low fat recipes for the 5:2 Diet

Saint Walburga

~ me ~ Leave a comment

How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post.  Eat sensibly the other days of the week.  That’s it.  Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.                                                                    Welcome to Raluca S. who is now Following.

Saintliness seems to run in families.  This was certainly the case for Saint Walburga. She was born in Devon [now part of England] in 710 CE, to a well-to-do Saxon family.  Her father was St Richard and her mother was Winna, sister of St Boniface [born Winfrid].  Walburga’s brothers were St Willibald and St Winnibald.  [I could not make this up if I tried.]  What does a family of saints talk about at dinner?  Prayer, I suppose. And Fasting, no doubt, since Walburga was known for it.  In her day, Walburga ran several religious houses and some credit her with being the first female author of England and Germany since she wrote a biography of her brother.  After she died on February 25, 779, her tomb seemed to exude a liquid which is said to have healing properties.  Somehow the good saint’s story became tied in with witches and their revels on the eve of May 1st.  Called ‘Walpurgis Night,‘ it is celebrated in Scandinavia and is likened to a little Hallowe’en in the mountains of southern Germany.                                                                                                           In honor of the origins of Walburga, we’ll breakfast in the English countryside.  For her gift of the healing oil, dinner will be the good-for-what-ails-you chicken soup, long touted by grandmothers as a universal panacea.

Cottage Breakfast:   157 calories   7.5 g fat   1.2 g fiber   8.3 g protein   14.8 g carbs 38 mg Calcium   PB  I wanted a breakfast that evoked a cottage in the English country-side, so here it is. The pan muffins are very good.Cottage Bfast A

1 pan muffin [see …Not By Bread…posted 7-Feb-2018]                                                                1 oz applesauce                                                                                                                                   one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                      5-6 oz fruit smoothie [79 calories] or green smoothie or natural apple cider                                   blackish coffee [53 calories], blackish tea, or lemon in hot water

HINT: I prepared 8 pan muffins from the 10-grain mufffin batter, cooked them, and froze them. I made the remaining batter into muffins to eat on Slow Days. Take one pan muffin from the freezer the night before and let it thaw. Cook the egg to your taste and warm the pan muffin. Dish the applesauce, brew the hot beverage, pour the smoothie. What a sweet and easy meal.

‘Therapeutic’ Chicken Soup:   278 calories   3.4 g fat   5 g fiber   18.5 g protein   36 g carbs [26 g Complex Carbs]   78 mg Calcium   PB  GF — if using GF noodles The recipe is from It’s All American Food  by David Rosengarten. Simple, filling, and Granma says it is good for you. NB: One serving = 2 cups of soup! Eat less if you need to.Therapeutic Chicken Soup

1-1/2 cups excellent chicken broth, homemade or purchased                                                          2 oz [½ cup] parsnips, diced                                                                                                             1 oz [¼ cup] carrots, in coins                                                                                                                         ¼ cup celery, sliced                                                                                                                            2 oz cooked chicken breast, cut in 1/2” cubes                                                                                1/2 oz Pennsylvania Dutch Noodles                                                                                                 3 Tbsp parsley

Prepare the vegetables. Cook the noodles in salted water until just underdone. Drain them and plunge into cold water. Drain again and hold at room temperature until needed.  Heat the stock to a simmer and add 3-4 Tbsp water, which will boil away as you cook. I added the parsnips first and cooked for about 5 minutes, then added the carrots. After another 5 minutes, I put the celery in the soup. Cook until all the vegetables are tender, then adjust the seasoning of the broth. Add the pasta and chicken. It will need extra flavor now since the pasta will have used it up. Add the parsley and cook about 5 minutes longer.

In Our Cups

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

“To be in one’s cups” means to be in the act of consuming alcoholic beverages. No doubt about it: you could be mildly impaired or roaring drunk, but you are drinking. Often the term begs immunity for whatever one says or does in such a state.  Would that stand up in court?   Usually we do not recommend drinking booze on a Fast Day, due to the fact that it represents ‘empty calories.’  Spend your calories wisely on a Fast Day on food that is nutrient rich.  Save the drinks for a Slow Day  [see peterspicksblog for some good wine pairings] but don’t go over-board then either.                                                                      We can have our food “in cups” on a Fast Day, enjoying delicious meals without fear of a hangover.  Both menus today are easy to prepare, with make-ahead options.

Ham-Cup Eggs:   284 calories    7 g fat    2.4 g fiber    18.4 g protein      31 g carbs [15 g Complex] 319 mg Calcium   GF  Easy to prepare ahead and easy on the taste buds.ham-cup egg

1 two-oz egg                                                                                                                                                                         1 slice “Cottage Ham” [4” diameter thin slice of ham] I used North Country Smoke House brand at 21 calories/slice                                                                                                                                                                          1 Tbsp cottage cheese                                                                                                                                                         1.5 tsp Parmesan cheese, grated                                                                                                                         2 oz apple                                                                                                                                                                     5-6 oz fruit smoothie or natural apple cider                                                                                       blackish coffee or tea or lemon in hot water

Fit the ham into an oven-proof container that measures 3.25” in diameter and 1.25” deep. [I used a cleaned tuna can. It was perfect.] You will need to snip  the ham on 2 sides and overlap the meat to make it fit better into the mold. Combine the cheeses and season with herbs/salt/pepper. Whisk in the egg and pour into the ham cup. HINT: I did this the night before and put it in the ‘fridge.Turn on the toaster oven to 350 F and bake the ham cups for 20+ minutes, until the filling is puffed and set. Prepare the beverages and the apple. Use a wide knife to loosten the ham cups from the mold before plating. Some of the egg will have oozed into the mold as it baked, but that was easy to remove too. This breakfast was a real hit.

Squash-Cupped Bison Chili:   215 calories    3.5 g fat    6.8 g fiber   14.7 g protein   34 g carbs   120 mg Calcium  GF  PB — especially if using Chili Non Carne    What an easy, delicious, and satisfying meal.  HINT: One squash is enough for 2 servings. Invite a fellow-Faster for dinner.  Save the remaining chili for another meal later.squash-cupped chili

Bison Chili:    per cup – 136 calories  3.2 g fat  4.8 g fiber  13 g protein  14.5 g carbs   57 mg Calcium           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                                                                                                                                   1/2 cup green pepper, chopped                                                                                                                         3/4 cup canned red or black beans, drained and rinsed                                                                            2-4 tsp chili   +   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

For tonight’s meal:      5 oz delicata squash, seeds removed                                                                         one cup Bison Chili or use Chili Non Carne[Sidekicks II, posted 4-Oct-’17]                                       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 one end of the squash and removing the seeds. Cut a small slice off the very end, so it will stand up as a cup for the chili. 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, then pouring the chili in and around it. Then position the melon cubes. Teriffic!

Ingredients for next week:

Breakfast, single portion for Monday:                 single portion for Thursday:

1 two-oz egg + 1 white low-fat cottage cheese
rhubarb  + sugar + milk plain fat-free yogurt
flour or white whole wheat flour mango  + clementine
baking powder  + Canadian Bacon granola
Whatever you need for your smoothie Whatever you need for your smoothie
Whatever you need for your hot beverage Whatever you need for your hot beverage

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

fish  + Parmesan cheese + mozzarella Salad greens  + red grapefruit
1/4 cup marinara sauce [Saucy 6-Dec-’17] avocado  + 1 large egg
fresh bread crumbs chicken breast meat + white wine vinegar
cottage cheese  + green beans lime-infused oil  + ginger   + lemon salt
Sparkling water Sparkling water

French Connection

~ me ~ Leave a comment

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.

No hard-boiled cops or car chases today.  This posting is a gentle reminder of the long-standing mutual aid and friendship between the US and France. This goes back to our Revolution which was a precursor to the French Revolution 13 years later.  As you probably have realized, I am a Francophile.  One can be inspired by Les Belles Dames of France, who eat croissants and drink red wine and yet remain slim and chic. With the Fast Diet, which has elements of the Mediterranean Diet, you too can look like those slim, lovely ladies.

St Denis ScrOmelette: 295 calories   9 g fat   3.1 g fiber   18 g protein   35 g carbs   215.4 mg Calcium GF James Beard’s comprehensive volume American Cooking gives us the recipe for this breakfast. Delicious, and rich, and wonderful. Worth getting up for.St-Denis ScrOmelette w: cherries

1 ½ 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, crack three 2-oz eggs into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.                                     1 Tbsp leek or scallion, minced                                                                                                                         ½ clove garlic, minced                                                                                                                                          ¼ oz mushrooms                                                                                                                                                    ¼ oz ham [3% fat], minced                                                                                                                                  1 tsp chicken liver OR chicken liver pate                                                                                                            parsley for garnish                                                                                                                                                  4 Bing cherries                                                                                                                                              blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water                                                                               5-6 oz green smoothie or fruit smoothie or unpasturized apple cider

Heat a well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Add the leek, garlic, and mushrooms and stir to cook. Whisk the eggs with the ham and pate and pour over the vegetables in the pan. Cook as thoroughly as you like. The hot beverage is brewed, the smoothie is shaken, and the fruit is plated. What a remarkable start to your day.

Ratatouille with Chicken & Polenta:      228 calories   4.4 g fat   9.1 g fiber   29 g protein   32 g carbs     115.6 mg Calcium   PB    Oddly enough, the inspiration for this meal was a dinner on an airplane. I was determined to duplicate and improve the meal, and I think I succeeded. The polenta needs to be made ahead, and the Med Veg [posted April 5, 2017] could come out of the freezer. All ready in about 20 minutes with those preparations beforehand.Ratatouille Chicken

1 slice of polenta***                                                                                                                                                        1 cup Mediterranean Vegetables                                                                                                                             3 oz chicken breast, skinless and boneless                                                                                                                        large pinch herbes de Province or thyme                                                                                                          Pour the Mediterranean Vegetables into a small saucepan and add a little water if there isn’t much liquid. Lay the chicken meat on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with pepper and herbes de Province. Put the lid on the pan and simmer until bottom of chicken is cooked. Check to see if you need to add more liquid to prevent the vegetables from scorching. Turn the chicken, cover and continue to cook until it is done. Meanwhile, spritz a small,  heavy skillet lightly with non-stick spray and heat it. Cut the slice of polenta in half so it is about 1/3” thick. Cook it in the hot pan on both sides until it is warm and beginning to brown. Plate the polenta, spoon the vegetables around it, then arrange the chicken on top.                                          ***Polenta                                                                                                                                          equipment:             metal bowl of 1 quart capacity                                                                                               sauce pan that the bowl will sit on top of, like a double boiler                                                                lid for the bowl OR aluminum foil                                                                                                                 5”x 2.5” loaf pan, lined with cling wrap                                                                                                 ingredients:           ½ cup skimmed milk       1 cup water                                                                                         ½ cup Polenta corn meal                                1 tsp Italian herb seasoning

directions: Bring the water and milk to a boil. Pour into the bowl                                                     then whisk in the corn meal and continue to whisk until smooth.                                                 Cover with the lid or foil. Put hot tap water in the pan and bring to a simmer.                              Place the covered bowl on the pan of water to cook for 20 minutes, stirring twice.                     Cook for 30 minutes more, or long enough to make a stiff mush.                                                   Scrape the mush into the lined loaf pan.                                                                                                  Cool then refrigerate.  Cut into 6 slices. One for tonight.                                                                    Wrap and freeze the rest.

Ingredients for next week: breakfast, single portion

1 two-oz egg 1 two-oz egg
 Low-fat ricotta or cottage cheese  ½ oz Canadian Bacon or 1 slice Jones brand
 Mozzerella cheeseJarlsberg cheese  Arnold Sandwich Thin
 broccoli
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

Ingredients for next week: dinner, single portion

2 two-oz eggs   Cooked chicken meat, 1/2 cup
Clove garlic                            leeks strawberries              1 kiwi fruit
Mushrooms                                   white wine  1.5 cups fresh spinach
Fat-free milk                        carrots Slivered almonds                 poppy seed
Low-fat cottage cheese  Red wine vinegar
 ¼ Arnold Sandwich Thin [optional]  Dried mustard
 Gruyere cheese  Sparkling water