The Plan Z Diet Tupperware Queen

The Plan Z Diet Tupperware Queen

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet




Have you ever gone to the theater to see a play and a Tupperware Party broke out?

Happened to me.

This past weekend I treated my husband to a night out. We went to a play. I chose this particular play because my husband is a sales trainer and this play is about sales.

Dixie is the star of the show.

This one-woman play is about a lady who becomes a Tupperware sales person out of a need to make money to raise her kids.

It’s hilarious. And the whole play really is a live Tupperware party. Dixie demonstrates her favorite Tupperware products and the audience joins in to what is really a Tupperware party. Audience members actually pay good money to go to what would customarily be a free party. And the only food they serve is a free mint. You even pay for your drinks.

Check out this link below for a look at the play ad. You can even click on a free demo to see a piece of the play.

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/playdetail.php?playID=4627

Dixie’s Tupperware Party is a bit risqué but it’s really all in good fun. Dixie does a GREAT job of ad-libbing when audience members offer up comments. She can make mincemeat out of anyone. The men in the audience as well as those who admit they’ve never been to a Tupperware Party (including yours truly) are picked on to no end.

I laughed so hard my jaw hurt. I highly recommend it if it comes to your town.

I didn’t buy any Tupperware on site but I did leave with the catalog. Believe it or not, this woman is now the largest seller of Tupperware in North America (TRUE!).

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Plan Z Diet Sweet and Spicy Pecans

The Plan Z Diet Sweet and Spicy Pecans

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet



Plan Z Diet by Zola

This is a Plan Z Diet ZReboot recipe. These are absolutely addicting and can be made with any nuts you choose. Guests at a dinner party just snarfed them up and asked for more! Love that!

I am not even going to give you quantities for this recipe. It’s so easy you just dust each ingredient over the nuts and roast. It all depends on your taste and how many nuts you want to make in one batch. I normally spread a couple of cups of nuts across the bottom of a 9” X 13” pan. That gives you enough for a small party or a few days of snacking.

Ingredients:

• Pecans
• Chili powder (You can use smoked or regular. Your choice)
• Cinnamon
• ZSweet or Swerve granular sweetener. This stuff is new and works great in things you heat in the oven. Truvia works sometimes but other times it gives off a tin taste when it’s been heated. So this is worth the effort to order it on line. I have never seen it in a store – not yet anyway.
• Cayenne. I put about twice as much cayenne as the other things. I like the zippy to balance off the sweet. You can decide if you want to go that far.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees or 375 convection.

Spray the 9 X 13 pan with olive oil spray. Then add the nuts. Spray the nuts lightly with olive oil spray.

Then dust on chili powder, cinnamon, sweetener and cayenne. Roast 12 – 14 minutes. Depends on your oven. You want the nuts to crisp up. I cook mine just until I start to see darkening on the edges or tops of a few nuts.

Then let start to cool. You can serve warm or room temp.

Enjoy!
Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Sweet and Spicy Pecans Recipe Copyright 2015 The Plan Z Diet by Zola

Party Time at the Plan Z Diet!

Party Time at the Plan Z Diet!

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet




Next week I’ll be preparing food for 80 at Plan Z Diet headquarters. Most people gasp at the thought and want to know how I do it. So I thought I’d lay out a few of my strategies in today’s column.

I also wanted to share the Plan Z Diet party a bit with those of you who can’t come. Believe me when I say I understand. There are thousands of our Plan Z dieters spread across the country. I feel lucky that 80 will be here to share in the festivities but I have a couple of little tricks up my sleeve so even if you can’t come, you can participate.

As far as the food goes, I want to be able to play hostess more than caterer. What that means is I want to be spending time with the guests and not so much in the kitchen. Most of the food will be cold. It’s summer, so why not? And those items that are not cold will be able to sit in chafing dishes and not have to be monitored very often.

I can prepare much of it two days ahead. A few local guests have volunteered to help with prep. That’s always nice. Even if they are not cooks I can always use someone around who will chop and wash pans, pots and mixing bowls.

I decided to go kind of retro with my menu. I have chosen recipes from the 50’s and 60’s in some cases. Of course I have to Plan Z Diet Zola-fy most of them, but that’s easy for me now. I haven’t finalized the menu yet but I’ll share what I have with you now. 

Plan Z Diet party menu

• Orzo with shredded chicken, leeks and parmesan cheese
• 50’s Style Shrimp Dip
• Marinated shredded beef and ‘sweet buns’
• Hot artichoke spread with crackers and dipping vehicles (V)
• Beefsteak tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and Zola’s Plan Z Diet famous pesto (V)

Zola's Plan Z Diet Famous Pesto

• Vegetable “trifle” with blue cheese and pepper layers (V)
• Plan Z Diet hot (spicy) nuts (V)

Plan Z Diet Hot (Spicy) Nuts

• Gorgonzola dolce (V)
• Salami and provolone triangles 
• Curried vegetable dip with cucumbers and “dippers” (V)
• Mushroom, blue cheese and artichoke “tower” (V)
• Mini donuts with strawberry and chocolate dipping sauces (V)
• Peanut butter “dream” (V)
• Dark chocolate wedges (V)
• Tuxedo strawberries (V)
• Plan Z Diet Lemon tarts (V)

Plan Z Diet Lemon Tarts

Looks pretty tasty doesn’t it? All of those little V’s are notations for things vegetarians would like. I always mark those. I’m pretty surprised how many are vegetarian but because it’s summer I wanted to focus on fresh vegetables and a colorful display. All but two of the items are totally low carb. There isn’t a reason in the world you can’t eat like royalty but still eat healthy. That's what we believe at the Plan Z Diet.

People will get to come back to replenish their little appetizer plates and get plenty to eat. So vote on your favorite menu item to get your favorite recipes!

Now for the entertainment.

I was invited to a party that was featuring a blues band headed up by Will Tilson. Chicago is famous for blues, so I thought that made a good theme for our first Garden Gala. What headed me in this direction was budget. I thought if the guy who hired that band could afford them, then likely I could, too. I was right. This band is ‘dirt cheap’. But that doesn’t mean they are a bad band. Oh contraire! Will Tilson is a musical phenome. He’s only 15 years old and has already played with some of the most famous blues musicians alive. He’s bringing two other guys to play along with him and they are going to play for 3 hours. That’s an evening!

I’m linking you to Will Tilson’s site. He has 4 songs here that you can play and have your own little blues concert. I hope you enjoy!

Food and music. What better ways to celebrate the summer with the Plan Z Diet? And meeting new people, of course. I am so looking forward to meeting new dieters as well as old friends.

Cheers to you!

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

The Plan Z Diet "Full" Facts on "Bilky"

The Plan Z Diet "Full" Facts on "Bilky"

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet




I was raised in Wisconsin. I can still remember the arrival each morning of the milk man. The milk man visited our house at least once a day; maybe even twice. Sometimes we had milk delivery in the morning and other dairy products like cheese and butter were delivered in the afternoon. Our family of seven children drank an amazing amount of milk. We even had those huge 5 gallon boxes of milk with the tap on the end and we’d go through one seemingly before we left for school.

Heck, I drank an amazing amount of milk. Up until a couple of years ago when I started designing the Plan Z Diet I drank a gallon of skim milk, by myself, every two days. I never went to the grocery store without putting milk in my cart.

I used to say that if someone told me I could only drink one thing for the rest of my life, to the exclusion of all other liquids, I’d tell them that milk would win hands down.

I’ve changed my mind since I developed the Plan Z Diet. I almost never drink milk from a cow anymore. If I drink milk it’s probably coconut milk in a smoothie. I drink full fat cream in my coffee instead of milk. Sometimes I don’t even have a carton of milk in my refrigerator.

So what changed my mind? I studied up for the Plan Z Diet.

I found one theory that postulates that most adults are probably allergic to cow milk but they just don’t realize it. They don’t break out in hives or sneeze so they really don’t realize that cow milk is a problem. They just end up with a sluggish digestive system accompanied by regular bloating. All of that leads to weight gain. And I was the “queen of dieting” but I kept getting fatter. I quit drinking milk as I designed the Plan Z Diet by Zola, and my bloating and slow digestion went away. Hmmm. Maybe there was something to that theory. It all stems from babies being taken off of “mommy milk” too early and their digestive systems aren’t fully developed yet, so cow milk causes inflammation. (By the way, this same theory does not apply to goat milk or sheep milk but in the US we just don’t readily reach out for milk from other sources. It’s the fact that we feed cow milk we feed to teeny children that are not ready for it and it causes the problem. As an adult I can drink goat milk (kefir) and I can drink sheep’s milk too. The sensitivity is to cow milk.)

Other experts cite how humans don’t really need milk after the age of 2 and for half of that time they probably should be drinking only “mommy milk”. That sort of makes sense, doesn’t it?

But what if you’re a dairy farmer and don’t like me telling you about problems with cow milk? Or what if you’re so attached to milk that you’re addicted to it like I was? My addiction started at an early age. Story is, my first word was not mommy or daddy. It was bilky. I’d stretch out my little hand from my high chair and open and close my fist as if to beg and beckon what I wanted over to me. What I wanted was milk.

And it turns out skim milk is now found to be worse for you than full fat milk.

That’s what I wanted to show you today. Here’s an article written by Paul John Scott for Details Magazine. It’s all about milk and why skim milk might not be your friend.

This article will enlighten. It’s not about giving up milk altogether. I don’t think people have to give up milk completely, but if you’re at all like I was it could be a slippery slope to getting fat to go back to drinking cow milk. I’m not willing to chance it. http://www.details.com/style-advice/the-body/201105/skim-milk-non-fat-milk-diet-foods

So you’ve learned that if you want to drink milk that full fat milk is probably your best bet for health. Sounds completely opposite of what we’ve been told for the last 40 years or so doesn’t it? Well, I believe it so I thought I’d share this news with you.

By the way, the same goes for cheese¸ yogurt and other dairy products (especially on the Plan Z Diet). Feel free to eat full fat. I’m going to tell you over and over again that it’s not the fat in cheese that makes us fat. You don’t have to suffer through non-fat cheese. You can go to your grocer and tell them that you don’t care if there are 149 different flavors of non-fat yogurt. You want them to begin carrying full fat yogurt again if they don’t now. It’s the fat that will make you feel full so you’ll be satisfied sooner and less likely to feel like you can still fit in that bagel. The bagel is what will make you fat. Not the full fat dairy.

Maybe someday we’ll see pastures covered with sheep and goats. That would be a nice change of scenery, and the dairy farmers can still be busy.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Plan Z Diet Lemon Curd

Plan Z Diet Lemon Curd

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet




The Plan Z Diet by Zola

This is a Plan Z Diet ZReboot recipe. My husband’s favorite flavor is lemon. We have been together 33 years and every year I have made him a different lemon dessert for his birthday. I have had to get pretty creative after all these years!

Lemon curd is easy to make and so versatile. You can even put a dollop of this on pancakes! (Of course you’ll make your pancakes with almond flour…) One of my Plan Z Diet favorites is to make little lemon tarts with it. The one in the picture were made with crusts I made in cupcake tins so they are very small. I topped them with candied violets. You can order those online. Or just serve them plain, or with sweetened cream on top.

This is a take-off of a recipe I found online but of course I Zolafied for the Plan Z Diet it to take out the sugar. This lemon curd is tart but my guests all declared it was sweet enough for them!

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons butter
½ cup FRESH lemon juice
1/3 cup of ZSweet or Swerve (these are sugar substitutes you can order online. They are great for baking. They don’t give off that tinny taste that Truvia sometimes does).
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 small pinch salt

Instructions:

Cut butter up into pieces (around 8 to 10 pieces is good). Put the butter into the freezer.

Blend the rest of the ingredients together in a blender. Pour into a sauce pan. Heat slowly on medium. Stir frequently. When curd begins to thicken to the point where it coats the spoon, or leaves a trail when the bottom of the pan is scraped with a spatula, or is 170 F, remove from heat (don’t let it boil). I use my insta-read meat thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. This is the tricky part of this recipe. If you cook it too fast the eggs will scramble in the bottom of the pan. Take your time. This is worth being vigilant. I slowly stir this mixture with my wooden spoon; constantly. It takes 6 – 10 minutes or so on medium. It depends on how powerful your burner is.

When it’s ready, turn off the heat. Stir in the butter. Keep stirring until butter is melted and incorporated. If you think it’s too “sharp,” try adding another tablespoon or two of butter.

Enjoy!
Cheers,


To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Plan Z Diet Required Reading

Plan Z Diet Required Reading

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





I’m definitely not one to read the op-ed page. In fact, I don’t even read the newspaper. Okay, okay. In the interest of full disclosure, I might read my horoscope when I find the paper left on the kitchen counter by my husband. And on Sundays, I love to read the magazines inserted into the paper; things like Parade Magazine.

That doesn’t mean I walk around with my head in a hole, though. I am a bit of a news junkie. I watch the national news like I’m addicted to it, and I also watch our local news to catch up on what’s happening in Chicago. While I’m reading Parade Magazine, I probably have a news program going on the TV, at the same time. When I’m in my car, I invariably have a news-talk station on. WGN is my fave.

So why am I asking you to read this offering in the NY Times’ Op Ed Page?

It’s because I think it should be required reading for every adult on the planet and especially for those on the Plan Z Diet.

When people ask me what I ate for breakfast I tell them that I made a smoothie. It had full fat Greek yogurt in it, frozen strawberries, unsweetened almond milk, a bit of vanilla and stevia and some flaxseed oil. They invariably exclaim that I must be mistaken. I did buy the 0% fat yogurt, right? NOT the full fat stuff – that stuff will make you fat!

And I come back with, “No it won’t. It’s the low fat stuff with the artificial flavorings, artificial sweeteners and the sugar that will make you fat.” Just because they sell that stuff doesn’t make it good for you. Just because the marketers tell you it’s better for you doesn’t make it true. And just because government guidelines tell you that’s what you’re supposed to eat doesn’t mean they’re right.

This is the exact kind of nutritional misinformation we set straight on the Plan Z Diet.

So read this and get the lowdown on what the federal government’s Dietary Guideline did to us as a nation. It’s time for change.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/09/opinion/why-is-the-federal-government-afraid-of-fat.html

I’m not a political activist, but I’d like to see those running for President talk about THIS. The obesity crisis is the biggest problem we have. Literally.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Young and Impetuous

Young and Impetuous

By: Zola

Chief Dieter

Plan Z Diet





I have stayed in touch here and there with a man I worked for 30+ years ago.

Phil was in charge of a division of Quaker Oats in the marketing department. He oversaw the marketing for Aunt Jemima products as well as things like the grits and hominy. All grain-based products. He was also in charge of the Aunt Jemima maple syrup line.

I loved working for Phil. Phil seemed to tolerate me pretty well too.

I think he liked the fact that I was smart. He put up with the fact that I was not the greatest typist and I was always five minutes late. But there was nothing I would not do for that guy. I did my best to go out of my way to make sure his things were in order and projects were done on time. I went above and beyond and helped him with monitoring a department budget as well as some reports. I helped him screen resumes for hiring as well as anything else I could think of.

I was a sponge. Everything that came across his desk or mine was read by me. I wanted to learn and was willing to put in any amount of hours to learn all I could. I was even criticized at one point for not going home. I was making the other secretaries look bad. That just prompted me to take work home. In those days you couldn’t do much work at home. Your only typewriter was on your desk. It weighed about 30 pounds. No way you were taking that back and forth on the train like we take a laptop home now. So I just read what I could and studied everything Phil was doing. He became a mentor of sorts.

Phil had a small family. He had one young son and a pretty wife.

I decided I wanted to treat him and his family.

I had begun decorating cakes and was quite good at it. So I made an egg-shaped cake and decorated it. It was presented on a beautiful glass platter. I got up at dawn and drove it to his house. I put the cake on his porch step and sneaked off to my car. I hoped they had a lovely Easter with a yummy cake for dessert.

The next day Phil didn’t say anything to me about the cake. I had not put a note with it. I figured when he saw the decorated cake he’d know it came from me. He had seen my cake decorating in action before for office celebrations. I was too shy to come forward and ask him if he got the cake. I just let it go.

For 30 years I have wondered if he ever got the cake. I finally got up the guts to ask. He and I had been exchanging emails last week. I told him the story of the cake. I told him that as I grew older I realized what a dumb idea that was. The cake was sitting on his porch; probably for hours, uncovered. All kinds of things could have happened to that cake!

It could have been peed on by a roving dog. It could have been decimated by local raccoons. It might have sat there for days until it was moldy or rained on. I was not thinking about the fact that some folks go in and out of their back door and never use the front door unless company comes. The cake was small enough that even driving in and out of the driveway they might not have seen it.

Here I was worrying about the cake getting eaten and enjoyed by some of my favorite humans but it was probably eaten by animals. But where did the platter go then?

When I asked Phil about the cake delivery of 30+ years ago, he has no recollection. Of course. If he had indeed eaten my cake I’m confident he would have remembered.

Maybe all along the real story is I mistakenly delivered it to a neighbor and they ate it. And they were the ones left wondering who left if for them.

It appears this is one mystery that will never be solved.

Lesson learned.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/