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.

In French, a ‘potager’ is a vegetable garden, related to the word for ‘soup’ because that was the destination of the vegetables. For centuries, every peasant who had a little bit of land would grow a few vegetables. But if you are a king, where do you get your vegetables? Louis XIV held court at his Palace of Versailles, where all his courtiers and all their servants lived. How to feed this multitude of people three times a day? Enter Jean Baptiste de la Quintinie. He was born in 1626 in the Charente region. In his youth, he went to Paris to study the law, a seemingly good path to a solid career. On a holiday trip to Italy, Jean Baptiste became interested in vegetables — not only eating them, but growing them as well. Throwing caution to the winds, he decided to learn everything he could about horticulture. La Quintinie read extensively on the subject, and tried out some ideas in the gardens of noble estates. He gained such fame as a garden designer and innovator that the king himself invited him to Versailles. There was a swampy bit of land that was useless for anything and this was given to la Quintinie to grow the king’s vegetables. La Quintinie went to work: he drained the swamp, amended the soil chemistry, built cold frames and hot houses, and planted a garden.

In honor of the royal potager, our menu consists of meals made with vegetables.

Cucumber Soup with Melon: 1 cup serving = 104 calories… 0.6 g fat… 6 g fiber… 15 g protein… 10 g carbs… 141 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the plated items only, not the optional beverages. PB GF The soup is lovely as is, but if you want more food and nutrition, add a 1.5-oz slice of ham from the deli. Food value for ham: 68 calories… 3.6 g fat… 0.5 g fiber… 7 g protein… 1.6 g carbs… 10 mg Calcium… Add optional beverages, and you have a cool, delightful meal to start your day.

makes 3 cups = 3 servings
two 8” cucumbers [total weight = 21 oz]	Slice off both tips of cucumber, remove half of the green peel. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Dice the cucumber, put into food processor.
2 oz mint leaves	Chop leaves coarsely.
Piment d’esplette [or paprika or Aleppo pepper]salt & pepper to taste	Add these to taste to a food processor. Run machine until the cucumber is very finely chopped.
200 grams/ 7 oz Fromage Blanc or plain Greek yogurt	Add cheese/yogurt and run the processor to combine. Adjust seasonings.
8-10 oz canteloupe melon	Scoop into 8 Tbsp-sized balls
	Portion soup, garnish with two melon ball per serving
Optional: 1.5 oz sliced deli ham	Roll slice and plate next to bowl of soup.
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]

Galettes w/ Mediterranean Vegetables: 266 calories… 7.6 g fat… 6.5 g fiber… 16 g protein… 35 g carbs… 282 mg Calcium… PB This simple meal comes together in no time flat. [It does help if your have previously prepared galettes and Mediterranean Vegetables on hand, so keep some handy in the freezer.]

++ 2 buckwheat galettes ++++ 1 cup Mediteranean Vegetables with chickpeas ++++ 1 oz mozzarella ++

Gently warm the galettes on a griddle. Grate the cheese. Warm the vegetables, then stir in the mozzarella and heat briefly. Divide between the galettes and dinner is served.

MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLES: makes 3+ cups PB GF

2 c. [w/ chickpeas]= 155 cal 2.2 g fat 9.5 g fiber 8.4 g protein 28 g carbs 106 mg Calcium ¾ c [“ “] = 58 cal 0.7 g fat 3.6 g fiber 3 g protein 10.5 g carbs 40 mg Calcium ½ c [“ “] = 39 cal 0.5 g fat 2.4 g fiber 2 g protein 7 g carbs 26.5 mg Calcium 2 c. [no chickpeas]= 102 cal 1.0 g fat 7 g fiber 5.8 g protein 20 g carbs 89 mg Calcium ½ c. [no chickpeas]= 25 cal… 0.3 g fat..1.7 g fiber.. 1.5 g protein.. 5 g carbs.. 22 mg Calcium

–2 cups eggplant, peeled & cubed OR 1½ cup bell peppers, cubed— 2 cups tomato, cubed — 2 cups zucchini, cubed —- 2 cloves garlic —-1.5 tsp oregano—-½ cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained [optional] —

Prepare all the vegetables, and put them in a saucepan. Simmer, covered, until cooked through. If watery, remove lid and continue to simmer as liquid evaporates. Add oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and the chickpeas, if using. Use whatever amount you wish for this meal and freeze the remainder in ½-cup or 1-cup portions.

BUCKWHEAT GALETTES: 1 batch makes 20 galettes, each using 3-4 Tbsp batter TIP: Keep some cooked galettes in the freezer for ‘instant’ use.

Yield: 20 six-inch galettes
1 cup unbleached flour ++ ¾ cup buckwheat flour++ scant 2 cups water	Whisk flours and water until batter is smooth.
½ tsp sea salt ++2 two-oz eggs ++	Add salt, then eggs one at a time. Whisk vigorously. When you lift the whisk, the batter should fall off in ‘ropes.’
	Let sit 2 hours or over night. HINT: batter can be divided into 1 or ½ cup portions and frozen. If using frozen batter, whisk vigorously after it thaws, add a bit of water.
	Heat an 8” cast-iron pan or ceramic saute pan. Lightly spritz with oil.
	Dip a ¼ cup measure into batter and let extra drain off. Grasp handle of the cook pan with one hand as you slowly pour batter into center of the pan. Tilt pan quickly in a swirling pattern to let batter form a circle roughly 6” in diameter. Don’t get hung up on perfectly round or perfectly flat.
	Watch as galette cooks and look to see when edges start to dry and curl a bit. Using a heat-resistant but non-scratching tool [I use my fingers], lift the galette and turn it over. Cook the other side until done. Time will vary, depending on the heat of your pan.
each one = 50 calories … 0.5 g fat … 1.4 g fiber… 2 g protein… 8.5 g carbs… 6 mg Calcium…	Lift cooked galette out, put it aside, cook the next one. HINT: if storing them for later today or tomorrow, let them cool on a tea towel, then stack with cling film separating every 2, and store in a plastic bag.