Eating well with creative recipes while following the Fast Diet

There and back again.

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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.

On March 25, Frodo Baggins, with help from the duplicitous Gollum and the faithful Samwise Gamgee, destroyed the One Ring of Power. [Or shall I say: the duplicitous Gollum, aided by a wavering Frodo and the faithful Samwise] This is the main purpose of the grand Quest, as told by J.R.R.Tolkien in his trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Since this book is our great favorite, Dear Husband and I have, for the last thirty-some years, celebrated on March 25 by eating foods named in the books. Tolkien chose that date very carefully to represent the start of a ‘New Age’ because it is the day said to be when the Virgin Mary became pregnant with Jesus: “Annunciation Day.” Tolkien wrote the story as a Christian allegory. Many people, including his friend and fellow Catholic C.S. Lewis, missed that point and see it only as a fantasy. However you see it, we think it is a gripping tale with complex characters and an engrossing plot. End of book review — for now.

Hobbits love to eat, even after escaping from dire situations. Tom Bombadil rescues them from the dangers of the Old Forest and they all sit down to breakfast the next day. Farmer Maggot shelters them as they flee Black Riders, and then sends them off to their second dinner with a hot mushroom casserole. Enjoy some Hobbit food today.

Bombadil’s Breakfast: 205 calories 5 g fat 2.5 g fiber 10.5 g protein 15 g carbs [8 g Complex] 312 mg Calcium  NB: the food values given are for the plated items only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF  When Tom Bombadil served his guests breakfast, it was plants, fruit and dairy of his own collection or production. The plants should be watercress [since his wife Goldberry was the River-Woman’s daughter] and the fruit shall be Golden Berries [aka Peruvian Ground Cherries], again in a nod to his wife.

2/3 oz Camembert cheese ½ cup watercress leaves or microgreens ½ cup plain yogurt 1 tsp honey, warmed 2 oz Golden Berries edible flowers [violets, chives, nastursium, or others]  Optional : blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water

Warm the honey and stir it into the yogurt. Plate the items to your taste and enjoy a magical breakfast in The Old Forest. Wear a blue jacket and yellow boots.

Marish Mushroom Casserole: 299 calories 9 g fat 6 g fiber 24 g protein 41 g carbs 165.6 mg Calcium   PB  If you are a mushroom lover, this meal will make you happy. Vaguely inspired by English recipes.  HINT: This preparation is enough to serve two [2] diners. The wife of Farmer Maggot [a man much nicer than his surname] gave Frodo a mushroom casserole, like this, before he left the Shire on his quest.

BATTER: 1 egg + ½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup white whole wheat flour
½ cup skimmed milk + 1 tsp baking powder		Whisk together and let the batter sit for 30+ minutes.
You will need 2/3 cup for this recipe. Remainder can be frozen.
3 slices uncured bacon @ 30 calories/slice Chop bacon and cook until almost done
8 oz mushrooms, several varieties, if possible 
1 clove garlic 
one scallion, sliced		Chop mushrooms, slice the garlic and scallion. Cook in the bacon until vegetables have softend and most of the liquid has evaporated. Take off heat.
2 T Worcestershire sauce 
2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour
1 oz egg [that’s ½ of one US Large egg]  
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated		Stir Worcestershire and flour to combine. Then add the egg and cheeese, and stir again. Combine in the pan with the mushroom mixture.
2/3 cup batterPour into an oven-safe dish which has been spritzed with non-stick spray. Smooth the top of the mixture and pour the batter on top.
Bake at 425 until batter is cooked.
½ tsp prepared mustard, per person 
1½ oz green beans, per person		Serve with green beans and mustard on the side.

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

kielbasa or chicken sausage1 two-oz egg + two 8-inch cucumbers 
onion + olive oil + rice vinegarbunch of mint + piment d’esplette
red seedless grapeswhole milk + Parmesan cheese
Parmesan cheese + parsley + chivesfromage blanc or plain yogurt + cantaloup
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

150-calorie fajita shell + garlicgarlic + egg + marjoram
frozen spinach + tomatochicken or vegetable stock
plain, no-fat yogurtpotato + parsnips + butter
Parmesan cheeserye bread + Swiss cheese
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Alzheimer’s News

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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 Dishita who is now Following.

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 Dishita and fittacticsguy who are now Following.

It is one thing to see testimonials for healthy-living-plans on the website of the plan. Does that make you skeptical about their veracity? As one with a science background, I want to see corroboration from an independent source. In a mailing from the Alzheimer’s Prevention Bulletin came this headline: “Research shows intermittent fasting may prevent Alzheimer’s disease” Haven’t I been saying all along that Fasting has more than just weight-loss benefits? The article cites animal studies which look very promising:

Intermittent fasting in animal studies has also been shown to reduce brain inflammation. There is strong evidence that forms of intermittent fasting can delay the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease in animal models. Researchers are now exploring opportunities to study intermittent fasting in humans; particularly the effect this might have on neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease.

“In animal studies, intermittent fasting has been shown to increase longevity, improve cognitive function and reduce brain plaque as compared with animals fed a regular diet,” said Allan Anderson, MD, Director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Tucson. “One hypothesis is that intermittent fasting enables cells to remove damaged proteins. It has been shown to delay the onset and progression of disease in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s.….“The animal research is stunning,” concluded Dr. Anderson.

Well, I’m psyched. With Alzheimer’s in my family, I am eager to do what it takes to prevent or forestall the condition. So I exercise, I keep my mind active, I try to learn new things, and I Fast 5:2. Since reading this article, Dear Husband have altered our meal times to fit into the 16:8 schedule for Intermittent Fasting to add a further dimension. Eating less while eating well two days each week seems like a minuscule price to pay for improved brain health. What do you think? Read the full article here. And while you visit the site, sign up for the Alzheimer’s Registry by clicking the tab “About the Registry.” The more of us who participate in research, the quicker a cure can be found.

The meals today are typical of what we eat on a Fasting Monday. As the Good Book says, “Go, thou, and do likewise.”

Fore Street Bake: 147 calories 8 g fat 1.6 g fiber 9.6 g protein 8.5 g carbs 95 mg Calcium  NB: The food values shown are for the egg bake and the fruit, not for the optional beverages.  PB GF  One of our favorite restaurants in Portland, Maine is ForeStreet. First time there, I ate a pizza from their wood-fired oven and we have loved that particular combination of flavors ever since. Here’s the marvelous mixture in baked eggs.

1 two-oz egg 1/3 oz blue cheese ¾ oz leeks ½ oz mushrooms 1 oz strawberries    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]

Slice the leeks and chop the mushrooms. Put into a Pyrex custard cup with a little water and cook in the microwave for 45 seconds. Spritz a ramekin with non-stick spray and add the cooked leeks and mushrooms. Whisk the cheese with the egg, then pour into the ramekin. Bake at 350 F. for 12-15 minutes. Portion the berries and pour the beverages and settle in for a taste of Portland. 

Miso Salmon:  242 calories 9 g fat 2 g fiber 29 g protein 12 g carbs 37 mg Calcium   PB GF Having heard of this over and over again, I asked our son for a recipe. So easy! So good tasting! You will have left-over sauce for flavoring a soup or another fish dish.

4 oz salmon filet, skinned 2 Tbsp miso sauce** 5 spears asparagus

**Miso Sauce:  makes 6 Tablespoons   33 calories/Tablespoon 2 Tbsp white or yellow miso 2 Tbsp mirin 1 Tbsp sake or sherry 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil Stir together to combine.

Place the fish on a small plate and paint one side with some miso sauce. Turn fish over and repeat. On medium-high, heat a well-seasoned cast iron pan or a non-stick pan and add a spritz of cooking spray. Cook the fish on one side for 4 minutes while painting the up-side with more miso sauce. Turn the fish to the other side, paint with the sauce, and cook 4-5 minutes longer, depending on the thickness of the fish. Test for doneness by cutting a small slit down to the middle of the filet to see if it has changed from deep pink to opaque pink color. Cook the asparagus and plate.

Slow Days: Hot Cross Bun Pancakes

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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 FastDiet 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.

The pre-Easter season of Lent calls for Hot Cross Buns. I love to make them and to eat them, but that is for a posting next year. If you want a real treat for a Lenten Sunday morning, try these pancakes. The recipe comes from the website Joy The Baker, where I have found many fine kitchen projects. Below, you will see the mixtures that will be combined for the batter: milk-egg-butter + flour-spices + fruit-zests.

2 T butter, melted/ cooled
1 cup buttermilk/soured milk
1 two-oz egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract 		In a small bowl whisk together butter, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
1 cup white-whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cardamom		In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. It is ok if the mixture is a bit lumpy.
¼ cup dried currants
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 tsp fresh orange zest		Add the currants and fruit zest and stir to combine. Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes while the griddle heats.
Preheat oven to 150 F. Place an oven-proof plate in the oven. This is where the pancakes will stay warm while the entire batch is cooked.
1 tsp butter for cooking 
splash oil for cooking
pure maple syrup for serving		Heat griddle (or nonstick skillet) over medium. Heat fat until hot, then wipe off with paper towel. Save the towel. Spoon 2 Tbsp batter** onto the griddle for each ‘cake. Fry until golden, flipping once. Place cooked pancakes on warm plate in oven and cover with a clean towel. Wipe griddle with the buttery paper towel and spray with non-stick spray for each batch.
**Dear Husband just free-formed them, yielding 10 pancakes. If one used 2 Tbsp of batter, as described in the recipe, one would probably produce more pancakes. Suit yourself.

Joy The Baker says to top your stack of pancakes with a piped icing cross. Look, when the pancakes are hot off the griddle, we don’t mess around — they go straight to the table for eating. We used a cross of good New Hampshire maple syrup instead of icing. Delicious pancakes!

It is still Lent

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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. 

Lent began four weeks ago. Years ago, I was lunching with colleagues and the young Biology teacher told us excitedly about her new diet plan: for the first six weeks, you eat no eggs or meat or dairy and then you phase them back in slowly. “That’s not a new diet,” I jested. “That’s called ‘Lent.'” Her ‘new diet’ pretty well sums it up: Lent, in the Christian church, has traditionally been a time of dietary privation; of fasting; all toward the end of soul-searching and penitence before Easter. Nowadays, these ideas are not stressed in Protestant Christian churches so much, but doing charitable acts, opening your heart and mind to kindness, and ‘welcoming the stranger‘ are ways to come closer to God. Lent will last another 3-1/2 weeks. How you spend it is up to you — but it seems to me that you could at least take two days each week for ‘Fasting’ and see how it makes you feel about yourself.

In keeping with the tradition of egg-less breakfasts and meatless dinners, I propose these menus for your Lenten attention.

Rounds, with Pan Muffin:  122 calories 4 g fat 1 g fiber 6.6 g protein 15 g carbs [5 g Complex] 10 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  All the foods in this meal are round, hence the name. Easy to prepare with Canadian bacon [back bacon to readers in Canada or the UK] and a pre-made pan muffin.

1 slice Canadian Bacon [‘back bacon’ to Canadians] one pan muffin  2 oz apple, sliced along the equator so the slices are round OR 2 oz applesauce, in a round dish  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]

HINT: For easiest breakfast preparation, mix and cook the pan muffin recipe the night before. Freeze remaining batter or bake as muffins tomorrow. Slice the apple and plate it. Cook the Canadian Bacon. Warm the previously-cooked pan muffin. Done!

Maltese Spinach-Tuna Pie:  185 calories 9.6 g fat 5 g fiber 19 g protein 24 g carbs [16 g Complex] 49 mg Calcium  PB  This dish is a classic in Malta and you will enjoy it at home too. Lots of ingredients, but it is really easy to prepare. HINT: This recipe serves two. So low in calories, you may choose your own side vegetables or fruit.

100 g/ 3.5 oz [weight] frozen spinach 100 g/ 3.5 oz [weight] tuna 100 g/ 3.5 oz [weight] Mediterranean Vegetables   ¼ c peas ½ cup onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 Tbsp capers 2 anchovies, rinsed 2 Tbsp tomato puree 1 tsp olive oil 1/6 sheet frozen, purchased puff pastry

Put the puff paste sheet on the counter to warm for 30 minutes. Thaw the spinach and squeeze out the moisture. Heat the oil in a pan, then saute the onions and garlic. When they are just cooked, add everything else except the puff pastry. Stir and cook until everything is warmed through. Transfer to a lightly-oiled oven-proof dish. Cut 1/6 of the pastry sheet. Rewrap and refreeze the rest. Place the puff paste on top of the tuna/vegetable mixture. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is browning and flakey.

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

1 two-oz eggCamembert cheese + watercress or micro greens
bleu cheese + leek plain yogurt
mushroomsedible flowers, optional
strawberrieshoney + Golden Berries or other fresh berries
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

wild-caught salmonuncured bacon + mushrooms + garlic + egg
miso + mirinscallion + baking powder + mustard + green beans
sake or dry sherry or soy sauceWorcestershire sauce + white whole wheat flour
asparagusParmesan cheese + flour + skimmed milk
Sparkling waterSparkling water

My Fair Lady

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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 Foodquipo and healthtips953 who are now Following.

In 1913, G. Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion debuted. On March 15, 1956, the Lerner and Loewe musical version, My Fair Lady, debuted on Broadway. Initially, Shaw had not wanted to release the rights to turn his play into a “comic operetta.” Rogers and Hammerstein, the original choice to adapt it, backed out. After Shaw died in 1950, the rights were secured. A teenaged Julie Andrews was cast as ‘Eliza Doolittle,’ and a man who couldn’t really sing, Rex Harrison, was cast as ‘Professor Higgins.’ On the first night of previews in New Haven, Connecticut, Harrison was spooked by the idea of singing with an orchestra in front of an audience — he retreated to his dressing room, refused to go on, and the show was almost canceled. But he relented, all was well, and the rest was history. My parents bought the original cast album and I memorized every song. In the late 50s, they took my sister and me to see our first Broadway show: My Fair Lady. When it finally closed on September 29, 1962, it was the longest running play of all time, and Eliza had thrown the slippers for many miles across the stage.

If you were to ask Professor Higgins who the most important characters in the musical were, he would naturally say himself and his fellow ethno-linguist Colonel Pickering, formerly of Her Majesty’s Army in India. Thus, our breakfast is a very English combination of flavors for Higgins and our dinner would pique the taste memory of Pickering.

Ham-Cup Eggs: 143 calories 7 g fat 1.4 g fiber 11.6 g protein 9 g carbs [7 g Complex] 68 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  GF  Easy to prepare ahead and easy on the taste buds.

1 two-oz egg 1 slice “Cottage Ham” [4” diameter thin slice of ham] I used North Country Smoke House brand at 21 calories/slice 1 Tbsp cottage cheese 1½ tsp Parmesan cheese, grated 2 oz apple  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]

Fit the ham into an oven-proof container that measures 3½” in diameter and 1¼” deep. [I used a cleaned tuna can. It was perfect.] You will need to snip the ham on 2 sides and overlap the meat to make it fit better into the mold. Combine the cheeses and season with herbs/salt/pepper to taste. Whisk in the egg and pour into the ham cup.  HINT: I did this the night before and put it in the ‘fridge. Turn on the toaster oven to 350 F and bake the ham cups for 20+ minutes, until the filling is puffed and set. Prepare the beverages and the apple. Use a wide knife to loosten the ham cups from the mold before plating. Some of the egg will have oozed into the mold as it baked, but that is easy to remove too. This breakfast was a real hit.

Indian Vegetables with Turkey and Naan: 299 calories 13 g fat 6 g fiber 17.6 g protein 31 g carbs [28 g Complex] 78 mg Calcium  PB GF — if your Naan is gluten free  This delicious meal needs 2 things in advance: Rogan Josh Sauce and Naan breads, both of which you can purchase. In a few weeks, I’ll show you how to make your own Naan, which is fun and easy.

1 naan flatbread, 106 or fewer calories/piece 3 Tbsp Rogan Josh Sauce ½ cup zucchini, in ½” dice ½ cup cauliflower, in ½” pieces ½ cup tomato, in ½” dice 2 oz ground turkey [I used 15% fat but would have preferred a lower fat option] ¼ tsp Indian curry powder 

Cook the vegetables and turkey in a little water until vegetables are softened and turkey is fully cooked. Drain, saving the cooking water for baking or soup stock. Add the sauce and curry powder to the vegetables- meat, and heat gently. Warm the naan in the oven or on a hot, dry skillet. Plate to suit your preference — on the Naan, under the Naan, beside the Naan. W.o.w.

Blizzard of ’88, New York

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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.

The USA has had some wild weather in the past year, including a snow storm in the state of Texas. People thought that was pretty horrible [and it was, especially as the people and infrastructure were unused to cold], but what would they have done in New York in the White Hurricane of 1888? The storm was preceded by warmth and rain — and then the temperature dropped. Snow began on March 11, continued all night and into the next day and the next. The wind howled, piling the snow impossibly high [52 feet/16 meters in Brooklyn]. Such snow! Forty inches [100 cm] in New York City, coming down impossibly fast and wind-blown. When it was all over, 200 people had died in the city alone, 100 more died at sea, and 100 others in the countryside. In the city, office and store workers had set out to work in the morning and never made it home. Since the trains and trolleys were stopped, those workers had to walk home in the evening — often trying to go 20 blocks in freezing temperatures, wearing inadequate clothing. A shop girl, in thin leather boots and layers of cotton petticoats, had a daunting task plowing through the snowy sidewalks. Many poor souls, men and women, were so exhausted that they sat down on door steps to rest, died of hypothermia where they sat , and weren’t discovered until the snow melted. The storm moved off to the North-East, blanketing New England and the Canadian Maritimes. Nowadays, all it takes is 4 inches of snow to paralyze a major city, but the subways still run underground and the communication wires are safe underground, too. Lives lost. Lessons learned.

Let us peer into the life of a shop girl or factory worker in New York City in 1888. Breakfast and dinner in a cold-water flat with no electricity meant foods that could be stored briefly or bought at a food stall. Thus breakfast might be bread and hard-boiled egg with leftover meat from dinner and the evening meal of soup from a vendor on the way home from work.

Shop Girl’s Breakfast:  231 calories 9 g fat 4.6 g fiber 14.5 g protein 27.5 g carbs 7 mg Calcium  PB The Industrial Revolution brought young women by the thousands from the farm to the city, to work in the factories and as shop girls. Breakfast would have been served cold, made from dinner leftovers and other foods that required little preparation or refrigeration.

1 slice whole-grain bread [no white bread on her budget] 1 two-oz hard boiled egg 1 oz of chicken dinner sausage 1 oz onion, sliced 2 prunes — aka: dried plums [0.6 oz]    Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea

Slice the sausage and the onion. Place in a small pan with some water and a spritz of non-stick spray. Cook until the water has evaporated, sausages have browned a bit, and the onions are limp. TIP: This could be done the night before. And, unlike our Shop Girl, you can reheat the sausage-onion in the morning. Toast the bread lightly and top with the sausage-onion mixture. Plate with the egg and the prunes. Only blackish coffee or tea for our Shop Girl – no stop at Starbucks on the way to work for a fancy brew.

Soup Royaume: 152 calories 0.3 g fat 6 g fiber 12.6 g protein 24.6 g carbs 84 mg Calcium  PB GF  A fine meal for winter, made hearty with autumn vegetables and lentils, it is named after the old lady who saved Geneva from invasion by the Savoyards. Add as much seasoning as you wish. Any soup can be improved by preparing it ahead and letting it sit for 8-24 hours. HINT: This recipe makes 6 [six] servings of 1 cup each.

2½ oz pork loin, raw or cooked, diced
½ cup onion, chopped
3½ oz [½ c]dry lentils** 		Put pork, onions, and lentils in a heavy saucepan and cook until browned.
**small green lentils from France, if possible
3 oz rutabega/turnip, cubed
2 oz carrot, diced
3 oz parsnip, diced
3 cups chopped cabbage
½ tsp mace + ½ tsp dry mustard 
1 Tbsp caraway seed + salt & pepper
3 cups water		Add the rutabega/turnip, carrot, parsnip, cabbage and seasonings to the saucepan. Pour in water to cover the vegetables. Cover the pan and simmer for about 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Taste for seasonings.
½ cup frozen spinach, choppedAdd the frozen spinach, and heat through.
Divide in 6 equal servings.  Freeze what you don’t need today.
per serving: several leaves of fresh spinachRoughly chop the leaves and poke into the hot soup when serving. 

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

1 two-oz egg1 slice Canadian or back bacon 
4″ diameter thin slice hampan muffin [make ahead]
Parmesan cheese + appleapple or apple sauce
cottage
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

naan bread @ 106 caloriesfrozen spinach + tuna + peas
ground turkey + zucchinigarlic + onion + olive oil
Rogan Josh Sauce + tomatoanchovy + puff pastry
cauliflower + Indian curry powdermediterranean vegetables
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Good Queen Anne

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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 Foodquipo and Norbert Unpingca and reviews24h who are now Following.

When Anne Stuart was born in 1665, she was never expected to be a queen. Neither was her older sister, Mary. They were the nieces of the deposed King Charles II and spent much of their childhood in France. Although their father was a Catholic, he raised his daughters as Protestants. Charles was returned to power, and then Ann’s father ascended to the throne as James II. Meanwhile, Mary married William of Orange and moved to Holland. When James was deposed for his Catholicism, Mary and William were sent for to reign over England. When they died without an heir, Anne and her husband George became the monarchs, on March 8, 1702. What did she achieve as Queen? Anne created the United Kingdom by putting Scotland under control of the Crown and, by working with a two-party Parliament, she became the more modern type of Queen that we have today. But what makes her ‘Good Queen Anne’ to me, was her welcoming of French Huguenots [Protestants] to England since their religion was outlawed in France. The DeTurk branch of my family were given financial assistance and helped to move to the English colony of New York. A family named deBenneville was ‘adopted’ by Anne, and she took a particular interest in their son George, advocating his advancement. He eventually moved to Pennsylvania and married into my mother’s family. Thus, due to Anne’s kindly and generous interventions, several branches of my family tree were preserved.

For Anne’s French childhood, we will enjoy a breakfast of French flavors. For dinner, a meal fit for a queen who enjoyed hunting at her Hampton Court palace.

Chicken Provincal Bake: 139 calories 5 g fat 2 g fiber 10.5 g protein 10.5 g carbs [9 g Complex] 47.5 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  What wonderful flavors! Based on the dinner of the same name. 

1 two-oz egg 2 Tbsp crushed tomatoes, slightly drained ½ anchovy, canned fillets, rinsed and chopped 1 Tbsp low-fat cottage cheese ¼ oz cooked chicken breast, minced thyme + rosemary pinch red pepper flakes 2 oz strawberry 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]

Spritz an oven-proof dish with non-stick spray and set the toaster oven for 350 degrees F. Whisk together the first 6 ingredients [not the berries!] and pour into the dish. Bake for about 15 minutes while you plate the fruit and prepare your optional beverages. Great way to start the day.

Game Pie:  293 calories 8 g fat 4 g fiber 37 g protein 14 g carbs 62 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using a GF bread or omitting the bread  This is a real treat. Various game meats can be found at some markets or online. We had these bits and bobs in the freezer, remaining from previous meals. 

If you don’t have four different varieties of game, two types will do.

1½ oz quail or pheasant ½ oz rabbit liver 1 oz wild boar loin 1½ oz turkey: domestic or wild, cubed ½ tsp Dijon mustard ½ oz cranberries 2 Tbsp rich broth of any sort ½ oz peas 1 oz egg ½ oz onion, minced pepper + salt + mace ¼ Arnold Multi-grain Sandwich-thin [½ of one slice] 1 oz carrot coins

Put the quail, liver, boar, mustard, cranberries, broth, and egg in the food processor and chop. Add water if it is dry. Remove to a bowl and add the turkey, onion, peas, and seasonings. Pat into an oven-safe dish that has been spritzed with non-stick spray. Nestle the sandwich-thin on top and bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Serve with the cooked carrots and a bit of mustard.

Slow Days: Pastitsio

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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 FastDiet 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.

My friend Nick, a pure Greek-American from the Greek neighborhoods of Manchester, NH, called pastitsio ‘Greek macaroni and cheese.’ If your mac&cheese is in a rut, try this variation — it is really good. And don’t even think of telling Nick’s mom that pastitsio originated in Italy!

Ground lamb meat, onion, tomatoes, cinnamon, Greek oregano, butter [not the entire stick], elbow macaroni — here is the basis of Pastitsio. The oregano and cinnamon tell you how Greek it is. Nick always wondered how the early Greeks got tomatoes, but he was willing to give that a pass….

Pastitsio Sauce + Casserole
1 cup chopped onion
½ pound ground lamb		Saute onion and meat in a heavy saucepan while stirring sometimes until the meat is brown and the onions are golden.
1 cup crushed or whole tomatoes
1½ tsp salt freshly ground pepper
1 tsp Greek oregano
1½ tsp cinnamon		Stir in these ingredients and simmer 5 mins.
½ cup Gruyere cheese, gratedStir in the cheese and taste for seasonings.
3 oz elbow macaroniCook the elbows. Stir them into the tomato sauce and turn the mixture into an oil-sprayed 1-Qt casserole.
Salsa BesamelTop with salsa besamel and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

The meat sauce is combined with cooked pasta and then you prepare a besamel…..

The salsa besamel goes on top. Milk thickened with a butter-flour mixture, grated cheese and egg all combine in a sauce that is poured on top of the pasta and sauce prior to baking.

Salsa Besamel
2 Tbsp butter Melt butter in a saucepan. Take off heat.
1 Tbsp flour
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 cup milk		Stir in flour, salt, and pepper, then add the milk gradually and stirring all the time. Put on low heat and stir for 5 minutes.
1 egg yolk
¼ c grated Parmesan cheese		Beat together in a small bowl, then slowly add the warm white sauce and stir constantly.
Baked to a golden turn.

Serve with Winter Vegetables, as seen here, or with a Greek Salad, Pastitsio makes for a hearty mid-Winter meal. Delicious.

Comparing Plans: MIND Diet

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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.

Paleo and Keto diets are all the rage, but it seems to me that the MIND Diet should be better-known. It was developed in 2015 at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago from two widely-regarded diets: the Mediterranean Diet and the DASH Diet. The name is a real smash-up: Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. As that implies, the diet has genuine benefits for those who wish to forestall neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. Furthermore, although it is not an eating plan aimed at weight-loss/body health, it could help to lower cholesterol and weight. Since Dr Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet for Slow Days, it is remarkably easy to merge this with a Fasting Diet. Dear Husband and I tried it out, designing a month-long plan of eating, and were glad to see how easy it was to follow. According to a study of 900+ seniors, those who followed the plan religiously reduced their risk of Alzheimer’s Disease by 53%. Those were less punctilious, still reduced their risk by 35%. Those are great numbers. I’m up for that. The chart below shows how nicely the MIND and FAST play together.

Is this food allowed on this diet…MINDOn Fast Days
Fatty Animal protein: beef, lamb, porkNo Yes
Lean Animal protein: chicken, turkey8 oz/weekYes, preferred
Eggs Yes Yes 
Beer, wine, cocktails5 oz red wine dailyOnly on Slow Days
Grains: brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole cereal Yes Yes, in moderation
Nuts + seeds3 oz/week Yes, in moderation
Beans, legumes: peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas4 oz/week Yes 
Seafood protein8 oz/week or moreYes 
Tropical fruitslimitedYes 
BerriesYes, often Yes 
Leafy green vegetables: spinach, chard, kale, lettuce1 oz/day or moreYes 
Cheese No Some 
Vegetable oils: olive, canolaYes Yes, in moderation
Animal fat: butterNo Yes, on Slow Days
Root vegetables: beets, sweet potatoes, carrotsYes Yes 
Other vegetables: onions, tomatoes, peppersYes Yes 
Higher fatNo No 
Colorful vegetablesYes Yes 
Higher fiberYes Yes
Daily Carb intakeunmeteredKeep it low
Complex carbohydrates: whole grains 3oz/day Yes
Simple carbs: cookies, pastries, cakeNoNot on Fast Day
16:8 intermittant fasting recommendedYesYes 
Number of days per week to follow the regimin 7 of 72 of 7
Do calories matter?No Yes, 600 on Fast Days
source: https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/mind-diet

Our meals today draw from ingredients that hew to the guidelines of the MIND Diet: whole-grain bread and a brightly-colored vegetable for breakfast, followed by beans with leafy greens for dinner. The soup also makes for a fine lunch, which is another time to eat your healthy ingredients.

Bruschetta Toast: 210 calories 12 g fat 4 g fiber 9.5 g protein 20 g carbs [12 g Complex] 56 mg Calcium  PB  This one was a serendipidous invention and it turned out to be yummy.

1 slice whole-grain seedy bread [Dave’s Killer Bread is great] one 2-oz egg 3 Tbsp Bruschetta sauce  – strain it if too liquidy 1 oz pear  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Toast the bread lightly and pan-fry or poach the egg. Spread 2 Tbsp of the bruschetta on the toast and top with the egg. Dollop the remaining bruschetta on the egg. Plate the fruit. Eat with knife and fork or with your hands. A taste sensation.

Bruschetta Sauce: makes 2 cups 1 cup= 285 calories 28.5 g fat 3 g fiber 2 g protein 10 g carbs 2 mg Ca
½ pound plum tomatoes
3-4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic + 1 scallion
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes + ½ tsp salt
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp fresh marjoram, chopped 		Core and quarter the tomatoes. Peel and crush the garlic.
Slice the scallion. Put all of these ingredients into a food processor and pulse off and on to make a chunky sauce.
½ pound plum tomatoes Core and quarter the tomatoes. Add to the above and pulse a few more times.
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1½ teaspoons red wine vinegar 		Pour the tomato-herb mixture into a bowl and stir in the vinegars.
This is the sauce that I mentioned in SlowDays: Bruschetta https://wordpress.com/post/fastingme.com/14162

Three-Bean Soup:  241 calories 3 g fat 29 g fiber 16 g protein 39 g carbs [32 g Complex] 134 mg Calcium  PB GF   A cold evening and a bowl of bean soup – so satisfying and delicious. HINT: This recipe produces 11 cups of soup. One serving = one cup A fine way to use up some of those beans that you hoarded when the Pandemic began.

1 cup dry navy beans** 1 cup dry kidney beans** 1 cup dry soldier beans** 2 Tbsp salt + water to cover beans 4 oz ham bone or ham hock, with some meat 1 cup onion, chopped 28 oz crushed tomatoes 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp dried basil 3 Tbsp lemon juice + salt + pepper to taste per serving: 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves cut as chiffonade **Any combination of beans will do. Add other types of beans or pulses, such as lentils, to create a 5-10 bean soup.

Rinse the beans in a collander under running water. Put them into a large bowl or cook pot and cover with 3-4” of water. The beans will double or triple in size as they absorb the water. Add salt and let the beans sit overnight. Next day, drain the water and discard. Put the beans in a large cook pot along with 1½ quarts water and the meaty bone. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover. Let cook slowly for 2 hours. Add the onion, tomatoes, and flavorings. Fish out the ham bone and cut the meat from it. Dice the meat, add back to the pot, and simmer slowly for one hour. Serve with ½ cup fresh baby spinach leaves stirred into the hot soup in each serving bowl at the last minute.

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

1 two-oz egg + lots of fresh herbs1 two-oz egg, hard-boiled 
Crushed tomatoes + low-fat cottage cheese1 slice whole-grain dark bread @ 70 calories
anchovy + cooked chicken meatchicken dinner sausage
pear2 prunes + onion
Optional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

quail/pheasant + rabbit liver + peascabbage + onion + rutabaga/turnip
Dijon mustard + fresh cranberries + eggcarrot + parsnip + dry green lentils
rich broth + turkey + onion + wild boarpork loin + frozen spinach + fresh spinach
mace + carrot + Arnold Sandwich Thin [100 calories]mace + dry mustard + caraway seed
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Boticelli

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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 freeketodiet and fraidycatfinance and morningfatmelter14 who are now Following.

Sandro Boticelli [born March 1, 1445 as Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, but called ‘boticelli’ or ‘little barrel’] was yet another of the great artists of Florence, under the patronage of the Medici Family. He painted in the Renaissance style from 1470 to 1500. True to his time, he depicted religious themes, figures from Greek mythology, and society people in the style of Classical figures. His paintings are full of light and motion and beautiful people. He had many patrons and his skills were in great demand, but Sandro fell under the spell of the ascetic clergyman Savonorola, and he began to consider his mythological scenes to be irreverent. Some say he burned them, some say he refused to take new commissions. For whatever reason, Sandro’s style changed; he was not hired so often, and he was eclipsed by his contemporaries until his death in 1510. His posthumous legacy was obscured as well, until the late 1800s when there was a resurgence of interest in Florentine Renaissance art, permitting Boticelli again to take his place among the greats.

One of Boticelli’s most famous works is Primavera, an enormous painting showing the Goddess Venus with a retinue of Springtime characters. Off to the right, the cold winds of winter attempt to disrupt the revels but to no avail. This painting is on display in the Uffizi Gallery’s Boticelli Room along with The Birth of Venus, the other most-famous of Sandro’s works. It shows the nude Venus being wafted across the water on a giant scallop shell, new-born of the sea’s foam. Our breakfast is all about Spring [even though it will be a few weeks until the Equinox], and our dinner features sea scallops, of course.

Vernal Equinox Bake:  249 calories 8.4 g fat 2 g fiber 14 g protein 17 g carbs [5.5 g Complex] 212 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  For the change of seasons, a breakfast with cured meat [to represent Winter] and artichokes [to stand in for Spring]. Simple and flavorful.

1 two-oz egg 1/4 oz uncured capicola, diced 3/4 oz artichoke hearts, marinated and purchased in a jar 1 Tbsp reduced-fat cottage cheese 1/4 cup blueberries or strawberries + 2 Tbsp plain, fat-free yogurt   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]

Drain the artichokes and chop them. Spritz an oven-proof dish with non-stick spray and sprinkle the capicola and artichokes on the bottom. Whisk the egg with salt and pepper, pour it into the dish, and bake at 350F. 12-15 minutes. Combine the fruit with the yogurt in a ramekin and plate with the egg bake. Serve with optional beverages and gaze upon Primavera by Sandro Boticelli.

Scallops with Peas: 260 calories 9 g fat 5 g fiber 26 g protein 11 g carbs 153 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF flour in the Bechamel  Salty scallops and sweet green peas are a wonderful combination. Very simple to prepare. Low enough in calories to add a Side Salad if you wish.  Perch a picture of Birth of Venus on the table so you can see it as you dine.

¼ pound dry sea scallops 1½ Tbsp chives, chopped ¼ c Bechamel sauce, no cheese ½ cup frozen green ‘English’ peas 1 tsp lemon zest 1½ Tbsp Romano cheese, grated   Optional: side salad

Put the frozen peas in a bowl or cup to thaw. Pat the scallops dry and cut them in half along the equator. Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray and heat the pan over medium-high. Pan-sear the scallops, 1-2 minutes per side, adding some salt and pepper. Turn the heat to low. Add the Bechamel, zest and chives to the pan, along with a little water or white wine to increase the liquid. Add the peas and most of the grated cheese. Heat thoroughly but gently and spoon into scallop shells or ceramic baking shells. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and briefly broil or bake to melt the cheese on top. Serve with Side Salad, adding 36 calories.