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.

Desiderius Erasmus was one of the most influential figures of European thought in the 1500s. He was born to a loving but unlikely couple in Rotterdam — his mother was a doctor’s daughter and his father was a Roman Catholic priest. Although priests were not supposed to have families, young Erasmus and his brother moved with their mother from town to town as their father took on new duties within the church. The family was broken up when the parents died of the plague when Erasmus was 14 years old. The lad was then fostered by a kindly widow who continued his education. From his youth, Erasmus had many bouts of illness, possibly malaria, and he was never wholly well. In his late teens, he became a novice in the Augustinian order, impelled, in part, by poverty. Erasmus loved the Classical Languages; learning; traveling; and a fellow novice [unrequited]. He did not like monastic life and he began to see many ways in which the Church should be reformed. Throughout his life, he traveled widely, forming friendships with many of the major religious leaders of Europe. From his association with Thomas More and his daughters, Erasmus learned that women were actually intelligent and capable of deep scholarship! He became the tutor of the sons of wealthy men, which expanded his circle and helped him to develop a philosophy on education. As a reformer, many thought that he would side with Martin Luther, but Erasmus published a criticism of Luther’s ideas which was so centrist that it attracted the ire of thinkers on both sides. In fact, the most conservative Catholics considered Erasmus to be a ‘radical’, which he never was. Erasmus was a gifted translator and writer. His topics included education; folk sayings and adages; the life of Saint Jerome; voluminous correspondence; and an improved translation of the New Testament. His questing mind was stilled in 1536, but debate raged on about his work.

For Erasmus’ birthday [born October 28, 1466], our breakfast will include a cheese from Gouda where his father worked for a few years. For dinner, a meal from Paris, another one of the scholar’s frequent stopping places.

O-M-G Bake: 141 calories… 7.4 g fat… 1 g fiber… 9 g protein… 9 g carbs… 110 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. — PB GF —  Think: Oh My Goodness! Or: Olive-Mushroom-Gouda. What Flavor!

++ 1 two-oz egg ++++ 1 olive, chopped ++++ ½ oz raw mushroom, chopped ++++ ¼ oz Gouda cheese, grated ++++ 1 oz orange OR 2 oz applesauce ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++++ Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++

First set the toaster oven to 350 F. Dear Husband is the one who prepares the breakfasts. He says to start the coffee next and then to prepare the smoothie. Spritz an oven-safe dish with oil or non-stick spray. Put the olive and mushroom in the dish. Whisk the egg with the cheese and pour into the ramekin. Bake in the toaster oven at 350F 12-15 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Dish up the applesauce and pour the beverages. Delicious.

Beet & Bleu Cheese Salad: 288 calories… 11 g fat… 5 g fiber… 14 g protein… 19.5 g carb… 212 mg Calcium… – PB GF — This recipe takes me back to a delightful restaurant 2 blocks north of Notre Dame in Paris. Dinner at Au Bougnat was a treat and eating this meal evokes fond memories.

++ 2½ oz beets, cooked, skinned, sliced or cubed, cooled ++++ 1¼ oz bleu cheese, cubed or crumbled ++++ 1½ oz tomato, sliced or cubed ++++ 3 walnut halves [or use slivered almonds if you don’t eat walnuts] ++++ 1 oz white beans, rinsed and drained if using canned ++++ 2½ c. salad greens ++++ ¾ tsp olive oil +++ ¾ tsp balsamic vinegar ++++ garnishes: pansy, chive, or nastursum flowers; scallions ++

Assemble and prep all vegetable ingredients. Whisk oil and vinegar in a wide bowl. Put greens in the bowl and toss. Place in serving bowl and arrange the other ingredients on top. Add a few garnishes. Voila! A beautiful meal.