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.

Saint Julien l’Hospitalier is one of those saints whom theologians find problematic: there is no evidence that he existed. He is purported to have been born during the 4th century in France or Italy or Belgium. There are various brief versions of his life and deeds, which sound like mash-ups of other stories. There is a stained glass window at Chartres Cathedral, created in the 1200s, which shows events of his life. But the best [in my opinion] telling of his story was by Gustave Flaubert as one of his Trois Contes, published in 1877. When I read it in college, I was captivated and moved by the tale, so I will tell it to you. ’Julien was the pampered son of a wealthy couple. Right after his birth, his parents each heard a prophesy: the mother was told that her boy would be a saint someday; the father was told that the boy would have a bloody but fabulous life. As a child, Julien secretly enjoyed killing and maiming small animals. As a young man, he wantonly slaughtered game animals in the guise of ‘hunting.’ After mortally wounding a magnificent stag, Julien was told by the beast that he was cursed and would one day murder his parents. Julien left home to prevent the prophecy, gaining renown as a mercenary soldier. Eventually, Julien married the daughter of an emperor whom he rescued, and settled down to a life of leisure. All was well, and the couple lived happily. One night, after Julien left for an unaccustomed hunting trip, an old couple called at their castle. Julien’s wife invited them in and heard their story. Thirty years before, their son had left home — they had been searching for him ever since. Their son was Julien! Their daughter-in-law feted them, saying how happy their reunion would be when her husband returned. She offered them the Master Suite for the night. When Julien returned before dawn, he was astonished to see a man asleep in the shadows of his bed — surely his wife was having an affair! After he killed both of the sleepers in a rage, he realized his error. For years afterward, Julien wandered the roads, a beggar unable to forget his sins. Shunned by his fellow men, he lived as a hermit at the side of a dangerous river crossing, opting to help others while praising God. To anyone who arrived, Julien would give a night’s sleep and safe passage across the river. One night, in a dreadful storm, the boatman had to transport a leper over the river. Although he had little, Julien offered hospitality in his humble shack. The leper was given food and water, warmed by a fire. Julien tended the man with his own hands, even when the leper insisted that the host warm his frail body with the heat from his own. The leper, dying, asked for a kiss. When Julien bestowed it, the leper morphed into Jesus, and Julien, forgiven of his sins, was taken into heaven.’ Flaubert, usually described as a cynical author, wrote this tale of faith and redemption after seeing the window at Chartres.

The Feast Day of St Julien l’Hospitalier, aka St Julien le Pauvre, is February 8. We will enjoy eggs from Spain — where some say he lived — and salad with venison, to remember the deer hunt that is a key event in Julien’s story. Julien is the patron saint of travelers seeking safe accommodation and of hoteliers.

Flamenco Eggs:  125 calories  5 g fat 2.6 g fiber 7.5 g protein 13.5 g carb 44 mg Calcium  NB: The food values shown are for the vegetables, egg, and the fruit, not for the optional beverages.  PB GF From Everyday Tapas, this recipe shows how a meal can go from being a dinner to being a breakfast. Similarly, any breakfast could also be a dinner. 

1½ Tbsp tomato puree or ¾ oz tomato, chopped  1½ tsp parsley, chopped  1½ Tbsp onion, chopped 1½ Tbsp bell pepper, chopped  salt & large pinch cayenne 1 two-oz egg   4 cherries or 2 oz applesauce or apple  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]

Spritz a small ramekin with cooking spray or olive oil. Put the tomato, parsley, onion in the ramekin. Microwave for 4-5 minutes to cook the onion. Add the bell pepper and seasonings, and microwave for another 4 minutes. [Alternatively, saute the above ingredients, instead of microwaving].  HINT: you can do this the night before. Remove from microwave and make a ‘nest’ in the cooked vegetables. Crack the egg into the nest. Bake at 350F for 15-18 minutes. Meanwhile, prep the fruit. Prepare the optional beverages and have a finger-snapping, toe-tapping day.

Venison Salad:  270 calories  8.5 g fat 6 g fiber  31 g protein 33 g carbs  118 mg Calcium  PB GF  If you have access to venison, this meal is a fine way to celebrate any one of the many saints associated with deer.

3½ oz roasted venison  ¾ oz marinated mushrooms    1 oz roasted red pepper  1 slice dried pear       2 cups lettuce, ripped or chopped  1 tsp olive oil     ½ tsp balsamic vinegar  3 oz broccoli  2 oz tomatoes

Slice the roasted venison into pieces less than ½” thick. Whisk olive oil and vinegar together, then toss with lettuce and mushrooms. Place on a salad plate. Arrange the meat on the salad and arrange the red pepper, tomatoes, and broccoli on top. Dice the pear and sprinkle over all.