Eating well with creative recipes while following the Fast Diet

Slow Days: Siracusa Pasta

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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 your 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.

This recipe is from Lynne Rosetto Kasper’s book The Italian Country Table. She describes visiting the market in Siracusa, Sicily: the people she chats with and the ingredients that inspired this recipe. From them she makes a wondrous pasta dish. The following ingredients make enough for TWO [2] servings.

You will really need a mise en place for this preparation, so set it up now.

Sv 2
3 cloves Garlic, halved 
2 tsp olive oil		Sauté until pale gold and take from pan.
¼ cup red onion, choppedSaute over medium-high heat until transparant.
zest of orange and/or lemonAdd zest, cook 30 secs
1/4 c fresh oregano leaves/ 1 tsp. driedAdd oregano and cook 30 secs. Take off heat.
3 oz ditalini pastaCook pasta 5-6 mins until it is al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. 
½ c. pasta water
cooked garlic		Add pasta water and garlic to sauce pan and cook 30 secs.
Cooked pasta
½ cup basil 
8 oil-cured olives		Roughly shred the basil. Roughly chop olives. Add these, tossing everything to coat it with flavors. 
1 cup quartered cherry or Roma tomatoesPut tomatoes in pan and adjust seasoning.
3 oz mozzarella balls
basil leaves
optional: clementine or orange sections		Plate with the cheese balls on top. Strew with basil leaves and citrus sections.

I added spinach leaves and clementine sections for even more color and bright flavor.

Gosh it is good.

Alexander

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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: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

Empires come, empires go. But the Empire of Alexander the Great was remarkable. His life is like a tale from Greek mythology: his mother told him of portents at the time of his birth; he tamed the wild horse Bucephalus at the age of 12; he studied with Aristotle; he won a major battle at age 18. No wonder he styled himself as ‘son of Zeus’ and assumed the status of a demi-god. In his 20 years as King of Macedonia, he took his armies East — all the way to India! — spreading Hellenistic culture along the way. Alexander was wise, he was literate. Alexander was cruel, he was violent when drunk. Alexander was a great leader, but his army and his generals condemned him for adopting ‘Persian’ ways. He died in 323 BC, while on campaign and by June 13, his reign was over. “Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair” could be said of Alexander. His conquests influenced the ambitions of both Julius Caesar and Napoleon.

Echoing the journey of Alexander, we begin the menu with Greek flavors at breakfast and go all the way to India for dinner.

Greek ScrOmelette: 152 calories 9.3 g fat 0.6 g fiber 12.6 g protein 4 g carbs [3 g Complex] 88.5 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB GF Feta cheese is such a lovely ingredient. 

1 ½ 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, pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid, and put it in the ‘fridge for next week. 0.37 [3/8] oz feta cheese, reduced fat 1 Tbsp tomato puree [not tomato paste] large pinch of cinnamon + of oregano 1 Tbsp pomegranate seeds –OR– 1-1/4 oz applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or lemon in hot water Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Cream the tomato puree with the feta cheese and seasonings, then whisk in the eggs. OR Whisk the eggs and pour into the pan. As soon as the bottom of the eggs sets, spread the cheesse-tomato-seasonings on top of the egg. Scramble or cook as an omelette. Prepare the beverages and spoon out the pomegranate/apple for a real taste of Greece.

Tandoori Chicken and Vegetables: 265 calories 4.8 g fat 9 g fiber 20 g protein 32.6 g carbs 99.5 mg Calcium  PB GF  TIP: You can buy jars of tandoori sauce in most supermarkets. Be sure it does not contain corn syrup or sweeteners. Aim for 70-80 calories/ quarter cup

2 oz chicken, cooked or raw ½ cup eggplant, cubed 2 oz broccoli 2 oz bell peppers, cut in chunks 2 oz zucchini, sliced or cubed  2 oz carrots, sliced 1/4” thick or use ‘baby carrots’ cut in quarters ¼ cup brown rice, cooked ¼ c tandoori sauce 2 Tbsp plain, non-fat yogurt

Cook the vegetables together in a little water until they are tender. Add the chicken and the sauce. Warm it all. If the chicken is raw, be sure to cook it through. Either stir the yogurt into the sauce or serve it atop the meal. Plate the brown rice [warm it if cold] and serve the chicken and vegetables on top. Perfect for eating on a hot night or a cold one.

Ingredients for next week: 

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

1 sweet crepe 1.5 two-oz eggs 
low-fat French vanilla yogurtIndian curry powder
reduced fat ricottatomatoes + strawberries
fresh strawberriesplain, non-fat yogurt
uncured baconoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

cooked chicken + strawberriestwo 65-calorie corn tortillas
kiwi fruit + spinach leavescheddar + enchilada sauce
slivered almonds + dry mustardcarrot + broccoli + cauliflower
oil + poppy seeds + red wine vinegarchicken
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Crossroads: Indian Ocean

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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 WeightLossNearMe who is now Following. Join us in the Fasting Lifestyle.

Locations where the tides of history throw divers cultures together are fascinating to me.  Goa is on the West coast of India. If ever there were a place where “East meets West,” this could be it.  Petroglyphs and stone tools show that people were living there at least 10,000 years ago.  By 1400 BCE,  immigrants had arrived from Africa, Australia, and Southern India.  Then came the Buddhists, bringing their Nepalese religion and cultural ways. Many Buddhists are vegetarian/vegan, but the Goan Buddhists were not due to their contact with the Saraswat Brahmins from Northern India.  In the heyday of the Greek and Roman Empires, their ships would stop in Goa to take on food and water.  And in 1510, the Portuguese arrived, making Goa a territory of Portugal until 1961.  The languages, the religions, the culinary traditions of many peoples swirl in the daily life of Goans. Perhaps because of the well-stirred melting pot, the Hindu majority lives in harmony with the minority Christians, and Muslims.  In some instances, the same foods are prepared one way by the Catholic population, and another way by the Hindu population — but they all agree on the rich spices and flavors of one of India’s smallest provinces.  Goa is an unusual little slice of the Indian mosaic. ‘Visitors’ have been arriving for centuries and they still visit today.                                                                                                                          

Due to the coastline and the influences of the “spices of Indies and the East” which lured the Portuguese, breakfast will include shrimp and mixed spices.  Dinner will be that most cross-cultural dish: pork vindaloo. 

Goan ScrOmelette: 150 calories…    7.6 g fat…   1 g fiber…   10.4 g protein…   10 g carbs…   57 mg Calcium… NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.   PB GF The mixture of spices and spicy foods called Cafreal Masala is typical of Goan cuisine. It really delivers a punch to these eggs!

++ 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, pour half of their volume into                                                  a jar with a lid, and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.  ++++1.5 tsp cafreal masala [see recipe on above website] ++++ ½ oz shrimp, cooked and chopped  ++++ 1.5 oz mango ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea++++ Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Whisk the eggs and pour into a hot pan that has been spritzed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle the shrimp on top. Drizzle the masala paste onto the eggs and swirl it into the eggs as they cook, sort of like putting the chocolate into marble cake batter. Plate with the mango and serve with your choice of optional beverages.

Vindaloo Pork & Mushrooms: 250 calories… 7.2 g fat… 5 g fiber… 21 g protein… 15 g Carbs…. 52.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF From southern India comes the complex flavor of vindaloo. You can substitute turkey for the pork or eliminate the meat and use extra mushrooms for a meatless meal. 

++ ¾ Tbsp vindaloo seasonings++++1 clove garlic ++++ ¼ tsp ground ginger ++++1 tsp canola oil ++++ 1/3 cup [~1.25 oz] onion ++++ 1.5 Tbsp cider vinegar ++++ ¼ tsp sugar ++++2.5 oz pork OR turkey, cut in matchsticks ++++ 100 g [3.5 oz] mushrooms ++++ 1.5 oz broccoli ++++ ¼ cup brown rice or couscous++

Mince the garlic and add the vindaloo spices and the ginger. Stir in vinegar and toss the meat with this marinade. Let sit for 30-60 minutes. Saute the onions in the oil until beginning to brown, adding water if necessary to prevent sticking. Add the meat and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the broccoli and cook further for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sugar and cook for one minute more. Serve with the couscous or brown rice.

D-Day

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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.

June 6, 1944. Only a fraction of the people who participated in D-Day are still alive. In a final push to defeat Hitler in World War II, the Allied troops [United Kingdom, United States, Canada, the Free French, and Polish forces] crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy, France.  If you have never been to the “Invasion Beaches” then watch that part of Saving Private Ryan.  Only then will you appreciate the audacity and courage of that action.  We visited Normandy last month.  After the war, a huge effort was made to rebuild the towns and buildings that were destroyed in the Allied and German bombings — now it looks so serene and pastoral and quaint.  The graveyards are moving [watching the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan is enough to make me cry.] The history is all around you.  Even though it was 75 years ago, the Normans and the people of France have not forgotten.  Nor should we.                                   In honor of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, we will start with a meal of classic Norman flavors: Camembert cheese and apples.  For dinner, a mess-kit meal that the American GIs might have eaten the night of June 6 on top of the cliffs of Normandy while they pondered their gains and thought about their fallen comrades.

Camembert Bake: 146 calories  10 g fat   0.6 g fiber  9 g protein  6 g carbs [5 g Complex]   90 mg Calcium   NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  The best-known cheese of Normandy stars in this egg dish. Easy to prepare and so delicious. I hope you will try it.Camembert Bake 2

One 2-oz egg                                                                                                             ½ oz Camembert                                                                                                         1 tsp Dijon mustard                                                                                                    grating of nutmeg                                                                                                         2 oz strawberries OR 1.5 oz apple slices                                                            Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or lemon in hot water Optional:  5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Freeze the cheese, then grate it while frozen. -OR- Cut the cheese [rind and all] into small chunks and leave to soften at room temperature. Stir in the mustard and nutmeg. Whisk the egg, then stir in the cheese mixture. Pour into an oven-proof dish that has been spritzed with non-stick spray and bake at 350° F for 12-15 minutes. When the beverages are ready, plate with the fruit.

Beanie Wienies:   300 calories   4.3 g fat   8.6 g fiber  14.3 g protein 43 g carbs 74 mg Calcium PB GF  My husband grew up eating this with his childhood chums. What could be simpler? And the carb count is due to the good fiber of beans and carrots. So complex.Beanie Wienies

1 reduced fat hot dog [we like Hebrew National all beef franks or Applegate]                                                            ¾ cup canned baked beans                                                                                                            1 oz carrots, cooked or raw

Put the baked beans in a small sauce pan. Cut the hot dogs into 1” pieces [on the diagonal, my husband would say] and add to the pan. Warm thoroughly. Plate with the carrots and think about food memories of childhood.

Ingredients for next week:

Breakfast, single portion for Monday ………………… single portion for Thursday:

1 two-oz egg   + soy sauce 1.5 two-oz eggs
ginger  +  bean sprouts + scallions pomegranate seeds/applesauce
crab meat  + semolina flour cinnamon  +  oregano
garlic powder  + clementines feta cheese  + tomato puree
Whatever you need for your smoothie Whatever you need for your smoothie
Whatever you need for your hot beverage Whatever you need for your hot beverage

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

vindaloo seasoning + garlic chicken breast   + eggplant
ginger + onion + vinegar + oil + sugar  broccoli + sweet pepper + carrot
mushrooms + pork OR turkey plain yogurt  + zucchini
brown rice couscous tandoori sauce  + brown rice
Sparkling water Sparkling water

La Florida

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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.

In May of 1539, Hernando de Soto thought he was on to something.  After helping to subdue Peru and Mexico for Spain, he retired back home as a very wealthy man.  Though newly-married, the young father was restless for the soldier’s life. He had been named ‘Governor of Cuba and La Florida‘, so he sold everything [What did his wife have today about that??] to provision 10 ships with 700 chosen soldiers. Off they went to the new world.  After a stop in Havana to drop off his wife, they landed in Tampa Bay (Florida) on May 30, 1539. And then they sought gold: North through Florida, into Georgia, North Carolina; West into Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana they went, doing their usual Conquistador deeds. [For God and King? The king might have approved, but God surely didn’t.] Three years later, no gold, no riches, no fountain of youth: only angry natives, sickness, battles, and wounds. In May, 1542, de Soto died of fever on the banks of the Mississippi River and his body was sunk into the water to preserve the illusion that he could not die.  There was a car named after him…                                                                                              In memory of all the indigenous peoples whom he killed or oppressed, we have a breakfast based on the Cuban/Miami sandwich ‘the Cubano‘ and a dinner with ingredients grown in the sunshine of modern Florida.

Cubano ScrOmelette: 151 calories  8.5 g fat  0 g fiber  12.2 g protein  0.8 g carbs   71 mg Calcium NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  GF  The famous Miami sandwich comes to the Fasting breakfast table, with every flavor intact!Cubano ScOmelette

1 ½ two-oz eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.                                                                                                   1/8 oz ham, diced                                                                                                                                   ¼ oz Swiss cheese, diced                                                                                                                   ¼ oz pork, diced [this could be from a previous roast or a grilled tenderloin]                                           ¼ tsp mayonnaise                                                                                                                           1.5 tsp dill pickle, diced                                                                                                                               Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or lemon in hot water                       Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Cut up the meats and combine in a small dish. Dice the pickle and whisk with the mayonnaise and the eggs. Spritz a saute pan with non-stick spray and heat it. Put the meat mixture into the hot sauté pan to warm, then add the eggs. Scramble together [or cook like an omelette] until the way you like it. Pour your beverages and enjoy a semi-tropical start to your day.

Grapefruit-Avocado Salad:  289 calories  20 g fat  6.4 g fiber  18 g protein  15.3 g carbs [14.5 g Complex]  75.5 mg Calcium   PB GF  This is delicious, nutritious, and satisfying. Real food. Good food.grapefruit-avocado salad

1 two-oz egg, hard-boiled                                                                                                               2.5 oz avocado [this was half an avocado], sliced in 4 pieces                                                               3.3 oz pink grapfruit sections [you need 4 sections]                                                                                       1.75 cups lettuce, sliced/shredded                                                                                                      1 oz cooked chicken breast [you could substitute 4 shrimp for a vegetarian meal]                          ½ tsp white wine vinegar + ½ tsp lime-infused olive oil + ¼ tsp ground ginger lemon finishing salt

Whisk the oil, vinegar, and ginger in a meduim-sized bowl. Add the lettuce and toss to coat with the dressing. Remove the lettuce to a serving plate, letting some of the dressing drip back into the bowl. Spread the lettuce evenly over the plate and sprinkle with the finishing salt. Starting at the center with the egg, arrange the grapefruit and avocado around the plate. Place the chicken as you wish. Brush the remaining dressing on the grapefruit and avocado.

Ingredients for next week:

Breakfast, single portion for Monday ………………… single portion for Thursday:

next Monday I will discuss ways to 1 two-oz eggs
maintain a 5:2 lifestyle while Camembert cheese
traveling Dijon mustard   +  nutmeg
apples/strawberries
choose a new favorite from the Archive Whatever you need for your smoothie
Whatever you need for your hot beverage

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

baked beans
choose a new favorite from the Archive low-fat hotdogs, 110 calories
carrots
Sparkling water Sparkling water

No Exit

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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 Kirilson who is now Following.

When it comes to Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre was in the forefront. In the Nazi-occupied Paris, he produced a one-act play titled “Huis Clos.”  That is a French legal term meaning ‘a trial behind closed doors’ although the title in English is usually given as “No Exit.”  French citizens during the war were presented with many choices: stay or flee; collaborate or resist; fight or be passive.  To Sartre, humans have the freedom to make any choices we want — even not taking an action involves choice.  But responsibility comes with each choice; with each non-action.  The play involves 3 characters who have made and continue to make choices, all of which makes their lives and those around them unhappy.  Whether or not you subscribe to the message that “Hell is other people,” Sartre wanted us to explore the options we have and the consequences of the choices we make.                                                       On May 27, 1944, the play opened. Since the play takes place in a drawing room in Hell, our menus contain ingredients with some fire in them: green chile and red curry paste. You can add more, if you like it hotter. You have choices about what you eat and how much of it.

Green Chile-Egg Galette: 147 calories   6 g fat  1.7 g fiber  9 g protein  24.6 g carbs [12 g Complex]  36.4 mg Calcium  PB  The bite of the green chiles, the nutty taste of the galette, the rich taste of egg: what a remarkable flavor combination. Eat with a fork or pick it up in your hand.Green Chili-Egg Crepe

1 galette/crepe [see SIDEKICKS I, Sept 17, 2017 for recipe]                                one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                 2 Tbsp roasted green chiles                                                                                   1 oz apples OR pears                                                                                                Optional:  blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or lemon in hot water     Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Whisk the egg with the chiles and pour into a 6” cast iron pan or small saute pan spritzed with non-stick spray. [If serving two, pour egg mixture into a 4×6” oven-proof dish spritzed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350 F. for 12 minutes] Cook the egg by gently lifting the edges to allow un-cooked egg to flow underneath. Meanwhile, gently heat the galette/crepe: wrap in a tea-towel and put in the microwave for 1 minute OR put in an un-greased sauté pan over low heat for less than 1 minute, then turn over for another 30 seconds. Plate the crêpe with the fruit, put the egg on top of it, then fold over. Pour the beverages and put some zip in your morning.

Halibut in Thai Coconut Curry:  258 calories  14 g fat   1.7 g fiber   21 g protein   9.7 g carbs [5 g Complex]   139 mg Calcium PB GF  This is from Alaska from Scratch by Maya Wilson and it is delicious.Halibut w: Coconut Curry

1 tsp olive oil, separated                                                                                             3 cups spinach, lightly packed                                                                                     1 Tbsp shallots, chopped                                                                                             3/4 Tbsp Thai red curry paste or more to taste                                                        1/4 cup chicken broth                                                                                                        3.5 fluid oz light coconut milk                                                                                pinch sugar                                                                                                                         3 oz halibut fillet                                                                                                         2 Tbsp scallion                                                                                                            1-1/2 tsp lime juice

Heat ½ tsp olive oil in a wide saute pan with 1-2 Tbsp water. Add the spinach with salt and pepper and toss in the oil until greens begin to wilt. Remove to a bowl and cover to keep warm. Put ½ tsp oil in the pan with the shallots and cook 2 minutes more. Add curry paste, chicken broth, coconut milk, and sugar. Whisk to combine and simmer on low until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Salt the fish and add to the broth in the pan, spooning some broth on top of the fish. Cover and poach 5 minutes per 1/2” of thickness. Put greens in the serving bowl and top with fish. Stir scalions and lime juice into broth, turn heat up briefly. Ladle broth over the fish and greens. Optional: ¼ cup brown rice.

Vasco da Gama

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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 May 20, 1498, the first Europeans reached the Indian subcontinent by sea.  Vasco da Gama was the leader of the expedition under orders from King Manuel of Portugal. Up until then, no one had any idea of reaching India by sailing around Africa — but it worked.  By following the currents in the South Atlantic Ocean, da Gama rounded the southern tip of Africa [which the explorer Dias optimistically named the Cape of Good Hope] and then followed the currents up the east coast.  He took on a native pilot and arrived at Calicut [aka Calcutta, now Kolkata].  Da Gama’s return to Portugal with spices and silks earned him wealth and fame.  How did this sit with the Indians?  Not too well, aparently — he was sent back to put down a rebellion against Portugal and then returned as governor in 1524, when he died. Was da Gama’s arrival in India a good thing? Probably not — colonialism is rarely beneficial to the colonized people. But it established a link between ‘East’ and ‘West’ and perhaps some good has come from the mixing of cultures.                                                                                                                                                   The meals today begin with vegetables and Indian curry cooked into eggs. Appropriate since curry is a melange of spices the like of which the Europeans craved.  Dinner is purely Eurocentric: fish and chips with a Portuguese twist: just the sort of thing you get when cultures meet in the kitchen.

Curried Vegetable Bake: 123 calories   5 g fat  1.3 g fiber  7 g protein  11.6 g carbs [9.5 g Complex]   41.5 mg Calcium   NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.   PB GF   If you like the warm, spicy taste of curry, then feel free to add more to this dish.

Curry Bake

one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                     1/2  oz broccoli, cooked and diced                                                                                                              1/2 oz carrot, cooked and diced [HINT: use leftovers from a dinner]                                     1 Tbsp Indian curry powder -OR-  4 Tbsp curry sauce [see Sidekicks I, from Sept. 17, ’17] additional curry powder, salt, garlic powder, all to taste                                                                   2 oz applesauce                                                                                                                                  Optional:  blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or lemon in hot water                         Optional:  5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]

Spritz a ramekin with non-stick spray and set the toaster oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the vegetables, seasonings, and the curry powder/sauce until well blended. Whisk the egg into the mixture and turn into the ramekin. Bake about 15 minutes while you portion the applesauce and prepare the optional beverages.

Portuguese Fish & Chips:   260 calories    6.3 g fat     4.7 g fiber   24 g protein    28 g carbs [27 g Complex]    60 mg Calcium    PB GF – if using GF flour  From our favorite dinner place in Souris, PEI, 21 Breakwater , comes this house specialty from the chef’s native cuisine. The batter is so light that it lets the lime-infused fish shine through. The recipe takes little time to accomplish. I have described it in detail so you can be successful.

Portugese Fish & Chips

3 oz tilapia or hake or other firm-fleshed white fish                                                                                                                          1 fl. oz lime juice or lemon juice                                                                                                                    1 egg white + 1 egg yolk, separated                                                                                                  2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour                                                                                                3 oz sweet potato, peeled                                                                                                                 ½ tsp canola oil                                                                                                                                 ½ tsp granulated garlic     +   ¼ tsp paprika    +      black pepper                                                                                                                           2 oz asparagus or broccoli

Marinate the fish in the lime juice with a pinch of salt and pepper for up to 30 minutes. Set the oven to 425 F. Peel the sweet potato and cut lengthwise into 1/4” slices. Cut each slice into 1/4” sticks. Put the oil in the non-stick pan that you will use to cook the fish. Add the potato sticks to the pan and toss about to coat with oil. Combine the granulated garlic, paprika, and pepper, and sprinkle on the potato sticks. Toss to distribute the seasonings. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil with the dull side up. Spray liberally with non-stick spray. HINT: You could do this 1-2 hours in advance. Distribute the potatoes on the pan so they do not touch. Put in oven for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, put the asparagus on to cook. Take the fish from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge lightly with flour. Whip the egg white into soft peaks. Fold in the egg yolk and remaining flour from dredging the fish. Heat the non-stick pan and spray with non-stick spray. Remove the fries from the oven and turn them over. Return to oven for 10 minutes more. Dip the fish in the egg batter so that it is coated on all sides. Cook the fish on one side over medium heat for 6 minutes, then on the other side for 6 minutes or until fork tender. When fries are done, turn off oven, open the door, and leave the fries in there for up to 5 more minutes. Plate all that good food and live it up.

Slow Days: Florentine Sandwich

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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.

Our FirstBorn and his wife love to travel.  On a trip to Firenze, Italy, in addition to the art and history, they discovered a panini shop and this sandwich.  They prepared it for us when we visited them and gifted us with the ingredients at Christmas.  How splendid to have generous, creative offspring!  The bread is a ‘no knead’ Focaccia, recipe perfected by FirstBorn, which is really easy to bake — although it needs an 8-12 hour rising time, which takes some planning ahead.  Surely you could buy some bread locally.  My batch produced 4 round loaves, 8″ in diameter, each weighing 6-7 oz.

The ingredients to serving two are simple: 1 loaf focaccia bread, 2 Tbsp creamy white cheese [Stracchino or crème fraiche or whipped cream cheese or Philadelphia brand 1/3 fat Cream Cheese [‘Neufchatel’], 2 Tbsp truffle cream [combination of mushrooms, oil, truffles], 1 oz uncured capicola ham, and 1.5 cups arugula or ‘spring mix’ greens. Florentine Sandwiches, mise                                       To assemble, cut the loaf around the equator into two equal rounds.  Spread the soft cheese on the bottom round, then spread on the truffle cream.  Arrange the ham evenly on top, then heap on the greens.  Sprinkle with a good finishing salt and top with the other piece of the loaf.Florentine Sandwiches, plated   This serves two very nicely, or three if you had more sides than the cherry tomatoes.

Ramadan, 2

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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.

Ramadan is the Muslim religion’s holiest month. As the ninth month of the lunar calendar, it moves around from year to year [this is because a lunar calendar month of 28 days is shorter than the average Gregorian Calendar month of 30-31 days]. This year, Ramadan began on 5-6 May and will end on 4 June with the Festival of Id al-Fitr.  1.8 Billion Muslims are obliged to Fast during Ramadan in honor of the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet Mohammed.  [The Prophet was an early proponent of Fasting.] What does this Fasting entail? No food or drink during daylight hours.  [This is what some people today would call ‘intermittent fasting’ or ‘time restricted fasting’ — in other words, eating during a limited number of hours of the day.]  The fasting of Ramadan is not done to lose weight, but rather to show devotion to one’s religious beliefs.  Often what people save on food, they donate to charity. Is all food forbidden? Yes, but only during daylight hours.  Breakfast is permitted [before sunrise] and dinner is permitted [after sunset].  Can one observe a 5:2 diet during Ramadan?  Of course.  These meals are based on the cuisine of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam. From the Hawayij spice, to the coffee [native to Saudi Arabia], to the dates [you are supposed to eat 7 of them each day], to the chicken [Saudis eat more chicken per capita than any other nation], to the watermelon [cultivated in Egypt 1000s of years ago and welcome in the Saudi desert]:  these flavors will put you in touch with the food traditions of the holy month.  If you are Muslim, I wish you “Ramadan Mubarak.”  If you are not Muslim [neither am I], read some of the Qur’an or Ask a Muslim a question, whether at the online site or with a colleague at work. We should all aim to break down barriers and work at understanding.

Arabian Omelette

Arabian Eggs:  153 calories  7.4 g fat  2 g fiber  10 g protein  12.5 g carbs [11 g Complex] 58 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the eggs and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  Hawayij spice is widely-used in the cuisine of Saudi Arabia. And it clearly shows trade links to countries further East. Coffee [Coffea arabica  is a native plant] and dates round out the flavors of the country. The sweet dates are a wonderful counter-point to the spicy eggs.

1-1/2 two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid to store in the ‘fridge for next week.                                        1 to 1.5 tsp Hawayij spice                                                                                                              2 deglet noor dates                                                                                                              Optional: blackish Arabian coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or lemon in hot water     Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Whisk the eggs with the spice mixture and pour into a heated skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Turn down the heat. Leave the eggs undisturbed until puffy and the top is set. Remove from skillet, and serve folded or flat. Pour the beverages and enjoy the fruit/spice combination.

Arabian Spiced Chicken

Arabian Spiced Chicken:   297 calories  4 g fat  5.4 g fiber  24.4 g protein  46 g carbs [45 g Complex] 35 mg Calcium   PB GF   Using ingredients originally from the region, it is possible to craft a very authentic meal that could have been enjoyed by ancient Arabs. They would have eaten by grasping the stew with the flat-bread called fatir — but on a Fast Day, we will choose a fork. TIP: This recipe makes enough for 2 [two] meals.

6 oz chicken thigh meat, boneless, skinless                                                                                        1.5 tsp Hawayij spice                                                                                                                     2/3 cups water                                                                                                                                         1/3 cup dry quick-cooking barley                                                                                              1/3 cup chicken broth                                                                                                                    Per serving: 3 deglet noor dates     +     5 oz watermelon cubes

Skin and bone the chicken thigh and cut it into 1” chunks. Heat a non-stick skillet and spritz it with non-stick spray. Toss the chicken with the spice and sauté it until the meat is partly cooked. To the pan, add the water and heat it, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Stir in the dry barley. Put a lid on the pan, turn down the heat, and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir gently until everything is heated through. Plate with the dates and watermelon on the side. Sprinkle the stew with more Hawayij if you like. The peppery stew is fabulous with the cool, crisp melon and the sweet, musky dates. What an Arabian Delight.

Ingredients for next week:

Breakfast, single portion for Monday ………………… single portion for Thursday:

1 two-oz egg1.5 two-oz eggs + cooked spinach
carrot  + broccoli + granulated garlicgrapes  + fat-free ricotta
apple sauce + curry powdermozzarella  +  garlic
curry sauce    [Sidekicks I, 17-Sept-2017]mushrooms
Whatever you need for your smoothieWhatever you need for your smoothie
Whatever you need for your hot beverageWhatever you need for your hot beverage

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

firm, white fish    + egg2 buckwheat crepes + Chèvre cheese
[white whole wheat] flour + paprikachicken breast  + Mozzarella
sweet potato  +  canola oil + asparagusMediterranean Vegetables
garlic powder  +  lime juiceherbes de Province/ fresh herbs
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Stuffed

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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.

When my sister and I were children at the table, and my mother would ask, “Would you like some more to eat?”, there were two answers which were not allowed. “I’m full” and “I’m stuffed.” It had to do with the inelegance of the phrasing. [The polite response was, “No, thank you.”]  Heck with that — today we will talk about meals that are ‘stuffed’ and will fill you up on a Fast Day.

Clam-Stuffed Mushrooms:   205 calories   6.4 g fat   4.3 g fiber  18.4 g protein   20.2 g carbs   98 mg Calcium    PB- if you don’t mindClam-Stuffed Mushrooms the meatballs in the stuffing  GF- if using GF bread  So we had these small portobello mushrooms in the ‘fridge, and I thought “Stuff them!” and they were good! And very filling, despite the LOW calorie count.                                                                3.5 oz mushroom caps [four 2-3” mushrooms]                                                                                      ½ cup clam stuffing [see SPICY May 23, 2018]                                                                                2 oz tomatoes                                                                                                                                                  ½ oz SnapPea Crisps                                       Poach the mushrooms briefly [2 minutes] in boiling water to cover. Using a paring knife, dig out any stem in the cap to create more of a cavity for the filling. Chop the stems and add to the clam stuffing. I used a large cookie-scoop to distrubute the stuffing into the caps. Bake at 400° F. for 15-20 minutes. Plate with the cool tomatoes and the crunchy Crisps. Easy to prepare, a treat to eat.

Cucumber Boats with Salmon: 258 calories 12.4 g fat 3.2 g fiber 20.4 g protein 19 g Cucumber Boat w: salmon and 3-bean saladcarbs 162 mg Calcium PB GF  So easy for the summer or anytime.                                     2-¾ oz cooked salmon                                                                                                                    one 3.5 oz cucumber, of which you will use half to serve one                                                                1/2 Tbsp watercress sauce [see Sidekicks II, posted 4 Oct, 2017]                                                  1 tsp Dijon mustard                                                                                                                           1/8 oz leek [2 Tbsp]                                                                                                                                               ½ cup 4-bean salad [see Sidekicks I, posted 17 Sept, 2017]                                             Slice the leek and blanch in a little water in the microwave. In a bowl break up the salmon and combine with the sauce, mustard and leek. Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the seeds with a melon-baller. Discard the seeds.  Mound the salmon into the cucumber boats and plate with the 4-bean salad.

Ham-Stuffed Fish: 260 calories  3.5 g fat   23 g protein  16 g carbs  139 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF bread  Another recipe of unknown origin. Glad I saved it.                                4 oz tilapia or perch                                                                                                                           1 oz sliced ham from the deli                                                                                                          1/2 tsp soy sauce + ½ tsp sherry + 1 egg white                                                                              ½ piece of whole-grain 70-calorie bread                                                                                               1 Tbsp finely-chopped walnuts                                                                                                              1-2 oz carrots, julienned or sliced as coins                                                                                                 1 scallion                                                                                                                                         Slice the fish so that it is in 2 pieces of equal length and thickness. Crumble the bread into the finest crumbs and blend thoroughly with walnuts. Whip the egg white until it is very frothy. Blend in the soy sauce and sherry. Make a ‘sandwich’ of the ham slice between the two pieces of fish. Dip in the egg mixture to coat, then dip in the bread/walnuts. Cook in a heavy non-stick pan, sprayed with non-stick spray, until fish is cooked – about 5 minutes per side. Cook the carrots. Plate the fish and carrots and sprinkle with sliced scallion.