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. 

No. not that Tale of Two Cities, the Dickens book about the French Revolution that I read in school and loved. Today’s topic is two cities that share the same birthday: October 27. In 1275, Amsterdam in the Netherlands was founded at the site of a dam on the Amstel River. In 1662, Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania, USA was founded where the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers meet. For several decades, Amsterdam shuttlecocked between control by the Catholic Church or the Count of Holland. The Delaware Valley had been settled by Swedes, before being claimed by the English, then given to William Penn by the crown to pay a debt to Penn’s father. Both cities parleyed their river locations to become major trading centers. Amsterdam had to weather wars of religion as favor swung from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism. Philadelphia was founded by Quakers whose idea of religious tolerance attracted immigrants from all over Europe. Both cities gained power and population through global mercantile activity. Amsterdam is famous for its artists like Rembrandt, and philosophers like Descartes. Philadelphia is famous for its artists like Gilbert Stuart, and philosophers like Benjamin Franklin. Since its founding, Philadelphia has been called “The City of Brotherly Love”, which is a translation of its name. In modern times, Amsterdam has been called “Sin City”, due to its famous Red Light District and relaxed drug laws. Philadelphia has been trying to live up to its name, while Amsterdam has been trying to live down its reputation. Keep working at it, everybody.

A breakfast with scrapple, a famous food of Philadelphia, and a dinner with hotspot, beloved in the Netherlands.

Scrapple Breakfast: 255 calories… 12.4 g fat… 1.5 g fiber… 11 g protein… 16 g carbs… 54.4 mg Calcium… NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake only, not the optional beverages. PB GF Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is famous for its scrapple, a combination of ground pork, cornmeal, and seasonings. It is sliced and pan-fired until crispy, and served at breakfast.

++ 2 oz slice scrapple ++++ one 2-oz egg ++++ 2 oz apple, sliced ++++ 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] ++

Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Cook the scrapple slice over medium heat until the bottom is set – you will know if you try to pick up the slice with a truner. If it is not set, continue to cook it. Turn the slice over to cook some more. If there is room in the pan, cook the egg to your preferance. Plate with the apples. Delicious.

Hutspot with Dutch Meatballs: 243 calories… 8 g fat… 4 g fiber… 17 g protein… 31 g carbs… 82 mg Calcium…  PB GF – if using GF rye bread This recipe from Holland was a hit at our house. The sweet carrots really add something to the potatoes.  HINT: This meal serves two with meatballs left over.

Hutspot: makes 1 cup which serves 2  ++2 oz potato, peeled ++++ 2 oz carrots, peeled ++++ 2 oz onion ++++ salt and pepper to taste ++ Cube the potatoes and put into a sauce pan with water half-way up. Cut the carrots in coins and put on top of potatoes. Slice the onions and put them on top of the carrots. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until all vegetables are soft. Drain, reserving the liquid. Mash the vegetables, adding reserved liquid if needed. Season to taste.

Dutch Meatballs: makes 6 meatballs  ++½ pound ground turkey, 3% fat ++++ 1 oz rye bread, crust removed if very hard ++++ ¼ cup skim milk ++++ 1 shallot [1 Tbsp chopped] ++++ 1 egg white ++++ ¼ tsp nutmeg ++ ¼ tsp salt ++ ¼ tsp black pepper ++ Chop or tear the bread into ½” pieces. Put in a small dish and pour in enough milk to wet the bread – you will have some left over. Add the seasonings and egg white to the meat. Squeeze the extra milk out of the bread and add it to the meat/seasonings. Run it all though the food processor. Heat a non-stick pan and spray with non-stick spray. Measure the meat mixture into 3 Tbsp portions and gently form into balls. Place in hot pan and cook until brown on one side. Turn and cook further. Turn onto another side and cook until done.

Plating: Plate two meatballs per person, along with half of the hutspot and a bit of grainy mustard, if you like.