health

Little Willie

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

Little Willie, in bows and sashes, Fell in the fire and got burned to ashes. In the winter, when its chilly, No one likes to poke up Willie.

“Little Willie” was a frequent character in a series of poems penned by Harry Graham. This hapless child was either killing those around him or being killed in a variety of ways. Are you familiar with these verses? I was introduced to them in 5th grade. The art teacher read us a poem and asked us to illustrate it. You can imagine the results.

Willie found some dynamite. Didn’t understand it quite. Curiosity seldom pays — It rained Willie seven days.

I recited this delicious doggerel to my mother, who then recited several more to me! This was great fun — although I admit that some of them offended my sensibilities by being too gory. Jocelyn Henry Clive Graham was born in England in 1874, and was sent to the best schools to train for the military. For some reason, being in the army inspired Graham to write humorous verses, which were published in 1899: Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes under the pseudonym ‘Col. D. Streamer’. As a member of the Coldstream Guards, he served as aide to the Governor General of Canada. Together they traveled to the Klondike goldfields which resulted in a published travel book. He then fought in the in the Boer War and retired from active service in 1904. Graham became a journalist until he rejoined the army for World War I. During the war, he wrote lyrics for operettas and musical comedies. Was this his antidote to war? Graham’s work was very popular, and he continued to write until his death on October 30, 1936. His famous ‘ruthless’ poems have been described as ‘wickedly humorous’, macabre, sadistic, and ‘cheerfully cruel’. They put me in mind of Calvin’s creepy snowmen shown in Bill Watterson’s comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes”. Funny but vicious.

For your happy family, a breakfast and a dinner that are sure to please Little Darlings and their parents, without any death or dismemberment.

Felafel Plate: 219 calories… 5 g fat… 5 g fiber… 16.5 g protein… 30 g carbs… 165 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF A simple meal, yet full of nutrition and flavor.

++4 felafel patties ++++ 4 oz canteloupe melon or pineapple++++ 3½ oz fat-free Greek-style yogurt ++++ ½ tsp mint leaves++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]++

Warm the felafel patties or use at room temperature. Chop the mint leaves and combine with the yogurt. Prepare the beverage of choice and plate the food to please the eye.

Family Omelette: 286 calories… 17 g fat… 2 g fiber… 17 g protein… 10 g carbs… 109 mg Calcium…  PB GF Susan Herrmann Loomis serves this for a quick family dinner.  HINT: Serves two [2]

Serves 1Serves two [2]non-stick pan
1.5 slices bacon = 1.4 oz3 slices uncured bacon = 3 ozChop bacon into ½” strips.
1 oz fingerling potatoes, purple or red-fleshed2 oz fingerling potatoes, purple or red-fleshedSlice thinly.  If skins are thin, do not bother to peel them.
Cook bacon and pota-toes until they start to color, 3-4 mins.
Drain off all but 2 tsp bacon fat, leaving bacon-potatoes in pan. 
2.7 oz egg, unshelled–salt + pepper3 two-oz eggs = 5.4 oz unshelled–salt + pepperWhisk eggs with salt + pepper. Pour over bacon + potatoes in pan.
As edges set, lift egg a bit and tilt pan to let raw egg run under. 
½ Tbsp chives or green onion, minced —-1 oz chevre [goat cheese], crumbled 1 Tbsp chives or green onion, minced—- 2 oz chevre [goat cheese], crumbled Sprinkle with goat cheese and chives. Cook to preferred degree of doneness. 
per person: 3 oz tomatoes OR side salad with blueberriesper person: 3 oz tomatoes OR side salad with blueberriesTurn out on the serving plate and serve with a side. Voila!

Pickett’s Charge

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

Why did 12,500 men walk shoulder to shoulder across a field and up a slight incline into withering gunfire? They were ordered to. Who gave the order? The supposedly brilliant general, Robert E. Lee. It was July 3, 1864, and the fighting at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania had been going on for two days. Both the Union army of the North and the Confederate army of the South, who had been fighting each other for the previous three years of the Civil War, saw a potential victory here as a way to end the war. The Northeners held a slight highland called Cemetery Ridge, and on July 2nd, the Southern troops had battered their flanks. General Lee, who was experiencing dysentery — which might cloud anyone’s judgement — decided that he had worn out the Northern line and that he could finish them off by attacking their center. It didn’t occur to him that his own men were also worn out. George Pickett and his division had arrived late to the battle and had not yet seen action, so Pickett was champing at the bit. His three brigades of 6000 men were arrayed on the right side of the attacking line. Pickett sent the men off after 3 pm, exhorting them to remember that they were from “Old Virginia”. He did not lead the troops. About 200 Confederates actually arrived at the Union line and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, but, lacking reinforcements, they retreated. By 4:15 pm, 6000 Confederate soldiers had been killed, wounded, or captured, and the so-called “Pickett’s Charge” was over. Myth-makers turned Pickett’s men into glorious, courageous warriors who were deserving of glory — instead of being cannon fodder in their generals’ misconceived battle plans. The orders to march were stupid, resulting only in great loss of life. Even though it was named for him, Pickett had no role in the planning or leading of the attack. That was part of the myth-making.

Our breakfast would have been a reminder of home to any soldier, had he been lucky enough to eat such food during the war. Our dinner takes the soldier’s traditional beef-and-beans meal in another direction — combining them in a burger.

Ham & Cheese ScrOmelette: 165 calories… 10 g fat… 2 g fiber… 13 g protein… 5.6 g carbs… 111 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. GF You can prepare this as an omelette or as scrambled eggs. Either way, its a winner.

++ 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. ++++  ¼ oz Jarlsberg cheese ++++ ¼ oz ham [I calculated the fat and calories for this recipe based on left-over roast ham. If you use 3% fat ham, you will lower both those values] ++++ 1½ oz applesauce ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait[65 calories] ++++  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++

Spritz a saute pan with non-stick spray and heat it. Put the ham into the hot saute pan to warm it briefly, then add the eggs and cheese. Scramble together [or cook like an omelette] until the way you like it. Plate with the fruit, warm your beverage, shake the smoothie. Good.

Bison/Beef-Bean Burger: 304 calories… 12.6 g fat… 7.5 g fiber… 24.7 g protein… 27 g carbs… 175 mg Calcium…  PB  Black beans have a lot going for them. And they are an excellent ‘extender’ for meat in a burger. Great for grilling!

++ 1 Bison/Beef-Bean burger patty ++++ 1 slider bun @ 90 calories ++++ 1 oz tomato slice ++++ 3 oz roasted vegetables OR ½ c coleslaw ++

Bison/Beef-Bean Burger PattiesYield 22 oz of mixture = six 3.5 oz burgers
5 oz/142 g black beans, drainedBlitz in food processor to break up, then scrape into a bowl.
1# ground beef OR ground bison++++
¼ c cilantro leaves ++++
1 oz egg		Add these to bowl with beans. Mix with hands to combine thoroughly. Form into 3.5-4 oz patties and put on a metal tray.
Chill or freeze 30 minutes before grilling

Prepare the burger patties and chill them all. Prepare coleslaw. Grill as many of the burgers as you need for the meal, and wrap the remainder for freezing. Cut open the slider buns, and grill them or brown on a griddle. Top each burger in its bun with a slice of tomato and plate with the coleslaw. Burgers are back on the menu!

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

masa harina + 3 oz Mexican chocolate1 two-oz egg + salsa verde 
non-fat milk + sugar2%-fat cottage cheese
turkey breakfast sausage @ 45 calories/twochicken breast meat
melonred tomato salsa + strawberries
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

ground bison or turkey + canned tomatoesMonterey jack cheese + broccoli or salad greens
garlic + cumin + Melon + chili powder2%-fat cottage cheese + tomato salsa
unsweetened cocoa powder + red onion + Cheddartwo 6″ corn tortillas: 65 or fewer calories each
green pepper + canned kidney/black beanscooked chicken breast
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Michelangelo, Painter

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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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

The grocery list, illustrated, annotated. From top: Anchovy, bread, salad, wine, tortellini, soup, bread, herring.

Throughout his career, Michelangelo Buonarroti protested that he was not a painter. He preferred to work in stone, and he was awfully good at it. But still… Six years after he was born on March 6, 1475, his father sent him to a local school. Lessons did not hold his interest, instead, young Michaelangelo would go to the churches to watch artists painting frescoes. So his father sent him to the studio of Ghirlandaio, the foremost painter in Florence, where he learned drawing and the techniques of fresco. After a year, the boy was taken under the wing of Florence’s most important patron: Lorenzo de’ Medici, aka the Magni-ficent. In his home, Michelangelo saw examples of great art of the past, and rubbed elbows with the foremost artists of the day. Soon the commissions came in, and his career was launched. Like some of his contempo-raries, Michelangelo was versatile in many media, and with a paint brush he achieved great heights. Literally. He spent four years on his back, 66 feet above the floor, painting the astonishing Sistine Chapel ceiling for Pope Julius II. [He didn’t want to do it, but the pope made him.] Years later, he painted the Last Judgement on the Altar Wall of the chapel. The artist considered painting to be an act of sculpting with paint. All the figures are 3-dimentional and sculptural, looking as if they were carved from marble. Whether marble or paint, his works began with sketches, and his notebooks are filled with them as he worked out poses and the arrange-ment of groups. One of the few surviving paintings is the Tondo Doni, in which we see again the ‘sculpting’ of the figures, and the vigorous positions of the Holy Family — very much like a Sistine Chapel grouping. It is too bad that we do not have more of his paintings, but then, Michelangelo was really a sculptor.

The most charming piece of ‘art’ produced by Michelangelo is a scrap of paper with his grocery list, seen upper left. He was sending his servant out to purchase supplies, and since the servant was illiterate, Michelangelo sketched pictures of what he wanted. [Today, one takes photos on the cell phone. Boring] Bread, salad fixings, herring, anchovy, tortellini pasta — the great artist wanted them, and these will be elements of our meals in honor of his birthday.

Michaelangelo’s Pita Breakfast: 174 calories… 10 g fat…5 g fiber…18.6 g protein…17 g carbs…35.6 mg Calcium…  PB GF – if using GF pita bread  This recipe is based on items from a grocery list that Michelangelo ‘wrote’ in 1518. Actually, he drew pictures of the foods, since his servant couldn’t read.

++ ½ whole-grain pita bread ++++ ¼ c garbanzo beans ++++ 1 cup salad greens, sliced if large leaves ++++ ½ oz kipper [smoked herring] ++++ ½ tsp olive oil ++++ 1 anchovy packed in oil ++++ ½ tsp red wine vinegar ++++ 3 T. plain, low-fat yogurt ++++ 1 Tbsp orange juice concentrate ++

Soak the kipper in warm water for 30 minutes, or until softened. Take out of water and chop. Put in a bowl with beans and greens. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, yogurt, and juice concentrate to make a dressing. Chop the anchovy finely, and add to the dressing. Pour dressing over other ingredients, and toss to coat. Spoon the dressed salad into the pita, pour an optional breakfast beverage, and enjoy an artist’s breakfast. HINT: You could add chopped hard-boiled egg to the salad, with 70 more calories.

Tortellini with Black Kale: 209 calories… 9 g fat… 3.5 g fiber… 10 g protein… 24 g carbs… 231 mg Calcium…  PB Packaged, dried tortellini is a handy item to have in the pantry. It makes for a fine Tuscan meal when pared with Black Kale. Fun Fact: ‘Black Kale’ is also called ‘Dinosaur Kale’ – youngsters might like that. The recipe is from ‘thekitchn‘  NB: I used the recipe below for the kale as two servings, when paired with the pasta. But the calories are so low that you could eat it all as one serving. 

++ 27 g dried cheese/spinach tortellini [Barilla brand is good] ++++ 3 oz diced tomato ++++ 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese ++++ PLUS ingredients shown below for the kale.

For the Kale:

3 oz black kaleUse your hands to pull the leaves from their stems. Coarsely chop the leaves. Rinse them, but do not dry.
1 tsp olive oil ++++ 2 cloves garlic ++++ pinch red pepper flakesHeat oil in a large, wide, high-sided sauté pan or wok over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant ~1 min (do not let garlic brown).
¼ tsp kosher salt ++++ pinch ground pepperAdd kale, stirring as it starts to wilt. Stir in salt + pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is just tender, ~5 minutes. TIP: Could stop here, cool the kale and refrigerate or freeze.
2 tsp lemon juice — optional
<1 oz whole-grain artisan bread — optional		Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice.  Serve.

For the meal: Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 9-11 minutes, then drain. Combine with the diced tomatoes and Parmesan. Plate the pasta surrounded by the kale.

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

2 two-oz egg yolks + 3 two-oz egg whitesone 70-calorie whole-grain bread
strawberries or Golden Berriesgarlic + pinch sugar
Armagnac olive oil
raspberries + blueberriesserrano ham or prosciutto
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

4 egg yolks + 4 egg whitesbeef sirloin, 2 oz per serving + asparagus
Gruyere cheesered bell pepper + oyster sauce + soy sauce
fresh chives + smear buttercornstarch + chicken stock + fresh ginger
Side Salad + <1 oz sour-dough rye breadonion + garlic + Japanese buckwheat noodles
Sparkling waterSparkling water

End of an Empire

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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.

Hülegü locks the Calif in a cell filled with gold.

For 500 years, the Abbasid Caliphate had been living the good life. Initially, the Persians were followers of Zoroaster, and they were part of many empires – from the Greeks to the Parthians. In 651 CE, Persia came under the influence of Muslim Arabs. Their capital at Bagdad, founded in 762 CE, saw a flowering of intellect, attracting scholars, poets, artists, astronomers, and the top medical minds of the era. There were some periods of instability as various strong men vied for rule, but on the whole the Abbasid Caliphate preside over the Golden Age of Islam. Meanwhile, far to the East, the Mongols were riding rough-shod over the landscape. Literally. Hülegü, grandson of Ghengis Khan, had been assigned to invade the Persian Empire. So he did. In January of 1258, his army besieged Bagdad. There had been an exchange of letters previously, Hülegü threatening to sack the city if they did not surrender [“I will not leave a single person alive in your country, I will turn your city, lands and empire into flames.”], and the Calif al-Musta’sim thinking it was just trash talk. On February 10, the Mongol horde took the city. A few days later, the sacking began. Some estimates say that 2 million citizens were killed, but Hülegü admitted to only 200,000. The Mongols went on to threaten Eastern Europe while Bagdad rebuilt. Today it is the capital of Iran. Time to reread Oyzamandius by Shelley.

Our breakfast is based on favorite Persian flavors. Our dinner would have been favored by the conquering Mongols.

Jeweled Rice: 228 calories… 4.2 g fat… 0.3 g fiber… 6 g protein… 39.3 g carbs… 8 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB GF  Ancient Persians adored rice, and nuts grew abundantly on the hillsides. Let’s combine them for breakfast a Persian would love. The glistening honey-coated nuts give this meal its name and its flavor.

++ ½ c cooked brown rice ++++ 1 oz nut-honey mix, such as Buram brand ++++  Optional: blackish coffee  [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

Take the rice off the hob or warm it, if pre-cooked. Warm the nut-honey mix, and stir to blend with the rice. Prepare hot beverage of choice and be transported back to Islam’s Golden Age.

Cod for the Khan: 223 calories… 2.4 g fat… 6 g fiber… 24.6 g protein… 28 g carbs… 176 mg Calcium…  PB GF This meal is based on ingredients from a Mongol Carp Soup. Instead of boiling, the fish is pan-cooked and it tastes good.

Marinated Cod: ++ 4 oz cod fillet ++++ ¼ tsp brown pepper, ground ++++ ¼ tsp coriander seed, ground ++++ 1½ tsp onion, chopped ++++ 1 Tbsp Chinese wine or sherry ++ >>>> Stir together the spices, onion, and wine in a glass pie plate. Marinate the cod, turning often, for 30-60 minutes.

The Dinner: ++ marinated cod ++++ 1 cup foraged greens: dandelion leaves, chickweed, chives, sheep-sorrel, spinach ++++ ¼ cup onion, chopped ++++ ¼ cup brown rice, cooked ++++ 1 Tbsp chives, chopped ++++ splash of vinegar ++ >>>> Spray a small cast iron pan with cooking spray and add the cod. Cook over medium for 4 minutes, turning to heat both sides. Pour in the marinade, cover, turn down heat and cook for 6-7 minutes, depending on thickness of the fillet. Chop the greens roughly. Put onion in a small pan with ¼ cup water and simmer until transluscent. Add the greens, turn down heat, cover, and simmer to wilt the greens. Heat the cooked rice and stir in chives. Test fish to see if it ‘flakes’ [when a fork is brushed over the side of the fish, the meat comes off in flakes]. Salt to taste and add a splash of vinegar. Plate the fish with the rice and greens, pouring extra pan juices over the fish and rice.  Don’t get delusions of ruling the world.

Fort Sumter

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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.

Fort Sumter, December 1860. NPS photo.

Fort Sumter is on an island in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It was built after the War of 1812, to strengthen the defense of the harbor, since the town of Charleston had been a key site in the War of Independence in the 1770s. It was named after Thomas Sumter, an heroic fighter in the Revolution. But as the 1800s advanced, independence of other sorts came into question: many in the US wanted independence for the many enslaved people of the American South, and the slave owners of the South wanted the independence to do live as they pleased. As the fort neared completion in the late 1850s, the separatists in South Carolina told the US President Buchanan to remove the troops from the fort, and from nearby Fort Moultrie. He refused, and the fort was besieged. The soldiers there held out from December into January, but supplies were running low. A ship was sent from New York, with soldiers, ammunition, and food, but on January 9, 1861, as it neared the fort, it was fired upon. The ship retreated. In early April, the new President Lincoln told the South Carolinians that he would resupply the fort. The South Carolinians said that would be a declaration of war. The South began a bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 12, and on April 13, the 80 soldiers on the island struck their flag, and left the fort. The American Civil War had begun.

Thomas Sumter’s name was surely based on the word ‘sumpter’. The word originally meant a pack animal, but it became an occupation. Sumpters operated traveling grocery stores around the nation during peacetime, and during wars, they often sold food and sundries to soldiers. A popular item that a sumpter would sell to soldiers was an egg — at exorbitant prices. Eggs are more available to most of us, so we will have them for breakfast. Much better for us than the local Charleston favorite — Krispy Kreme doughnuts! The dinner is made with two popular food items of the Carolinas: ham and sweet potatoes.

Egg-Salad Toast: 167 calories… 8 g fat… 4.5 g fiber… 12 g protein… 22 g carbs… 101 mg Calcium…  PB Toast ‘n’ Egg for breakfast takes a new twist. If you must grab-and-go, this is a good choice. 

1 slice whole-grain bread [70 calories, 3 g fiber] ++++ one hardboiled 2-oz egg ++++ yellow Sriracha, ad lib ++++ 1 Tbsp reduced-fat ricotta -OR- reduced-fat cottage cheese ++++ 1 oz sliced tomato OR halved cherry tomatoes ++++ 2 oz strawberries -OR- 1 oz blueberries ++++  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]

Slice the tomato and salt it to develop flavor. Shell the egg and mash it with a fork on a plate. Squirt some Sriracha on it, add the ricotta, and continue to mash and squirt until you get the consistancy you like. Add salt and pepper and herbs to taste. Lightly toast the bread and spread with the egg salad. Top with the tomato and plate with the fruit. Wholesome and hearty.

Ham Dinner: 297 calories… 8 g fat… 6 g fiber… 19 g protein… 40 g carbs… 41.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF This is a classic Easter Dinner in many homes, as well as being a popular diner order. From the succotash to the sweetened sweet potato to the pineapple garnish, this meal is a classic.

++ 3 oz ham, sliced 3/8” thick ++++ ¼ c. lima beans ++++ ¼ c corn kernels ++++ 1 oz sweet potato ++++ 1 tsp brown sugar ++++ ¼ c canned pineapple ++

Cube the sweet potato and simmer in a small pan until tender, ~10 mins. Heat the ham slice in a non-stick pan over medium, until ham begins to brown. Heat the vegetables together. When the ham is cooked and the sweet potato is tender, plate the ham and drain the potato. Put the potato in the ham’s pan, along with a bit of the potato water. Stir to incorporate the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Then stir in the brown sugar until the potato is covered with the sugar. Plate everything, putting a pinch of salt on the vegetables. Place the pinapple chunks on the ham and tuck into an all-American meal.

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

1 two-oz egg = US largeuncooked brown rice
kippered herringfat free milk
dry mustard powder + appledry, sweetened coconut flakes
reduced-fat ricotta
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

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

shaved rare roast beef106-calorie Naan bread + onions
provolone cheeseRogan Josh sauce + zucchini
broccoli + onionstomato + cauliflower
Martin’s potato bread or whole-grain breadIndian curry powder
Sparkling waterSparkling water