Sloppy Christmas
When I was a little girl, our Christmas was a bit different than what most families experience. My mother would save having the big dinner for the weekend after Christmas. She was a generous woman;…
The 10 Minute Cleanup
My husband invented one of the best kitchen innovations of all time. It’s called The 10 Minute Cleanup. I’m going to tell you all about it. This works magically at the end of any dinner party. Any…
The Art of the Antipasti Tray
The definition of Antipasti: An appetizer usually consisting of an assortment of foods, such as smoked meats, cheese, fish, and vegetables. Sounds like a low-carb platter of perfection, doesn’t it?…
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…
Sugar Rule #1: 15 Grams or Less
Snacking has become a mindless activity. No wonder we have an obesity crisis. I never once saw my dad snacking on a bag of chips. My mom, either. They ate their meals at the prescribed time and that…
The Legend of "Stingy Jack"
Many of you already know I am Irish. My “23 and Me Report” says I’m 92.6% Irish. Now, THAT is a LOT of Irish. As an adult my favorite holiday became Halloween. My husband and I used to have huge…
Someone’s in the Kitchen with Zola
Guest Contributor Chris is married to Zola. They are celebrating their 37th wedding anniversary this month. "No one is born a great cook," said Julia Child. "One learns by doing." One of the…
I Scream, You Scream
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Remember that jingle? When the cravings get tough, I think some people DO scream! The good news is there is a way to have your ice cream, eat it…
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…
How to Successfully Make Low Fat Burgers
One of the tricks to making good burgers when you’re in ZReduction on Plan Z is to find a way to keep them as moist and juicy as possible. Usually, the secret to a good burger is the fat content. The…
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…
Whole Unprocessed Foods
You’ve probably noticed that I regularly try to convince you to eat whole, unprocessed foods. Every recipe I write uses what I consider unprocessed foods (with minor exceptions). To keep it simple,…
Cooking with Cast Iron
For years I had a love-hate relationship with cast iron cookware. Now that I have more cooking experience, I adore cast iron. I have to tell you my cast iron story. Not long after I moved into my…
Stimulus Strategies
Since the second set of stimulus checks went out, I have been trying to be observant of how that money is being spent. Sure seems like a whole lot of people have decided they need to get away.…
How I Read a Label
When I was a young girl of 12, I became obsessed with weight. Twiggy was the supermodel at the time and she was rail thin. I thought I needed to be like that. I wasn’t obese by any means. Turns out I…
6 Wonderful Sweeteners Better For You Than Sugar
Even if you never touch dessert it’s still easy to have too much sugar in your diet. We all know now that sugar is virtually everywhere in our food system. Plan Z dieters know to stay away from…
The Miracle of Collagen
I went to my naturopathic doctor a couple of months back. I have been dealing with an infection in my digestive tract that I contracted after a series of antibiotic prescriptions. It’s been a…
The Hair-Raising Rescue
My trainer was on her way to my place to work out with me when she spotted something in the middle of a very busy street. She thought it might be a light-colored rat at first and realized it was a…