foods inspired by First Nations recipes for the 5:2 diet

Pocahontas

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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.

Pocahontas, National Portrait Gallery

Amonute was born around 1596, in the Tidewater Region of Virginia near the Chesapeake Bay. Her father was Wahunsenaca the head chief of the Powhatan Tribe, and her mother was his favorite wife. The little girl was nicknamed ‘Pocahontas’ because it meant ‘the lively one.’ She grew up learning the ways of her people, preparing to take her place in their society. That all ended in 1607, when the English landed and built a fort called Jamestown. The settlers had no clue how to survive in the Americas, so the Powhatans gave them food. Pocahontas would go to the fort as a child to help hand out the provisions, thus the English knew who she was. She has become famous for ‘saving the life of Captain John Smith’. By his account, Pocahontas prevented her father’s men from killing Smith. Most likely the child was not even present at that occasion, but the story endures. The Powhatans liked Smith, and the natives continued to help with food donations, until their own supplies ran low. The angry English demanded food and violence ensued. Meanwhile, Pocahontas married Kocoum, of the Patawomeck tribe, and had a son. Hoping to squeeze more food from the Natives, some English kidnapped Pocahontas. For four years, she lived with the English, learning their language, adopting Christianity, taking the name ‘Rebecca’ and falling in love with John Rolfe. [Divorce was a simple option for women in the Powhatan Tribes.] They were married with her father’s representative in attendance. John Rolfe wanted to return home, so he, Rebecca, their child, and several other tribal members sailed for England in 1616. Dressed as a European lady, Pocahontas was paraded about the country, attending balls and meeting King James I. Message: “Look how successful we are at turning savages into White People!” For a while, the Rolfes stayed at Brentford where Rebecca had a testy reunion with John Smith. Was she happy in England? Some reports say no. At any rate, she was not like Joseph Brant, the indigenous man who embraced English ways a century later. In 1617, on board a ship bound for America, Pocahontas fell very ill [pneumonia? dysentery? misery?] and died on March 21 at age 21. She was buried at Gravesend. So many wealthy Virginians over the years claimed that they were Pocahontas’ descendants, that the “Pocahontas clause” was added to the bigoted Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which otherwise would have forbidden those with Indian blood to marry Whites.

Pocahantus’ Breakfast: 160 calories 2.5 g fat 2 g fiber 4 g protein 30 g carbs 20.4 mg Calcium  PB GF Native Americans grew and ate corn, and they consumed it in many different ways: roasted on the ear, popped over the fire, in stews, and as a mush. Cornmeal mush is much like the polenta of Italy, so we will prepare cornmeal polenta-style, and eat it Native-style, with maple syrup and berries. Dear Husband pronounced this to be “Delicious!”

2 oz sliced polenta @ 43 calories** 1/3 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen 1 T. maple syrup 1 chicken breakfast sausage @ 40 calories  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]

Combine syrup and berries in a small dish and microwave until warm but not too hot. Heat a small saute pan and spritz with cooking spray. When hot, add the sausage and the piece of polenta. Cook polenta on both sides until it is heated and beginning to get brown spots. Plate polenta and sausage. Pour berry syrup over polenta and serve with a beverage of choice. If you let it sit a few minutes, the polenta will soak up the fruity syrup — Yum!

**POLENTA: recipe from Bob’s Red Mill  makes 12 slices, 2.25 x 3 x 0.3” in size, each slice ~3.7 oz 2 oz = 43 calories 0.2 g fat 1 g fiber 1 g protein 9 g carbs 0 Calcium 1 cup dry polenta + 3 c water or vegetable stock + 1 tsp salt + olive oil Bring salted water/stock to a boil in a 2-qt saucepan. Add polenta, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring after each addition. Once all the polenta is in the water, turn down the heat to its lowest [I used the smallest burner on its lowest setting] and cook for 30 minutes. Stir often: to prevent lumps, to scrape down the sides, and to keep it from sticking to the bottom. Unlike risotto, it does not need constant stirring. After 30 minutes, the polenta will be very thick – the spoon should stand up by itself. Then cook 2-3 minutes more. Brush a very thin layer of oil on a 9×13” baking pan, and turn the polenta into it. Nudge batter into the corners and smooth out the top. Let it cool as the polenta solidifies. Before serving, cut into 12 squares. Heat a non-stick skillet and spray with cooking spray. Cook the polenta portions until they begin to take on a little color and are heated through. Individually wrap pieces and freeze cooked or uncooked, until needed.

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

1½ oz quail or pheasant
½ oz rabbit liver 
1 oz wild boar loin meat
½ tsp Dijon mustard 
½ oz cranberries  2 Tbsp rich broth, any sort 
1 oz egg = 1/2 of US Large egg		Put quail, liver, boar, mustard, cranberries, broth, and egg in the food processor and chop briefly. Add water if it is dry.
1½ oz turkey, cubed 
½ oz onion, minced  ½ oz peas 
pepper + salt + mace 		Remove to a bowl and add these. Pat into an oven-safe dish that has been spritzed with non-stick spray. 
¼ Arnold Multi-grain Sandwich-thin [½ of one slice]Nestle the sandwich-thin on top and bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. 
1 oz carrot coins grainy mustardServe with the cooked carrots and a bit of mustard.

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

Seedy Scones: butter, flour, sugar…1 two-oz egg + salami  
+ baking soda, white whole wheat flour…garlic + sheep sorrel or arugula
+ cream of tartar, mixed seeds, saltPecorino cheese + reduced-fat ricotta
apple + Camembert cheesecherries
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

rabbit meat + carrotPuttanesca sauce 
potato + dried apricot Whole wheat pasta, any shape
dried pear or dried appleParmesan cheese 
Thyme, bay, sage, lavendergreen beans
Sparkling waterSparkling water

The Huron Carol

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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.

‘Twas in the moon of winter-time
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wandering hunter heard the hymn: “Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria.”

This is the first verse of the Huron Carol as found in a Catholic Hymnal. When I first encountered this song I thought it was a sweet retelling of the Christmas Story by devout Indigenous Peoples in Canada: that they had told the story of Jesus’ birth in their own terms. Would that it were so. The original carol was written by the Jesuit Jean de Brébeuf in the 1600s, who lived among the Hurons [they called themselves ‘Ouendake’ pronounced in English as ‘Wendat.’ The more common name is a French slur meaning ‘rough/uncouth.’] as a missionary and anthropologist. He learned their language and their ways and got along well with them. Brébeuf was killed horribly by a rival tribe in 1649. In 1926, the hymn was ‘translated’ by Jesse Middleton. It is true that ‘translation’ does not imply word-for-word replacement, rather the purpose is to convey the sense and feeling of the work. Here is a side-by-side of the original and the two English versions:

Brebeuf’s words in the Wendat language.The Wendat words rendered into EnglishMiddleton’s interpretaion 
Estenniayon de tsonwe Iesous ahatonnia
onn’ awatewa nd’ oki n’ onyouandaskwaentak
ennonchien eskwatrihotat n’onyouandiyonrachatha
Iesous ahatonnia, ahatonnia. 
Iesous ahatonnia.

Ayoki onkiennhache eronhiayeronnon
iontonk ontatiande ndio sen tsatonnharonnion
Warie onn’ awakweton ndio sen tsatonnharonnion
Iesous ahatonnia, ahatonnia.
Iesous ahatonnia.		Have courage, you who are humans. Jesus, He is born.
Behold, it has fled, the spirit who had us as prisoner.
Do not listen to it, as it corrupts our minds, the spirit of our thoughts.
They are spirits, coming with a message for us, the sky people.
They are coming to say, ‘Come on, be on top of life, rejoice!’
‘Mary has just given birth, come on, rejoice.’
‘Three have left for such a place; they are men of great matter.’
‘A star that has just appeared over the horizon leads them there.’
‘He will seize the path, a star that leads them there.’
As they arrived there, where He was born, Jesus.
The star was at the point of stopping, He was not far past it.
Having found someone for them, He says, ‘Come here.’
Behold, they have arrived there and have seen Jesus.
They praised a name many times saying,
‘Hurray, He is good in nature.’
They greeted Him with respect,
Oiling His scalp many times, saying, ‘Hurray!’
‘We will give to Him honour to His name.’		Twas in the moon of winter-time
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wandering hunters heard the hymn:
“Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria.”

Within a lodge of broken bark
The tender Babe was found,
A ragged robe of rabbit skin
Enwrapp’d His beauty round;
But as the hunter braves drew nigh,
The angel song rang loud and high…
“Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria.”

Brebeuf’s intent was to tell the story in the peoples’ own language, in terms that would connect their native religion to Christian theology. He showed cultural sensitivity by putting it in their tongue. His tune was that of a French folk-song. The English version of that seems stilted to our ears, and overly wordy, but a word-for-word translation can sound like that. [ex: The pen of my aunt is on the bureau of my uncle.] The Middleton version panders to a quaint notion of Indian life and ways. [Remember that for most of the 1900s, ‘Indians’ were non-people in Canada and the US.] As a cute song, it is OK. But PLEASE don’t attribute it to Brebeuf or the Wendat people or imagine that Native Peoples are sitting around their Christmas trees in a wigwam singing this song on December 25. Instead, take Brebeuf’s Christmas words to heart: “Come on! Be on top of life! Rejoice!” Good message.

Our recipes are based on ingredients that the First Nations people used: corn, tomato [OK, Wendats did not grow tomatoes], eggs, squash, beans, bison.

Corn Salsa Egg Toast: 196 calories 7 g fat 5 g fiber 10 g protein 26.6 g carbs 55.6 mg Calcium  NB: The food values are for the meal and fruit only and do not include the optional coffee. PB GF – if using GF bread  Here is a taste treat for breakfast-time.

3 Tbsp Corn-Tomato Salsa** 1 slice 70-calorie whole grain bread [Dave’s Killer Bread is perfect] one 2-oz egg, fried or scrambled or hard-boiled 2 oz apple   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Toast bread lightly. Cook the egg or slice the hard-cooked egg. Spread salsa on bread and top with egg. Plate with fruit and enjoy another easy, flavorful meal.

**CORN-TOMATO SALSA  makes 1½ cups  1 cup corn kernels 1 cup diced tomato 2 Tbsp minced red bell pepper 2 Tbsp diced red onion 2 Tbsp cider vinegar ¼ tsp dry mustard 1/8 tsp turmeric ¼ tsp sugar 2 dashes ground cumin  Stir everything together and find lots of ways to use it. 

Squash-Cupped Bison Chili: 215 calories 3.5 g fat 7 g fiber 14.5 g protein 34 g carbs 120 mg Calcium   PB GF  What an easy, delicious, and satisfying meal. HINT: One squash is enough for 2 servings, and the chili is enough for 4 servings. Invite a fellow-Faster for dinner. Save the remaining chili for another meal later.

For tonight’s meal: 5 oz delicata squash, seeds removed 1 cup Bison Chili** or use Chili Non Carne  2 oz melon, as a garnish

Weigh the delicata squash whole and uncut to get a sense of how much will be 5 oz. You will be cutting off the ends of the squash and removing the seeds, to produce a hollow tube of squash: about two inches of squash that will stand up on the plate. Put the squash in the microwave oven and cook it until it can be easily pierced with a skewer. Assemble by standing the squash cup in the middle of the plate and pouring the chili in and around it. Then position the melon. Unusual! Teriffic!

Bison Chili: per cup – 136 calories 3 g fat 5 g fiber 13 g protein 14.5 g carbs 57 mg Calcium PB GF  4 oz ground bison 15 oz canned tomatoes – in chunks or diced drained in a sieve [save the juice] 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 cup red onion, chopped ½ cup green pepper, chopped ¾ cup canned red or black beans, drained and rinsed 2-4 tsp chili powder ¾ tsp salt ½ – 1 tsp ground cumin   Cook the venison, onion, garlic, and green pepper in some of the tomato juices until vegetables are tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook gently until the chili is hot throughout. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning.   makes 4 one-cup servings

Dwellings: Abenaki

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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 weighttrimmers who is now Following.

The Abenaki, called the Dawnland People due to their lands in the far East of the continent, are the indigenous people of New England and parts of Canada. There were many sub-sets to the group, but they were related in their Algonquian language and culture. Although at odds with the powerful Iroquois, the Abenaki learned from them their agricultural practice of planting the “3 Sisters” as crops. Primarily a hunter-gatherer-fisher folk, each family within the tribe would travel a singular route throughout the year, reuniting at the sea coast or a river for fishing in the summer. These are the people whom the Pilgrims met when they disembarked in Massachusetts [an Algonquian word] in 1620. These are also the people who sided with the French in the ‘French and Indian War’ of the mid-1700s. Their dwellings were constructed of saplings, covered with woven mats and bark. Extended families lived in domed “wigwams,“ easy to build from found materials. The door of a wigwam always faced East, toward the rising sun. Smaller teepee-shaped wigwams were used on hunting trips, to sleep up to three. In the winter, an oval longhouse, large enough to house more people, was lined with blankets and furs for insulation. Their villages always had a longhouse for council meetings and tribal gatherings to arrive at decisions by consensus. To avoid depleting resources, villages were moved a few times a year — inland for the winter, near a water body for the summer.

It is interesting to me to learn how people lived and ate in other places and times. There have been indigenous people here in New Hampshire since the glaciers melted 10000 years ago. The Abenaki were here before the 1600s and they are still here today. Their cuisine was based on fish as the principle source of protein, along with game. Agriculture centered on the growing of squash, corn, and beans for drying. Today’s menus are based on those foods.

Summer Vegetable Bake: 129 calories 6 g fat 2.4 g fiber 8 g protein 11 g carbs 33 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg-bake and fruit only, not the optional hot beverage.  PB GF  Corn, beans, and tomatoes are native American foods and they find themselves to be right at home in this breakfast.

++1 two-oz egg +++ ¼ cup corn-black bean-tomato salad ++++ pinch of chili pepper ++++ 2 oz melon   ++++ 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] ++

Whisk the egg with the chili pepper. Heat the toaster oven to 350 F. Spritz an oven-proof dish with cooking oil or spray and put the corn salad into it. Pour the egg on top and bake for 12-15 minutes. Plate with the melon for a taste of Meso-America.

3 Sisters Stew: vegetarian version: 211 calories 3 g fat 9 g fiber 8 g protein 41.4 g carbs 71 mg Calcium  meat version: 280 calories 5 g fat 11 g fiber 20 g protein 41.4 g carbs 81 mg Calcium  PB GF  The author of this recipe, Alex Aguilera, based it on a classic Chilean dish, but First Nations people all over temperate North, Central, and South America would recognize the ingredients of this stew. Turkey was a common food of early Americans and can be added if you wish.  HINT: this recipe makes 4.5 cups of stew. One serving = 1 cup. Very filling.

¾#/12 oz butternut squash ……… 2 c corn kernelsPeel, seed squash and cut as 1” cubes. Put vegetables in pan with water to cover. Add a lid and simmer until squash is just tender, ~10 mins.
9 oz kidney beans, canned Drain and rinse beans, and add to the pot. Cook until beans are hot.
Put 1½ cups stew in a food processor or blender, along with some of the liquid. Puree, then return to pot to keep warm.
½ Tbsp canola oil …….. ½ c onion … ½ red bell pepper…….. ½ green bell pepperCoarsley chop onion and peppers. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and bell peppers, and cook over moderate heat, stirring sometimes, until softened, 8 minutes.
½ tsp cumin, seeds or ground ……. ½ tsp oregano….. ½ tsp crushed red pepper… salt & pepperAdd seasonings to vegetables in the skillet. Cook, stirring, ~4 minutes until fragrant. Stir into the stew and season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to your preference.Serve 1 cup per person, freezing the remainder.
Optional per serving: 1½ oz turkey dark meatIf turkey is raw, add it to the previous step.
If turkey is cooked, add it now and heat stew to warm the meat.

Indigenous Peoples

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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 Colorful Sisters who are now Following.

‘Indigenous’ is from the latin word ‘indigenus,’ meaning ‘native.’ In North America, there are 562 recognized groups of Indigenous Peoples. Many more are in Central and South America, not to mention other areas around the world. The colonizers were amazed by native foods, taking them back to introduce to Europe. Corn [Zea mays], beans [Phaseolus vulgaris], and tomatoes [Solanum lycopersicum] subsequently entered into the cuisine of Spain, and then other countries. Corn, beans, and squashes were the foundations of indigenous agriculture and food culture — and where would we be today without them? Whether you call the original people ‘indigenous’ or ‘First Nations,’ October 10 is a day to celebrate their culture and foods.

The basic salad of three ‘American’ ingredients is a fine dish by itself. It can be added to other ingredients for a breakfast or a dinner. Very versatile! [I use the word ‘American’ to mean North, Central, and South America which took their name from Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian-Spanish merchant-explorer who visited the ‘New World’ much more extensively in the 1490s than did Columbus.]

Tomato-Corn-Black Bean Salad:  1 Serving = ¾ cup = 115 calories 4 g fat 5 g fiber 5 g protein 17 g carbs 30 mg Calcium  PB GF  For a real late Summer treat, you can’t beat fresh corn and tomatoes!  100Daysofrealfood provided the recipe and then I altered it a little. HINT: This makes 3 cups of salad. One generous serving = ¾ cup. As good as it is colorful.

1½ ears of corn  
1 c canned black beans, drained and rinsed 		Blanch the corn for 1 minute in boiling water. Cool + cut the kernels off the cob and put in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the rinsed beans to the bowl. 
4 oz tomato: cherry toms cut in half OR whole tomato cut in ½” dice
¼ cup red onion, diced 		Gently mix beans + corn with tomatoes + onion. Heat vegetables in the microwave for 45-60 seconds to make slightly warm.
¼ cup basil leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper 		In a small bowl combine the basil, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour over the warmed vegetables and stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Summer Vegetable Bake:  129 calories 6 g fat 2.4 g fiber 8 g protein 11 g carbs 33 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg and hash only, not the optional hot beverage.  PB GF  Corn, beans, and tomatoes are native American foods and they all ripen in late Summer. They find themselves to be right at home in this breakfast.

1 two-oz egg ¼ cup corn-black bean-tomato salad [see above recipe] pinch of chili pepper 2 oz melon   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]

Whisk the egg with the chili pepper. Heat the toaster oven to 350 F. Spritz an oven-proof dish with cooking oil or spray and put the corn salad into it. Pour the egg on top and bake for 12-15 minutes. Plate with the melon for a taste of Meso-America.

Tomato-Corn-Black Bean Salad Dinner: 274 calories 9 g fat 16.5 g protein 34.7 g carbs [34 g Complex] 63.4 mg Calcium  PB GF  For a real late Summer treat, you can’t beat fresh corn and tomatoes! The recipe is from 100Daysofrealfood and then I altered it a little. HINT: This makes 4 cups of salad. One generous serving = ¾ cup. As good as it is colorful.

1½ ears of corn 
1 c canned black beans, drained and rinsed		Blanch the corn for 1 minute in boiling water. Cool + cut the kernels off the cob and put in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the rinsed beans to the bowl. 
4 oz tomato: cherry tomatoes cut in half OR whole tomato cut in 1” dice
¼ cup red onion, diced		Gently mix beans + corn with tomatoes + onion. Heat vegetables in the microwave for 45-60 seconds to make slightly warm.
1 oz cooked beef, from steak or roast OR 1 oz roast pork Slice the meat very thinly and warm it briefly if it is cold.
¼ cup basil leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper		In a small bowl combine the basil, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour over the warmed vegetables and stir to combine. If you are not serving 5 people, cool and store the leftovers in the refrigerator. 
Plate ¾ cup of corn salad per serving and arrange the meat on top

3 Sisters

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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.

Imagine this: Immigrants from another country arrive.  They settle illegally, with economic gain as their goal. They don’t learn the language or culture and they murder some of our people, and steal from us. Then more and more arrive.  What would your reaction be?   This was 1607, in coastal Virginia, and the alien people were Englishmen. Tomorrow will mark a grim episode of American history, and how you feel about it depends on which “side” you are on.   The solution for the native population?   In 1622, the Powhatan natives massacred 347 residents of settlements around Jamestown.  I am NOT recommending this as a solution to any problem.  The native people soon dwindled, due to disease or killing or assimilation, and yet their agricultural products remained and became important in our daily life.

Our foods today will represent the 3 Sisters, mainstays of the diet of First Nations people: corn, beans, and squash. The sophistication of this diet is as remarkable as the ingenious farming techniques employed to grow it.  Breakfast features pumpkin and maple syrup, two foods which the natives of the North-East introduced to the Europeans. Dinner is the meal who’s name was made famous by President Reagan and Daffy Duck, but here it is in its original form [not a side dish].

10-Grain Pumpkin Pudding:   277 calories   7.6 g fat   6.8 g fiber   12.8 g protein   41 g carbs [33 g Complex Carbs]   249.4 mg Calcium  PB   The delicious, nutty grains in the cereal seemed to call out for pumpkin and spices, and here’s the result. This recipe is easily prepared the night before and refrigerated for a quick and delicious breakfast.Ten-grain Pudding w: R-bs

4 Tbsp Bob’s Red Mill 10-Grain Cereal Mix                                   ¾ cup water                                                                                                                                                                 1 Tbsp ricotta cheese, reduced fat                                                        1 Tbsp pumpkin puree, canned or fresh                                                                                                         1 tsp maple syrup                                                                nutmeg + cinnamon                                                                                                                                              ½ oz raspberries, fresh or frozen                                                          1 Tbsp pecans, chopped                                                                                                                                      optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or green smoothie or natural apple cider                                                                                                   optional: nearly-black coffee or tea; or lemon in hot water.

Cook the cereal with the water for about 8 minutes on the stove. HINT: do this the night before to save time in the morning. Stir in the cheese, pumpkin, syrup, and spices. Pour into a microwave-safe ramekin. HINT: you could get this all done and put it in the ‘fridge until morning. Brew the hot beverage and prepare the smoothie. Microwave the ramekin for no more than 1 minute. Plate with the fruit and sprinkle the nuts on top of the hot cereal. Ridiculously easy for a meal so satisfying.

‘Original’ Succotash:  270 calories  2.6 g fat  9.3 g fiber   18 g protein  50 g carbs [all Complex] 71 mg Calcium  PB GF  The Mystic Seaport Cookbook contains many quaint and curious old recipes. What follows is my combination of two of them. It is ‘original’ because it gets us back to what succotash once was and because it is my own version. HINT: This recipe makes 3 cups of succotash, which could be 3 servings.Original Succotash w: Corn Mush

½ cup lima beans [Green Giant frozen Fordhook                                        ½ cup green/snap beans                                                                                                                                                 ½ cup corn kernels                                                       ¼ cup canned navy beans                                                                                                                                      2 oz corned beef [New England-style is grey because it contains no nitrates]                                                                               1 slice corn mush aka: polenta [see SIDEKICKS II Oct 4, ’17]                                                                                                    sage, pepper, salt to taste [mind that the corned beef might be salty]

Cook the vegetables until they are tender. Drain the cooking water and reserve ½ cup. Mash the navy beans and whisk into ¼ cup vegetable water. Put all vegetables and the meat into a pan along with the mashed beans. Add sage and pepper to taste and more vegetable broth if you wish. If it needs more salt, add it too. In a non-stick pan, saute the corn mush on each side until it is warm. Start with one cup as it could be very filling.

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

1 two-oz egg  clementines
avocado  reduced-fat cottage cheese
 crab or lobster meat  fat-free vanilla yogurt
 ricotta cheese
 pear
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:

 1-1/2 cups excellent chicken stock  chicken breast, raw
 parsnips     +   parsley  lime
 carrots  pineapple
 cooked chicken breast meat  brown rice
 celery chicken stock
 egg noodles  thyme, cornstarch, heavy cream
Sparkling water Sparkling water