Butternut Squash Puree by Chef Josh
Plan Z Phases: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
This is an amazing side dish. Bring this to a holiday event or potluck and serve this instead of mashed potatoes. It’s rich, creamy and easy to make. Your guests will love it.
Ingredients:
- 1 large organic butternut squash
- 4 Tbl unsalted butter
- 1 cup of cream
- 2 Tbl organic maple syrup, grade B
- salt & white pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Split your butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out any seeds and discard them. Place face down on a parchment paper lined sheet tray and place in the oven.
Roast for an hour or until the skin is browned and gives when pushed with a wooden spoon.
Remove from the oven, flip over, and cool.
Carefully scoop out the flesh. You’ll throw away the skin.
Prior to serving, place the butternut squash flesh in a blender with the cream and puree. Let this run for a few minutes to get the smoothest possible puree. Scrape the sides of the blender and puree again for another 30 seconds. Pour into a tall sided sauce pan.
Turn the heat on medium high and stir in the butter, maple syrup, salt and white pepper.
Check for seasoning and consistency. I love my purees to be smoother than mashed potatoes but not sauce-like. They should have a little bit of hold to them on a spoon or plate.
Serve butternut squash puree with ANY roasted meat, particularly pork or chicken. This would also go well with braised short ribs. Other additions could be a sage leaf or two for a garnish. I use white pepper because of its ability to blend into the puree without causing any black flecks to be seen throughout the golden orange color.
Chef Josh
Coconut Milk Eggnog & Double Cream Eggnog
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. I tinkered with several eggnog recipes to come up with two that you can make for your holiday. The first one is a coconut milk version. This one is lighter in texture so if you family doesn’t like the thick taste of eggnog this will be their preferred version.
The second one is a double cream version. Very rich and just wonderful.
Either can be made with brandy or rum. Rum is more of the tradition but the brandy in the coconut milk eggnog lends a lighter zip to the drink.
In both cases I am suggesting “Eggnog Cordials” or “Eggnog Shots.” Eggnog cordials would be served in a cordial glass so it’s a smaller portion than the tradition of serving it in a mug. The shot would be even smaller. We all know it’s not the fat that makes us fat but you can over do your portions and if you are serving this with a dessert it’s probably just as well to back off and not have too much. Besides these are so good you don’t need much to get the satisfaction. It’s all about not feeling left out of the party and still be low carb. This does the trick.
Servings: From 6 to 12 servings (see notes above)
Ingredients:
For the Coconut Milk Eggnog
- 2 cups of coconut milk
- ½ tsp of nutmeg
- 1 tsp of organic vanilla
- 6 egg yolks
- 6 tsp of Truvia
- 1-1/2 cups of brandy
- 1 cup of whipping cream
- Pumpkin pie spice for garnish
Instructions:
In a medium sauce pan add the coconut milk, nutmeg and vanilla. Heat on a very low setting for 5 minutes; just to get it warm. Then slowly bring it up to a mild boil
While that’s heating you can deal with the egg yolks and Truvia. Put them in a mixer. Whisk on high until fluffy. 3 – 5 minutes. The mixture will become a frothy, smooth and lemony color. With the mixer running VERY SLOWLY begin to drizzle the coconut milk mixture into the eggs. Keep it SLOW or the eggs will scramble and you’ll have a mess. Keeping adding the mixture until it’s all incorporated.
Then take the mixture out of the mixer bowl and put it back into the sauce pan. Cook over medium heat CONSTANTLY STIRRING for 3 minutes. This is a critical part of the process. The mixture will thicken. In the coconut version it will not thicken as much as in the whipping cream version. DO NOT BOIL it.
Turn off and IMMEDIATELY strain it into another bowl to cool. Do not leave it in the sauce pan. I made that mistake once and if you do it will continue to cook leaving a coating on the bottom of the pan that you don’t want. The milk solids will separate out and curdle in the bottom of the pan. YUK.
When the mixture is cool, stir in the brandy. Cool in the refrigerator and serve with a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg. The eggnog will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.
Double Cream Eggnog
Servings: 6 to 12 servings (see notes above)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of whipping cream
- 1 tsp of nutmeg
- 2 tsp of organic vanilla
- 6 egg yolks
- 6 tsp of Truvia
- 1.5 cups of golden rum
- Pumpkin pie spice for garnish
Instructions:
In a medium sauce pan add the whipping cream, nutmeg and vanilla. Heat on a very low setting for 5 minutes; just to get it warm. Then slowly bring it up to a mild boil.
While that’s heating you can deal with the egg yolks and Truvia. Put them in a mixer. Whisk on high until fluffy. 3 – 5 minutes. The mixture will become a frothy, smooth and lemony color. With the mixer running VERY SLOWLY begin to drizzle the cream mixture into the eggs. Keep it SLOW or the eggs will scramble and you’ll have a mess. Keeping adding the mixture until it’s all incorporated.
Then take the mixture out of the mixer bowl and put it back into the sauce pan. Cook over medium heat CONSTANTLY STIRRING for 3 minutes. This is a critical part of the process. The mixture will thicken. DO NOT BOIL it.
Turn off and IMMEDIATELY strain it into another bowl to cool. Do not leave it in the sauce pan. I made that mistake once and if you do it will continue to cook leaving a coating on the bottom of the pan that you don’t want. The milk solids will separate out and curdle in the bottom of the pan. YUK.
When the mixture is cool, stir in the brandy. Cool in the refrigerator and serve with a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg. The eggnog will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. It tastes even better on day 2 so you might want to think ahead and make it the day before serving.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Definite Life Improvement
Renee started Plan Z at the age of 58. She didn’t start gaining weight until her mid-40s and gained 40 pounds in just 4 years. Renee was tired, napping constantly, feeling sluggish and hiding her body beneath big, baggy flannel T-shirts. She tried other diets and would see great results at first but eventually all the weight would come right back. On Renee’s first round of ZReduction, she lost 23 pounds, which was more than half of her goal.
Things are different with Plan Z. “Zola is so honest…the education is what will keep me from going back [to my old weight].”
Click below to hear Renee discuss her experience with Chris, our VP of Anger Management.
She says the ZR50 Crave Control spray was amazing for her and that it helped her stave off cravings from day one. It even allowed a self-proclaimed potato lover to watch her husband eat French fries without any difficulty. “It’s like magic spray,” she says.
Renee is now in ZLife and comments how everything has improved, “Oh my goodness, everything! My energy level, my confidence, my mood… my clarity, my memory…it changed the way I dressed.” She gets compliments from friends and family and find some people don’t even recognize her at first.
When asked for advice to provide new and future dieters, Renee said, “Listen to everything Chris and Zola say… Take it day by day and at the end of ZReduction, you will be so happy.”
Thanks for sharing your story Renee!
“Chex Mix” Nuts
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. These nuts taste eerily like the ones in the famous Chex Mix only I left off the Chex and the pretzels. These are a huge hit. The recipe easily doubles or triples for a big batch.
Ingredients:
- 15 oz of nuts. These can be mixed nuts, peanuts, a combo of pecans and walnuts. Let your nut brain run wild and choose your favorites. 3 cups of nuts is about right.
- olive oil spray
- 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
- A grate of sea salt. If you use pre-roasted nuts from the can they are likely salted already and you can skip this but if you use walnuts and pecans from the bag you’ll want to salt them.
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne (or less to taste)
Instructions:
Pour the nuts into an ovenproof pan. Spray nuts with oil and toss. Sprinkle on the seasonings and toss thoroughly. Roast in your oven at 375 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes. When you start smelling the wonderful aroma, or when you spy a little browning on the edges, take them out of the oven. You’ll also know they are done when the moisture from the Worcestershire sauce has soaked into the nuts. Now toss one more time. Cool on paper towels or in the pan. You can even re-heat them another time if you want to eat them warm and really savor the coating.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chocolate French Silk Dessert
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Chocolate! A recipe for a creamy, decadent chocolate dessert.
It's not the chocolate that's bad for you. It's the sugar. Use full-on chocolate coming in at least at 62% or more cacao and you're set to have chocolate in small quantities on ZReboot.
Servings: 4 – 5 servings, ½ cup each.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of heavy cream, whipped
- 2 tsp of organic vanilla
- 8 oz of cream cheese softened (use the full fat kind)
- 3 Tbl of unsweetened cocoa
- 6 – 8 tsp of Truvia (stevia)
Instructions:
Whip the cream with your mixer. While it's thickening, you can add your vanilla.
When the cream forms peaks turn off your mixer and add the cream cheese, the cocoa and the stevia. Turn back on to whip some more; just to mix it up. Taste it. This is intended to be a very deep-flavored chocolate confection. Start with six tsp of Truvia and see if you like it. If it's not sweet enough for you add the extras but try to train your taste buds not to need so much sweetness.
Serve this in pretty cups and shave chocolate curls on top for an extra bit. Use bittersweet chocolate; Scharffen Berger is fabulous! Even serve using demitasse spoons if you have them. Eating this in teeny bits makes it last so long and helps you enjoy it even more.
Chill in your refrigerator until ready to eat. If you are going to serve it the next day cover it with plastic wrap.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
The Case Against Sugar
From the best-selling author of Why We Get Fat, a groundbreaking, eye-opening exposé that makes the convincing case that sugar is the tobacco of the new millennium: backed by powerful lobbies, entrenched in our lives, and making us very sick.
Among Americans, diabetes is more prevalent today than ever; obesity is at epidemic proportions; nearly 10% of children are thought to have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. And sugar is at the root of these, and other, critical society-wide, health-related problems. With his signature command of both science and straight talk, Gary Taubes delves into Americans' history with sugar: its uses as a preservative, as an additive in cigarettes, the contemporary overuse of high-fructose corn syrup. He explains what research has shown about our addiction to sweets. He clarifies the arguments against sugar, corrects misconceptions about the relationship between sugar and weight loss; and provides the perspective necessary to make informed decisions about sugar as individuals and as a society.
Asian Balsamic Glazed Salmon
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe
Servings: Serves 2. Can be easily doubled.
Ingredients:
- 2 salmon fillets: 6 – 8 oz each. Try to get wild salmon or responsibly farmed salmon. That means it’s farmed in a natural body of water – usually off a coastline – and not in tanks.
- Olive oil spray
- 1 tsp of ground garlic
- 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
- 2 Tbl of balsamic glaze. Any well-stocked grocery will have this. You can use balsamic vinegar but your sauce will be thinner. It’s worth buying this because you can use it as a drizzle on meat, over strawberries or it goes great in dressings too. It’s just balsamic vinegar cooked down until it thickens.
- 1/2 tsp of Truvia or Swerve (Optional. You really don’t need this unless you are starting off with a serious sweet tooth)
- 2 tsp of Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp of grated sea salt
- 1/4 tsp of grated fresh pepper
- a dash of sesame oil (optional)
- sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with olive oil spray. Set your salmon on top, skin-side down.
In a small bowl, mix all the other ingredients and stir thoroughly to mix them all up. Get out a basting brush. Baste half of the sauce on top of the salmon. Bake for 5 minutes. Then spread the rest of the sauce on top and bake for up to 10 minutes more. At this point, your salmon will be just past medium so you decide if you want to bake it a little more or a little less.
When you go to serve it, run a spatula under the salmon. If you are lucky, the skin will stick to the foil a bit and let you side the filet off of the pan and onto the plate. If it comes off with the skin that’s no issue. Just eat it with or without the skin as you choose.
Serving suggestion
I served mine with sautéed snow peas and small tomatoes. Sauté in a pan coated with olive oil spray for just a few minutes to heat them through. That’s enough to cook them.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chocolate Cupcakes
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe. These cupcakes are courtesy of Plan Z dieter Ashley, a professional pastry chef. She has done an amazing job of coming up with these cupcakes. They taste just as good as regular cupcakes but they contain just 12 grams of carbs each. The average cupcake will come in at 29 grams of carbs or more. Thank you Ashley!
Ingredients:
- 8 oz of high quality chocolate, 70% cacao. Dice into small bits.
- ½ cup of virgin coconut oil
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- ¼ tsp of grated sea salt
- ¼ cup of high quality Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbl of coconut flour
- ½ tsp of baking soda
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a small sauce pan melt your coconut oil on medium heat. When it’s clear and hot remove from heat and add the chocolate bits. Stir until they are fully melted. Set aside to cool down.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla and sea salt. This will take a minute or two to get them nice and frothy.
Now, for the tricky part. Take just a bit of the cooled chocolate mixture and blend it into the eggs. If the chocolate is too hot or you put in too much too fast you risk cooking your egg mixture. So be careful and take your time. Once the first bit it blended in you can begin to slowly drizzle the rest of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and continue blending until you have it all mixed in.
Add the coconut flour and the cocoa powder. Mix again.
Add the baking soda and make sure that’s mixed in. Now let the batter sit for five minutes.
Grease your muffin tins or put in paper muffin cups.
Pour the batter up to ¾ of the way up to the top. I got 11 cupcakes when I made my batch.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. No fair peeking. These bake similarly to an angel food cake so you don’t want to be banging the oven door. The finished cupcakes will be rounded and beautiful.
You can frost them with a simple, light smear of French ganache or even eat them with no frosting. They are delightful.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Ham and Cheesy Scalloped Potato Casserole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe.
You know you’re going to eat them sometime. Potatoes that is. I just hope you’ll only do it on special occasions. Maybe once a month instead of the 12-14 times a month I used to do. I have done things to this casserole to make the potatoes healthier. I added a layer of cheese on the top, and I used plenty of butter and cream in the recipe. The more fat you add to potatoes when you cook them, the less of a sugar spike they will cause when you eat them. The fat is good for you. I am also going to suggest that you cook this the day before you eat it if you can. Reason is, the potatoes will develop what is called resistant starch if you totally chill them for hours before you eat them. That means they won’t spike your blood sugar anywhere near as much. If you are Type 2 Diabetic this is especially important. If you have leftovers, know the next day they will be healthier to eat. Just reheat covered, and serve.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbl butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped (roughly 1/3 cup)
- 1 Tbl all-purpose flour (This is a very small amount. You don’t need much to thicken the sauce. The cream will help thicken it too.)
- ½ tsp grated sea salt
- ¼ tsp pepper (or to taste)
- 1 ½ cups whipping cream
- 4- 5 cups potatoes, thinly sliced. Use little red potatoes, fingerlings or Yukon Gold. These will give you the lowest level of carbohydrates. You do not have to peel the potatoes; wash thoroughly. There are more nutrients in the skins than the flesh.
- 1 cup chopped breakfast ham
- 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar
- 1/2 cup of shredded Gruyere
Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" x 9” casserole with cooking spray.
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in cream. Heat again until boiling, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
Spread half of the potatoes in casserole. Top with the ham bits. Layer on the rest of the potatoes. Pour sauce over potatoes. Sprinkle the two cheeses over the top.
Bake uncovered for an hour or until potatoes are tender. Peek and see if they are getting too browned at the 45 minute point. If they are, cover with foil. When you take them out of the oven, let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving (sauce will thicken and you won’t burn your mouth this way).
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Raspberry Pate de Fruit (Raspberry Jellies) from Chef Josh
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. These are delightful little jellies. They taste so French and so fresh! Not like those little gum-balls you can buy at the candy store. These are the real deal. BIG YUM! I'd recommend making a batch of these and sharing them with friends and family. Even just one makes a great treat. Chef Josh served them on the side of a little teeny chocolate cake that is also a Plan Z menu choice.
For those of you who like to give gifts of food for holidays or other special occasions, consider making these. You'd be giving your friends and family a gift of a healthy treat. I'm sure they'd love you for it.
Servings: 1 per person
Ingredients:
- 2-10 ounce jars of raspberry preserves (no sugar added) (POLANER is the brand to buy. Other sugarless jams are sweetened with sucralose and you don't want artificial sweeteners. This one is sweetened with only fruit juice.
- 1 cup of water
- 3 packets of gelatin
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of Truvia (for coating). Truvia is stevia, a natural sweetener.
Instructions:
Place the raspberry preserves into a thick-bottomed metal pan with 1 cup of water. Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil.
In a separate bowl place 1/4 cup of water, and sprinkle the three packets of gelatin on top of the water. Stir in with a spoon, and place into the microwave for 20 seconds to melt.
Remove the gelatin and pour into the boiling raspberry preserves, incorporating it with a whisk.
Continue to lightly boil the fruit mixture until you reach 225 degrees. You can use a candy thermometer, or another great trick is to take the whisk you are using to stir and hold it horizontally. If any fruit puree falls back into the pan you need to keep cooking it. When the puree sticks to the whisk, you can turn the heat off. Be careful because at this hot of a temperature the puree can really burn you. It also can begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, so continue to stir while you are waiting for the right consistency.
There are a few options for molding these beautiful jewels. I use a rubber dome silpat, which creates demispheres. But alternatively you can use a small non-stick loaf pan greased with a little butter, or anything that will create a 1” inch deep pate de fruit.
After pouring into the mold of your choice place in the fridge or freezer for an hour.
The puree should have firmed up at this point. You can now un-mold the jellies and roll them in the Truvia. Alternately, you can cut your pan-jellies into little squares or use a teeny hors d’oeuvre cutter to make shaped candies. You can now leave them out of a refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to a week!
I love how the Truvia coats the outside perfectly and adds a little crunch to the chewy texture. Serve these with anything dark chocolate, but they are perfectly delicious on their own.
Chef Josh
Rustic Cherry Tart
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe.
This cherry tart is so easy and it’s fancy enough to serve at a dinner party. Rustic pies and tarts are popular now, they come together quickly too.
Servings: Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of frozen sweet cherries. Approx 2 – 3 cups. (I use frozen cherries and let them sit on the counter in the package until they thaw. You can use fresh cherries but you have to pit them first.)
- 1/8 cup of sweetener: Swerve or ZSweet.
- 1 Tbl of cornstarch
- 1 Tbl of fresh lemon juice.
- 1 refrigerated pie crust. (Let this sit on the counter as well, it unrolls easier when it's room temperature or you can make your own crust)
- 1 egg white mixed with 1 tsp of water
Instructions:
Empty the bag of cherries into a colander over your sink. You want to drain off all the extra juice from the bag. Then put them in a medium bowl and dust on the sweetener and the corn starch. Drizzle on the lemon juice and then stir it all up gently with a spatula until the cornstarch is fully incorporated.
Get out a cookie sheet. Top that surface with a sheet of parchment paper. Then roll out your crust onto the parchment paper.
Mound the cherry mixture in the middle, leaving a 2” rim around the outside. Gently fold the excess crust back over the cherry mixture. You are sort of making a pouch with the cherry mixture peeking out through the middle.
Take your pastry brush and brush the egg white mixture over the crust edges. You’ll have lots of egg wash left over. Just toss it.
Bake at 375 degrees for an hour until the crust is a light golden brown. Let it cool a bit before serving. You can also eat it room temp or even chilled.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves 2
This simple salad can be prepared in minutes and offers a light flavor, a bright bowl full of color and cool crunch on a warm day!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup peeled, diced cucumber
- 1 cup diced tomato without the seeds
- 1 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley or more to taste
- 1 Tbl chopped mint, fresh
- 2 Tbl olive oil
- 1-2 Tbl fresh lemon juice (start with 1 Tbl & add more to taste)
- 1 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
Instructions:
Toss cucumbers with tomato, onion, parsley, and mint. Drizzle salad with olive oil and fresh lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
The Grocery Store Gauntlet
By Chris Lytle, Plan Z's VP of Anger Management (and Zola's husband)
Can you run the grocery store gauntlet? Zola and I do it several times a week.
First a little background: British fighting men had a form of corporal punishment in which the accused had to run between two rows of soldiers who whipped and beat him as he passed by. The beatings were severe, and the victims often died as a result. That was called “running the gauntlet.”
Isn't it nice that we live in a kinder gentler time?
Or do we?
American grocery stores have rows and rows of soft drinks and processed foods that can kill you. Not kill you right away, of course, but these foods can fatten you, sicken you and ultimately kill you. Processed foods take a huge toll on our bodies. According to Data Check Pro, here are the top ten grocery items in America:
- Soda
- Milk
- Bread
- Beer
- Salty snacks
- Cheese
- Frozen dinners
- Cereals
- Wine
- Cigarettes
You'd Be Surprised How Many Foods Contain Added Sugar is a New York Times article. Here's an excerpt:
“A team of researchers at the University of North Carolina conducted a detailed survey of the packaged foods and drinks that are purchased in American grocery stores and found that 60 percent of them include some form of added sugar. When they looked at every individual processed food in the store, 68 percent had added sugar. Some of those products are more obvious sugary foods, but not all. The list includes many sauces, soups, fruit juices and even meat products.”
See, it’s hard to run the grocery store gauntlet. And added sugar is just the beginning. There are foods filled with funny-sounding flavorings, artificial colors, preservatives, soy isolate, soybean oil and much more. None of that is good for you.
Plan Z Dieters know to read labels and avoid the middle aisles of the grocery store. But the temptations don't stop there. In fact, they start the minute you walk in the door.
An online article about grocery store merchandising says, "Merchandising is the art of staging a store to encourage consumers to purchase more products. Turning over product on the shelves is even more important in the grocery environment, as most of the products have a finite shelf life, so how quickly products leave the store can make or break your profits."
Speaking of merchandising, I walked into the grocery store to buy some supplies for a mushroom soup. To get to the produce department I first had to pass the cheese corn and caramel corn popping at the front of the store. That was next to the gelato bar and candy counter. The main part of the store is at the top of the escalator. At the base of the escalator, a merchandiser had placed a small table with nicely wrapped chocolate chip cookies and Rice Krispie Treats. Oh, what childhood memories Rice Krispie treats evoke. I walked right by them, though.
At the top of the escalator, a kindly store employee was passing out samples of orange juice. You’re much better off eating an orange than drinking orange juice. Fructose is not good for you. The makeshift juice bar is kitty corner from the real bar which is on the right at the top of the escalator. And all the carts have drink holders, so you can have a beer or a glass of wine or two while you're shopping.
So many tempting things between me and a half pound of mushrooms.
Pay close attention. What do you notice as you walk into your grocery store?
And even if you’re not in the grocery store, there are more gauntlets to run. Get off nearly any exit on the Interstate and you'll have to run (drive) the gauntlet of fast food restaurants. And, then, there's the gauntlet you must run just to use the restroom at the place where you fueled your car.
When you’re at work, you must run the gauntlet of lunchroom treats or office vending machines.
Forbes Online reported on this recently:
“According to a new study conducted by researchers in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the food people are eating at work amounts to nearly 1,300 calories a week—70% of which is coming from free, unhealthy food.
The study used data from a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey, which looked at purchases made by 5,000 employees from vending machines or cafeterias, as well as food given for free in the workplace.”
Believe me when I tell you no one brings free donuts to work at Plan Z.
It takes courage not to stop and partake of the all bad foods placed in your path all day long. If not courage, then it takes anger at the fact that ultimately these foods will fatten, sicken and "torture" you slowly. At least the British soldiers got their torture over within minutes.
Courage? Anger? Fear? Food companies see you as a profit center, not as someone to nourish.
Remember the wise words of Mark Hyman, MD.
One more great idea from the grocery store merchandising article:
“Place destination purchases, such as milk, eggs and bread, in the furthest corners of the store. The more products consumers must walk by to get to them, the better the chance for them to purchase additional goods. Always place impulse purchases, such as magazines and candy, near the cash register. As consumers wait to pay for their purchases, these displays may attract them to buy more.”
No kidding? Now you know what they're trying to do to you. They’re making you run their gauntlet every time you walk in the door. Will you let them succeed?
Stay angry and aware.
Caramel Sauce
An easy-to-make, low-carb caramel sauce. Wowza!
Fruit & Protein Smoothie
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
This is an easy and nutrient dense option for our dieters on the go! With this smoothie you’ll be getting 23 grams of protein and the collagen protein has 9 grams of carbs. You’ll also be getting carbs from the fruit so this will be one of your fruit portions in one smoothie.
Serves: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of milk. You can use pea milk (my favorite… it’s creamier) or if you're in ZReboot, you can use almond milk or coconut milk. Make sure your choice is UNSWEETENED.
- 2 level scoops of collagen protein
- ½ cup of FROZEN berries. Choose from strawberries, blackberries or raspberries, or a combo. Do not use blueberries. They are higher carb. If you use whole frozen strawberries that would be 4 -5 berries.
- ½ cup of water.
Instructions:
Put all ingredients in your blender in order. That way nothing will clog in the bottom. I use a Bullet Blender but you can use any kind. Whiz for about 20 seconds. Turn off so the frozen fruit settles and whiz again to get it all mixed.
Then drink. Voila!
Enjoy!
Please Note: I have included this recipe because we have vegetarians who do Plan Z and I needed more protein options for them. I have not cleared pea, coconut, or almond milk to be consumed regularly on Plan Z. Save those kinds of milk for ZReboot with this rare exception.
Cheers,
Three Months In
I’ve lived in Chattanooga, TN for three months now. I thought I’d chronicle some of my observations.
Friendly
I always thought Chicago was a friendly town, but it pales in comparison to this place. The best part is it’s not an ooey-gooey fake friendly. The folks here are genuinely happy to talk and share their experiences.
Our restaurant strategy when we first got here was to sit at the bar and eat rather than get a table. That way we could pick the brain of the bartender. A bonus has been that when people sitting at the bar hear that we don’t have a southern accent they jump into the conversation. They ask why we moved, how long we’ve been here and what can they do for us. I have more business cards, emails and phone numbers in 3 months than I thought I’d get in a year. Some folks are even becoming friends but those who are not recognize us when they see us again and the conversations just take off from where we left off. This is so refreshing! Life in a new place can be lonely. Not in Chattanooga.
Trees
People warned us about heat and humidity before moving here. It’s not as bad as I was predicting. Our office is smack in the middle of downtown. The city fathers had this brilliant idea about 100 years ago and planted tons of very large shade trees. The canopy covers the whole wide sidewalk. So, when you go out for lunch for example, you can stay in the shade as you walk to a restaurant. The temperature under the canopy is about 10 or 15 degrees cooler. You don’t have to walk in the sun except to cross the street. Another bonus is the birds. I have never heard so many chirping birds in the middle of a city as I do here.
My new favorite tree is the crepe myrtle. These trees are planted all over town! You can hardly look in any direction and not see one huge one or a cluster of smaller ones. If you check out this link you’ll see they come in whole host of colors; some of them are my favorite colors. They bloom from Spring to Fall. I thought with the first rainstorm they’d lose their blossoms and they’d be all over the pavement. Not true. They are hearty and handle even thunderstorms. I can’t believe they bloom in full glory all summer long. I’m used to crab apple trees or lilacs that bloom only a short time. Crepe myrtles make my drive down the road a pleasant one with a reason to smile every day. And now I read that they are just as beautiful in the Fall. Fall is my favorite season so I can’t wait. Big crepe myrtles have a shady canopy, too!
Weather
Back to the weather. Yes, it’s been around 90 degrees for weeks. That would normally make me miserable. I’m grateful I work in an office. I don’t think I’d do well working outside in this temperature, but those trees I mentioned make it more bearable. And there’s always at least a light breeze that travels over the Cumberland Plateau, so the air is not stagnant. It’s really not bad!
Then there’s winter. I’ll be ready for plenty of rainy days, but I don’t have to shovel it. And there won’t be huge black and gray piles of dirty snow that don’t melt til June.
This last winter was the first time in 36 years of running a company that I had our employees stay home from work for 3 consecutive days. The temperature in Chicago had dropped to -57 degrees. I’m done with that.
Cost of Living
Almost everything down here is about 30% cheaper than Chicago. Rent. Gas. Even a glass of wine. The sales tax is about the same as Chicago but there’s no state income tax. There’s no tax on retirement income withdrawals either; or Social Security. We had planned to retire somewhere mid-south, but I had no idea until now how economical this all is.
The only things I have found to be as expensive as Chicago are the cost of getting my hair cut and colored, getting my nails done and dry cleaning. There’s not much competition around here for dry cleaners so they can charge more. In Chicago you could toss a tennis ball from one dry cleaner to the next. Not here.
Mountains
It’s amazing to be surrounded by mountains. I am not much for beaches and palm trees. I’d much rather see lakes and greenery around me. The mountains around Chattanooga are not high. Maybe 2000’ at the most but we are just a couple hours from 5000’ feet if we really want to be immersed.
I come out of the grocery store most days and look up at Lookout Mountain. The novelty has not worn off. That’s another thing that makes me smile just about every day.
This place is called The Scenic City. Easy to see why. The architecture (new and old) are well kept. The city is clean, and the surrounding beauty is not to be missed. This place was dubbed the dirtiest city in America a couple of decades ago. They sure have cleaned up their act; literally!
Sports
I have not done much besides get the apartment in order but if I want to indulge in sports, we are in sporting heaven. We have everything from rock climbing and hang gliding to biking, paddle boarding, kayaking and even whitewater rafting. It’s all right here. There’s a race or an event pretty much every weekend. Sporting enthusiasts move here for the variety and low cost. So far, we have taken a bit of time to watch things like a paddle board race and a shell racing event that is the second biggest in the world. Over one weekend there were 9000 rowers here with 2300 shells. That’s a sight!
Internet
Chattanooga has the fastest internet in North America. They built a huge company and took everything fiber optic. Zoom! Lots of entrepreneurs are moving here to take advantage of the technology. That means the city is getting younger instead of older. Welcome Millennials!
Driving
Driving is so easy around here. I marvel at how it only takes me about 10 minutes to get from one side of the city to the other and to just about anything I want. I drove on Sunday to Whole Foods at 8:30 in the morning and I was greeted by every guy in the produce department. I practically had the place to myself. You can’t get that in Chicago where the Whole Foods has five restaurants, a wine bar and patrons galore. The jam in the Whole Foods parking lot in Chicago is crazy. Here I get to park right out front and enjoy my shopping time. They even store the carts outside under an overhang. Compared to up north that makes me laugh. Works here though.
Granted, this place has some traffic problems. There are a couple of commuter routes I would not care for at all. There’s also a highway that runs up Missionary Ridge. That highway connects to Hwy 75 to Atlanta. You can just imagine the car traffic, but the truck traffic makes it even worse. The trucks are trying to climb up the ridge, so they end up going into a lower gear, slow down and have their flashers on. I can see this spectacle from my patio. I just laugh and tell myself to stay away from that; far, far away.
The downtown traffic is super-manageable. I am starting to recognize hardly anyone beeps. That must be why I can hear the birds so easily.
Target and Walmart
I have to admit, I’m a Target gal. There are two Target’s in Chattanooga but they are both 20 minutes away. The Walmart is less than 15. I do go to Walmart on occasion but mostly I save the “Target Run” and bite the bullet.
GPS
I thank my lucky stars for my GPS every day. I am still lost here. I do fine on the main streets but most of them are not straight. This town is not laid out in a normal grid pattern. Because of the mountains and the ridge, the streets wind around. Sometimes they cut through a tunnel. Other times they wind up and down the ridges or hills. I remember having to use my GPS in Chicago too; when I first moved there, so I’m not really complaining. Every new place takes getting used to.
Respect
I am getting used to being called “ma’am.” Men and women hold open the door. People say good morning on the street; total strangers smile at you.
The clerks at stores say nice things. I was at the County Clerk’s Office recently and the young woman who waited on me called me Miss Sarah. Even the bureaucrats are nice here and show their respect to all those around them.
Stress
My stress level has gone down some. I sleep pretty well. I think I am smiling more. I know for sure I am appreciating my new environment and soaking up all it has to offer.
As the months go by maybe I’ll check in again and let you know of a new set of observations. I just hope they are all filled with the positivity I am feeling so far. Chattanooga has been welcoming for sure.
Cheers,
Caramelized Onion Pie
Caramelizing onions makes the natural sugars in the onion come to the forefront. No more bold onion taste. Just dreamy flavor.
Russian Traditional Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
This delicious recipe was submitted by Plan Z dieter Bruce. Bruce says, "We saw this sixteen years ago on a trip to visit our daughter in-law. They keep it from day to day and just add to it when more is needed." Thanks for the recipe Bruce!
This recipe is designed for you to tweak the way you like it. If you like more tomatoes in your salad, go for it! If you like a cucumber/onion heavy salad, that works well, too. The trick is to taste it as you make it so you can adjust it to your liking.
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Scallions (or shallots, or white onions)
- One clove of garlic minced fine
- Your favorite vinegar & oil dressing
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Cut the tomatoes, cucumbers and scallions and combine them together in a bowl. Add the minced garlic and dressing and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
This salad intensifies in flavor the longer it sits, so if you want those tomatoes to soak up the flavors of your dressing, let it sit for an hour before serving.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Blue Cheese Dressing
Plan Z Phase: This a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Many people use buttermilk in their salad dressings. I tend not to because I don't use buttermilk very often. When I buy it for a recipe, the leftover buttermilk ends up going to waste. I like this recipe because it makes a delicious salad dressing without having to use buttermilk at all. In fact, I usually have all these ingredients in my house! It's also a great way to use up extra blue cheese laying in the cheese drawer - just make sure the cheese is still fresh!
The first time I made this, I put it on top of a wedge salad...and felt like I was eating dinner in a steakhouse. It's that good.
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbled into bits. I use Danish blue or Stilton. Use your favorite - the better the cheese, the better the dressing will taste!
- 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon of fresh chives, chopped into small bits (optional)
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Mix the mayo and sour cream together. Slowly add the milk and stir until mixed through. If you want your dressing thick like a dip, use less milk. Add the blue cheese crumbles and mix again (I use a fork to mix the cheese in). Sometimes, if your crumbles are too big, they may stick to the tines of your fork, so I try to keep my blue cheese bits rather small. But, you don't have to. If you like bigger blue cheese bits in your dressing, just brush them off the fork as they clump and keep mixing.
Add your Worcestershire sauce, chives, and salt and pepper.
Taste it - your dressing will have a nice depth of flavor, but it won't have a prominent blue cheese flavor until it rests and the flavors combine. That takes about an hour. After it rests, the flavor will deepen, so don't add more blue cheese...yet. Cover it with saran wrap, pop it in the fridge, and taste it again in an hour.
See what I mean?
At this point, if you want to adjust your flavors, you can. If your blue cheese flavor is stronger than you like, add sour cream. If you want more of a blue cheese flavor, add more blue cheese crumbles. If you want it thinner, add more milk.
Because you're not using any preservatives, this dressing should keep about 1-2 weeks in the fridge...but it never lasts that long in my house.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Stuck No More
“I was stuck at 300 pounds,” says Kris Langstaff. He’s a former radio spokesperson in Bellefontaine, OH. He watched as one of his co-workers lost 250 pounds on Plan Z, but still couldn’t imagine it would work for him. You can see that it did. Listen to his story about how fast he dropped 74 pounds and how much better he feels.
Kris umpires women’s softball. His knees would ache after a game or two. Not anymore. He’s sleeping better. And the GERD is gone. No more drinking two bottles of Milk of Magnesia per week. He hesitated starting on Plan Z, but now he has no hesitation telling his listeners and friends to get on it.
This interview took place when Kris was down 49 pounds:
Take care of yourself. We only get one shot. Our bodies get used to what we feed them. There's an old computer programming lingo phrase that says, garbage in, garbage out. If you don't take care of your body and feed it stuff that it's not supposed to have, then sooner or later it's going to start breaking down. I look at it like this, I was given a second chance. I've lost the weight and I'll do what I can to help people see that they don't have to live this way.
I thought I was stuck. I was 52 years old, 300 pounds, I was a heart attack waiting to happen...[but] you're never too far gone to come back.
The Hidden "Danger" of Losing 40 Pounds on Plan Z
Some Plan Z dieters send us before and after pictures.
Some send us emails telling their story.
But Plan Z Dieter Margaret sent us this picture of the inside of her closet.
She wrote:
"THIS is what happens when you lose 40 pounds and go from a size 18 to a size 10. The folks at Goodwill thanked me for my donation. I’m on ZReboot, loving it and maintaining my weight loss nicely."
Listen to her motivating interview:
Fruit Bowl with Luscious Lemon Cream Z3 Version
This is an amazing dessert we enjoyed with our friends Mary Ann & Joe. Mary Ann is living ZLife and contributed this for you all to enjoy!
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. If you want to splurge and do a Z3 version, use this recipe.
This stuff is addictive and so refreshing. RARELY do I take seconds on a dessert. With this one I did.
Servings: Serves at least 8
Ingredients:
- 3 pints of strawberries (slice two and leave one box whole for looks)
- 1 pint of blackberries
- 1 pint of blueberries
- 5 sliced kiwis (skin removed)
- 2 cups of cubed cantaloupe and/or honeydew melon
- ½ cup of chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions:
Mix your fruit up in a large bowl. Or layer fruit and serve in a big clear bowl. Serve in individual bowls with the Luscious Lemon Cream on the side for topping (recipe below).
Luscious Lemon Cream (makes about 3 cups)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup ZSweet or Swerve sugar substitute. You can also use stevia.
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon or ReaLemon lemon juice from concentrate
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream, whipped
Instructions:
In bowl, beat together eggs, 1/4 cup sweetener and ReaLemon. In saucepan, combine remaining 1/4 cup sweetener and cornstarch; stir in water. Cook and stir until thickened; remove from heat. Gradually beat in egg mixture. Over low heat, cook and stir until slightly thickened. Add vanilla; cool. Fold in whipped cream. Serve with fresh fruit. Refrigerate leftovers.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mary Ann & Joe