Summer Sippers
When the sun comes out and the air warms up, people want to get out on their deck. They want to be poolside if they have a pool. And everyone wants something tasty to drink.
Some people call them their summer sippers. Some call it a tasty beverage. Some just pop open a beer. Not all these drinks contain alcohol, but it sure would be nice if we could have options that don’t add a lot of weight gain.
I have some ideas.
Let’s start with tradition. Lemonade.
Now there’s a scary drink.
An 8 oz glass of lemonade made the old-fashioned way with sugar is 38 grams of carbs. That’s the equivalent of a half day of carbs in one glass. Not happening. Not in my lifestyle.
For today’s drinks, I decided to focus on the lemonade for a few drinks and sort of riff on it.
So try this recipe made with stevia drops.
Second up is a cucumber lemonade. This one is for people who like to try new things and want to feel fancy and different.
My husband and I used to enjoy a traditional Whiskey Sour in the summer. Or another version is referred to as a Lynchburg Lemonade.
A whiskey sour will come in at 13.6 grams of carbs. The reason is you’re taking out a ton of the lemonade and inserting straight alcohol. Canadian Rye Whiskey or Bourbon. This packs a wallop, but one or two spread over hours won’t hurt most folks. And if you make it using the lemonade recipe I just gave you, it’s almost innocent from a carbohydrate perspective. Just skip the traditional maraschino cherry in most recipes. Those things are just evil little sugar devils. And you can make a frozen version, too.
Next, I am diverting and giving you a recipe for a big ole pitcher of sangria.
Now, don’t think this stuff is innocent either. Just because it starts off with wine doesn’t make it okay to guzzle. I can remember back to when I was about 19 years old. I had sangria at lunch with a pizza, accompanied by my boyfriend. No one was paying any attention to what was happening in downing a pitcher of sangria. It looked all innocent with all that beautiful fruit in it. Little did I know there was a cup of vodka lurking in there.
You can take either of these drinks and give yourself a half-serving and then top it off with sparkling water. That will take down the alcohol content so you can sip more, longer, without ill effects.
Speaking of sparkling water, the last year or two has seen a boom in the number of no-calorie, all-natural sparkling water options available. My favorite is still La Croix and they have come out with a ton of new flavors. This stuff is really catching on! Perrier has come out with some new ones and I even saw a new one put out by Pepsi. Leave it to the giants to get into the game, too.
So for a no-alcohol option mash up some fruit of your choice; a few ripe strawberries or some ripe peach bits and top it all off with sparkling water. Plain or flavored.
My favorite LaCroix flavor is the grapefruit. I have to tell you I won’t even eat a grapefruit. I dislike them immensely, but this water flavor is wonderful. Not too sweet. Refreshing.
For an alcoholic sipper, take your favorite sparkling water and add your choice of clear liquor. Vodka and gin come to mind first. That way you’re getting your flavoring from the flavored water; which is natural – unlike some of those flavored liquors and liqueurs that are loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Oh, and for you beer drinkers… try to find a low carb version you like. The breweries are coming out with more every year. Even craft breweries are getting into the game. I try to advise people to find one under 5 grams per serving. Would you rather have 3 beers at 5 grams each over the course of a party or just one at 15? Keep the grams of carbs down and chase the beer belly away. Here’s a link to a list or while you are at the party you can always google whatever one you’re considering. The data is easy to find.
Enjoy your summer beverages in moderation.
Cheers,
Simple Sangria
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. Refreshing and beautiful. This can be made with red wine, white wine, or I like the look of the rosé. Your choice.
Ingredients:
- 1 bottle of wine (rosé) 750 ml
- ¾ cup of vodka
- 1 orange, juiced
- 2 tsp of liquid stevia drops or to taste. You might get away with less or if you are serving to “sweet” guests you might need one more tsp.
- 1 orange sliced into rounds
- 1 lemon sliced into rounds
- 1 lime sliced into rounds
- ½ cup of berries. Your choice. I used raspberries and blackberries.
- 1 small peach, cut into chunks
Instructions:
In a large pitcher add the wine, vodka, juice, and stevia. Mix thoroughly. Then add your fruit. Stir again.
You want to let this sit and chill for at least 30 minutes. It’s even better if you make it hours ahead. I take a wooden spoon and sort of poke at the fruit to release some of the juices. It gets better over time but you want to drink it while the wine is still fresh tasting.
If you want to stretch this recipe further for a party you can serve sparkling sangria by adding a can or two of sparkling water. A couple of cups would be fine.
Serve in a fancy glass over ice.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Whiskey Sour
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. I used to love whiskey sours made with frozen lemonade and Canadian Club. This is my new substitute. No more sugary lemonade for me. This is a potent cocktail. If you drink one of these early on in ZReboot, be careful. Drink in moderation.
Servings: This makes one drink. Can easily be multiplied for a pitcher.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces of Canadian Club (or any rye whiskey) or any bourbon.
- ½ cup of no sugar lemonade
- ½ slice of an orange for garnish and a little extra treat.
Instructions:
For a regular cocktail, fill a cocktail glass with ice. Pour in the ingredients and stir. Garnish with orange slice.
For a frozen version, multiply everything here by 4 times. Put in a blender and top off with several ice cubes. Blend. Be sure to hold the top down. Start slowly and then speed it up. You’ll get a frozen concoction this way. Top each drink with an orange slice.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cucumber Lemonade
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. The first time I tasted cucumber water I was hooked. This is a more exotic lemonade but a refreshing one. You’ll feel fancy drinking this.
Servings: This makes a one glass portion. It can be multiplied for a pitcher.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of no sugar lemonade
- 6 slices of cucumber. If you don’t want to buy a whole cucumber you can just buy a few slices at the salad bar in most grocery stores. Might be cheaper to just buy the whole cucumber, though.
- 1 can of LaCroix Lemon or Lime flavored sparkling water.
Instructions:
Pour the items into a large glass filled with ice. Depending on the size of your glass you’ll likely have enough sparkling water for two portions at least.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
No Sugar Lemonade
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Lemons contain fructose just like any other fruit. Fructose is not good for you in larger quantities. One of the benefits of eating lemons is they help keep your pH in balance and that’s a good thing. 1 cup of lemon juice in this recipe is 21 grams of carbs. If you weren’t going to be adding 4 cups of water to this recipe I would not recommend it. In contrast, a cup of apple juice contains 111 grams of carbs. YIKES! I still cannot figure out why someone would feed that to a baby….
Anyway…I would not drink this all day while on ZReduction, but a couple of glasses should be fine.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup of lemon juice. You can juice your own or a few stores sell plain lemon juice. I recommend Meyer lemons if you can get them. They are juicier and a bit sweeter.
- 4 cups of water. You can use plain water or if you want your lemon juice sparkling you can add plain sparkling water.
- ½ tsp of liquid stevia drops (or to taste). This much was almost too sweet for me. You decide. Don’t go over 2 tsp of stevia in a day (liquid) or it might catch up with you and stall you out.
- mint (optional)
Instructions:
Mix all in a pitcher and chill. If you want, you can add thin slices of lemon to your pitcher or a sprig of mint to jazz it up. Serve over ice.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken Under a Brick
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. One of my favorite French bistro dishes is chicken under a brick. I decided I had to figure out how to make it myself. Most places make it in a wood burning oven. I don't have one so I had to make adjustments. It worked. I hope you like it and enjoy it.
Servings: Serves 2 - but can be easily multiplied
Ingredients:
- 2 organic chicken breast halves with bone in, skin on. Traditional chicken under a brick recipes would call for half chickens; including dark meat but for this recipe I used white meat.
- olive oil spray
- 1/2 tsp of chopped herbs. I just use the Italian blend from a jar. If you want to make if really special, you could use Herbs de Provence.
- 2 Tbl of olive oil
- salt (preferably sea salt)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Advance prep: this dish calls for some equipment from the garden. You actually do need a brick or flat rock that you have cleaned, dried and covered thoroughly in aluminum foil. The weight on top of the chicken, while it's cooking, is what makes the fabulous, crispy crust. For the pan, I use cast iron. You need something sturdy and non-stick that can handle 400-degree heat in your oven. One option instead of a brick is to use another, smaller cast iron pan and rest it on top of the chicken instead of the brick. Most folks who have one cast iron pan have a set of them so this is definitely an option.
You'll need an oven-proof pan. I use my medium cast iron pan for this dish. You need a pan that can go from stovetop to oven and this one is perfect. Don't try to use a non-stick pan. It won't work.
Wash and thoroughly dry your chicken pieces. Spray the skin side with olive oil spray and then dust with your Italian herbs/spices or chopped herbs. Now grate a generous amount of sea salt over the skin side of the chicken. The secret to this dish is the crusty topping the chicken will have and French Bistro cooking is not afraid of salt on special occasions. You choose when to stop grating the salt. You know your taste.
Heat the 2 Tbl of olive oil in your pan on medium high. When it's hot but not burning add the chicken, skin-side down. It will immediately start to spit and bubble. Cover with your brick or another cast iron pan. You need weight on the chicken. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook on medium-low for 12 - 15 minutes. During this time the fat in the chicken skin will break down and help form your crust. It will give you a texture sort of like crispy-fried bacon. The fat on the oil with the pressure is where the magic occurs.
After the time has passed carefully remove your weight and turn your chicken over. Set the weight aside, safely, and transfer your chicken to the oven. Bake at 375 for another 12 - 15 minutes. Check the chicken to make sure it's done by putting a small slice into the thickest part. The juices should be clear; not pink. The time needed will depend on how large your chicken breast pieces are. I use large ones for this simple dish.
I serve this with zucchini cut into chunks and sauteed in a drizzle of Italian salad dressing and olive oil. You could also serve this with a salad. The chicken will be crispy and juicy. Serve immediately. If you wait you'll start to lose the crispy.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Creole Meatloaf
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
This is a wonderfully moist meatloaf. It has a kick from the Cajun spices but not all that much. You can zip it up more by using a higher level of spice or switch that out altogether for something more plain and mild. This transports well to work. Many love cold meatloaf or you can heat it in the microwave. You can even take this to a party as a buffet item!
Servings: Serves 6, 1" wide pieces
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup of finely chopped celery
- 1/3 cup of finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion
- 2 pounds of ground sirloin or 93/7 ground beef
- 2 Tbl of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup of canned tomato sauce (No sugar. Hunts is a good brand)
- 2 – 3 tsp of Cajun seasoning (No sugar)
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
For the topping:
- 1/3 cup of tomato sauce
- 3 Tbl of tomato paste
- 1 Tbl of Worcestershire sauce
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Chop the veggies and toss in a big bowl. Add the beef, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and seasonings. Now dig in with your bare hands and mix it all up. Get good and squishy mixing this so the bits are thoroughly dispersed.
Grease a loaf pan with olive oil spray. Put the meat mixture inside and lightly pat down to form a loaf. I go around the edges so sort of make those dip down further than the rounded top surface. This is not necessary; just makes it look a little more like a loaf.
Bake for 45 minutes. Then mix up the sauce portion. Take the meatloaf out of the oven and spread the sauce on top. Put back in the oven to bake for 15 minutes more.
Take it out when it’s been an hour total. Let it rest on the stove for up to 10 minutes. Then cut it into 1” wide slices. One portion when on ZReduction is one slice. In ZReboot you can have more. Carefully remove them with a spatula or the slices will break apart. The first one is always the hardest one to get out.
When in ZReduction… this is ½ of your bread portion because of the crumbs that are in there.
You can have your full veggie portion because no one piece will have very much of the diced bits.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Balsamic Chicken (Braised or Slow Cooker)
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This is a super easy meal to make; made even easier by doing it in your slow cooker. Simple Italian.
Serving Size: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 skinless chicken breasts
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp of minced garlic (jar garlic will do)
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup of chicken broth
- 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
- 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp of Italian seasoning
Instructions:
This is super easy. Just take out a medium sauté pan and spray with olive oil. Spray the top of the chicken breasts and grate salt and pepper over them. Put top down in the pan and sauté on medium high for 3 minutes just to brown the one side.
Turn them over and add everything else. Stir to mix it all up. Cover and cook on medium-low (just so you see a little bit of bubbling) for 15 – 20 minutes until the chicken breasts are cooked through (no pink remaining). And serve.
If you have a cup of onions and tomatoes that will be your veggie too or if you don’t you can have the balance using another vegetable. Green beans would be good.
Slow Cooker Version
Follow the directions above but brown one side of your chicken breasts before you put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker. If you don’t mind your chicken breasts looking on the pale white side you can literally put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker right out of the refrigerator and cupboard and just turn it on. Cook for 7 hours on low or 4 hours on high and it should be ready to eat.
In the slow cooker version you might need more chicken broth. You’ll want to fill it to about 1” from the top. Depends on the size of your breast pieces and your cooker. Just make sure your chicken is covered.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Gene's Ketchup
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This recipe was submitted by dieter Gene. Thanks, Gene!
Servings: Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients:
- 1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ tsp dry mustard
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- ⅛ tsp allspice
Instructions:
Whisk all ingredients together and put in fridge overnight. Makes about a cup.
Enjoy!
Gene
Biggie's Favorite Recipes
These are some of Biggie’s favorite Plan Z meals.
With access to hundreds of recipes on the Plan Z website, Biggie said there wasn’t one recipe he tried that he didn’t make again. His favorites included Zola’s Creole Meatloaf (which became a favorite for his mom as well), and Zola’s Ranch Chicken. This particular chicken dish proved so tasty that Biggie would make the recipe for dinner and use the leftovers for lunch the next day. Meticulously mapping out all of his meals, Biggie used this key strategy that many successful Plan Z dieters use.
“When you start taking control, cooking your own food and developing your own favorite recipes you’re describing a strategy that our most successful dieters use, which is having the next meal planned,” said Chris (our VP of Anger Management), and Biggie agrees. “It’s a very important strategy for people because it is so easy to forget and then grab something not allowed and then get frustrated because your weight loss stalls.”
Delicious, satisfying, whole foods are a large part of Plan Z. We have over 900 recipes that are exclusive to the diet. You get to choose from those recipes every day and make your own meals.
Diet food doesn’t have to taste like diet food. You’ll gain more control over your diet and more importantly, you’ll stop relying on packaged and processed foods (the foods that make us fat) for meals. Most recipes take less than 20 minutes to prepare and cook. You’ll have plenty of choices and you don’t have to be a great cook, or even a cook at all, to make these meals. You can choose from “fancy” food or comfort foods. You can even have dessert!
Dieters lose an average of 31 pounds during the 50-day ZReduction phase. Learn more about the four phases here. Want to see their success stories? Click here.
Ex Tennessee Ball Player Loses 46 lbs on Plan Z
Ken in Tennessee lost over 40 pounds on Plan Z. When he stopped playing baseball he stopped worrying about his weight. But it finally caught up with him on the Tennessee Titan's bridge on his birthday. Finding himself out of breath he stepped on the scale for the first time in years and was shocked. He knew he needed to make a change. Learn what he did to make his Plan Z Dieting experience so successful in this fantastic interview.
Paul's White Fish with Sauteed Vegetables
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Tasty white fish and vegetables has been a regular part of my ZReduction regimen. My favorite is starting with a 4-6 ounce mahi-mahi fillet AND a 4-6 ounce hake fillet (hake has a more pronounced flavor and the mahi-mahi helps to tone it down a bit) purchased frozen in big bags at Costco. This results in a “double batch” meal with the second half going in the fridge to bring into the menu flow a day or two later.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 4-6 oz mahi-mahi fillet
- 4-6 oz hake fillet
- 1 cup of onions, chopped
- ¼ cup bell peppers, sliced
- ¼ cup cucumber, chopped
- ¼ cup tomato, diced
- ¼ cup celery, diced
- Cookies Flavor Enhancer (or your favorite fish seasoning)
- Olive oil spray
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Salad greens (Paul prefers a spring mix combined with fresh kale)
Instructions:
Lightly spray a large nonstick pan with olive oil spray. Add the onions and sauté on medium heat for about a minute. Add the peppers, cucumber, tomato and celery and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Near the end of the sauté process, add both fillets and piece them up with a spatula as they cook. Mix it all together and season to taste with Cookies Flavor Enhancer http://store.cookiesbbq.com/CookiesBBQ-Sauces-Seasonings/Cookies-Flavor-Enhancer.aspx.
With a generous salad helping of spring mix and Kale, it’s a quick, easy and DELICIOUS meal!
Voila!
Paul
Happy New Year!
Wishing you a Classic New Year.
Celebration. Family. Joy in your job and in your life.
Cheers to you All!
Science For Smart People
'Fat Head' writer/director Tom Naughton's speech about how to tell good science from bad science.
Soy Myths Exposed: The Dangers of Soy
Internationally renowned natural health physician Dr. Joseph Mercola reveals the dangers and side effects of soy based foods and why you should avoid soy infant formulas.
The Skinny on Sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup
I am a capitalist and I believe McDonald's has a right to sell you as much as they can. And I believe that Coca-Cola's only job is to sell more Coca-Cola. That said, I have easily and permanently eliminated sugar and high fructose corn syrup from my diet -- forever.
The leading cause of obesity is underwritten by our government, which subsidizes corn, wheat, soy and sugar growers.
The good news is that fewer people go hungry because of the abundance of cheap food. The bad news is that even the poor people become obese.
Carbohydrates are largely to blame, but the really bad ingredient is HFCS which did not enter our food supply until the 1970's. Now it's in nearly every processed food in the grocery store. Dr. Robert Lustig's YouTube Video, Sugar: The Bitter Truth reveals the fact that fructose can only be digested by the liver. It's got a tough to watch segment on the science of digesting sugar and fructose. In this much shorter video, Lustig reinforces the key points of his lecture while he advocates, literally, that children under 16 should be ID'd in order to buy a soda.
Please watch this and think about how good you feel, how wide awake you are, how much energy you have when you are sugar-free.
Dieter Rhonda Talks about Her Plan Z Experience
Our clients inspire us and we hope they will inspire you wherever you are in your Plan Z diet. Click on the link below to listen to Plan Z dieter Rhonda describe her experience on Plan Z.
In this interview, Rhonda shares her successes and setbacks.
Learn how she lost 45# very quickly and how quickly those pounds can come back if you don’t follow the “rules” of ZReboot. Hers is a cautionary tale with a (spoiler alert) happy ending.
Remedy Preparation
I find homeopathy fascinating. A homeopathic remedy is not a drug, but its effects are powerful. In this video, John Morgan, head of Helios, shows how they make their remedies.
The Essential 7
If you're visiting Zola U for the first time, or if it's been a while and you're feeling overwhelmed, here are the most important videos that we've found over the years.
We call them the Essential 7: