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.

On June 27 in 1880, a healthy baby girl was born into the family of Colonel Arthur Keller of Tuscumbia, Alabama. Little Helen grew strong and happy until a high fever struck when she was 19 months old. From then on, the child was unable to see or hear. Since there was no way to communicate with her, Helen grew up like a wild thing — flailing out at people, grabbing food off of others’ plates, locked away from life in her world of darkness. When she was eight, a teacher was brought to her. Twenty-year-old Annie Sullivan, a graduate of the Perkins School for the Blind, had trained in sign language and and set out to open up the world for Helen. They lived together in a cottage on the Keller property for two weeks. Annie spelled out words in Helen’s hand, but the child did not associate the finger games with ideas or concepts. At last, Annie spelled out W-A-T-E-R while Helen’s hand was in water — and the connection was made. This is the most famous scene in the film The Miracle Worker, a bio-pic of Annie Sullivan, made in 1962 — and it is true. Helen was a quick learner, mastering words and eventually being graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College — all with Annie Sullivan by her side. Keller became well known early on from her books: The Story of My Life (1902) and Optimism (1903). She was a social activist: advocating for women to vote, for better education for the blind, and for world peace. With Jane Addams, she was a founder of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920. Throughout her life, Keller was an inspiration to blind and sighted people alike, touring and speaking around the world. If a blind and deaf person could learn to write and speak and have an active, useful life, then anyone could achieve their goals! Helen Keller refused to be limited by her disabilities.

Our menus have nothing to do with Alabama or Helen Keller’s upbringing. But these meals are what I would want to eat if I couldn’t see my plate, being mostly food to pick up in the hands.

Sweet Potato Pancake Plate: 122 calories… 2 g fat… 2.6 g fiber… 9.4 g protein… 26.4 g carbs… 27 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF – if using Brown Rice Flour These potato pancakes are fine as a side dish, and they hold their own as the star of this breakfast.

2 potato pancakes *** ++++ 2 oz applesauce ++++ one 30-gram slice Canadian bacon/back bacon = 2 slices Jones brand ++++ 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] 

Warm the pancakes, the applesauce, the bacon, and plate. Savory and delicious.

***Potato Pancakes  makes 8-10   8 oz sweet potato, peeled and grated…. 2 oz egg, whisked…. 2 Tbsp minced/grated onion…. ….4 tsp white whole wheat flour OR brown rice flour …. ½ tsp salt Combine ingredients while you heat a griddle or heavy skillet. Melt a dab of bacon fat or olive oil in the pan, then spray with non stick spray. Drop the ‘batter’ in 10 piles [I used a ¼ cup measure] on the griddle, then flatten them out to a diameter of 3-4”. Cook on one side, then flip to cook on the other. Save the remaining pancakes for a side dish tomorrow or as part of lunch.

Pork Steamed Buns with Chinese Cabbage: 281 calories… 7 g fat… 4 g fiber… 10 g protein… 46.7 g carbs… 152 mg Calcium…  PB  First you prepare the buns, steam them, and freeze what you don’t eat fresh. Then you can enjoy them ‘instantly’ by warming them and quickly stir-frying the cabbage or bok choy. Delicious!  HINT: recipe makes 20 buns, so lots for future meals.  Freeze what you do not use for dinner today.

For the dinner: 2 pork steamed buns**… 1 serving Chinese cabbage*

20 filled **Pork Steamed Buns	Bamboo steamer in a wok or large cast iron skillet
1 teaspoon active dry yeast ++++¾ cup warm water	In the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook (you can also use a regular mixing bowl and knead by hand), dissolve yeast in the warm water.
1 c all-purpose flour++++1 c white whole wheat flour ++++ 1 c cornstarch ++++ 4 tablespoons sugar++++3 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil	Sift together the flours and cornstarch, and add it to the yeast mixture along with the sugar and oil. Turn on the mixer to the lowest setting and run it until a smooth dough ball is formed. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 2 hours.
2½ teaspoons baking powder 2-3 tsp water	Add leavening and turn on mixer to lowest setting. If dough looks dry and leavening won’t mix in, add some water. Gently knead dough until it is smooth again. Cover with damp cloth and let rest 15 mins. Set up your steamer in the wok.
	Roll dough into a long tube and divide it into 20 equal pieces. Press each piece of dough into a disk about 4½” in diameter.
Chinese BBQ pork: purchased or homemade	Put some filling on each disk and pinch buns closed. Put each bun on a parchment paper square. I steamed them in 2 separate batches using a bamboo steamer (be sure water does not touch buns during steaming). Once water boils, put buns in steamer and steam 12 minutes over high heat.
	Each = 123 calories… 3.4 g fat… 1 g fiber…3.5 g protein… 18 g carbs… 48 mg Calcium

*CHINESE CABBAGE:  PB GF This is a fine dish to accompany a variety of foods from Chinese dumplings to fish.

Serves 2
Non-stick spray ++++1 clove garlic, sliced	Spray a heavy pan and cook garlic over medium heat 30 seconds.
½# cabbage, shredded/thinly-sliced +++2 Tbsp water	Stir in cabbage and water. Cover and cook 1 minute.
1½ tsp soy sauce	Add, cover and cook 1 minute.
1½ tsp fish sauce  ++++ 2 Tbsp water	Turn up heat, add sauce along with more water. Cook, uncovered, until cabbage is tender and liquids have evaporated
	Each serving = 35 calories … 0.1 g fat… 2 g fiber… 2.7 g protein… 7.5 g carbs… 56 mg Calcium

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

1 two-oz egg = US large	fat-free ricotta cheese
mushrooms + apple	strawberries
chives + thyme	blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 piece 70-calorie whole-grain bread	1 piece 70-calorie whole-grain bread
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

1 pound mussels + splash white wine	4 oz ground bison meat + Coleslaw
celery.onion.rosemary.garlic	blueberries, fresh or frozen + egg white
tomato + feta cheese + kalamata olives	Dijon mustard + Worcestershire sauce
salad greens + olive oil + lemon juice	garlic powder + Martin’s potato buns, slider size
Sparkling water	Sparkling water