstice, which this year will occur on December 21st. In the 9th century, ‘yule’ became a synonym for ‘Christmas’. *********Noel: is the French word for Christmas, when they say “Joyeux Noel”. It is derived from the latin word ‘natalis’, meaning birth. In Old English, it was spelled ‘nowell’. Originally, the word was a shout of joy, rather like saying ‘hooray!’ *********12 Days of Christmas: the span of time from Christmas Day on December 25th to January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany. It was a time for parties and gift-giving among the gentry. Epiphany was the end of the Christmas Season in Medieval Europe. ********Epiphany: This day, traditionally January 6th, is said to be the date when the three Gentile Magi [meaning something more like ‘astrologer’, but it is usually translated as ‘wise man’] arrived to visit Jesus. According to the Gospels, these kings were alerted to the birth of Jesus by watching the night sky and seeing a change in the motion of stars. They brought gifts to the baby, whom they hailed as the King of the Jews.

Happy Christmas or Merry Christmas! For some, it is a religious celebration, for some it is a cultural tradition. However you do it, as Dicken’s Scrooge said, “keep Christmas in your heart all the year long”, .

Our breakfast is based on a Jewish Seder meal, to remind us that Jesus was Jewish. The dinner is home-made Chinese food, since non-Christian families who want to go out for dinner on Christmas often go to a Chinese restaurant, since they would be among the few that were open.

After Seder Breakfast: 289 calories… 10 g fat… 5.4 g fiber… 28 g protein… 30 g carbs…105 mg Calcium… PB NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake only, not the optional beverages. A few left-over bits and bobs from a Seded dinner can make a breakfast later in the week.

++ 2 oz cooked lamb ++++ 1 hardboiled egg ++++ ½ cup cooked spinach +++ ½ cup/3 oz sliced cooked beets ++++ 1-2 tsp horseradish ++++ ¾ oz whole wheat matzo ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea ++

Cut egg in quarters, cut lamb into bite-sized pieces, squeeze excess water from spinach before measuring. Put egg, lamb, spinach, beets, and horseradish into food processor, and pulse to chop but not puree. Serve like a spread with the matzo.

Egg Roll Dinner: 287 calories… 2 g fat… 2.3 g fiber… 14 g protein… 44 g carb… 52 mg Calcium PB Egg Rolls are fun to prepare at home, so there is no need to order take-out. Prepare the Rolls in advance, then settle down for a fine meal.  

++2 chicken or beef egg rolls**++++ 1 Tbsp soy sauce ++ 1 Tbsp Sriracha++++ 3-4 oz broccoli florets ++++5 cherry tomatoes ++

If egg rolls are freshly-made, keep warm while you prepare the sides. Combine the Sriracha and soy sauce for a dipping sauce. Cook broccoli to your liking. Plate with the egg rolls, tomatoes, and dipping sauce.

Chicken or Beef Egg Rolls makes 7 each: 101 calories.. 1 g fat.. 0.5 g fiber.. 6 g protein.. 27.4 g carbs.. 12.6 mg Calcium  ++ 3 oz raw chicken, cut in strips OR 2 oz roast beef, cut in strips ++++ 1 Tbsp oyster sauce + 1 Tbsp soy sauce ++++ 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed ++++ 1 tsp raw ginger, peeled and chopped ++++ 2 oz carrot, shredded ++++ 1 oz onion, sliced ++++ 3 oz cabbage, sliced ++++ 7 six-inch egg-roll wrappers ++++ 1 tsp sesame oil ++

Combine the chicken/beef, oyster sauce, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. In a heavy-bottomed pan or wok, stir-fry the carrot, onion, and cabbage in ¼ cup water for 4 minutes. Add the meat with the marinade and cook until chicken is done. Put in a food processor and pulse to chop it coarsely. Following the directions on the wrapper package, fill and roll the egg-rolls – use ¼ c of mixture per wrapper. [if you end up with filling left-over, mix it with eggs for breakfast.] Turn oven on to 350 degrees F. Warm oil in a clean, flat-bottomed saute pan. Put egg rolls in the pan and roll them to coat with oil. Cook gently on all sides over warm heat until beginning to brown and blister. Put egg rolls on a pan in the hot oven and bake until they are getting crispy, about 10 minutes?

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

1.5 two-oz eggs = US large	1 two-oz egg
3%-fat ham	succotash = corn + lima beans
melon or apple	Parmesan cheese
	apple
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

roasted chicken or turkey breast meat	zucchini + olive oil + crushed red pepper flakes
green beans + carrots	1 pound shrimp [size: 21-26] + za’atar
Finn Crisp crackers	whole lemon + plain, fat-free yogurt + garlic
strawberries	mint/cilantro/dill + whole wheat artisan bread
Sparkling water	Sparkling water