Diet of Worms

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.

A diet of worms?? — doesn’t that sound delicious!! Surely if there were such an eating plan, it would guarantee rapid weight loss — no one would want to eat at all! But in this case, a ‘diet’ is not a WOE/way-of-eating, but a political gathering called for the purpose of deliberating a matter of interest. In January 1521, Emperor Charles V assembled the leaders of the German States, both nobles and clergymen, to a meeting at the city of Worms. Worms was a ‘free city’ meaning that it ruled itself, free from the dictates of a prince or the church, so it was beholden to nobody. One of the matters to discuss came up in mid-April. The Church was offended by the proposals of the Augustinian monk Martin Luther for reforms of the Church. Luther had posted his 95 proposals in October, 1517 and they had caused much debate. He was especially against the selling of indulgences to raise money for the Pope. In 1520, Pope Leo X issued a condemnation of 41 of the 95 theses, and so the stage was set. On April 16, Luther appeared before the Diet and acknowledged that the 95 theses were his own ideas. The Pope’s representative asked Luther to repudiate his ideas. Luther asked for a day to think about his answer. On April 17, when asked again, Luther said that if anyone could show him that his writings were in opposition to what was in the Bible, then he would recant. Otherwise, he declared, “Here I stand. [“Hier stehe ich”] I can do no other. [“Ich kann nicht anders”] Amen.” Such a commotion ensued, that the meeting was suspended. When a vote was taken about Luther’s fate as a heretic, the group could reach no conclusion. Upon leaving Worms, Luther was “kidnapped” by men sent by his benefactor Elector Frederick III the Wise of Saxony, and spirited away to Wartburg Castle. Meanwhile, a subsequent Diet passed the Edict of Worms, seeking Luther’s arrest. It was never enforced. His courageous stand at the Diet of Worms rallied supporters to his cause and the German version of the Protestant Reformation movement grew into the Lutheran Church.

Our breakfast is from the Franconia region of Germany, and Franconia shows the divisions that the Reformation caused: parts of the region are staunchly Roman Catholic, and the other parts are resolutely Protestant. Our German dinner would be popular anywhere, no matter what your religious views are.

Franconian Breakfast: 163 calories 4.4 g fat 4 g. fiber 13 g protein 22.5 g carbs 117 mg Calcium  NB: These values are for the Fruit Hearts alone and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  Here some favorite flavors of the German State of Franconia come together for breakfast. My stars!! This is delicious!

1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread 1 oz smoked trout 2 Tbsp small-curd cottage cheese 1 Tbsp snipped chives 2 oz plum   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Lightly toast the bread. Stir together the cottage cheese and chives, and spread on the toast. Plate along with the trout and plum. Some might prefer to place the trout on the bread and eat it thus, which is a great way to do it. 

Herring Salad:  278 calories 6 g fat 7 g fiber 16 g protein 24 g carbs 103 mg Calcium  PB GF Luchöw’s Restaurant will live in memory as long as a certain generation yet breathes. And there was a lot to remember about it: the decor, the old-world service, the menu. Not a hokey tourist trap – it was a genuine German restaurant in Manhattan. This is one of their fine Old World recipes.  NB: if you take a MOIA anti-depressent, be aware that herring has high amounts of tyramine. 

1½ oz herring marinated in wine, drained ¼ cup beets, cooked, cooled and diced 1½ oz apple, peeled and diced ¼ cup white beans, drained and rinsed ½ hard-boiled egg, sliced 2 Tbsp onion, minced ½ oz dill pickle, chopped pinch sugar 2 tsp vinegar, or more 1 cup lettuce, shredded

Put the vinegar and sugar in a bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently until everything is well-incorporated. Taste to see if it needs more sugar or more vinegar. A herring-lover’s delight.

The Alderney

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.

“The Dairymaid 
She curtsied, 
And went and told 
The Alderney: 
“Don’t forget the butter for 
The Royal slice of bread.” 
The Alderney 
Said sleepily: 
“You’d better tell 
His Majesty 
That many people nowadays 
Like marmalade Instead.”  The King’s Breakfast, A. A. Milne

And what, you ask, is an”Alderney” and why can it be rude to the King of England? The place called Alderney is one of the Channel Islands that lie off the coast of Normandy. They were traditionally owned by the Duke of Normandy. When, in 1066, the Duke of Normandy [William the Conquerer] became the King of England, the Channel Islands became part of England. Sort of. Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark are part of the sovereign ‘Bailiwick of Guernsey,’ which belong to King Charles III alone. In the poem above, the Alderney is a cow, one of a special breed from the island. Dairy cattle were important on the Channel Islands, provoking much pride and competition among their citizens. The Alderney was recognized in the late 1700s as an established breed, famous for its docility and the quality of its butter. The breed is mentioned by Jane Austin. In 19th-century England, ‘Alderney’ came to be a generic name for a cow from any of the Islands, so people were confused about the breed and authenticity of the brand name. On Jersey and Guernsey, they say that the Alderney is a degraded, inferior breed, but those who knew said that the three breeds were recognizably different, the Alderney being smaller, ‘deer-like.’ All of them originated centuries ago in Normandy and Brittany, and were subsequently affected by breeding programs on each Island. Before the Nazis invaded in 1944, many people and some cattle were evacuated. But however-many pure-bred Alderneys remained there were slaughtered by the Nazis, so the breed is no more. The most common dairy cow in the US today is the Holstein. There are herds of Jerseys, there are herds of Guernseys, but none of us will ever see an Alderney again.

Our meals, naturally, contain lots of dairy products — but no marmalade — in honor of the late, lamented Alderney breed of cow.

Herb Cottage Cheese Bake: 146 calories 5 g fat 4 g fiber 9 g protein 12 g carbs 36.4 mg Calcium   PB GF – if using GF crackers or omitting  This is a very pleasant and easy-to-prepare breakfast that takes advantage of the flavors of garden-fresh herbs.

One 2-oz egg 2 Tbsp fresh herbs, chopped 1 Tbsp cottage cheese 2 pinches crushed red peppers 2 oz peach 2 slices Finn Crisp crackers  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]

Preheat toaster oven to 350F. Spritz an oven-safe dish with cooking spray. Whisk together egg, herbs, cottage cheese, and red pepper. Pour into baking dish and bake 12-15 minutes. Plate with peach and pour an optional beverage. Simple and satisfying.

Ham Flan [Rigodon]: 284 calories 9 g fat 3 g fiber 27 g protein 25 g carbs 231.5 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF flour In Burgundy, they like their ham. Here it stars in the glorious ‘rigodon’ or ham flan. Easy to prepare and splendid to eat.  HINT: This recipe serves 2 [two].

3 oz ham, preferably 97% fat free 1 cup skimmed milk 4 two-oz eggs 2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour big pinch allspice big pinch thyme Side Salad OR 2 oz green beans

Dice the ham and put it on the bottom of a glass or ceramic pie plate which has been spritzed with non-stick spray. Bring the milk slowly to a boil. Whisk the eggs and flour until well combined. Take the milk off the heat and add to the eggs in a thin stream while whisking quickly so the eggs don’t cook. Stir in the seasonings and pour it all into the baking dish. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, until set and golden brown. Serve cold or at room temperature.

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

1 two-oz egg + crab meat1.5 two-oz eggs 
soy sauce + ground gingertuna + clementine
sprouted seeds + scallionsFrozen spinach 
garlic powder + pearMediterranean Vegetables
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

Chicken breast meat + chicken stock3 figs + mint leaves
Satay Sauce  + peanut butterchèvre/creamy goat cheese
2 chicken momos  + 2 pork wontonsBayonne or Serrano ham
1 oz Chinese BBQ Pork, purchased plain croissant
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Twelfth Night

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.

As the song tells us, there are 12 Days of Christmas. The counting begins on Christmas Day and continues into January. The 12th Day is the day before Epiphany, January 6, which traditionally marks the day that the Three Kings and their gifts visited the baby Jesus and his family. Because of this, January 6 is a day of gift-giving in many countries. It is also called Three King’s Day and it marks the official ‘end’ of the Christmas Season. Because the twelfth day was the end of festivities and the next day was a Holy Day, the night before Epiphany was the last night for partying and took on particular significance. That night before is called ‘Twelfth Night.’ Yes, Shakespeare wrote a play of that title. Special parties and revelry were planned, along with certain foods. A King Cake was a typical in France, a tradition transplanted to the French colony of Louisiana. This confection was baked with non-edible tokens inside and party-goers would hope to find in their slice of cake a coin [symbolizing wealth for the up-coming year] or a ring [next to marry] or, in today’s New Orleans, a tiny plastic Baby. If you find the Baby, then you are crowned King or Queen of the night, complete with a crown — and you will have to host the party next year. And after Twelfth Night came the Feast of the Three Kings and after that it was back to the hum-drum work-a-day world. Except that we are talking about celebrations in the 12th through 17th centuries and the nobility who lived then — their work-a-day world was far different from that of the hundreds of peasants and servants who made the nobles’ lives possible. My parents always gave their seasonal party on 12th Night, and it was always a success.

Our breakfast contains three principle ingredients, in honor of the Three Kings. Our dinner is typical of the American South at New Year’s: greens and sausage are a classic meal, right down to the touch of molasses.

Carne-Green Chili ScrOmelette: 168 calories 13.5 g fat 1.4 g fiber 12.5 g protein 13 g carbs 48 mg Calcium   NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beveragesPB GF  The directions below are for an omelette, or as the name ScrOmelette implies, you could scramble it all.

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 and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.    ½ oz roasted green chilies [Hatch brand is very good] ½ ounce carne adovada [pork shoulder with hot spices boiled until it falls apart: make ahead and freeze for future use] 1½ oz apple or unsweetened apple sauce  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 caloriesOptional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water

Whisk the eggs with salt + pepper to taste. Drain the chilis, if too liquidy, and stir with the carne. Put the eggs into a hot pan spritzed with cooking spray. Once the bottom of the eggs are set, sprinkle with carne and chilis, fold and plate. Slice or dish the fruit, prepare your beverages. Enjoy your fine South-Western breakfast with mocha coffee for authentic taste.

Andouille with Beans & Greens:  213 calories 7.5 g fat 6 g fiber 16.5 g protein 22 g carbs 120 mg Calcium  PB GF  After reading Vallery Lomas’ recipe in the New York Times, I decided to see if I could make these flavors suitable for a Fast meal. Here is the result and it is a treat.  HINT: This recipe serves three [3].

6 oz Andouille, slicedCook and stir sausage in a heavy skillet until browned, 5-7 mins.
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
Mince shallot and garlic and cook, stirring often, until translucent, ~2 mins.
3c/4 oz collards
salt & pepper
Coarsely chop and add greens. Add 3 Tbsp water. Toss-cook to wilt, 2-3 mins. Add salt and pepper. 
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 c. cannellini beans
1 c. diced tomato
2 tsp molasses
Rinse and drain the beans. Add these ingredients and toss to warm through. Season again with salt and pepper to taste.

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

1 two-oz egg1.5 two-oz eggs 
fresh chives + kiwi fruit2 oysters
Parmesan cheeseuncured American bacon
reduced-fat ricotta cheesestrawberries or cherries
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

olive oil + garlic + oregano sprig + parsleychicken or turkey thigh meat, uncooked + dashi
collards or kale or Swiss chard + shallotsoy sauce + mirin + chives/scallions
canned beans, like kidney + red pepper flakessaki or dry sherry + sugar
whole wheat pasta or brown rice or barley2 eggs + parsley: Italian or Mitsuba
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Berchtoldstag

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.

A Hasselnuss Hock

January 2 is the date to celebrate Berchtoldstag or Berchtold’s Day in many cantons of Switzerland. Oddly, no one seems to know who Berchtold was! He might have been the Duke Berchtold V, who in 1191, founded the capital city of Bern. Or the day could be named for a Swiss-German Benedictine monk named Berchtold of Engelberg. Perhaps the name comes from the word “berchten” which means ‘to wander about asking for food.’ Whatever. German-speaking descendants of the Alemenni tribe in Germany, Switzerland, and Alsace seize the day for village feasts, costumed parades, and celebration of local tradition. This is not a religious holiday or a saint’s day, but a cultural observance. Protestants tried to stamp out the festival during the Reformation, but it has persisted. Children go around asking for nuts, a rather more healthy ‘trick-or-treat’ tradition. With the nuts, they play all sorts of games and build tiny towers called ‘hocks’ with four nuts as the base and one balanced on top. Try it. Go nuts on 2 January, and celebrate an ancient festival.

Nuts are on the menu for Berchtoldstag — but not the walnuts or hazelnuts that the children expect. Our breakfast will use almonds and the dinner will include peanuts as an ingredient. Ok, ok — peanuts are not true nuts, but they are enjoyed worldwide.

Peachy Waffle Hearts148 calories 3.4 g fat 3.6 g fiber 3.6 g protein 29 g carbs 59.4 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beveragePB  GF– if using GF waffles  Where is it written that hearts are reserved for Valentine’s Day? Make this breakfast to show someone that he/she/they are loved. Make it for yourself for affirmation.

3 sections of waffle that are heart-shaped [our waffle-maker has 5 heart-shaped sections] 3 Tbsp Vanilla yogurt, low-fat 2 Tbsp almond meal/flour 3 oz peach, mashed 2 oz pear, cut as 3 slices   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Combine the yogurt with the almond meal and let it sit to thicken a bit. Can be done overnight. Mash the peach through a sieve to make a mush. Warm the waffles to take off any chill and spread with the peach mush. Pipe or spoon the yogurt around the edges of the hearts and plate with the pear. A pretty treat.

Chicken Satay: 262 calories 9 g fat 3 g fiber 24 g protein 17 g carbs 23 mg Calcium  PB GF  It looks so elegant in the restaurant, yet it is easy to prepare at home. Feel free to vary the vegetables if you wish.

3 oz uncooked chicken breast 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp satay sauce [Taste of Thai or Thai Kitchen] 1½ tsp peanut butter pinch granulated garlic Sriracha to taste 1 oz cherry tomatoes 2-3 oz cauliflower, sliced across the entire head 

Cut the chicken into 1” pieces. Put in a bowl and mix well with 1 Tbsp of satay sauce. Let sit 4-12 hours in the refrigerator. In a small bowl, combine 2 tsp of satay sauce with the peanut butter, garlic powder, and Sriracha. Slice the cauliflower into a ‘steak’ [across the head] that weighs 2-3 oz and brush it with the peanut sauce. Skewer the marinated meat on wooden or metal picks. Broil or grill both the meat [takes less time] and cauliflower [takes more time] until done. Plate with the tomatoes.

Gustave Eiffel

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.

Gustave Eiffel was born on December 15, 1832, near Dijon. He was born during the early years of the Industrial Revolution, when the ability to make high quality iron in mass production had begun. This permitted the building of tall, wide, strong structures. Eiffel attended the  Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, where he learned to build with steel. He must have learned well, for he became known for building bridges. Bordeaux, 1860. Portugal, 1876. Garabit Viaduct, 1885. The structures are elegant and durable. His engineering firm was responsible for some notable buildings in Hungary, 1874; Nice, 1878; Chile, 1868. Eiffel designed the engineering supports inside of the Statue of Liberty, 1883, and of course his most famous work was the Eiffel Tower, 1889. The iconic tower was built to be a temporary demonstration of iron-working, a curiosity at the Paris World’s Fair of 1889, 100 years after the French Revolution. Artists and poets hated it and many citizens wanted the eye-sore torn down. But when it became a radio antenna in the late 1890s, it was seen as more than a place for tourists to visit. After the disastrous French attempt to build the Panama Canal, with Eiffel’s company designing the lock system, Eiffel retired. After two years in prison for the canal debacle, he was exonerated. Still healthy and curious, he spent his last 30 years studying meteorology, wind forces on tall structures, and wind tunnels. Can one today imagine Paris without its amazing Tour Eiffel? Incroyable! Can one today imagine New York without its amazing Lady Liberty? Fuggedaboutit! Gustave Eiffel certainly left an indelible mark on the world with his structures. A genius.

You might think that Eiffel’s birthday should call for that restaurant fad of ‘tall food,’ but we will enjoy simple French meals that are easy to prepare and enjoyable to eat.

Cherry Flamusse: 194 calories 5 g fat 1 g fiber 11 g protein 27.6 g carbs 157 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB GF – if using GF flour  This breakfast custard is borrowed from the dessert section of the cookbook, and it works very well either way! It is similar to a clafouti, but simpler. Served with cherries or any fresh fruit, it is sure to be a hit. HINT: This makes enough for 2 [two] servings: share with a friend or save the rest for a future breakfast or dessert. [As a dessert, without the clementine, one serving has 177 calories.]

2 two-oz eggs 6 oz milk 4 tsp flour OR tapioca flour 1.5 Tbsp sugar 10 sweet cherries, pitted ½ clementine  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 caloriesOptional:blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Spritz 2 ramekins or an oven-proof dish with 1.5 cup capacity with non-stick spray. Cut the cherries in half and arrange on the bottom of the dish. Whisk eggs until foamy, then add flour and sugar, whisking until there are no lumps. Stir in the milk and pour the batter over the cherries. Bake at 375 F. for 20 minutes. Turn the flamusse out of the dish so that the cherries are on top. Plate with the clementine sections, serve with the beverages. Sure doesn’t taste like a ‘diet.’

Beef & Beet Salad:  243 calories 8.5 g fat 3 g fiber 24 g protein 17 g carbs 24 mg Calcium   PB GF  This unusual salad was found in James Peterson’s Glorious French Food. Should you have left-over roast beef, this is the dish to try. It is crazy easy.

2¾ oz thinly-sliced roasted beef 3½ oz pickled beets, as thinly-sliced rounds a few leaves of spinach, cut as chiffonade dill pickle spear 1½ tsp dressing*** 

***Dressing [makes 6 teaspoons] 2¼ tsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp chopped shallot 1½ tsp red wine vinegar 4½ tsp olive oil

Slice the beef and the beets as matchsticks about 2-3” long. Put in the serving bowl/plate along with the spinach, and drizzle the dressing over the top. Gently toss to coat the salad with the dressing. Plate it with the pickle. 

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

2 two-oz eggs + olive oil1.5 two-oz eggs 
garlic + mushroomsscallions
frozen spinach + milkbasil + tomato
flour + feta cheesestrawberries
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

zucchini + 2-oz egg + dill weed8”, 170-calorie whole wheat tortilla
feta cheese + parsley + shrimpcrushed tomatoes + mozzarella
white whole wheat flour + tomatoonion + mushrooms
self-wishing flour + plain yogurtprosciutto + calamita olive
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Orts & Sorts

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. Welcome to reginaldgreenway who is now Following.

The word ‘ort’ comes down to us from the 14th century. It is an English word meaning ‘a bit of leftover food.’ In those days, the orts would be returned to the stewpot or fed to the pig. Royal households would give their orts to the poor in public displays of generosity. Nowadays, this word is beloved of crossword puzzle writers and Scrabble players. For two years I worked in a lab run by a professor from Kansas. One day he threw the expression ‘orts and sorts’ into a conversation. Although I had never heard it before, I took it to mean ‘bits of this and that.’ Apparently, this expression was unique to his family — if you Google the term, there are no results. ‘Of a sort’ is a pejorative term implying that something is not up to standards. ‘Ort of a sort’ could mean a truly questionable left-over food or it could be another made-up term. Some people distain left-overs and throw out perfectly good food [chicken carcass with meat still on it; cooked vegetables]. To me, that is unconscionable food waste. Up-cycle your orts into delicious soups or salads for Fast or Slow Days. Do your budget and the planet a favor.

Today’s menus have no theme — they are a bit of this and that, representing some favorite meals from older posts. You will want to eat them all and have no orts remaining.

Cottage Cheese & Pear: 164 calories 3.5 g fat 5 g fiber 10 g protein 26 g carbs [24 g Complex] 61 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beveragePB GF  This is from the Fast Diet book and it is a great way to start the day. I added the pecans to this for deeper flavor and more protein.

4 oz pear [of which Comice is the best] 1/3 cup fat free cottage cheese ¼ c. blueberries ½ Tbsp pecans, finely chopped  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 caloriesOptional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Section the pear into slices and remove the core. Do not bother to peel the pears. Fan the segments on a plate in a circle. Place the cottage cheese in the center, sprinkle with the berries and nuts. Pour the optional beverages of choice. Good stuff!

Shrimp Quick-fry with Udon Noodles: 267 calories 7 g fat 24 g protein 33 g carbs   PB The back of a bag of udon noodles supplied this recipe and then I adapted it. This is one of my go-to meals.

1 oz of dry udon [or soba] noodles 3 oz raw shrimp, cut in half across the body 2 oz carrot, peeled and sliced into coins 1½ oz green cabbage 1 oz onion 1- 1/2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp olive oil 1 oz chopped green onion

Put the frozen shrimp in a bowl with a little water to thaw. Cook noodles in a quart of water about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, shell, and peel the raw shrimp. Slice the shrimp across the body. Heat the oil in a cast iron pan or wok. Add the carrot, cabbage, and onion and some of the water from the thawed shrimp. Stir-fry/steam for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and any remaining liquid and cook one minute more. Toss the cooked noodles into the pan and mix to warm them. Add , salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Toss to mix ingredients. If you think this sounds complicated and long, I did it in 25 minutes and that included peeling carrots and cleaning shrimp. Satisfying and good to eat.  NB: If you don’t like shrimp, substitute just under 2 oz sliced chicken breast.

J. S. Bach

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. Welcome to green smoothie diet who is now Following.

Johann Sebastian Bach is probably my favorite composer. When I was a child, my mother always had the classical music station WQXR on the radio, and she would name the composers as the music played. In college choir, we sang Bach pieces a few times over my four years of singing. Wonderful, soaring music. In art class, I came to appreciate the Baroque period without making the connection to Baroque influences in music. Baroque art is filled with drama, light and shadow, and evokes emotion in the viewer. Now I can hear that Bach’s music is the same: rich and ornate, the listener cannot fail to be moved. JS Bach was born on March 21, 1685. His father taught him to play the violin and harpsichord, and the boy sang in the church choir. Orphaned at age 10, Bach was taken in by his older brother who was also a musician. His brother taught him musical composition and to play the organ. At age 15, JS was on the move, something he would do frequently over his career. For the next 23 years, he went from town to town, working as church organist here, as the court musician there, always moving on due to religious politics or disputes about wages. JS was not a difficult man. He was devoted to his music and his growing family, and expected to be treated fairly. All along the way, Bach honed his skills and became more inventive in his music. He perfected the ‘fugue‘ and he promoted musical improvisation. The father of 4 musicians, Johann Sebastian Bach is considered to be one of the greatest composers of all time. Three of his works were included on the ‘Golden Record’ on which NASA recorded music and other ‘sounds of Earth’ to send into space on the Voyager I in 1977. Music for the ages. 

Bach was born in Thuringia, a region of Germany which prides itself on its sausages. So sausage it will be, as part of breakfast, as part of dinner. Celebrate his birthday tomorrow by listening to his music.

Sausage-Apple ScrOmelette: 152 calories 10 g fat 0.5 g fiber 12.8 g protein 3.5 g carbs 43.2 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beveragesPB GF  A hearty breakfast to start your day right.

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 and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.  1 link chicken breakfast sausage = 35 calories ¾ oz apple sage leaves, fresh or dried   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]

Dice the sausage and apple. Heat a well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Add the sausage/apple and stir to warm them and cook them a bit. Whisk the eggs with the sage, salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the sausage/apple in the pan. Scramble to your favorite degree of doneness. Partake of your beverages of choice.

Sauerkraut and Sausage: 255 calories 5.5 g fat 12.6 g fiber 21.5 g protein 33.5 g carbs 196.4 mg Calcium  GF PB  This is the sort of food that fueled Bach, Goethe, and Luther. Check the calories and you will see that this is not a fattening meal.

1½ cups sauerkraut, canned or bagged or fresh 2 tsp caraway seed 2 oz/ 1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened ½ cup onions, chopped coarsely 1 chicken sausage with apple [OR other 110 calorie sausage] left whole or sliced into ½” chunks 1½ cups raw collard greens OR Kale OR Chard, chopped or sliced cross-wise in ¼” strips [chiffonade] salt + garlic powder + pepper to taste.

Thaw the sausage if it is frozen. Combine the sauerkraut, caraway seed, applesauce, and onions in a saucepan large enough to hold the sausage [if leaving whole]. Cook slowly, uncovered until half of the liquid is gone. Add the sausage, cover, and continue to cook until everything is hot. Meanwhile, put the collards into ½ cup water with seasonings, and cook covered until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes.

Pi Day

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.

March 14th is Pi Day. Why? As any math student will tell you, the value of Pi = 3.14………, thus 3-14 is the day to celebrate that value. What is Pi? If you took a bowl and measured the distance through the center from one side to the next, you have measured the ‘diameter’ of the bowl. Now you use a measuring tape to determine how far it is around the rim of the bowl and you have found the ‘circumference’ of the bowl. If you divide the circumference by the diameter, the result is always 3.14…….. This concept dates from the ancient Greeks, and Archimedes was the first to quantify the number. Actually, it has been considered impossible to quantify the number fully, because it is ‘irrational.’ Nine divided by three = 3.00 — it comes out evenly. But no matter how many decimal places you take it to, the value of Pi does not seem to end. So we thought… This is a common device in Sci-Fi films and TV shows: the wayward computer is told to ‘resolve Pi to the last decimal place,’ knowing full well that it was impossible. [If you prefer fractions to decimals, Pi can be approximated as 22/7.] In 2010, a super computer and a super mathematician finally resolved Pi to its 2-quadrillion digit end. Sorry, Mr. Spock.

A baker would celebrate March 14 as PIE Day. On a Fast Day, we will enjoy our pies without crusts — but they are pies just the same. Pie for breakfast is a lovely tradition in New England. Quiche is a pie by another name. Enjoy pie as you calculate the value of Pi to the 100th decimal place — by hand.

Pumpkin Pie Breakfast:  216 calories 4 g fat 2 g fiber 7.4 g protein 38.5 g carbs 98.5 mg Calcium   PB GF  My mother developed this recipe and to me it is the Gold Standard of pumpkin pies.  When prepared without a crust, it becomes more suitable for a Fast Day. NB: Mind the optional calories in the beverages to stay under 300 for the meal. Prepare the custards the day before

1 ramekin of Pumpkin Pie ** 1 chicken breakfast sausage [36 calories each]  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories

Remove a ramekin of custard from ‘fridge and place on a plate. Do this first to take off some of the chill. Cook the sausage and prepare the optional hot beverage. Enjoy being a ‘Yankee’ who has pie for breakfast.

**Pumpkin Pie Custards Serves 6Heat oven to 400 F. Spritz 6 ramekins with non-stick spray.
1½ cups pumpkin puree ½ cup brown sugar, not packed ½ cup white sugarCombine in a sauce pan and heat at a low setting.
1 cup milk, non-fat
2 two-ounce eggs
Whisk together, then stir into the pumpkin.Take sauce pan off heat.
¼ tsp mace + ½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger + ½ tsp salt
pinch ground cloves 1 tsp cinnamon + pinch allspice
Stir the spices into the mixture. Taste to see if any flavors need to be adjusted.
Pour into ramekins. Put in oven, bake 10 minutes.
Turn oven down to 350F, bake 20 minutes or until a knife poked in the center comes out clean.
Cool custards and refrigerate. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Salmon Quiche: serves 6  Per serving: 110 calories 6 oz fat 0.5 g fiber 9.6 g protein 3.5 g carbs 56 mg Calcium  PB GF This goes together so quickly and tastes so nice, that I urge you to serve it at your next luncheon or guest occasion. You can serve as a dinner and then for a subsequent breakfast and/or lunch. 

Get a piece before it is all gone!

2 oz salmon, cooked 1 cup grated zucchini ½ cup coarsely-chopped onion 6 eggs 2 Tbsp reduced-fat ricotta 2 Tbsp plain fat-free yogurt dill weed salt to taste pepper to taste   salad, per serving: 48 calories 2.4 g fat 2 g fiber 1 g protein 6 g carbs 25 mg Calcium ½ tsp olive oil + ½ tsp flavorful vinegar 1 cup greens such as baby greens or mesclun 1 oz tomatoes, diced 1 oz cooked, chilled beets, sliced or cubed ½ oz carrot, grated

Spritz an oven-proof quiche pan [I used one that is 8.5”diameter x 2” deep] with non-stick spray. Crumble the salmon into the bottom of the pan and top with the zucchini and onion. Whisk eggs with the ricotta, yogurt, dill, salt, and pepper. Pour into the pan and bake at 350 F. for around 30 minutes, or until puffed and set in the center.  Serve with a side salad and some local, seasonal vegetables.

Anthems

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.

We hear national anthems played at sporting events, especially the Olympics. [Most] every nation has one: some of them are controversial, some of them have interesting stories. The oldest national anthem is that of Japan, words dating from the 10th century, music from 1880s. China’s song, the March of the Volunteers, began as the theme of a propaganda movie made in the 1930s to inspire citizens to resist the invading Japanese. The French anthem, La Marseillaise, is a rousing soldiers’ song from the French Revolution. The problem is that the words are blood-thirsty: bloody flags being raised and gore flowing in fields. Sounds better if you don’t know French… The Americans’ Star Spangled Banner was written in the middle of a battle and describes the joy of observers at seeing the flag still flying over the fort at dawn — the battle was not lost. It is criticized as being jingoistic [‘conquer we must’], and some propose America the Beautiful as a more suitable song. And then there is the anthem of Spain: completely un-singable because it has no words — melody only. It was composed in 1761 and attempts have been made to add lyrics but they have failed. What does your nation’s anthem celebrate? The beauty of the land? The courage of the soldiers? The spirit of the people? The anthem of Ukraine proudly proclaims that “Ukraine will not perish” and describes the peoples’ willingness to fight for their freedom. May they succeed.

To honor the cuisine of two of the nations mentioned today, we have a breakfast from Japan and a dinner from the region of France where the anthem originated.

Jian Bang  [Japanese Rolled Eggs]: 149 calories 8.5 g fat 1 g fiber 13 g protein 6 g carbs [4 g Complex] 72.6 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beveragesPB 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 to make a good thing even better. Yup, guilding the lily.

1½ 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 1½ oz strawberries  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]

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. 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.

Chicken Provincal: 252 calories 12.5 g fat 4 g fiber 25.4 g protein 15 g carbs 57 mg Calcium   PB GF– if using GF flour   This recipe is from the Culinary Institute of America, with a few tweeks by me. It glows with the warm tastes of Province. Despite what a buffet waiter told me, it is pronounced ‘pro-vohn-saal‘ — NOT ‘pro-van-kal.’ HINT: The recipe serves two [2] people.

6 oz chicken breast, boneless & skinless 2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour 2 tsp olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced 1 anchovy fillet 2 Tbsp dry white wine 1 c tomatoes, chopped, juice retained 1/4 c. chicken stock 5 cured black olives, sliced pinch salt 2 pinches rosemary per serving: 2-3 oz broccoli florets

Fillet the chicken breast meat by cutting it along the thin side to create 2 slices. These will cook faster, as well as looking like more food on the plate! Sprinkle the flour over the chicken to coat it lightly. Heat the oil in a small non-stick skillet and cook the chicken on one side. Turn once to cook the other side, remove from pan. Put the garlic, anchovy, tomatoes, and wine in the pan, mashing the solids with a spoon as they heat. Add the chicken stock, olives, and rosemary to the pan and cook until the sauce thickens. Return the chicken to the pan to heat it briefly. If the sauce gets too thick, add some tomato juices or water or more stock. Cook the broccoli and enjoy your meal from southern France.

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

1 two-oz egg2 oz smelts
70-calorie whole grain breadgozleme bread: white whole wheat flour + yogurt
Mediterranean Vegetables deglet noor dates
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

two 2-oz eggs + lower-fat ricotta veal + dried fig + dried apricots + dates
mushrooms + garlic + zucchini carrot + onion + white wine
lemon juice + Parmesan + oniontomato paste + olive oil
mozzarella cheese + thymebay leaf + rosemary + cucumber
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Montaigne

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. Welcome to A.C. Cockerill who is now Following.

A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.

What is a ‘philosopher’? It is someone who seeks wisdom. And where is this prize found? Michel de Montaigne decided, on his 38th birthday [February 28] in 1571, to trade in most of his way of life to seek wisdom in his own thoughts. He moved out of the family chateau to a tower across the courtyard. Alone with a bed, a writing desk, and his 1000-volume library he began to ‘try’ to figure out life’s great mysteries. [He went back to the chateau for meals. He also attended local social events.] The word ‘try’ is important because he called his writings ‘essais’ based on the French verb ‘essayer,’ meaning ‘to try.’ Who was Montaigne? He was the son of a family made very wealthy trading in salted herring. His mother was the daughter of prosperous merchants in Bordeaux. The family obtained noble rank due to his father’s military service, helped by the fact that 2 generations back they had converted from Judaism to Christianity. His father valued education and designed an unusual learning plan for his son. From shortly after his birth until his 3rd birthday, young Michel lived exclusively with a local peasant family — to learn empathy for simple folk. From age 3 to age 6, there was a tutor who spoke only latin to him — as did his parents and all the servants — making latin his native tongue. At age 6, off to a humanist boarding school, then studying law in his teenage years. Mayor and city councilor of Bordeaux; suffering from kidney stones; friend of kings: Montaigne stored up experiences which he later put in writing. His three books containing his 107 essays were published in two books in 1580, and the third, posthumously, in 1595. Free-wheeling in structure and organization, the writings range from cannabalism, to having thumbs, to the education of children, to tomorrow is a new day, Montaigne found a new way of expressing himself and inspired writers and thinkers for centuries.

As a nod to the Montaigne Family fortune, we will enjoy herrings at breakfast. The dinner salad evokes his childhood with a shepherding family. Will these meals make you philosophical? Who knows.

Herring Plate: 195 calories 8 g fat 4.4 g fiber 8 g protein 13.5 g carbs [11 g Ccomplex] 33 mg Calcium  PB  If you like herring, this is the breakfast for you. It makes a nice change from morning eggs and it is prepared in no-time-flat. NB: Do NOT eat herring if you are taking MOAI antidepressent medicine, as herring is high in tyramine.

3 Finn Crisp crackers  1.25 oz herring marinated in wine [not sour cream] 2 Tbsp whipped cream cheese 4 Bing cherries OR ½ cup strawberries, sliced  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]   Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories

Do I need to describe this preparation? Spread the cream cheese on the crackers and pile on the herring. Delicious and so satisfying.

Shepherds’ Salad: 286 cal 15 g fat 5 g fiber 13 g protein 23.6 g carbs 311 mg Calcium  PB GF  This delightful meal is from Lynne Rossetto Kaspar’s The Italian Country Table. I have included a version of the original cooked salad dressing, but you may use a simple herbed vinaigrette if you prefer.

½ oz salami 1/3 c white beans 2½ cups [3 oz] lettuce, from the garden, the store, or wild sorrel, dandelion, or lambs quarters 1 oz mozzerella 1 radish, thinly sliced 2” celery, thinly sliced on diagonal ½ oz chicken breast 2 tsp of boiled dressing** OR 2 tsp vinaigrette dressing++

Prep your toppings: slice the salami rounds into matchsticks; shred the lettuce; cut the cheese into strips about ¼” square; slice the radish and celery. Measure 2 tsp dressing into a serving/salad bowl and add the lettuce. Toss to coat with the dressing. Arrange the meat, beans, cheese, and radishes in decorative groupings. Hearty and delicious, even if you didn’t have to forage for it yourself.

**SHEPHERDS’ SALAD DRESSING:  makes 1/3 cup enough for 7 servings  1 serving = 2 tsp = 32 calories 

3 Tbsp olive oil 
4” rosemary
6 sage leaves
Put in a pan and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
4 smashed cloves garlic 
pinch of hot pepper flakes
Peel the garlic cloves and crush them with the side of a large knife. Add to the pan and stir for a few seconds.
½ cup red wine vinegar Add vinegar and boil the liquids down to 1/3 cup.
Strain and cool before serving. Put the remainder in a jar and store. 

++Vinaigrette Dressing makes 6 Tbsp, enough for 9 servings  1 serving = 1½ tsp = 52 calories 1 Tbsp cider vinegar + ¼ tsp salt : stir together and let sit 5 minutes 4 Tbsp olive oil + 1 ½ tsp cold water + ½ tsp tarragon or thyme : whisk together Add the vinegar and whisk again.