Monday, your first day

For Monday, prepare breakfast as posted below (Friday).

LUNCH

"It is not wise to skip lunch.  You are usually hungrier for dinner if you do.  If you live alone, you can eat your heavier meal at noon, so much the better for dieting results."  Helen Corbitt

1/2 papaya filled with 1/2 cup cold cooked shrimp on a bed of soft lettuce.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of lime juice and a few gratings of coconut, about 1 teaspoon.

3 stalks hot or chilled asparagus, fresh, frozen, or canned.  If hot, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel, chopped pimiento, and parsley; if cold, serve on a bed of watercress or soft lettuce with 1 teaspoon Vinaigrette Dressing.

Black coffee or tea

"Of course, you should take your coffee and tea without sugar or cream, but add skim milk if you must.  In counting calories for milk in your coffee or tea, allow about 1/4 cup, 25 calories.

Water-packed tuna fish, crabmeat, or chicken could be substitute for the shrimp; with chicken, add 1 tablespoon low-calorie yogurt mixed with 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard.  Keep this combination made up in your refrigerator for salads, vegetables, seafood--1 cup low-calorie yogurt plus 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

If you have a letdown in the afternoon around 3:30 or 4:00, 1/2 cup cut-up fresh fruit in the blender or food processor with 1 cup of ice and fresh mint makes a delicious pick-me-up, as does 1/2 cup skim milk or 1/2 cup bouillon."

DINNER

"Eat dinner at 7:00p.m. or shortly thereafter.  Kick the 9:00 or 10:00 habit."

Jellied Vegetable Consomme
Marinated Flank Steak
Stir-fried Spinach with 1 teaspoon grated carrot sprinkled on top
Turnip Pudding
1/4 head romaine lettuce with 1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
chilled steamed fresh peach or pear with 1 tablespoon of pureed strawberries or raspberries as a sauce
demitasse

Not all of the items have corresponding recipes in the book.  And some things are not going to be available any longer, this book was published in 1979 and the recipes had been in use at the GreenHouse Spa since 1965.  There will have to be some concessions made.

RECIPES in order of use:

Vinaigrette Dressing
Use for marinating vegetables, seafood, and greens

1 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSPs lemon juice
2 TBSPs vinegar
3/8 cup safflower oil
vegetable or lite salt to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3/8 cup water

Put first six ingredients in a bowl and beat for 1 minute with a whisk.  Whip in the water a little at a time.  Recommended portion:  1 TBSP (54 calories)
VARIATIONS:  For Mimosa Dressing, add one hard-cooked egg white, finely diced or sieved, and 2 TBSPs finely chopped parsley.  For Nicoise Dressing, add 1/2 clove garlic, minced; 2 TBSPs onion, minced; and 2 TBSPs chopped parsley.

Jellied Vegetable Consomme
Serves 4

2 cups jellied beef consomme
1/4 cup seeded cucumber, finely diced
1 cup tomato, peeled, seeded, finely chopped
1/4 cup green onion, sliced paper thin
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1 tsp salad oil
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
twist of lemon for garnish

Lightly mix all ingredients.  Refrigerate.  Serve with twist of lemon.  Recommended portion:  1/2 cup (40 calories).

MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION here:  If you like a jellied soup then just add a packet of unflavored gelatin to canned or homemade beef consomme.  If you do not, this is a nice liquid soup served warm instead of chilled.

Marinated Flank Steak
Serves 8 to 12

1 2 1/2-3 lb flank steak, lean
1 TBSP salad oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP onion, minced
a pinch of thyme
1 bay leaf
2 TBSP chopped parsley or chives

Trim the steak of all visible fat.  Place it in a shallow casserole.  Mix and add the remaining ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning once.  Remove the meat, reserving the marinade; place it on a flat pan and broil it 4 inches from the heat, 4 to 5 minutes.  Turn it over and repeat on the other side.  Slice thin diagonally and keep it warm while you make a sauce by deglazing the pan juice with the leftover marinade.  Vary the flavor by using dry red wine in place of white, or by adding soy sauce, more garlic, and slivers of fresh ginger root.  Recommended portion:  3 oz meat plus 1 TBSP sauce (200 calories).

Stir-fried Spinach
for 4

1 lb fresh spinach
1 tsp whipped margarine
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
vegetable salt to taste

Wash spinach and remove heavy stems.  Drain.  melt margarine in hot skillet.  Add onion and stir for 30 seconds.  Add spinach and stir for 1 minute.  Season.  Recommended portion:  1/2 cup (33 calories).  VARIATIONS:  For added flavor sprinkle this with a few grains of Parmesan cheese or grated lemon or orange peel; or substitute a few thinly sliced mushrooms for the onion.

Turnip Pudding
for 6

8 medium white turnips, peeled and sliced
2 TBSPs onion, chopped
1/2 cup skim milk
vegetable or lite salt, to taste
2 egg whites, beaten stiff

Cook the turnips and onion in a steamer, or covered in boiling water, until just tender.  Do not overcook.  Drain.  mash, or whip thoroughly in a blender or food processor.  Heat milk, and fold into the stiffly beaten egg whites.  Pour into a lightly buttered casserole and bake at 350F/180C until puffy and lightly browned.  Or skip the egg whites and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley or chives.  Recommended portion:  1/2 cup (48 calories).

Red Wine Vinegar Dressing

1/4 cup water
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup safflower oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsps prepared horseradish
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSPs chopped parsley

The better the red wine vinegar, the better the dressing.  Mix all ingredients thoroughly.  Especially good for marinating fresh artichokes.  Recommended portion:  1 TBSP (45 calories).

Now, what I did for breakfast was take 1/4 cup Egg Beaters which equals 1 egg, scrambled it in the microwave with a tsp of heavy cream, pinch of Thyme and salt and pepper.    The cream was about 17 calories, the Egg Beaters came out to 30 calories.  1 thin center cut slice bacon, fried crispy in paper towels in the microwave which was 30 calories and 1 slice of Melba Toast which is 20 calories. And, half a grapefruit = 60 calories.  A grand total of 157 calories along with plain black coffee and lots of water.  I never felt hungry.

Lunch was a different story.  I went to the store last night.  The only papaya was the size of a football and had awful gashes, bruises and gross areas but it was the only one so I got it hoping to salvage enough for lunch.  No such luck.  The center was moldy and icky so...my 1/2 a papaya should have been 60 calories.  I subbed and Anjou Pear (60 calories) with my cooked shrimp (66 calories), greens (13 calories), lime juice and organic, unsweetened coconut (10 calories).  I had my 3 asparagus spears  (12 calories) steamed with fresh orange zest and 1 tsp Brummel and Brown spread (15 calories) .  Grand Total for Lunch:  151 calories.

I brought a Green Tea bag (Lipton Acai, Dragonfruit and Melon) for 3pm.  My grandmother would say that a cup of tea would perk you up, she was right!  Try it sometime.

Helen says to always serve your food on beautiful dishes with fine linens, it'll taste better, you'll enjoy it more.  I can see that, but  I work.  I have to transport my adult son who doesn't drive to and from work so my breakfasts have to be fast and even better, portable.  I microwaved my egg and bacon.  I packaged them in Rubber Maid lunch containers and the grapefruit was in a ziplock.  I ate these items at my desk with plastic take-out utensils and I think the grapefruit won our long and messy battle.  I fully understand and appreciate the role of a Grapefruit Spoon!!!

Again, I work, so I tend to eat at my desk--out of Rubber Maid lunch containers--with above mentioned plastic cutlery.  Still.  The food isn't bad.  I wasn't hungry before noon.  So far, so good.  I do intend to scale (or attempt) these recipes back to a more reasonable size for me.  It is just me, after all, and I do not want a fridge full of leftovers.  Most of these look like just cutting them in half should do the job.  Baked items, scones--cakes--cookies, etc. require more Sciencey stuff than I am made of and will have to be left alone!!

I will prepare my dinner items and eat them from my fanciest Target dishes, I may even drink my tea from a stemmed goblet (also from Target) and I am not in the possession of a demitasse but I don't drink coffee in the evenings anyway so... I'll let you know how dinner goes!!