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.

One of the most recognized names of the era of the Crusades is that of Saladin. His full name was An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, and he was of Kurdish extraction. Born in Tikrit [modern Iraq] in 1140, he spent his formative years in Damascus, Syria. During that time, the Levant was controlled by two opposing forces: The Christian Franks [Europeans who had captured coastal land including Jerusalem during the First Crusade] and the Muslims [a variety of ethnic groups who shared the Islamic faith]. Son of a mercenary soldier, Saladin migrated toward a military career, although he enjoyed his religious training as well. He served in several campaigns, some against other Muslims, some against Christian forces. At age 31, on March 25 [following the deaths of his two political rivals] Saladin was appointed vizier [chief advisor] to the Calif and commander of Syrian forces in Egypt. Through diplomacy and military force, he united Muslim territories of Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Egypt under his own rule. Saladin was a fair and benevolent ruler, always ruled himself by his religious values and his dream of uniting the Muslims to drive out the Christians. He sought a moral rebirth of the Muslim society. At last Saladin’s well-trained army met the Franks in 1187, winning the battle of Ḥaṭṭīn so decisively that within months they won back Jerusalem from the Christians. That city which figured in the religious history of the Jews and Christians was also holy to the Muslims. Saladin showed mercy to the conquered population by not killing them [when the Christian army first took Jerusalem in 1099, they slaughtered every man, woman, and child who was not Christian.] The victory stunned Christian Europe, and galvanized them into organizing the Third Crusade. This brought Richard I of England and Phillip II of France into the fray. The more they fought Saladin, the more they respected him for his military strategy and his chivalry. Despite several apocryphal stories, Saladin and Richard never met in person. They met in battle only once, at Arsuf. Richard won at Arsuf, but he never retook Jerusalem. Although the two men each wanted to kill the other, they had a curious mutual admiration society. In 1192, they signed a treaty ending what could be called the First World War [England, France, Germany, and all the Muslim lands ruled by Saladin]. They agreed that Muslims would still rule Jerusalem but Christians would have free access to the city on Pilgrimages. A few months later, Saladin died of a fever. Supporters were astonished to discover that the most powerful and revered leader of the time had no money left to build a tomb for himself. Saladin was eventually buried in Damascus. He was a strong, brave leader while at the same time moral, decent, and chivalrous. How would he fare as a leader in today’s world?

Our breakfast is a dessert that has been loved in the Arab world for centuries. The dinner contains ingredients that have been typical of Arabian cuisine for just as long. These are oldies but goodies.

Mahalabia: 230 calories… 5 g fat.. 1 g fiber… 13 g protein… 70.5g carbs… 511 mg Calcium… NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage. PB GF This seventh century Persian delight is usually served as a dessert. But why not enjoy it at breakfast with fruit and nuts? The recipe is adapted from one I found at sourandsweets.com.

++ 1 of the 3 portions of pudding, with apricots and pistachios ++++ 2 deglet noor dates ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [75 calories] ++

Sv 3  Milk Pudding	3 ramekins
2 cups 2% milk———-4 Tbsp cornstarch———- 3 Tbsp sugar——1 large/2 oz egg—–	In a saucepan, whisk these together until well combined.
	Cook on medium heat ~5 mins until mixture starts to thicken
	Reduce heat, stir until you get ‘the right’ consistency – should coat a wooden spoon.
1/4-1/2 tsp almond extract	Take pot from heat, add extract. Stir. Divide in 3.
3 half apricots, fresh or canned in light syrup	Put ¼ cup pudding per ramekin. Add ½ apricot.
Per serving: 1 Tbsp chopped pistachios	Fill ramekins with pudding, sprinkle with pistachios.
1 of 3: 190 calories… 4.8 g fat… 0 g fiber… 12.6 g protein… 60 g carbs… 505 mg Calcium…	Refrigerate 2-3 hrs/over night, serve chilled.

Arabian Spiced Chicken: 297 calories… 4 g fat… 5.4 g fiber… 24.4 g protein… 46 g carbs… 35 mg Calcium…  PB GF Using ingredients originally from the region, it is possible to craft a very authentic meal that could have been enjoyed by ancient Arabs. They would have eaten by grasping the stew with the flat-bread called fatir — but on a Fast Day, we will choose a fork.  TIP: This recipe makes enough for 2 [two] meals.

++ 6 oz chicken thigh meat, boneless, skinless ++++ 2/3 cups water ++++ 1/3 cup chicken broth ++++ 1.5 tsp Hawayij spice ++++ 1/3 cup dry quick-cooking barley ++++  Per serving: 3 deglet noor dates ++++ 5 oz watermelon cubes ++

Skin and bone the chicken thigh and cut it into 1” chunks. Heat a non-stick skillet and spritz it with non-stick spray. Sprinkle the chicken with the spice and saute it until partly cooked. To the pan, add the water and heat it, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Stir in the dry barley. Put a lid on the pan and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir gently until everything is heated through. Plate with the dates and watermelon on the side. Sprinkle the stew with more Hawayij if you like. The peppery stew is fabulous with the cool, crisp melon and the sweet, musky dates. What an Arabian Delight.

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

1.5 two-oz eggs = US large	1 two-oz egg + 70-calorie whole-grain bread
chickpeas + ground ginger	maple syrup
Thai fish sauce	skimmed milk + strawberries
fennel frond + deglet noor dates	60-calorie chicken breakfast sausage
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

3%-fat ham + skimmed milk	eggplant + red sweet italian pepper
4 two-oz eggs + green beans	red onion + feta cheese + roma tomatoes
white whole wheat flour	thyme + rosemary + garlic
allspice + thyme	crushed red pepper + whole wheat baguette
Sparkling water	Sparkling water