When I was a kid this was served at very special meals. My mother made hers plain. I had no idea how incredibly fabulous this meat could taste until I started adding the meat rub!

This colorful dish is super simple to make. You can include whatever assortment of veggies you like. I’ll give you a list of suggested options. You can serve this with something cooked on the grill; chicken, fish, or even steak.

This dish is super easy and a one pan job if you have a cast iron pan.. Serve with green beans and eat them with your fingers if you dare...

You could call this the “adult version” of Sloppy Joes.  It does have some ZIP to it. Don’t be intimidated by the length of the ingredients list. The recipe is worth it. And you probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry.

This is a famous chili that probably should not even be called a chili. It was invented by two brothers who emigrated from Europe in the 1920’s. Of course, they lived in Cincinnati. When finished this will look sort of like chili but it’s served on spaghetti. There are no beans and it’s not spicy. It’s flavorful for sure, but not “hot.” Don’t let the list of ingredients throw you off.

This simple Italian Soup is packed with flavor and convenience. It travels well and heats in the microwave too. Leftovers are a BIG YUM.

A dish that is easy to make for a weekday meal, but you could also serve this to guests, and no one would guess this is diet food.

This chicken casserole will remind you of chilies Rellenos. If you like those you’ll be a big fan of this low-carb dish. Simple to put together and toss in the oven. And Voila! Dinner. I serve with slices of avocado on the side dusted with a bit of grated sea salt.

This award-winning chili recipe won best Verde Chili by the International Chili Society in 2018. "Texas Chuck," the creator of this awesome recipe, made this chili using Mild Bills Spices (in case you're trying to get his authentic flavor).

When you are in the ZReduction portion of Plan Z you will not be eating the skin of the chicken or any of the dark meat. Breast meat only.

I’m Irish, so beef stew was a staple in our family. Trouble is there are so many carbs in most beef stew recipes. So with this recipe I have adjusted it to keep the carbs lower and introduce some other veggies that are lower carb to the mix.

Okay, so I opened my pantry and saw a jar of roasted red pepper strips. I thought… I could make a new chili with these! So here you have it.

This simple Italian Soup is packed with flavor and convenience. It travels well and heats in the microwave too. Leftovers are a BIG YUM.

I remember my first introduction to scallops like it was yesterday. As I took my first bite and swooned I knew these were to become a new favorite.

This is a wonderfully moist meatloaf. It has a kick from the Cajun spices but not all that much and you can adjust according to taste. This transports well to work.

This is a super easy meal to make; made even easier by doing it in your slow cooker. Simple Italian.

I had a hankering for ribs. I ordered some as an appetizer at a restaurant and they just didn’t cut it. I could not get the craving out of my head, so I came up with the barbecued meatloaf recipe.  Hope you love it. 

Tasty white fish and vegetables has been a regular part of my ZReduction regimen. My favorite is starting with a 6-8 ounce mahi-mahi fillet AND a 6-8 ounce hake fillet 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.

Make this for the whole gang and watch a movie on a cold evening. You can even make a big batch of this and serve it for a football party. Tailgate too.

This comes together in a flash and tastes just as good as the recipes that cook for hours.

This meatloaf makes six servings. When you serve it, remember that your crunch item is already included, so no breadstick or crackers with this meal.

This is a “Whopper” of a meatloaf, designed to taste like the famous burger. I hope you enjoy.

All the ingredients spend a lot of loving time together in the pot to make an amazingly simple and flavorful soup.

Dieter Jessica made this meal on one of her first days of ZReduction. It was so delicious she wanted to share it with everyone.

For a change of pace you can try a unique meatloaf. This one comes with an optional extra sauce in case you want to really ramp up the flavor.

This is very close to my mother's meatloaf recipe. I used to serve this with mashed potatoes and corn when I wanted comfort food. Not Anymore! I also used to say that if I ever ended up on death row and they asked me what I wanted for my last meal, this would be it. It’s such a BIG YUM and brings back fond memories.

Get ready to 'kick' up your dinner with this recipe from Dieter Rebecca. She used a combination of ground chicken and Italian sausage to add an extra boost of flavor to her meatloaf. Feel free to use ground beef if that's all you have, but Rebecca really recommends trying the chicken version for a unique take on this American classic.

Thanks to Dieter Brian of WVJS Breakfast Bunch for sending us his take on a simple spring salmon recipe.

Dieter Emily sent us this easy to make crock pot weeknight recipe. Emily says, "when I came home from work, it smelled heavenly! This soup has so much flavor and is also quite filling!"

This dish can be served with something as simple as a grilled steak or a baked chicken breast. If you want an American-Asian combo this is the way to go. It’s also designed to be served with the seared sea scallops for a more Asian-directed entrée.

Add a kick to your weeknight meals. Just let the crock pot do the work and you'll have a South of the border dinner in a cinch.

As the weather gets colder and the nights get longer this makes a wonderful soup. Or if you get a cold while on Plan Z this might be just the ticket!

I redesigned this recipe to incorporate cream to make a smooth sauce that will remind you of an old spaghetti house. Just no spaghetti.

The seasoning on the top of this turkey breast comes from a great guy in Door County named Curt. He makes his own seasoning and sells it in a store and on-line.

Riley rocked her refrigerator to come up with this one. Riley says, "I was looking for a way to use up leftovers and winter in Nebraska is a great time for soups."

Well for those unfamiliar, ratatouille is actually a really fine French vegetable dish. So easy to make!

When I made this Creole stew, I used some “aristocratic” ingredients (shrimp and lump crab meat) but you can certainly make it easier on your budget by making a “Cajun” version.

Seafood is often served on New Year’s Eve. In some cultures it’s a celebration that is supposed to come with good luck if you eat seafood.

A really quick healthy dinner even the kids will enjoy.

A really simple, yet really tasty meal. This a favorite around the Zola HQ for a lunch time treat.

Talk about comfort food. This is the pure definition. Thankfully fat doesn’t make you fat so you can eat this at parties and not feel the guilt.

These are delightfully decadent treats. A word of CAUTION: Treat them like candy!

In addition to being crunchy, satisfying and delicious, pumpkin seeds are a nutritious snack. You can buy shelled pumpkin seeds in the grocery store (also know as pepitas), but when pumpkin season rolls around, you can buy a fresh pumpkin, scrape out the seeds, and toast the whole seeds yourself. YUM! 

At first you’d think chimichangas would be high carb. The good news is they have low carb tortillas at the grocery store that taste the same as the traditional. Look for the low carb versions.

We have to thank Dieter Claire for inventing this recipe. She modified the fruit parfait recipe and developed a strawberry "ice cream" recipe and this recipe with frozen mandarin oranges. She says, “it’s like an orange creamsicle.” YUM!

Dieter Claire invented this recipe by modifying the fruit parfait recipe and adding extra frozen strawberries. She says, "it's as close to ice cream as you can get." We agree.

A delicious recipe submitted by Dieter Claire. Does this take longer than sautéing in a pan? Well yes, but the chicken that comes out is soooooo tender it's worth the time. We completely agree, Claire, thanks for sharing!

As I saw the interaction between mother and daughter in the grocery store I thought to myself, that mom is my hero today, and that young girl has a healthy life in her future.

A no sugar variation of my caramelized pears recipe. Still very yummy!

Chris’s cousins sent us a HUGE box of fruit as his get well wish. There are only two of us, so in order to use the fruit I have had to get creative! Oh, my, these are yummy!

Most folks think of chicken wings as being a guy thing and even a sport fan thing but anyone can love this dip! I served it as a breakfast buffet item and it was hands down the dish that got the most comments and compliments. I think it was because it was so unexpected. The comments came from men and women alike but I must admit the guys were the ones who went gaga over this.

My favorite technique for cooking low-fat burgers is to quickly sear the burger and finish it by roasting it in the oven. Here’s the recipe for seared burgers that are then oven-roasted.

This will go well with beef burgers or even ground chicken breast burgers or grilled chicken breasts; even a steak.

This dish comes together in a flash. If you are doing beef enchiladas, I recommend red sauce. If you are doing chicken, I recommend you go wild and use a green sauce.

Traditional orange juice is not allowed on Plan Z because when you remove all the pulp (the fiber) what's left is a whole bunch of sugar. But, if you have a magic bullet or a high-powered blender, you can enjoy a liquefied, blended orange - as long as you blend the whole orange and don't strain the pulp.

A delicious sauce to pair with your favorite dessert.

If you don’t use liquor in your cooking you can leave that out. You can also flavor them with stevia flavorings. You could have coconut, vanilla or other flavors.

When you are in the ZReduction portion of Plan Z you will not be eating the skin of the chicken or any of the dark meat. Breast meat only.

I found this recipe online. I didn’t have to do much to make it Zola. It tastes very much like a cheeseburger. The way to make it exciting though is to make sure you pile on the toppings that you like on your burger. You can feed the whole family with this and no one will miss the bun.

Here’s an idea from the Plan Z kitchen. Use this classic recipe and add a spooky twist for a hauntingly delicious Halloween snack. 

An easy and interactive way to add a little magic to your meals around Halloween!

Here's a cute idea to offer children or family members around Halloween. There are so many ways to spin this.  The best part? No candy required.

I don’t give out candy on Halloween anymore. I give out toys!
The kids love it. They like to see something different in that basket.  When they dip in, I tell them they can pick a toy or even two. They giggle like crazy!

From Dieter Claire: Make this in bulk and store it in a jar. It's less expensive than taco seasoning packets and has no fillers. Plus, I can tweak the flavors to suit my family.

No need to salt them. No need to season them. They will be delicious and have PLENTY of flavor. 

The other day, potato pancakes came to mind and I they could probably be made with cauliflower. Turns out they can!

I eat very few bananas these days because as they ripen their carb count/glycemic index load goes up. So this is a treat. Don’t plan to eat the whole loaf yourself. That could get dangerous.

Change up the fruits and the flavorings and this can be several desserts. Think strawberry with almond, or orange with raspberries.

This stuff is addictive and so refreshing. RARELY do I take seconds on a dessert. With this one I did.

Craving breakfast cereal? Try this instead! Have it with unsweetened coconut milk or as a YUMMY parfait.

Pears and chocolate go great together. Who needs candy apples when you've got these?

Hot off the Griddle. “Zolafied” pancakes. If you want your kids full and focused before school give them these instead of cereal.

The pinecone idea is unique, festive and delicious. I am going to lay out a simple version and then give you suggestions for variations.

Chill in your refrigerator until ready to eat. If you are going to serve it the next day cover it with plastic wrap.

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.

This is a quick cake that can be served at a party. You don’t need large pieces when something has as much flavor as this does. Pumpkin treats are a big hit in the Fall and over the holidays.

A variation of my sea salt crusted snow peas recipe - but with snap peas!

An easy-to-make, low-carb caramel sauce. Wowza!

This stuff is addictive and so refreshing. RARELY do I take seconds on a dessert. With this one I did.

So light and decadent - YUM! Serve with fruit, or any other dessert for extra special deliciousness.

Once your weight has solidly stabilized you can handle something like this; just not every day.

Making avocado toast is a very free-form exercise. You can build it the way you want to; that's what makes it so easy - and delicious!

I think this makes a beautiful, refreshing dessert. If you can’t get fresh strawberries go ahead and use frozen. Slices are best so they don’t get caught in the blender. For a special occasion top it with whipped cream! 

You won’t ever need potato chips again.

Sinfully delicious...with only three ingredients.

This smoothie recipe is a great breakfast drink for those on the go. It is also a great mid-afternoon snack for those who want to get more calories in ZReboot. It even makes a great dessert!

A tasty snack - perfect for a road trip.

I came up with this recipe as a tribute to Dieter Ron and his wife Jean. This darling couple drove from Wisconsin to Chicago just to meet me and my team.

This is going to taste just like a traditional enchilada without the tortilla. If you have Mexican food fans in your family this is a hit!

The parfait is a serious twist on a Cooking Light recipe I came across, so I need to give them credit but I also wanted you to know it's light and rather healthy.

Talk about comfort food. This is the pure definition. Thankfully fat doesn’t make you fat so you can eat this at parties and not feel the guilt.

If you have a hankering for potato chips, try these!

Things like peppers are popular at Italian little plates restaurants. I’m offering you a recipe for mine here. Mine have a bit of an after-burner kick to them.

I ordered this dish at a restaurant in town. It was so good I said, “I have to figure out how to make this myself!” It was that wonderful.

This is a combination of a few recipes I found. Love the fact that these are low carb and tasty!

These are delightfully decadent treats. A word of CAUTION: Treat them like candy!

LOVE these cheesy bits for an appetizer. They go great while you are sipping your wine.

Can’t get any easier than this. Toss all of the ingredients in a bowl and serve with your protein hot off the grill!

Puff Pastry Cocktail Cheese Straws are the perfect party appetizer! One that goes great with strolling drinks. Drink in one hand, cheese straw in the other. 

I found a recipe very similar to this one about 15 years in an old Southern cookbook. I have made a few changes to “Zola-fy” it. This goes over BIG at any party, and it's so simple!

This is what I call cheating when I’m in a hurry. I use my favorite bottled Italian dressing as the marinade and everyone thinks I put so much effort into this really pretty dish.

In addition to being crunchy, satisfying and delicious, pumpkin seeds are a nutritious snack. You can buy shelled pumpkin seeds in the grocery store (also know as pepitas), but when pumpkin season rolls around, you can buy a fresh pumpkin, scrape out the seeds, and toast the whole seeds yourself. YUM! 

This is an elegant meal you can serve to company or even just for a romantic meal at home. I served this with haricot vert (roasted French green beans). That kept the meal totally low carb.

Two things I love about living mid-South: fried green tomatoes, and tomato pie.

This soup is a staple at Chinese restaurants. It is filling, delicate and delicious. Unfortunately, one of the ingredients in most restaurant egg drop soup recipes is MSG. The recipe below is an MSG-free version of the traditional classic, so it won't taste exactly the same, but we think it's just as delicious.

A spicy and refreshing salsa can jazz up any dish. Dieter Lois shared this recipe for her ZReduction-friendly salsa verde. She whipped up a batch to put over her eggs, but this would be good on just about anything.

This recipe was submitted by dieter Dave, who is an avid gardener and serious grill-master. He grows his own peppers and likes this recipe because it is so simple - and always delicious. Even though this recipe calls for Anaheim peppers, you can use any type of pepper that suits your fancy. 

My husband found this recipe and made it for me. It was delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

What will take the longest with this dish is peeling and taking the shells off the shrimp. You want fresh shrimp though and I’ll teach you how to boil down the shells to make it super-tasty. A deeper flavor is the bonus.

Most folks think of chicken wings as being a guy thing and even a sport fan thing but anyone can love this dip! I served it as a breakfast buffet item and it was hands down the dish that got the most comments and compliments. I think it was because it was so unexpected. The comments came from men and women alike but I must admit the guys were the ones who went gaga over this.

A traditional Waldorf salad has grapes or raisins and lots of walnuts -- but it doesn’t have to. This one worked great as a side dish. Be sure to cut your fruit portion for this meal in half.

Okay, don’t freak on me. Grilled romaine is really good and tastes better than it looks. Impress your guests with something they’ve probably never had before.

The inspiration for this recipe came from a new one offered up by Bon Appetit. I must give them some of the credit. I changed it enough to make it my own, but the original is in a cookbook by Molly Baz called Cook this Book.

Dieter Sarah eats tuna salad to help her lose weight on ZReduction. This is her "magic" recipe.

This delicious recipe was submitted by dieter Nicole. She served it with pork chops and roasted tomatoes. Thanks, Nicole for the inspired dish!

Since leafy greens are unlimited you can double (or triple) the amount of greens used in this recipe if you want to make it stretch.

Here’s an idea from the Plan Z kitchen. Use this classic recipe and add a spooky twist for a hauntingly delicious Halloween snack. 

An easy and interactive way to add a little magic to your meals around Halloween!

Here's a cute idea to offer children or family members around Halloween. There are so many ways to spin this.  The best part? No candy required.

No need to salt them. No need to season them. They will be delicious and have PLENTY of flavor. 

Try this Zolafied coleslaw recipe and you'll never go hunting for the secret Chick-Fil-A recipe again.

The other day, potato pancakes came to mind and I they could probably be made with cauliflower. Turns out they can!

This comes together in a FLASH. When it’s hot outside and you want something easy but on the gourmet side, this hits the spot.

Maybe this is not news to you, but it took me six decades to learn about oven bacon. In our family, my husband has always been the bacon maker. He’s great at getting it perfectly crispy.

Caramelizing onions makes the natural sugars in the onion come to the forefront. No more bold onion taste. Just dreamy flavor.

Craving breakfast cereal? Try this instead! Have it with unsweetened coconut milk or as a YUMMY parfait.

I love my acorn squash roasted with just butter in the center and a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper. But I know tons of people want brown sugar in the middle and more. So this version can satisfy the sweet tooth and add an optional spice/heat factor.

As far as brunch casseroles go, this one is very easy to make and pleases the crowd. It can be made ahead and heated the day of the party.

The pinecone idea is unique, festive and delicious. I am going to lay out a simple version and then give you suggestions for variations.

These nuts taste eerily like the ones in the famous Chex Mix only I left off the Chex and the pretzels. They were a huge hit!

A variation of my sea salt crusted snow peas recipe - but with snap peas!

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."

This simple recipe is the latest from the Zola Test Kitchen. Try these! I got some really juicy tangerines (that were very easy to peel) at the grocery store yesterday.

Making avocado toast is a very free-form exercise. You can build it the way you want to; that's what makes it so easy - and delicious!

I think this makes a beautiful, refreshing dessert. If you can’t get fresh strawberries go ahead and use frozen. Slices are best so they don’t get caught in the blender. For a special occasion top it with whipped cream! 

You won’t ever need potato chips again.

A ghoulish (and healthy) Halloween snack idea.

I came up with this recipe at the end of summer. I took what I call an “inspiration” recipe and Zolified it so we can enjoy it. It’s really tasty.