Eating your way to a slimmer body with the 5:2 diet

The Dead Have Their Day

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Monday, eat the meals that will be posted on Sunday.  Eat sensibly the other days of the week.  That’s it.  Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

Tomorrow in Mexico people will observe the Day of the Dead. While this sounds macabre to non-Mexicans, it is a family day for visiting cemeteries and honoring the dead, as seen in the movie Coco. Our meals today have a theme of death/celebration /Mexico, told in two stories.  No sugar skulls or pan dulce for a Fasting Day.

Placerville, California was a mining town, named after ‘placers‘ which are gold nuggets found in stream gravel.  Incorporated in 1854, it was formerly called ‘Hangtown‘ since frontier justice was doled out there. Often. One day a Sourdough [if you think that’s a loaf of bread, follow the link] walked into a hotel.  Bragging that he had struck it rich, he demanded the most expensive meal they could serve him.  What was it?  Eggs [the going price was 1 small gold nugget per egg], bacon [also a scarce commodity], and tinned oysters [an extravagance!]. It was dubbed the Hangtown Fry.  You can still order it in Placerville, and tho’ the locals think it is awful, we found it to be delicious.

‘Enchiladas’ are as Mexican as can be. The name derives from the origin of the dish: ancient Aztecs prepared corn tortillas and dipped them in chili sauce before frying them on a griddle.  In Rick Bayless‘ words, the tortillas were “en-chilied”, or enrobed with chilis: hence ‘tortillas enchiladas.’ So enchiladas are not a meal, they are an ingredient. The Enchiladas Suizas which we offer for dinner, were first offered in the 1950s in Mexico City. The name means ‘Swiss Enchiladas’ due to the cheeses inside. They are easy to prepare and fun to eat.

Hangtown Fry:  296 calories  9 g fat  2.5 g fiber  18 g protein  34 g carbs [31 g Complex] 224 mg Calcium  GF  Turns out, this meal has nothing to do with being hanged and everything to do with striking it rich.Hangtown Fry

3 two-oz eggs of which you will use 1 ½ eggs per person HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week                                                                                                                                                                                2 shucked fresh oysters, chopped                                                                                                                                 1/2 slice ‘American’ bacon, uncured if possible                                                                                                     1-1/2 oz strawberries -OR- 3 cherries                                                                                                       blackish coffee or tea or lemon with hot water                                                                                                  5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or unpasteurized cider

Dice the bacon and cook it in a hot pan until almost crisp. Add the oysters and cook a second or two longer. Whisk the eggs with salt, and pepper. Pour over the bacon/oysters in the pan and scramble or cook as an omelette. Plate with the fruit and serve with the beverages of choice. Full of flavor.

Enchiladas Suizas:  293 calories  9.9 g fat   11.2 g fiber   31.6 g protein  43.4 g carbs   261.7 mg Calcium  PB GF  Rick Bayless relates this recipe in his book Mexico One Plate At A Time. Delicious and easy to prepare. Assemble just before baking, lest it turn to mush.Enchiladas w: winter medley

2 six-inch corn tortillas [50 calories each]                                                                                                                2 0z [½ cup] shredded cooked chicken breast                                                                                                ½ cup enchilada sauce: see SPICY II from 12 Sept 2018                                                                               ¼ cup grated Cheddar or Monterey jack                                                                                                          1 oz broccoli florets +  1 oz cauliflower florets  +  ½ oz carrot

Heat oven to 350 F. On an ungreased heavy skillet, place the tortillas and cook them until they begin to brown on one side. Flip in the pan and continue until each tortilla is pliable and slightly fragrant. Remove to a cutting board or baking sheet. Distribute the chicken between the tortillas, then roll up the tortillas, and place each in an oven-proof dish, seam-side down. Spoon the sauce over and around and between the enchiladas. NB: you don’t have to use all of the sauce. Extra could be added to eggs or soup. Sprinkle with cheese and put into oven. Cook the vegetables, drain and dress with salt and a splash of red wine vinegar. So good!

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

1 two-oz egg Next Wednesday, I will offer 12 Tips to
Pan Muffin [..not by Bread, 7 Feb ’17] help you to keep on Fasting.
applesauce
Choose a breakfast from the Archives
Whatever you need for your smoothie Whatever you need for your hot beverage
Whatever you need for your hot beverage Whatever you need for your smoothie

Dinner, single portion:

cabbage   + onion  + rutabaga/turnip Watch for my 12 Tips!
carrot  +  parsnip  + dried green lentils
pork loin  + frozen spinach
fresh spinach as well
mace  +  dry mustard  + caraway seed Choose a dinner from the Archives
Sparkling water Sparkling water

Boswell

~ 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. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

In the story ‘A Scandal in Bohemia‘, Sherlock Holmes refers to Dr. Watson as “my Boswell,” saying he would be lost without him.  And who is Boswell? The son of a Scottish judge, James Boswell was born on October 29, 1740, into the time of the Scottish Enlightenment. In his heart he yearned to leave Scotland due to its provinciality and up-tight religious views.  While staying in London, the young lawyer was introduced to Samuel Johnson, noted author, essayist, wit, and man-about-town, at a bookshop. Their friendship lasted for 20 years, during which time they traveled and socialized. All the while, Boswell took notes. Johnson joked that it was as if Boswell were spying on him. After Johnson’s death, Boswell dug into his own journals and wrote The Life of Samuel Johnson, L.L.D.  It has been called ‘the greatest biography ever written’ for its lively style and Boswell was hailed as ‘the first of biographers.’  Indeed the noun ‘Boswell’ means ‘one who records in detail the life of a famous contemporary.’  If Johnson is famous today, it is because Boswell made him so.                                                                                                                                           We will celebrate Boswell by serving the foods of his rejected land: Tattie Scones and Cullen Skink, both as Scottish as Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.

Tattie Scone w: egg, pears

Tattie Scone with Egg:  286 calories   5.4 g fat  3.6 g fiber  13.3 g protein   47 g carbs   210 mg Calcium   PB  Tattie Scones have been part of a Scottish Breakfast ever since potatoes were considered fit to eat. Easy to make with left-over boiled or mashed potatoes.

One 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                                               1 tattie scone, see not by bread… Feb 7 2018                                                                                               2 oz pear                                                                                                                                                                     5-6 oz fruit smoothie or green smoothie or natural apple cider                                                                     nearly-black coffee or tea or lemon in hot water

Prepare the Tattie Scone and keep warm or re-warm. HINT: Prepare the night before and cook them, too. Fry the egg to your liking. Prepare the fruit and beverages. Plate the scone, top with the egg. Plate the fruit and pour the beverages. Almost instant, if you made the scone beforehand.

Cullen Skink

Cullen Skink:  228 calories   4.5 g fat  2.9 g fiber  26 g protein  20 g carbs  161 mg Calcium  PB GF  We found this old Scottish recipe to be divine!!  Despite the low calorie count, it is very satisfying. Comfort Food with a Scottish dialect.

3 oz finnen haddie [smoked haddock]                                                                                                               3 oz milk                                                                                                                                                                small pinch ground cloves                                                                                                                                bay leaf                                                                                                                                                                              ¼ cup onion, chopped                                                                                                                                           2 oz potato, diced                                                                                                                                                                            2 oz asparagus in 2” slices                                                                                                                                                        1 tsp butter                                                                                                                                                            parsley  for garnish

Skin the fish and put it in a small pan with the milk and bay leaf. Cook gently until the fish is warm. Remove the fish from the milk and break it into large pieces. Add the onions, potatoes, and cloves to the milk along with a little water. Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaf. Run the milk and vegetables through the blender/food processor/VitaMix [or use immersion blender] to a fine puree. Cook the asparagus. Return the fish to the pan with butter and the puree and heat. Add pepper to taste. Plate the fish, cover it with the ‘soup’, sprinkle with parsley, and arrange the asparagus around the sides. You will want to eat this again!

Slow Days: Pork Schnitzel

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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 tell that tale.  Once in a while your can splurge, as long as it isn’t every day.  For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet.  As for how we eat, an example follows.

KJL, a local butcher shop offers breaded pork schnitzel, and who can resist?  If this treat is not deep fat fried, it can be very healthy, as well as quick to prepare. “Schnitzel” is not a recipe as in ‘Wiener Schnitzel‘ or ‘Jaeger Schnitzel,’ but rather refers to a thin cut of meat, whether veal or pork, made thinner by pounding.Pork Schnitzel, mise

From the freezer, I took some watercress sauce with cream [top] and some apples sautéed  in butter and sugar [bottom]. The sugar was a good flavor foil to the tartness of the watercress.  Fresh mushrooms [center] were added to those to make a sauce.

The schnitzels weighed 5.25 oz each, so I cut them in half after sautéing in some butter and cooking spray. I ate 1/2 of one, while Dear Husband ate two halves. [The other half went for lunch another day.]  Fresh beets and roasted little potatoes rounded out the meal. Delicious and so simple.Pork Schnitzel, plated

Preaching to the Birds

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Monday, eat the meals that will be posted on Sunday.  Eat sensibly the other days of the week.  That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.  Welcome to FashionCreative who is now Following.

Giovanni di Bernardone, nicknamed “Francesco” [the Frenchman], had a dilema. Should he pursue a life as a Christian preacher or leave the world to become a hermit?  He asked his spiritual advisors and they sent word that his path was as a preacher. He was on the road with friends when he received that message and knew he had to start preaching right away.  So he went into the field where a large flock of birds were assembled and to the amazement of his colleagues, Francesco began to preach to the birds about being grateful for the gifts which God had given to them. This incident was charmingly depicted in art by Giotto in 1297, in poetry by Seamus Heaney, and in music by Franz Listz. The preacher went on to become Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and ecology. I have always been fond of Francis and his simple view of faith and nature because he seems so genuine.  And as a lover of nature, I wish more people would think and act ecologically.  

We will celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis tomorrow by eating eggs of birds with a popular Italian vegetable, melanzane [aubergine]. And for dinner, no animals will be harmed in the preparation of our watercress soup.

Aubergine ScrOmelette:  152 calories  7.6 g fat  2 g fiber 10.5 g protein 11 g carbs [10 g Complex] 64.7 mg Calcium  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  Eggplant and tomatoes are such a part of late summer, that you want to eat them with everything. Eating local foods in season is a real treat.

Aubergine ScrOmelette w: pears

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 to store in the ‘fridge for next week.  1¼ oz eggplant 1¼ oz fresh tomatoes, diced OR same amount of canned, diced tomato ¼ oz onion OR 1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped 1¼ oz pear large pinch Herbes de Province + pinch crushed red pepper flakes   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]

Chop the eggplant and onion. Simmer the vegetables and herbes in the tomato sauce in a covered pan until they are tender. If too thick, add a little water. Whisk the eggs with the vegetables and put into a hot pan spritzed with cooking spray. Scramble or cook as an omelette. Slice the pears and prepare your beverages. Savor the summer.

                                                                                                                                                                                     

Watercress Soup

Watercress Soup: 157 calories   5.4 g fat  2.9 g fiber  8.4 g protein  22 g carbs [19 g Complex] 63.5 mg Calcium   PB GF  Jacques Pepin’s Good Life Cooking is the source of this recipe and the stream that flows to the beach is the source of our watercress. So low in calories, you might want to add some Finn Crisp crackers for filling fiber or the Caprese Salad for more protein. HINT: This recipe makes 5 cups of soup which serves 4-5 people.

2 tsp canola oil                       4 oz [weight, not volume] watercress leaves and tender stems                                                                   1 cup celery, coarsely chopped                   2 cups onion, coarsely diced             ¾ tsp salt                                                                                                                  2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed              2-1/2 cups good stock – vegetable/chicken/beef                                                                                                                   10 oz [weight, not volume] potatoes, peeled, cut in 2” chunks    OR  12 oz white potato total                                                                       2 oz [weight, not volume] sweet potato, peeled and cut in chunks                     per serving: 1 Tbsp chèvre cheese                                                                                                          optional: Caprese Salad– 46 calories 2.2 g fat 0.6 g fiber 3.9 g protein 2.6 g carbs 115.6 mg Calcium     PB GF   ½ oz mozzerella cheese, thinly sliced  +   2 oz tomato, thinly sliced and sprinkled with salt   +  fresh basil leaves There should be equal numbers of cheese slices as tomato. Arange the cheese, tomato, and basil in overlapping on the plate.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the cress, celery, onion, and garlic, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Put the stock, salt and potatoes into the pan and bring to a boil. [NB: my stock was very dark, which changed the color of the soup to a darker shade of green] Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool slightly then puree in blender/food processor or with imersion wand. If not thoroughly pureed, run through a sieve. Heat the soup before serving. In the bowl, put the chevre in the center, let it soften a bit, then swirl it into the soup. Serve the salad on the side.

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

1 two-oz egg1.5 two-oz eggs
Mexican Pickled Vegetables [see SPICY 2, 12 Sept 2018]Pimenta da Queijo sauce
Cheddar cheeseGouda or Azores cheese
cumin  + oreganokiwi fruit
pear or apple 
Whatever you need for your smoothieWhatever you need for your hot beverage
Whatever you need for your hot beverageWhatever you need for your smoothie

Dinner, single portion:

2 all-beef hot dogs, 110 calories eachSmoked ham hock
tomato   +  dill pickle spearssauerkraut
onion  + peperoncinigarlic
hot dog relishcanned red beans
yellow mustardred potatoes
celery seed  +  poppy seedraw spinach
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Slow Days: Pizza with Leek & Bleu Cheese

~ 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 FastDiet Forum which tell that tale.  But once in a while your can splurge, as long as it isn’t every day.  For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet.  As for how we eat,  an example follows.

When the boys were young, I’d make home-made, personal-sized [8″ diameter] pizzas and we’d all watch Star Trek, The Next Generation every Saturday.  Memories are made that way.  The boys are dispersed to their own homes [one of them still makes pizza], and we continue to eat pizza, every Saturday. This one is based on a recipe from Fore Street, a favorite restaurant in Portland, Maine. Forestreet Pizza recipe

I make my own pizza shells from scratch. Sometimes I use the recipe from Gourmet magazine, which makes 2. Often I use the Neapolitan recipe from Peter Reinhart‘s American Pie, which makes six balls of dough, 5-6 oz each. I freeze balls of dough to use next week. NB: ordinarily I sauté the mushrooms and leeks before I put them on the pizza.  For some reason I didn’t do that this time.  It was crunchier as a result. Next time, I’ll sauté them.Feor Street Pizza, miseFore Street Pizza, plated

I usually eat 3 pieces of pizza, while Dear Husband eats all of his. This was enjoyed with a Dutcher Crossing red wine and a good friend as a guest.

Slow Day: Lime-marinated Chicken

~ 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 FastDiet Forum which tell the tale.  But once in a while your can splurge, as long as it isn’t every day.  For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet.  As for how we eat,  an example follows.

Lime-marinated chicken came to us from our younger son and his friend Angela, both of whom are very handy in the kitchen. Lime marinade for chicken:pork    The marinade is simplicity itself, but the meat must sit in it for 4+ hours  — so plan ahead.  What seems to be a puny amount of marinade grows into a lot more as time goes on.  Use it for basting.  The chicken can be grilled or baked. note: I skinned half of the chicken to account for varying tastes.  Fine either way.Lime-marinated chicken, mise

Served with sliced tomatoes and potato salad, this is one of those prefect Summer meals.

Lime Marinated Chicken, plated

PS: We always use this for chicken, but our son says it is fabulous with pork, too.

Summer’s “End”

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Thursday, eat the meals that will be posted on Wednesday.  Eat sensibly the other days of the week.  That’s it.  Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.                                                                              Welcome to somekindof50 who is now Following.

Labor Day, in the USA and Canada, is celebrated on the first Monday in September. [In Kazakhstan, it falls on the last Sunday.]  The purpose of the day is to honor workers by giveing them a 3-day weekend as a bonus. Picnics, cook-outs, trips to the beach, and week-ends away were popular ways to celebrate. It used to be that public schools and colleges  would not start up for the Fall Semester until after Labor Day. Now, alas, it is just another day: many workers are at work; children returned to school the week before; and you are lucky to get two of the 3 days to yourself.  But still, it marks the ‘end of summer‘ in a cultural way.  Summer resorts and cottages close down, and wearing seersucker is frowned upon.  Today’s menus are very simple: you can Fast well without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Plus, the dinner’s left-overs will be splendid for breakfast on Thursday — another time-saver.  Hope you are having a good weekend.

Watercress Bake:   278 calories  6.4 g fat  2.7 g fiber  14.2 g protein  35 g carbs [32.6 g Complex] 251 mg Calcium  PB GF  Watercress is so versatile and so healthy. When you see it in the market, turn it into the Watercress Sauce seen in SIDEKICKS II from Oct 4, 2017 and freeze in small amounts [from ice cube size to ½ cup] for use all year ’round.Watercress Bake

1 two-oz egg                                                                                                                                                               1 cube Watercress Sauce, drained                                                                                                                      1 Tbsp ricotta cheese                                                                                                                                               1/8 oz mushrooms   [about 1 Tbsp chopped]                                                                                                      1 oz fresh peach + ¼ oz fresh blackberries [4-5 berries]                                                                             5-6 oz fruit smoothie or green smoothie or natural apple cider                                                           nearly-black coffee or tea or lemon in hot water

The night before: take the cube of watercress sauce from the freezer and put it in a sieve over a small bowl overnight. Chop the mushrooms and cook in a little water for 15 seconds in the microwave. Next morning: Combine the cress, mushrooms, and ricotta. Spritz an oven-proof ramekin or other dish with non-stick spray. Whisk the eggs and add the cress mixture. Whisk again and pour into the prepared dish. Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes. Prepare the beverages and the fruit. What a simple, sumptuous meal.

Salmon Quiche:  serves 6  Per serving: 110 calories  6 oz fat  0.5 g fiber  9.6 g protein  3.5 g carbs  56 mg Calcium PB GF  This goes together so quickly and tastes so nice, that I urge you to serve it at your next luncheon or guest occasion. Save some for Thursday’s breakfast.Salmon Quiche

6 eggs                                                                                                                                                                            2 oz salmon, cooked                                                                                                                                                  1 cup grated zucchini                                                                                                                                              2 Tbsp reduced-fat ricotta                                                                                                                                                2 Tbsp plain fat-free yogurt                                                                                                                                ½ cup coarsly-chopped onion                                                                                                                            dill + salt + pepper to taste                                                                                                                                       salad, per serving:  48 calories   2.4 g fat  1.8 g fiber   1.3 g protein   6.2 g carbs   25 mg Calcium   1/2 tsp olive oil + 1/2 tsp flavorful vinegar                                                                                                           1 cup greens such as baby greens or mesclun                                                                                                  1 oz tomatoes, diced                                                                                                                                                               1 oz cooked, chilled beets                                                                                                                                        1/2 oz carrot, grated

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

Slow Days: Pan Bagne

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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 tell the tale.  But once in a while your can splurge, as long as it isn’t every day.  For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet.  As for how we eat,  an example follows.

Pan Bagne means ‘bathed bread.‘  It is a layered sandwich which is ‘bathed’ in an olive oil dressing. Pan Bagne recipe

We like it for 2 reasons: a] it is delicious;  b] it should be made a day or two ahead of when you need it.  Easy to prepare, once you have assembled the ingredients, Pan Bagne makes a delightful meal for summer entertaining or for a picnic.

Pan Bagna, mise

We especially like it as end-of-the-road food: for when we have traveled long hours to our vacation cottage.  After unpacking, the Pan Bagne is brought out [after 2 days of traveling in the cooler], sliced, and served with a chilled drink and a sigh of relief. Here it is offered up with A Rossignol Estate Saint Jean White.Pan Bagne, plated

Slow Days: Stuffed Haddock

~ me ~ 4 Comments

People who are new to Fasting often pose the question:  “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 tell the tale.  But once in a while your can splurge, as long as it isn’t every day.  For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet.  As for how we eat,  an example follows.

We had arrived back home after a few days away, and needed a quick meal. A trip to the local fish market gave us the idea of stuffed haddock, always a favorite.  There were odds and ends of items in the ‘fridge: some snap beans, a little lettuce, some pickled vegetables [see SPICY, posted 12 Sept, 2018], and some leftover artisan bread.  Herbs from the garden and a nice Rossignol Estate Winery ‘L’Acadie Blanc‘ rounded out the meal.

Here’s the mise en place:stuffed haddock, ingredients

Here is the plated meal:Stuffed Haddock plated

Happy Slow Day.

Emily Bronte

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On Thursday, eat the meals that will be posted on Wednesday.  Eat sensibly the other days of the week.  That’s it.  Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.                                                                       Welcome to loseweightmotv8  who is now Following.

 

Have you ever found that you were wandering over the Yorkshire Moors calling, “Heathcliff! Heathcliff!” OK, maybe not, but the yearning of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff for each other transcends time and leaps off the page at you.  Emily Brönte, under the pseudonym “Ellis Bell,” wrote the deathless novel Wuthering Heights in 1847.  Tomorrow will be the 200th anniversary of her birth. Like her heroine, Emily could not bear to be away from her Yorkshire home, even though she was supposed to go off to work to contribute to the family’s income.  She was a woman of conservative political beliefs who nonetheless was swept up in the Romantic Era‘s ideas of literature. Bronte was the daughter of a clergyman yet she wrote a book about a passionate, illicit love. Though she lead a sheltered life, Emily successfully played the stock market and ran a house on a frugal budget.  She died at age 30 having produced one book and several poems.

Kippers, preserved herring from Northern waters, would have been popular in Yorkshire, even away from the coast.  The economical Emily would have made sure that the parsonage was well supplied. Fish cakes, which also serve a household inexpensively, are what we will have for dinner. Is the wind howling around the house? Are there voices on the wind? Curl up with a good book.

Kippered Eggs w: cherries

Kippered Eggs:  294 calories  9.4 g fat   3 g fiber   18 g protein  34 g carbs [31 g Complex]  217 mg Calcium   PB GF   Kippers are traditionally served with eggs, but why not have them in eggs? We did and it is terrific!

++ 1½ two-oz eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl                                   or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume, into a jar with a lid                             and put it in the ‘fridge for next week  ++++ 1/2 oz kippered [smoked, salted, dried] herring  ++++ ¼ tsp dried mustard ++++ 1 tsp lemon or lime juice   ++++4 sweet cherries ++++  optional:  5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie  ++++ optional:  blackish tea or blackish coffee ++                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

The night before: Soak the kipper fillet in warm tap water for 30 minutes. Mince the fish. In a small bowl, combine the juice and mustard, then mix in the fish. Leave it until morning. Next morning: Put the fish with its flavorings into a lightly-spritzed hot non-stick or cast iron pan to warm. Whisk the eggs and pour over the fish. Let the eggs cook without disturbing them, then fold and plate with the cherries. The beverages are a nice counterpoint to the savory richness of the eggs and herring.

Fish Cake w: beets, salad

Fish Cakes:  212 calories  4 g fat  5 g fiber  9.6 g protein  34 g carbs  52 mg Calcium [food values for dinner using ONE 1/3 cup-size cake and side dishes.]    PB GF   This recipe is fromLegal Seafood Cookbook, from the restaurant chain in Boston, Mass. Fish cakes have been popular where ever there are folk who want a little fish to go a long way.    NB: The Fish Cake recipe produces 6 cakes, each 1/3 cup in size.  >>Each cake = 92 calories 1.7 g fat 0.8 g fiber 8 g protein 11.8 g carbs 22 mg Calcium                                                                                                                                                                         NB: The Fish Cake recipe produces 8 cakes, each 1/4 cup in size.  >>Each cake = 69 calories 1.3 g fat 0.6 g fiber 5.3 g protein 8.8 g carbs 16 mg Calcium                         1/3 cup green or white onion, chopped                                               1 2/3 cup mashed potatoes [no milk, no butter]                                                                              ¼ tsp dry mustard + salt + pepper                       1 two-oz egg                                                 2 Tbsp milk                                                                                                                                                                     6 oz cooked fish [cod, haddock, salt cod, salmon or a mixture], flaked into small pieces                                                           1 tsp butter                                                   ½ cup pickled beets                                                                                                                                                                                          1 cup baby greens or sliced lettuce leaves + ½ tsp olive oil + ½ tsp vinegar + salt + pepper

Combine the onion, potatoes, egg, seasonings, and milk, stirring well. Stir in the fish, gently but thoroughly. Using a 1/3 cup measure as a mold, portion the fish/potato mixture into 6 cakes. Put on a plate or cookie sheet while the pan heats up. Heat a heavy fry pan, such as cast iron, and spray with non-stick spray. Cook the fish cakes on one side, flattening them slightly with a turner. Remove from the pan and add 1 tsp of butter to the pan. Spread the butter around, return the fish cakes, and cook them on the other side until they are browned. Serve while hot. What you don’t eat today, let cool completely, then freeze with waxed or parchment paper between the cakes.