Eat Your Veggies
There are so many vegetable options offered up by Mother Nature that I thought I could go my whole life skipping the ones I didn’t like. It started when I was a kid. My family believed in the “Clean…
Making Sweet Tea
I’m not a fan of iced tea but a whole lot of people are. It’s especially popular in the South. Sweet tea and unsweet iced tea are on the menu at every restaurant. Obesity is also a bigger issue in…
Sweet Dreams Tattoo
Our tiny kitty Tattoo had plenty of nicknames: Tootie Toots Tootface Little Itty-Bitty Kitty (she weighed in at less than 7 pounds full grown) Little Orange Kitty Gran-maw-maw (she was 20 years……
The Story of Potatoes Brabant
Potatoes Brabant are a New Orleans favorite. They call them New Orleans fries. I have seen them seasoned several ways. I think each restaurant has their own signature version. The first time I came…
My New Appliance
Well, I went and did it. I broke down and bought an air fryer. In the old days I bought every appliance known to man as soon as they hit the retail shelves. I wanted to be the first to break out my…
Mexican Food In Summer
What is it with summer and Mexican food? Seems like every cooking website has several Mexican recipes featured during summer. I checked out a few recently and every one of them featured a grilled…
The Munchies
Someone asked me the other day how I feel about late night snacking. When I think about late night snacking that raises the question, “When is the best time to eat?” Everyone wants to know if they…
Tattoo's Blindness
Our kitty Tattoo turned 20 years old a month ago. That’s the equivalent of 96 in human years. Way to GO Tattoo! About 10 days after she turned 20, she woke up blind. I took her to the emergency room…
World-famous Virus Expert gets the Virus. Read his story.
Years ago, my niece packed up her hopes, her dreams and a suitcase full of clothes and flew from Wisconsin to London, England. She had been accepted at a prestigious college with a strange name.…
Coronavirus Has Brought Back Carbs!
This, straight from Food Network Magazine. I was reading my copy the other day and I came across this little article and was not surprised. Not ONE bit. The coronavirus outbreak has proven what we’ve…
Clean Grillin'
I’ve never been that fond of the grill. I think I can trace it back to when I was about 20 years old. I bought a charcoal grill that came in a box. I had to put it together. Even with perfectly clear…
How I Construct a Pandemic Menu
I used to shop like I’m French. So what does that mean? Well, the French shop daily not weekly like us Americans. That way they get the freshest food. Oftentimes they go to more than one shop, too.…
Underlying Conditions
We are all susceptible to getting COVID-19, but some of us are more vulnerable than others. Here’s the list from the CDC (Center for Disease Control). Based upon available information to date, those…
Mother’s Day in a Time of Global Pandemic
You know what the busiest day in the restaurant business is? You guessed it. Mother’s Day. That’s the day every family treats Mom to a meal. Well (especially if you have a big family), that’s not…
Five Last Minute Ways to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
These are things you can put together in a jiffy to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. By the way if you don’t speak Spanish… Cinco de Mayo just means May 5th. It’s a day to celebrate when the Mexicans beat…
It Started with A Cough
My symptoms started March 6th. The coughing. I coughed almost constantly for the first three days. First thing I did was check my supply of cold pills and started taking them. I also downed…
I Hate My Mask
My problem is I have a little head with a small face. Even my nose is small. A few weeks ago, we went on an internet hunt for masks. We found a style I thought would work on my small head. Trouble is…
Animal Instinct
Our cats have this all figured out. At first it was pretty clear that by being around all the time we had interrupted our cats’ usual routines. They were accustomed to us checking on their…
Perspective on the Pandemic and Things to Do Now
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The Tortoise Trek
I thought we could all use a little levity. A laugh. A smile. This came across my desk late last week. The Tennessee Aquarium is located in Chattanooga. It’s such a beautiful building it’s one of…
8 Great Reasons To Start Plan Z Now
Anytime you are mentally preparing to do a diet you go through a process. Most folks have to finally get angry enough at their current situation that they decide it’s time to act. And Act NOW. When…
The most hopeful and helpful thing I’ve read so far…
The most hopeful and helpful thing I’ve read so far on the virus came from my naturopathic doctor in Chicago, Dr. Terese. I miss her. She’s a brilliant woman. Good thing I am still on her mailing…
Ideas for Eating…Now
Up until now I have been hunkering down. For me that means I’m practicing social distancing. I limit my trips to the grocery store and the gas station. I wash my hands like a mad woman. Now I am in…
Pass Me an Orange
A full two-thirds of Americans start off their day with a glass of orange juice. They think that’s healthy behavior. I rarely ate breakfast, so I used to get my orange juice a different way. If I was…
Chow Down On Chili
Chile is the pepper. Chili is the concoction. And now that we’ve got that straight, let’s talk chili. It’s chilly outside these days so now’s a perfect time. The history of chili is long and varied.…
Hero Mommy
It was late afternoon. I was at the grocery store picking up a few items to make dinner. I passed two women greeting each other. One of them had a young daughter in tow. The girl was maybe 7 years…
Fat Tuesday in the Old French Quarter
Fat Tuesday is here folks. The end of Mardi Gras, and for many, the beginning of periodic fasting or giving up something special for Lent. The party’s over for those who follow these traditions; at…
A Babe is Born
Flint Roman Chaney arrived a little early on 1/18/2020. He was scheduled to arrive on 1/20/2020. That would have been a cool birth date to have. Such a clever set of numbers but, alas, he had other…
How to Zolafy a Dessert Recipe
I’m one of those lucky people who can read a recipe and taste it in my head. I hope you are one too, but if you’re not, with a few guiding steps you can learn how to do it. When you look on the…
Good For You Chocolate
Can chocolate possibly be good for you? YES. A resounding yes. Here’s what you have to remember, though: You need to eat GOOD Chocolate. That means DARK chocolate that is 72% cacao or higher. Good…
Why Resolutions Fail
The football game is over. The score is in the record books. The bets are paid off. Interesting fact: over $6 billion is bet on the Super Bowl worldwide. Most of that is illegal betting; the kind…
7 Reasons to Diet with a Buddy
When you’re on a diet, having a strong support system can mean the difference between success and failure. We have a major league support team at Plan Z, but if you can add a personal support network…
Enjoy the Super Bowl without Gaining Weight
One of my favorite Super Bowl parties was one I called the Chili Championship. Here’s how it works: You set up a chili buffet with all the fixins. This works really well because people can get up…
P Is for Party
I was reading a design magazine recently and saw a party planning feature. The woman was talking about how you don’t need to know how to cook (even a lick), but you can still have a cocktail party.…
My 7 Reasons To Resolve To Eat Low Carb in 2020
This is why I recommend you resolve to low carb it in 2020: It lowers your cholesterol. Since 2002 over 20 human studies have been done that prove low carb eaters lose more weight and that it…
Why NOT to Renew Your Gym Membership This Year
1. Exercise really doesn’t help you lose weight; unless you do a LOT of it. You almost have to be a professional loser. One study showed that women over 40 years old who do moderate exercise 60…
Why We Go On A Diet
We survey Plan Z dieters on occasion and ask them all kinds of questions. In a recent survey, we asked them the biggest reason they decided to go on a diet and chose Plan Z. You know what the most…
Potluck with Purpose
I held a potluck dinner party recently. It was my first potluck in decades. Years ago, I got turned off by potlucks. The last ones I attended didn’t work very well. No one did anything to organize…
Happy St. Nicholas Day
When I was little, I attended a Catholic grade school. I learned about St. Nicholas Day from the nuns. I brought my new-found knowledge home to my mom and she went right along with it. I was really…
Potatoes and the Glycemic Index
The Glycemic Index is all the rage right now. I am a big fan, but I have a few hints that might vary from what you read in most places. The Glycemic Index is a measure of a food’s ability to spike…
The Sweet Smell of Garlic
The first time I tasted roasted, whole garlic was in a restaurant called Bistro 110. This was about 1983. My best friend had ordered it for us to share. I sat stunned, staring at it, when it arrived…
Want Potatoes on Turkey Day? Here's What to Do
My childhood Monday dinner went like this: Mom would set my plate of food in front of me. Every Monday we had the same meal…baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and a veggie. Usually, the veggie was……
What’s the Secret to a Happy Family Gathering?
I was reading my latest issue of Real Simple magazine the other day and came across an article on family gatherings that I thought was interesting. They had done a survey of readers to find out what…
Turkey Tips
Most people think the Thanksgiving turkey dinner is the most intimidating meal to make. I never understood that. For Thanksgiving there was always a crowd at my childhood home. At least a dozen…
How to get Plan Z covered by your insurance
Our newest improvement will be welcome news! Plan Z is now covered by some insurance plans! Let me outline four options: HSA/FSA Coverage Two easy ones are FSA (Flexible Spending Account) and HSA…
Spooky Times
Halloween is hands down my favorite holiday. I used to celebrate big. We’d invite about 70-80 people to dinner and dancing (we had a big house then and we hired a DJ). I’d make 13 courses. Starting…
Halloween Treats
My husband and I have always enjoyed Halloween. Years ago I declared it my favorite holiday. I like Halloween more than Christmas. Early in our relationship my husband and I decided to celebrate the…
