Floralia

Flora, Goddess of Flowers

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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 Health Specialist who is now Following.

The Romans were pantheistic. There was a diety for everything in the natural world and the political, since deceased emperors were made into gods. One of my favorites is Flora, the goddess of flowers and flowering plants. She was originally a goddess of the Sabine People, who introduced her to Roman culture. In the Greek legend, the nymph Chloris attracted the love of Zehpyrus, the Springtime wind. He married her and granted her dominion over all blooming things: plants, nubile teenagers, and pregnant women. In 238 BCE, a festival called Floralia was instituted in her honor. Today, towns and cities throughout southern France there are floral festivals in early May and it is traditional to give a nosegay of Lily of the Valley/Muguet du Bois to someone to express your love or wish good luck. I like the idea of celebrating the blooms of Spring, so early in May I honor Flora with food and flowers.

The famous Roman Cato the Elder, 234–149 BC, in his agriculture book tried to promote traditional practices of farming and eating. He describes the tradition of baking Libum to leave in the household shrine to the gods. It is made with honey, which Flora is said to have given to the world. There’s our breakfast. Dinner is a modern salad with all sorts of Springtime ingredients: eggs, asparagus, young greens, and flowers. Food for the gods.

Cato’s Breakfast:  235 calories 4 g fat 2 g fiber 13 g protein 47 g carbs 89 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  Cato, the Roman orator and senator, included Libum in his book de Agricultura. The other elements of the meal were popular foods in ancient Rome.

225 g/1 cup light ricotta cheese
113 g/1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 oz = ½ egg
2 Tbsp honey		Combine these ingredients to a Play-Doh consistency.
0.2 oz pine nuts, about 45 pinonsForm dough into 11 balls, each made with 2 Tbsp dough [33-g]. Top each ball with 4-5 pine nuts.
11 bay leaves TIP: you can do all this the night before and bake in the morning.Lightly spritz a baking pan with non-stick spray and lay the bay leaves on it. Place one dough ball on each leaf.
Warm honeyBake at 350 F for 20 minutes. While still warm, brush with honey.

2 Libum [33-grams of dough each] 2 oz pear 1 deglet noor date 1 oz chicken breast meat  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water  

Bake the Libum and plate with the other ingredients. Although Cato probably would have served wine with breakfast, that would not be a good option.

Springtime Shrimp Salad: 192 calories 7 g fat 3.6 g fiber 17 g protein 17 g carbs 114 mg Calcium   PB GF  In Spring, the clementines are decreasing in the markets and the asparagus is increasing. A salad with shrimp is delightfully delicious.

2 cups mesclun OR baby greens 2.5 oz small shrimp 8-9 sections clementine 1¾ oz asparagus edible flowers for garnish ¾ oz mango ½ hard-boiled egg 2 tsp Spicy Aioli Dressing 

Prepare all the ingredients, cutting or cooking as necessary. Combine the Dressing and measure 2 tsp into a large bowl. Toss the salad greens with the dressing and a pinch of salt. Turn onto the serving plate and arrange the other ingredients atop the greens. Enjoy the colors and flavors of Spring.

Floralia v. 4.0

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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.  Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

Happy Floralia!  Since 240 BC, the Romans celebrated the Goddess Flora during the first days of May. What a charming idea: a goddess of flowers!  Floral wreaths were worn as people celebrated the return of Spring. To this day, the town of Càparra observes the festival. [Perhaps it is more for the tourists than for the goddess…]  Southern France, which the Romans called Gaul, embraced the idea wholeheartedly. In the 1400s, the Limbourg brothers depicted May as a time for courtiers to go out into the countryside to enjoy the flowers, emerging leaves, and the fresh air. Towns and cities today hold floral exhibitions and decorate with flowers to mark the occasion.  The featured breakfast includes fresh herbs with the eggs: both symbols of Spring.  Dinner is Springtime itself: with asparagus, egg, light flavors of citrus and shrimp, and a spicy dressing to hint of hot weather to come.  Wear green! Walk outside! Enjoy the May air! Be slimmer for Summer.

Herb Scrambled Eggs:    268 calories  7.6 g fat   2.5 g fiber  20 g protein  35 g carbs    208 mg Calcium  PB GF  Take a walk in the herb garden, then put the herb garden in the breakfast.Herb Scramble, no toast

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                                                                                                                                                                                  1 Tbsp chopped herbs: chives, rosemary, oregano, thyme, lavender                                                      salt & pepper to taste                                                                                                                                               2 oz table grapes OR 2 oz canteloupe OR 3 oz strawberries                                                                                                       blackish coffee or tea or lemon with hot water                                                                                                      5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie

Whisk the eggs with salt & pepper to taste. Pour into a hot pan sprayed with cooking oil. When bottom of eggs are set, sprinkle the herbs over the eggs, fold, and plate with fruit. Toast the bread, brew the beverage, pour the smoothie, and you are good to go.

Springtime Shrimp Salad:  192 calories   7 g fat   3.6 g fiber  17 g protein  17 g carbs   114 mg Calcium  PB GF  In Spring, the clementines are decreasing in the markets as the asparagus is increasing. A salad with shrimp is delightfully delicious.Springtime Shrimp Salad

2 cups mesclun OR baby greens                                                                                                                                2.5 oz cold-water shrimp                                                                                                                                             8-9 sections clementine                                                                                                                                        1-3/4 oz asparagus                                                                                                                                                        ¾ oz mango                                                                                                                                                               ½ hard-boiled egg                                                                                                                                                        2 tsp Spicy Aioli Dressing**

**Spicy Aioli Dressing        makes 3 Tbsp                                                                                                                                2 tsp olive oil mayonnaise                1 tsp Sriracha                                                                         pinch granulated garlic         2 tsp lemon juice                                                                             Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

Prepare all the ingredients, cutting or cooking as necessary. Combine the Dressing and measure 2 tsp into a large bowl. Toss the salad greens with the Dressing and a pinch of salt. Turn onto the serving plate and arrange the other ingredients atop the greens. Enjoy the colors and flavors of Spring.

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

1 two-oz egg 1.5 two-oz eggs
 Puttanesca sauce [see SAUCY, Dec 6, ’17]  crushed tomatoes + onion + garlic
 Parmesan cheese  ricotta + mozzarella cheeses
 Italian herbs + crushed red pepper
 peaches canned in juice  melon
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:

 white fish  + flour + egg white  roast beef to make 1 cup ground
 fresh bread crumbs  potato  +  cauliflower
 Parmesan + mozzerella cheeses  one 2-oz egg
 crushed tomatoes  1/2 cup low-fat beef gravy
 basil  + capers  + lemon zest  peas OR salad with vinaigrette
green beans  tomato
Sparkling water Sparkling water

Celebrating Floralia

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

My mother loved to celebrate holidays with special foods. Whether the holiday was religious, patriotic, or ethnic, she would find a recipe to go with it. The tradition continues with me.  May 1-4 is the festival of Floralia, the Roman Goddess of Springtime and Flowers. The English celebrate it with baskets of flowers and maypoles.  The French celebrate it by decorating their towns with floral displays and wearing green.  

The recipes for today were chosen because they look like or contain flowers. Celebrate the season, eat well, lose weight.

Strawberry Cottage Cheese & Pears:    164 calories  3.5 g fat     5 g fiber     10 g protein   26 g carbs  61 mg Calcium   NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  GF    This is from the Fast Diet book. You will see some other good recipes there, too. I added the pecans to this for deeper flavor and more protein.

Strawberry Cottage Cheese with Pear

4 oz ripe pear of which Comice is the best, but at this time of year use Anjou or Bosc                                                                                       1/3 cup fat-free cottage cheese             2 ripe strawberries, chopped          ¼ tsp pecans, finely chopped                                                                                                                                                                   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water                                                                                                                                        

Section the pear into slices and remove the cores. Do not peel the pears. Fan the segments on a plate in a circle. Mix the cottage cheese with the strawberries and spoon into the center. Sprinkle with the nuts. Pour your beverage of choice. Good stuff!

Tuna-Egg-Tomato Salad    283 cal   16.5 g. fat      27.5 g. protein           29.5 g. carbs         Here we have  a Spanish-inspired meal from a cookbook called Everyday Tapas. I took out the potatoes and substituted garbanzo beans. I added the salad greens, too. Feel free to add more greens and tomatoes, there are calories to spare.  The recipe is very simple and delicious as well – perfect to dress up with pansy blossoms [they are edible] to honor a day in spring or summer.  HINT: This makes enough for two meals. Invite a friend or enjoy the left-overs as a lovely lunch the next day. Today’s lettuce will wilt by tomorrow, so plan around that.

Tapas Tuna w: egg & tomatoes

5 oz canned white-meat tuna in water                2 egg, hardboiled and cut into 1/2” dice                                                                                                           4 oz tomato, cut into 1/2” dice                          ½ cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed                                                  1 cup baby salad greens  [mesclun]          1 ½ tsp olive oil         1 tsp white wine vinegar                                                                                                                                                               fresh parsley, salt, pepper          pansy or violet flowers for garnish             per person: 1/2 slice 70-calorie bread such as Nature’s Own 100% whole grain 

Drain the tuna and flake the meat into 1” pieces. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and toss with the lettuce. Add everything else, except the flowers, and gently toss to combine with the salad dressing. Garnish with as many flowers as you wish. Serve at room temperature.