Eating well with creative recipes while following the Fast Diet

Midsummer

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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 asterisk1598 who is now Following.

“Midsummer” is celebrated on the first full day of Summer, which this year was June 20. I always won-dered why midsummer was observed at the start of Summer, but it is half-way between the start of Spring and the start of Autumn….so, maybe…. The French blend it with the Fete St-Jean on June 24, but in Sweden, where the midnight sun will be shining, Midsummer is always observed on a Friday, some-where between the 19th and the 25th of June. Everyone who can goes to the countryside to celebrate with floral wreaths, native costumes, May Pole dances, and food with friends. Young ladies must be sure that seven different types of wildflowers will be picked at night to put under their pillow, and by the end of the day, everyone will have danced like a little frog. Many of the traditions surrounding the date hark back to ancient fertility rituals, praying that the fields and farm animals would produce a bounty that summer. The parties and dancing would go on all night, except that there is no night at Midsummer because it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

We will celebrate Midsummer with the garden’s bounty: spinach muffins from Greece at breakfast, and eggplant with tomatoes for dinner. This should remind us that celebrating the 1st day of Summer can happen on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, just as well as on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Spanakopeta Muffins: each muffin = 142 calories… 10 g fat… 0.5 g fiber… 9 g protein… 3.5 g carbs… 132 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the muffin and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  In this recipe, the delightful Greek ‘pie’ comes to the breakfast table – much easier to prepare without the many sheets of filo dough. The ‘muffins’ freeze well for a make-ahead treat. The recipe is from “The Mediterranean Dish” by Suzy Karadsheh.

4 muffinsRack in center of oven, preheat to 350°F. Standard muffin tin, 8 or 12 wells
olive oilBrush on bottom and sides of 8 wells of muffin tin. fill any other cups w/ water.
4 two-oz eggs++++½ tsp dried oregano++++++¼ tsp black pepper++++++¼ tsp sweet paprika+++++++1/8 tsp baking powder++++++ Kosher salt In a 1-Qt measuring cup, combine these with a pinch of salt. Blend well with a whisk or hand mixer.
3-oz frozen chopped spinach++++++¼ c. yellow onion ++++++ ½ c. flat-leaf parsley ++++ 1.5 T. fresh mint leaves +++++  2 large garlic cloves +++++ 2-oz/56 g feta +++++  4 brined black olives Thaw spinach and squeeze out water. Finely chop onion, then measure. Chop parsley roughly. Chop mint. Mince garlic. Crumble feta. Chop olives. Add all of these to eggs, and whisk until well blended.  
Pour egg-spinach mixture into muffin cups about ¾ full.  leave enough room for rising.
Bake 25-30 mins, until eggs are fully set. 
Let cool briefly, run a butter knife around each muffin to loosen. Take from pan and serve, or store for later.

For breakfast: 1.5 muffin per serving plus 1 oz strawberries OR pear OR grapes.  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]

Eggplant With Pearl Couscous: 1 cup= 216 calories… 2 g fat… 3 g fiber… 6.5 g protein… 41.4 g carbs… 20 mg Calcium…  PB  Julia Moskin of the NYT provided this recipe. Being a fan of eggplant, I served it. What a delightful meal! And Dear Husband’s I-don’t-like-eggplant comments disappeared.

3 Sv = 3 cupsheavy pot with a tight-fitting lid
½ tsp ground cinnamon ++++¼ tsp ground cumin ++++pinch ground cayenne +++ salt & ground black pepperIn a small bowl, combine the seasonings.
¾ cup turmeric pearl couscousToast couscous in a hot, dry pan stirring, until golden + fragrant, ~3 mins. Put aside.
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil ++++2 c. cubed eggplant with skin ++++ ¼ tsp salt + pinch pepper ++++ ½ cup yellow or white onion, choppedWhen oil shimmers in pot on med-high, add these. Cook, stirring often, until onions soften + eggplant is browned + slightly shrunken, 8-10 mins. OR roast eggplant.
2 garlic cloves, mincedAdd garlic and stir just until fragrant.
1½ tsp tomato paste ++++ spice mixture from aboveAdd paste and prepared spice mix. Cook 1 min, stirring. 
Toasted couscous +++ ½ c. tomato, diced +++¾ cup waterStir in these. Cover, lower heat, and simmer until couscous has absorbed the liquid, 8-12 mins. 
pinch smoked paprika++++2 T. fresh chopped parsley++++plain Yogurt, for serving (optional)Turn off heat, let rest 2 mins. Stir in paprika + parsley. Taste, adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

For the dinner: 1 cup eggplant couscous + 1 oz zucchini, cooked in tomato juice.

Samuel Morse and his Telegraph

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

Samuel Finley Breese Morse was the son of a strict minister. Born in Massachusetts in 1791, he did not distinguish himself as a student at Yale College. Morse’s interest lay in art — he made money on the side at college by painting portraits — and electricity. Upon graduation, he went to London to study art. When Morse returned to the USA, he found that his art was not in demand, so he became an itinerant portraitist. His wife died while he was away from home painting his portrait of Lafayette, and by the time he got there, the funeral was over. That started Morse thinking about rapid, long-distance communication. Another trip to Europe resulted in a conversation with inventor Charles Thomas Jackson. They discussed the idea of electric impulses being sent as messages over wires. The sticking point was a way to ‘push’ the pulses over long distances. A partner-ship 1n 1838 with Alfred Vail gave Morse the financial backing he needed to solve the problem. Vail also collaborated on an alphabet of dots and dashes to spell out messages. On June 20, 1840, Morse applied for a patent to improve his new mode of communication: the telegraph. His famous message, to test his ability to send a long distance message, was “What Hath God Wrought,” sent from Washington, DC to Baltimore in 1844. Litigation followed, but the inventor was finally declared to be the first person to develop a working system. By 1861, telegraph wires reached coast to coast, and in 1866 an undersea cable linked Europe to North America. Morse is not an easy man for contemporary people to like: his views on the human race were heavily influenced by his father’s strict Calvinism. This narrow world view held that the only worthy people were White, Protestant, American, and probably men. But we appreciate the invention of the telegraph, which lead to all the means of electronic communication that we have today.

For Morse’s European sojourns, a breakfast from France. Although Morse had fierce “America First” ideas, we will offer a dinner inspired by the real first Americans — the Indigenous People.

Roasted Grapes & Sausage: 212 calories… 8 g fat… 2 g fiber… 5.4 g protein… 4 g carbs… 14 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB GF  Unusual flavors at breakfast. Delicious. HINT: This serves two [2].

Serves 2Heat oven to 450 degrees. Large cast iron pan.
½ c onion, sliced ++++++ ½ tsp oil +++++ ¼ tsp salt +++++  ¼ tsp pepperToss these together + spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking pan or cast iron pan . Roast 8 mins, until onions turn translucent and thinnest pieces are pale gold at edges.
10 oz grapes +++++ ½ tsp fennel seed +++++ 2 oz sausage, slicedAdd grapes, seeds, and sausage to pan with onions, and toss well. Spread in an even layer and spray with cooking spray or oil.
Roast 10 mins. Sausage slices will be browned on bottom and grapes will be wrinkled but still plump.
Parsley + chives +++++ 0.05 oz Parmesan, shavedPlate grapes, sausage, and onions. Top with parsley, chives + Parmesan.
1 tsp rice vinegarAdd vinegar to baking sheet and scrape up any browned bits. Drizzle pan juices on top, taste. Add salt or vinegar , if desired.

Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]  

‘Original’ Succotash: 270 calories… 2.6 g fat… 9.5 g fiber… 18 g protein… 50 g carbs… 71 mg Calcium…  PB GF The Mystic Seaport Cookbook contains many quaint and curious old recipes. What follows is my combination of two of them. It is ‘original’ because it gets us back to what succotash once was [a main dish, not a side] and because it is my own version.  HINT: This recipe makes 3 cups of succotash, which could be 3 servings. 

½ cup lima beans [Green Giant frozen Fordhook] ++++ ½ cup green/snap beans ++++ ½ cup corn kernels ++++ ¼ cup canned navy beans ++++ 2 oz corned beef [New England style is grey because it contains no nitrates] ++++ 1 slice cornmeal mush aka: polenta ++++sage ++ pepper ++ salt to taste [mind that the corned beef might be salty] 

Cook the vegetables until they are tender. Drain the cooking water and reserve ½ cup. Mash the navy beans and whisk into ¼ cup vegetable water. Put all vegetables and the meat into a pan along with the mashed beans. Add sage and pepper to taste and more vegetable broth if you wish. If it needs more salt, add it too. In a non-stick pan, saute the corn mush on each side until it is warm. Plate the mush with one cup of succotash. It is very filling.

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

4 two-oz egg = US large Olive oil + oregano1 two-oz egg + onion  
sweet paprika + baking powder + frozen spinachsweet potato + white whole wheat flour
onion + parsley + mint leaves + garlicapplesauce, unsweetened
feta cheese + brined black olives + strawberrieswhite whole wheat flour OR brown rice flour
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

cinnamon + cumin + cayenneyeast + white flour + white whole wheat flour
turmeric pearl couscous + tomatocornstarch + sugar + canola oil + baking powder
olive oil + eggplant + onionsChinese pork BBQ filling + garlic
garlic + tomato paste + parsleycabbage + soy sauce + fish sauce
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Michael Mosley, MD

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

Michael Mosley, MD, has died. He was born in Calcutta, India, but lived mostly in England from age seven when he was sent there for boarding school. After university, Mosley worked for a few years as a banker. He decided to go into psychiatry, though in his last year of training he concluded that he did not want to practice in that field. At med school Mosley met his wife, Claire Bailey, and they had four children. After receiving his degree, he pivoted to work as a producer for the BBC, focusing on science programs. When a show that he pitched could not find a presenter, Mosley stepped to the other side of the camera and made a name for himself. After many years of producing shows for television, he began working on the Horizon series. In 2012, the episode “Eat, Fast, and Live Longer” demonstrated the benefits of calorie restriction: lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol, weight loss, better brain health, reduced cancer risk, longevity. This finding lead Mosley to create the 5:2 Diet, incorporating what he had learned from researchers and his own experiments on himself. His book became an international best-seller and Fasting took the world by storm. My Dear Husband and I took up Fasting in 2013, and have been so pleased with the results that we still continue this lifestyle. 5:2 Fasting has improved our health. When Mosley died on June 5, while on vacation in Greece, it was not from prostate cancer, or diabetes, or heart disease — the usual conditions of old age. Rather, he lost his way on a hike in hot weather, and died of heat stroke. A sad loss.

Our featured meals will, of course, come from the Fast Diet book, co-authored with Mimi Spencer. Both of these are delicious, filling, good for you, and perfect for a Fasting Day. Thank you, Dr. Mosley.

Nordic Breakfast: 192 calories… 12 g fat … 7 g fiber… 11.6 g protein… 21 g carbs… 40 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB  This is based on a recipe from the Fast Diet book, but I once thought it looked like a puny amount of food. Au contraire: the protein and fiber will fill you up. 

3 slices of Finn Crisp crackers++++ 1.3 oz smoked salmon ++++ 2 Tbsp whipped cream cheese ++++ ++++pinch of dill weed++++2 rings thinly sliced red onion ++++ ½ cup raspberries ++++ Optional: 3 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [44 calories] ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Gently spread the cream cheese on the crackers. Divide the salmon among them. Arrange the onion rings atop the salmon. Plate the fruit and pour your hot beverage. Skip the aquavit.

Tuna-Bean-Garlic Salad:  261 cal… 7 g fat… 5.5 g fiber… 33 g protein… 33.4 g carb… 152.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF  This is from the Fast Diet book. Great meal. HINT: this recipe serves 2 [two]

1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed +++++ one 5-oz can light tuna in water, drained and flaked +++++ 2 cloves garlic, chopped +++++ 4 oz tomato, left whole if bite-sized or sliced +++++ salt, pepper, thyme, parsley +++++ 3 oz spinach or mixed greens +++++ 1 tsp lemon juice ++++ 1 tsp white wine vinegar +++++ 1 tsp olive oil ++++ 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

Gently stir the beans, tuna, and garlic together. In a wide, shallow bowl whisk the lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil. Stir ½ tsp of the dressing into the bean mixture. Toss the greens and herbs with the remaining dressing, then stir the bean mixture into the greens. Top with the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Slow Days: Strawberry-Rhubarb Mousse

~ me ~ Leave a comment

People who are new to Fasting often pose the questions: “Can I really eat ‘anything I want’ on a Slow Day?” and “What should I eat on Slow Days?” To answer those questions, I have decided to add some blog posts to show some of the foods we eat on what the world calls NFDs [non-fast days] but which, in our house, we call ‘Slow Days.’ This feature will appear sporadically. 

Now for the answers. Can you really eat ANYTHING you want on a Slow Day? Not really. If you eat too many calories every Slow Day, you will not lose weight. There are many questions asked on the Fast Diet Forum which attest to that. Once in a while you can splurge, as long as it isn’t everyday. For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet. As for how we eat, an example follows.

Mary Johnson Dillon published her novel In Old Bellaire in 1906. It is set in Carlisle, Pennsylvania during the Civil War, and depicts life in the college town where the author grew up. Amid the flirting and social customs, a dinner party occurs and one of the desserts served is a ‘grape mousse’. My mother would sometimes be inspired to track down literary food references, so she asked older members of the Carlisle community if they knew the recipe. Sure enough, a recipe [of sorts] emerged. Here it is in my mother’s own hand:

That’s helpful, isn’t it? My mother tried this and it was a hit — a splendid make-ahead treat for hot weather. So I got to thinking — what about other jellies… or even jams…?

Thus I concocted a Strawberry-Rhubarb Mousse. Dear Husband thought it was great, and he was right. This is a taste-and-pour recipe, so adjust the amount of jam to taste. Start out using less than the amount, then adjust to taste. To flesh out the recipe:

Sv 4-6ramekins or wine coupes
1 cup whipping creamWith electric beaters, whip until almost forming peaks.
4-6 oz strawberry-rhubarb jamAdd jam and continue to beat until incorporated.
Distribute among ramekins or wine coupes. Freeze 2 hrs.
The mousse, served right out of the freezer, adorned with a Milano cookie.

Peonies

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

Peony buds with ants at work.

Peonies are one of my favorite flowers. Their lush, voluptuous blossoms are so gorgeous in the garden and in bouquets. My grandfather was famous for the peonies that he grew in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and some of his plants are in my garden. [Peony plants can live for 100+ years.] Members of the Family Paeoniaceae, they were first used in China as a flavoring for food. From there, they went to Japan, where the flowers were prized. By the 6th century BCE, peony roots were used in medicine. They were known in ancient Greece, where the story was told of the shy nymph Paeonia. Her beauty so angered Aphrodite, that the goddess turned her rival into a Peony flower. Not until the 1800s did the flowers arrive in England. There are tree peonies [with woody stems] and herbaceous peonies [the common plant] that bloom year after year with little care from us. The biggest helpers of the peony are ants. Some people freak out when they see their peony buds covered with ants, but the insects eat the sap that is exuded by the buds — if there were no ants, the flowers would not open. In flower lore, peonies represent everything from wealth to bad luck; from blushing shyness to passionate love. While Luoyang, China is known as Peony City, most florist blossoms are grown in Alaska. You can enjoy peonies in your temperate garden if you plant them is a sunny location with rich, well-drained soil. Plant them well, and they may out-live you.

Although peonies now are planted everywhere from Zones 4 to 8, they are native to two widely different regions. Our meals today are from the two original locations of the plant: the Mediterranean and China.

Mediterranean ScrOmelette: 148 calories… 8.4 g fat… 1 g fiber… 12 g protein… 7 g carbs… 108.4 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF How can this be SO easy and yet SO delicious? Don’t know, but we will continue to eat it!

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 ++++ 3 Tbsp Mediterranean Vegetables, drained + chopped +++++  ¼ oz mozzerella cheese, grated +++++  1½ oz strawberries OR 1 oz applesauce Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait  [65 calories] Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]

HINT: the night before, thaw or prepare the Mediterranean Vegetables.  Heat a cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Add the prepared vegetables and stir to heat . Whisk the eggs and pour into the pan, stirring to incorporate the vegetables. Cook to your favorite degree of doneness. Sprinkle the cheese on top while still warm or add to the eggs while still cooking. Dish up the fruit, plate the eggs, and pour your beverage of choice.

Pork & Green Bean Stirfry: 176 calories… 3 g fat… 5.4 g fiber… 20.5 g protein… 18 g carbs… 63 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given do not include the optional serving of rice** PB GF This stirfry has a lot of preparation but the result is rich in the wonderful flavors of East Asia. The recipe does not include rice, but if you read on, you’ll see amounts of rice to serve. HINT: This recipe makes enough to serve 2 [two] people. Food values above are for ONE serving. For Pork & Peppers, substitute colorful bell peppers for beans in recipe. 

Serves 2First prepare a mise en place. Seriously — do it.
5 oz pork or turkey tenderloin +++++ 1½ tsp dark soy sauce +++++ ½ tsp honey +++++  ½ tsp minced garlic 1/8 tsp red pepper flakesSlice meat into matchstick pieces. Put in a bowl with these ingredients and stir to combine.
4 tsp dark soy sauce +++++  ½ tsp honey ++++1 tsp peanut butter.Combine in a micro-wave-safe cup and briefly warm in micro-wave to soften the honey and peanut butter.
6 oz green beans, cut in 1.5” pieces Cook beans 3 mins in boiling, salted water. 
½ c matchstick carrotsAdd carrots and cook 1 min. Drain, saving water andvegetables.
1 tsp canola oil Heat a wok or cast iron skillet over high, then add oil. Add pork mixture and stir-fry 1 minute.
Remove cooked meat to a clean bowl and stir in the soy-honey-peanut mix. 
2 Tbsp bean-carrot water ++++ 5 oz red bell pepper, cut in strips +++++more bean-carrot water, as neededPut carrot-cooking water in the dish that had the soy-honey-peanut mixture. Swirl around to get those flavors into the water. Pour flavored water into the wok and add the bell peppers. Stir-fry 1 min – add more water to keep it sizzling. 
Blanched carrots + beans +++++ ½ tsp garlic ++++  1.5 tsp minced fresh gingerAdd beans, carrots, ginger, + garlic to peppers in the wok and stir-fry 1 minute.
Cooked porkReturn pork to the wok and stir-fry until heated, ~1 minute. 
sliced scallion +++  Sriracha ++++ optional rice**Plate with optional rice, and top with scallion and extra Sriracha

**If using ¼ cup cooked medium-grain white rice as a garnish, then add these food values: 50 calories… 0 g fat… 0.3 g fiber… 1 g protein… 11 g carbs [simple]… 0 mg Calcium **If serving with ¼ cup cooked medium-grain brown rice, then add these food values: 54 calories… 0.4 g fat… 1 g fiber… 1 g protein… 11 g carbs… 5 mg Calcium

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

Finn Crisp crackersred grapes + onion
smoked salmonolive oil + chicken dinner sausage
whipped cream cheesefennel seed + chives + parsley
red onion + raspberriesred wine vinegar + Parmesan cheese
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

canned garbanzo beans + tomatolima beans + canned white beans
canned light tuna + garlic + Parmesan snap beans
thyme + parsley + olive oil + lemon juicecorn + corne beef
salad greens/fresh spinach + white wine vinegarpolenta or cornmeal mush
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Art Nouveau

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

June 10 is ‘Art Nouveau Day’. In case you missed it, Art Nouveau was popular from 1890-1910. What was so ‘nouveau’ about it? In a world of mass-produced items, that relegated ‘crafts’ to an inferior rank, 20 artists in Belgium declared that every object should be artistically pleasing. They thought that all arts [and crafts] should be unified under one aesthetic. In contrast to the over-stuffed, classically-influenced decor of the Victorian Era, the ‘new art’ was spare yet sinuously curved. Floral motifs, graceful lines, and sensuousness replaced the more repressed style of the 1900s. The look quickly spread around Europe, influencing art, architecture, and the design of every-day object. Among the best-known names of the movement were Toulouse-Lautrec, Gustave Klimt, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Antoni Gaudi, Aubrey Beardsley, and Alphonse Mucha. From stained-glass lampshades to the Metro entrances in Paris to album covers, we see examples of Art Nouveau around the world. And the world is a better place for it. Why shouldn’t everyday life be beautiful?

Aubrey Beardsley’s Art Nouveau pen-and-ink drawings were considered ‘improper’ by many English citizens. So let’s have an improper English Breakfast! Art Nouveau really took hold in France, so our dinner is a classic summer soup from Southern France.

Improper English: 125 calories… 1.6 g fat… 4 g fiber… 9.4 g protein… 17.6 g carb… 21.4 mg Calcium… NB: those are COMPLEX carbs, the kind that are good for you. PB GF A “proper English” is the full Victorian breakfast, serving every conceivable food you can imagine. This version leaves out the eggs and kippers [how improper!], but keeps the protein-rich baked beans along with the rest of the usual stand-bys.

¼ cup baked beans one slice ++++ 11%-fat ham =0.65 oz ++++ ½ of a 2.5” diameter tomato = 2.5 oz 1 oz mushrooms ++++ 2 oz melon OR 2 oz strawberries ++++  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]

Cut the tomato around its equator and put one half away for later. Salt the tomato and put under the broiler until it softens. Cook the ham and mushrooms separately in the same pan to heat through. Heat the beans – perhaps in the microwave. Toast the bread and brew the hot beverage. Pour the smoothie and plate everything. Cheerio!

Soupe au Pistou:  212 calories… 5 g fat… 5.6 g fiber… 9 g protein… 34 g carbs 74 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF bread and pasta Here is the summer soup of Southern France: garden vegetables with a basil pistou to flavor it. The recipe is from Anne Willan’s Country Cooking of France. HINT: This makes enough for 9 [nine] one-cup servings or 6 [six] 1-½ cup sv. At 271 calories/bowl, with bread.

½ cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed ++++ 1 cup thinly-sliced leeks ++++ ½ pound [8 oz] tomatoes, ½“ dice ++++ ½ cup carrots, ½“ dice ++++ 2 cups potatoes, ½” dice ++++ 8 oz zucchini, ½“ dice ++++ ½ cup onion, diced ++++ 2/3 cup green beans, cut in 1” pieces ++++ ½ cup peas, fresh or frozen ++++ 1¼ oz short pasta, such as orzo or ditalini ++++ ¼ cup pesto, purchased or homemade ++++ 1 slice whole-grain sourdough bread

Prepare all the vegetables. Simmer the vegetables in 1 quart of water with salt and pepper for 20 minutes. Add the peas and simmer 5 minutes more. Add the pasta and simmer 2 minutes more. Take off the heat and stir in the pesto. HINT: If possible, cool, cover, and let sit in a cool spot for 8-24 hours to deepen the flavors.  Taste for seasoning. Serve with a slice of whole grain sourdough bread. Delicious for dinner or lunch. Freeze the remainder.

Velazquez

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velazquez was the leading Spanish artist of the Spanish Baroque. I’m not fond of the florid Spanish Baroque architecture, but I am fan of Velazquez. From his baptism date of June 6, we can guess that he was born a few days or weeks before that date in 1599. His family lived in the vibrant economic and cultural hub of Spain, Seville. When he was 12, Diego was apprenticed to the best artist in the city, where he was taught to paint in the traditional, very Catholic style of art. Velazquez married the boss’ daughter and soon surpassed his teacher in skill and technique. His artistic eye was drawn to vivid scenes of the streets around him. Velazquez began to paint ‘genre’ works or ‘bodegones‘ — pictures of common people living their lives, such as the Old Woman Frying Eggs. Velazquez got his big break at age 24, when he was summoned to Madrid to do a portrait of Philip IV, and then was appointed as court painter. In Madrid, he saw the works of Italian masters like Titan and became friends with Reubens who was there for six months. At last, Velazquez was permitted to go to Italy where he saw a new style of art. He reveled in the work of Caravaggio, with its dramatic lighting, and learned from paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, and Michelangelo. Back in Madrid, he worked his way up in the king’s household. Velazquez painted the royal family, and their retainers, and their friends. On another trip to Italy, he painted Pope Innocent X— a portrait that was deemed a ‘miracle’ by other artists. Velazquez’ paintings are life-like and full of emotion — the fun is in deciphering the thoughts going through the subjects’ minds. His ability to paint varying surfaces and textures is masterful. The humanity shown when portraying the differently-abled and minorities is touching. Few artists could rival his skill. Velazquez died four years after his great work,  Las Meninas.

The breakfast is derived from a Spanish Tapas meal, and the dinner is as Spanish as it gets.

Flamenco ScrOmelette: 152 calories… 7 g fat… 2 g fiber… 10 g protein… 11 g carbs… 51 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF  The same flavors of a tapas meal now found in your breakfast scramble. Very good.

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  ++++ 1½ Tbsp tomato puree ++++ ¾ oz bell peppers, chopped ++++ 1½ Tbsp onions, chopped ++++ 2 pinches cayenne pepper ++++ large pinch chopped parsley ++++ salt to taste 1 oz pear ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

If starting the night before: Put the peppers and onions in a micro-wave safe container and nuke them for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato puree and the seasonings. Leave on counter overnight. If starting at breakfast-time: Spritz a saute pan with non-stick spray and heat it. Put the vegetables into the hot saute pan to cook, then add the eggs and seasonings. Scramble together [or cook like an omelette] until the way you like it. Plate with the fruit, pour the optional beverages. Great flavors.

Barley Paella: 260 calories… 3 g fat… 8 g fiber… 21 g protein… 43.5 g carbs… 88.4 mg Calcium… PB  Spain is known for its paella, that succulent dish often made with rice and shellfish. The rice and saffron were brought in by the invading Moors and Berbers, who also introduced barley. This recipe is not a classic Paella Valenciana, rather a Paella di Marisco. It tastes good and is even good for you. Son #1 was instrumental in the development of this recipe. HINT: This serves two [2].

2 Servings
½ slice smoked uncured baconCut the bacon into strips cross-ways. Put into a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. 
½ c bell pepper, chopped +++½ c onion, chopped ++++ 1/3 c carrot, diced ++++ 1 tsp paprika ++++Add the bell pepper, onion, and carrot, and cook slowly until soft and transluscent.
2 cloves garlic, chopped +++¾ c tomato, diced ++++Add the garlic and after 60 secs, add tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are softened.
¼ preserved lemon ++++ 2 pinches saffron ++++  1 cup seafood stock ++++ 6 Tbsp quick barley, uncookedAdd preserved lemon, saffron, barley, and seafood stock. Partially cover and cook 15 mins. Stir it sometimes.
3 oz mussels, shells or no shells ++++  3 oz shrimp, no shells Put mussels and shrimp on top, cover fully. Cook until barley is soft and the liquids are absorbed.
per person: 1.5 oz green beans [Roma or string]In the last few minutes, cook the green beans and serve.

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

baked beans + tomato1.5 two-oz eggs 
3%-fat ham + grapesmozzarella cheese
slice 70-cal whole grain breadMediterranean Vegetables 
mushroomsstrawberries
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

canned white beans + leek + tomatoespork or turkey tenderloin + fresh ginger
carrot + potato + zucchinired + green bell peppers + dark soy sauce
onion + green beans + peashoney + peanut butter + garlic + carrot
short noodles + pestocrushed red pepper + Sriracha
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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 Asif Baloch who is now Following.

That’s not exactly how the children’s counting rhyme goes — apologies to John LeCarre — but wait for the story behind it. Freda MacDonald was born in St Louis, Missouri on June 3, 1906. Her mother was unwed, and her father left soon after. Little Freda worked for a living cleaning houses before she was 12 years old. To earn extra money for her mother, she would make up routines and dance in the street. In her love of performing, Freda would put on shows with the neighborhood kids. When she was 15, she joined a troupe of vaudeville dancers, which lead to perfor-ming in New York. By 1925, she had married and divorced twice, taking her middle name ‘Josephine’ and her 2nd husband’s last name ‘Baker’ as her stage name. A tour to Paris in 1927, as part of La Revue Nègre, changed her life. France was not racially segregated, and Paris loved her as a performer, so Josephine Baker remained in France. Her shows were racy and funny and poked fun at France’s colonialist attitudes in Africa. The infamous ‘Banana Skirt’ dance was her way of spoofing the idea of ‘savages from the Dark Continent’. Singing became part of her act and her 1931 song  “J’ai deux amours” showed her love of Paris. Baker starred in films and the Offenbach opera La Créole. During World War II, she continued to perform and move about France. As she sang and hob-nobbed with the Nazis, she gathered intel for the Resistance, writing messages in code on her sheet music. After the war, de Gaulle gave her the Légion d’honneur. Visits to the United States often stoked her resentment of racism, turning her into an activist who spoke at the March on Washington, 1968. She maintained that she was not working for the “Negro Race” but for the Human Race. Her commitment to breaking down racial barriers caused her to adopt 12 children, each of a different ethnic background, which she dubbed her Rainbow Tribe. Financial troubles caused her to sell her beloved Chateau des Milandes, to move to Monaco [at the invitation of Prin-cess Grace], and to continue performing until her death in 1975. Quelle Femme!

But of course we will have bananas as part of breakfast, in honor of Josephine’s famous ‘Banana Skirt.’ Our dinner has tastes of southern France, where Baker lived and died.

Banana-Papanas: 241 calories… 8 g fat… 0.5 g fiber… 20 g protein… 25.5 g carbs… 161 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  This recipe for Romanian papanas was shown on the French TV show Telematin , and it looked so easy and unusual that I had to try them….then I added bananas for a little word-play and a hint of the tropics.  HINT: The recipe makes enough for two [2] portions, so if only one person is being served today, cook only half of the batter and refrigerate the remainder to prepare later in the week. NB: the cooked papanas do not work as left-overs.

+++++4 Tbsp [63 g] part-skim ricotta ++++ 4 Tbsp [63 g] 2%-fat cottage cheese ++++ 1 egg, separated +++++ 30 g /3.5 Tbsp white whole wheat flour OR almond flour ++++ ½ tsp sugar ++++ 3/4 oz banana, sliced +++++ 1 tsp molasses ++++ 1 tsp water ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] 

Separate the egg white from the yolk. Combine the yolk, cheeses, flour,and sugar in a bowl. Whip the egg white until stiff. Stir 1/3 of the egg white into the cheese mixture to lighten it, mixing until blended. Gently fold the remaining egg into the cheese mixture. Heat a non-stick pan and spray with non-stick spray. Using a scoop or a spoon [I made 4 using a 3 Tbsp scoop and then 4 using a 1.5 Tbsp scoop], place the batter into the pan in two batches. Cook until browned on one side and loose enough that they will slide if you shake the pan. Carefully flip to the other side. Remove to a plate. Slice the bananas thinly and strew on the papanas. Add the molasses to 1 tsp hot water and stir to combine. Pour the molasses over the bananas. As you sip your coffee, savor the tastes of the Caribbean…. via Romania….via France.

Brandade Plate:  266 calories… 3 g fat… 6 g fiber… 39 g protein… 21 g carbs… 139 mg Calcium…   PB GF  We find this meal to be very easy to plate, very easy on the eye, and very filling. HINT: Having the Brandade made ahead of time and in the refrigerator makes life so easy.

This plate is enough to serve two.

½ cup codfish brandade** ++++ 4 oz fresh tomatoes [no larger than 2” in diameter, but not ‘cherry or grape’] 2 Finn Crisp sourdough rye thins  ++++ ½ oz baby spinach leaves, cut as chiffonade

Slice tomatoes on the equator to get as many slices as you can. Arrange them on a plate. Using a scoop or spoon, place equal amounts of the brandade on each tomato slice. Sprinkle the chiffonade spinach over and around. Place the crackers alongside.

**Codfish Brandade:  ½ cup = 203 calories… 3 g fat… 1 g fiber… 38 g protein… 6 g carbs… 120 mg Calcium…  PB GF  Since salt cod is so popular all over southern France, it follows that Brandade is a favorite meal there. The garlic, olive oil, and fennel mark this version as Provencal. [HINT: This batch makes four half-cup servings. Either invite friends or use what you need and freeze the remainder.] The recipe is from Jacques Pepin and it has a very traditional flavor. 1 Tbsp =25 cal… 0.3 g fat… 0 g fiber… 12.6 g protein… 0.7 g carbs… 15 mg Calcium 

8 oz salt cod Soak the cod in water for 8 hours. Drain it.
Put in a sauce pan covered with cold water. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cook gently 5 mins. Drain.
Pick over the fish, removing bones, skin. Cut it into 1” pieces. 
¼ c potatoes in ½” cubes +++1 cup cauliflower puree ½ cup milk+++ 4 cloves garlic +++¼ tsp fennel seed Put fish in a pan with vegetables and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently simmer uncovered 20-25 minutesuntil vegetables are tender. 
¼ tsp pepper, more to taste Pour it all into a food processor and process until smoother, about 10 seconds. Add pepper.
1 tsp olive oil Add oil with machine running. Mixture should be smooth and thick, yet spreadable. Adjust seasonings
Divide brandade into four ½-cup portions. Freeze or refrigerate the portions you are not serving today.

Rhubarb!!

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

Rhubarb was once a carefully-guarded national treasure in ancient China, the roots valued for their laxative properties. Then, somehow, plants showed up in the Volga River Valley [aka: the Rhu] giving the classical Greeks reason to name it “the plant of the barbarians [foreigners] from Rhu.” Hence, ‘rhu-barb.’ Not kidding. By the 1500s, Rhubarb was in England — though still for medicine rather than food — then it was taken to many parts of the Empire. And you thought it was just a humble pie plant. Here is a delightful poem about the vegetable, by Minnesota poet Larry Schug:

By April, sour red stalks
push elephant-ear leaves
into near-earth atmosphere.
Rhubarb plans ahead,
years, decades even,
lives sustainably on the interest
of sunlight stored under ground,
having folded up its solar collectors
in September,
when the days grow too short
to make sugar.
See how simple is a miracle. © by Larry Schug.

Spelt Galettes with Rhubarb: 225 calories… 4.6 g fat… 6 g fiber… 8.5 g protein… 37 g carbs… 128 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  Spelt is one of the ancient ancestors of modern grains, full of taste and nutrition. Here, in a recipe by Joe Woodhouse at goodfood, it co-stars with rhubarb for a splendid Springtime breakfast.

recipe for 14 six” crepesNon-stick pan or 6” cast iron
2 eggs +++++ 10g olive or sunflower oil +++++++350ml water ++++ 175g spelt/buckwheat flour Tip ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth OR whisk briskly.Set aside to rest. 
400g rhubarb, cut in 2 cm lengths +++++++ 40g honey ½ orange= ¾ tsp juice + ¾ tsp zestPut these in a medium saucepan over a medium. cook, stirring at whiles. 8-12 mins until rhubarb collapses. If lots of liquid remains, strain and cook down liquids until more syrupy
Butter 3-4 T batter for each galetteMelt some butter in a 6″ pan over a medium, wipe out with paper towel. Keep towel. Pour in batter, swirling to coat pan. Cook ~1 min until underside is golden
Flip. Heat  30-60 secs until cooked through. 
Keep warm. Repeat, wiping pan with buttered towel between pancakes.
2 spelt galettes per person ++++++++++++2 T Rhubarb compote per galetteSpoon a little compote into centre of each galette, dividing equally. Fold in ½ and plate with a bit of syrup on top.
½ oz ham, pan-friedServe with the ham and your beverage of choice.

Rhubarb Roasted Salmon: 295 calories… 11 g fat… 4 g fiber… 32.5 g protein… 10 g carbs… 65 mg Calcium…  PB GF Melissa Clark’s recipe in the New York Times looked so good, I just had to try it. A wonderful addition to the rhubarb-season repetoire.

2 servingsHeat oven to 400F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
2 scallions, thinly sliced Take out 2 T, use remainder in next step
Sliced scallions +++++ 1 T granulated sugar ++++++++ 1½ tsp rice wine vinegar ++++ ½ tsp grated fresh ginger ++++ pinch saltIn a medium saucepan, combine these. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then simmer until sugar has dissolved.
3 oz /2/3 cups rhubarb, trimmed, sliced 1” thick Add rhubarb. Cover pan, and cook, stirring at whiles, until rhubarb is just tender, ~5 mins. 
Take pan off heat and mash rhubarb until it turns to a chunky purée.
Sugar/vinegar/ginger/saltTaste, adjust flavors for a balance between sweet, tangy and salty. Divide in 2 equal portions.
two 4 oz skin-on salmon fillets ++++ salt and pepper + 1 tsp unsalted butter, cubed ++++ ½ of rhubarb saucePut fish skin-side-down on baking sheet. Season lightly. Spread rhubarb mixture on fish. Top with butter. Roast 8-10 mins, or until just cooked through
The 2 T sliced scallions +++++ Red-pepper flakes ++++ ½ of rhubarb sauceTop with remaining rhubarb sauce, garnish fillets with scallons and pepper flakes.
1/3 c peas per servingPlate with peas.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large + sugar1.5 two-oz eggs 
part-skim ricotta cheese + molasses tomato puree + parsley
2%-fat cottage cheese + bananabell peppers + onion
white whole wheat flourcayenne + pear
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

salt cod + potatoes + baby spinachquick barley + mussels + onion + tomato
cauliflower + skim milkshrimp + garlic + seafood stock + carrot
garlic + fennel seedpreserved lemon + saffron + paprika
2” or smaller tomatoes  +  Finn Crisp crackersuncured bacon + bell pepper + wide green beans
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Decoration Day

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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 Civil War in the US devastating. From April 1861-April 1865, cemeteries filled up — battlefield cemeteries — such as Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — and small town cemeteries, as remains of the Honored Dead came home to rest. In the Spring following the end of the war, women in towns and villages in both the North and South put flowers on graves. These were not stiff, formal arrangements from a florist, but garden and meadow blossoms strewn over the ground. This custom was fostered by Mary Ann Williams, a war widow from Columbus, Georgia who wrote letters urging women to decorate the graves, and that one day be set aside to honor the war dead. The idea caught on and in 1866, it was a holiday in Georgia. The head of the the G.A.R. [veterans organization in the North] promoted the idea too. In 1868, Decoration Day — the day to decorate the graves — was observed in the North. By 1890, all states had adopted the custom, observing it on May 30. After World War I, the observance was for all war dead, the name became “Memorial Day”, and so it is today — except that the day is now the last Monday in May. That way the dead can have a three-day weekend, and everyone can eat more hot dogs.

For Mary Ann Williams, a breakfast from the South, who’s rebellion started the Civil War. For dinner, a meal with bison meat. Settlers in the Plains States [where the bison lived] precipitated the debate as to whether those states should be Free or slave-holding, another factor that catapulted the nation into war.

Hoe Cakes with Fruit & Egg: 183 calories… 5.6 g fat… 5.4 g fiber… 9.5 g protein… 23 g carbs… 44 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF  This recipe harks back to Colonial Days in the American South. Everyone from enslaved people to President George Washington ate hoe cakes.  HINT: This recipe makes 6 hoecakes – enough for 2 servings of 3 each. Originally this would be made with white cornmeal, but the yellow has more nutrition. NB: Hoe cakes were never ‘cooked on a hoe’ by farm workers. Silly notion. Dear Husband enjoyed this very much and so will you.

3 Tbsp yellow cornmeal – even polenta meal would do  ++++++++ 2.5 Tbsp hot water  ++++++++++Combine by stirring well to make a mush. Let sit for 15 minutes
1 oz egg white +++++++++++ ¼ tsp yeast +++++++++++Stir into the warm cornmeal mush and let sit for 1 – 12 hours. This was 125 ml in volume
2 Tbsp cornmeal +++++++ 2 Tbsp water ++++++++ ¼ tsp salt ++++++++Mix into the cornmeal mush. If you take some up on a fork, it will sit on top with a little batter dribbling through. If it is not like this, add more cornmeal or more water. This was ½ cup in volume.
Using 2 tbsp of batter per cake, drop onto a hot griddle sprayed with non-stick spray. This should make 6 cakes. Cook on both sides. Best if eaten while fresh.
¼ cup raspberries ++++++ 1 tsp honey +++++++++++ one 2-oz egg +++++++++Put the fruit and honey in a small dish and microwave for 30 seconds. Fry the egg.
Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] Plate 2 of the Hoecakes with the egg and the other with the berry syrup. Pour your beverage of choice.

Bison Chili: per cup – 136 calories… 3 g fat… 5 g fiber… 13 g protein… 14.5 g carbs… 57 mg Calcium… PB GF  This chili is based on my mother’s recipe. Using bison meat gives good flavor to this classic. HINT: makes 4 [four] one-cup servings

4 oz ground bison ++++ 15 oz canned tomatoes – in chunks or diced drained in a sieve [save the juice] ++++ ++ 1 clove garlic, chopped ++++ 1 cup red onion, chopped ++++ ½ cup green pepper, chopped ++ ¾ cup canned red or black beans, drained and rinsed ++++ 2-4 tsp chili powder ++++ ¾ tsp salt ++++ +++ ½ – 1 tsp ground cumin ++++ 2 oz melon +++

Cook the venison, onion, garlic, and green pepper in some of the tomato juices until vegetables are tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook gently until the chili is hot throughout. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning.  Serve garnished with melon.