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.

What happens to the son of prominent social reformers in the pre-Civil War era? If you were Robert Gould Shaw, born October 10, 1837, it meant a rather aimless life during his youth. His parents were ardent abolitionists, so Robert grew up knowing the big names in the movement. He was unmoved and drifting. A stint at private school ended with Robert dropping out. The family went on a tour to Europe where the young man read the anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and he began to bend. Shaw entered Harvard, but told his father “I hate Cambridge” and he dropped out. The start of the Civil War finally got his attention and gave him a cause. Shaw enlisted as a corporal in a New York infantry and saw action. As the war dragged on, the North searched for more soldiers. They decided to lift the ban on Blacks with guns, and authorized the formation of Black battalions. Massachusetts quickly formed the 54th Regi-ment, which was to have Black enlisted men but White officers. The governor asked Shaw to be the Colonel in charge, but he demurred. His mother, Sarah Blake Sturgis Shaw, urged him to take the post and so Robert became Colonel Shaw at the age of 25. Under his stern but competent leadership, the company became a well-trained unit, earning the respect of White soldiers. Shaw lobbied to have his troops serve in battle, rather than be relegated to trench-digging and other non-combat roles. In July of 1863, the 54th Regiment was chosen to participate in the assault of Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina. After gaining the wall, they were forced to retreat. Colonel Shaw and many of the Union troops in the assault were killed. The confederates threw Shaw’s body in a common grave with the Black enlisted men, as a sign of disrespect. Shaw’s parents thought that it was fitting that he be buried with the men he had trained and lead. The bravery of the men of the 54th inspired thousands of other Black men to volunteer to fight for the North. Public donations paid for the moving and eloquent Shaw Memorial by Auguste St-Gaudens in Boston.

Our meals incorporate many favorite flavors of New England — pumpkin, salmon, maple syrup — to honor a famous native son.

Pumpkin Oatmeal: ..221 calories… 3 g fat… 5.6 g fiber… 9.5 g protein… 11.5 g carbs… 106.4 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB GF  Cooler weather brings a yen for hot cereal and you have to go a long way to beat oatmeal as an excellent breakfast. Now let’s add the season’s favorite flavor combo: pumpkin and cinnamon. Yum.

++ ¼ c steel cut oats ++++ ¾ c. water ++++ pinch salt ++++ 2 Tbsp pumpkin puree ++++ 1 tsp maple syrup ++++ pinch cinnamon ++++ ¼ c. fat-free milk ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories]

Cook the oats and salt in simmering water 8-10 minutes, stirring at whiles. Take off heat. Stir in pumpkin, syrup, and cinnamon. Scrape into a bowl and top with milk. Serve with the hot beverage of your choice for a meal that will keep you warm on a cold day.

Maple-Glazed Salmon: .. 249 calories… 8.4 g fat… 2.4 g fiber… 26.5 g protein… 18 g carbs… 54 mg Calcium… PB GF What’s not to love about maple syrup on salmon?! New Englanders enjoy these flavors together, and you should too. 

++ 4 oz salmon fillet, skin removed ++++ 1 Tbsp maple syrup ++++ ½ tsp Dijon mustard ++++ 1 tsp soy sauce ++++ 1 tsp yellow Sriracha ++++ 4 oz asparagus, trimmed and sliced

30-40 minutes before dinner: whisk together the syrup, soy, mustard, and Sriracha, and pour over the salmon on a small pie plate. Marinate, turning frequently, for 20 minutes.  NB: Be sure to save the marinade when you remove the fish from it. Trim and slice asparagus and put in a pan with some water, but not enough to cover. Turn heat on under asparagus to bring it to a simmer. Heat a non-stick or cast-iron skillet and spray it with cooking spray. Put salmon in the pan and cook 4 minutes on one side. Turn and cook 4 minutes on the other side. Remove fish to serving plate. Pour marinade into the hot pan from the fish and take off heat. It will foam and bubble up quickly as it thickens. With a plastic scraper, ease the sauce onto the fish. Drain the asparagus and put it into the now empty skillet to get all the sauce from it. Mound the asparagus around the fish, sprinkle with salt.

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

Next week, I will offer recipes for four	1.5 two-oz eggs  + bacon
breadstuffs to enjoy on Fast and Slow Days	tomato: fresh or puree + onion
	green pepper + file powder
	chili powder + mozzarella + pear
	optional smoothie
	optional hot beverage

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

ditto	scallops: 1/4 pound per serving
	chives + bechamel sauce, no cheese
	frozen peas + lemon zest
	Romano cheese + side salad
Sparkling water	Sparkling water