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Cheesy Turkey Noodle Casserole
This dish can be made with chicken or is a perfect way to use up leftover turkey from the holidays.
Buttered Mushrooms
ZS-5 Ingredients or Less,Z3-Sides,Z3-Vegetarian,ZSpecialties
Dieter Rebecca first had this warm and rustic side dish while in Ireland on a road trip in 1994. These mushrooms where in every Irish B&B Dieter Rebecca visited. She loved the recipe so much she recreated it for Plan Z! Hope you enjoy.
Chicken “Chimichangas”
ZS-Dieter Favorites,Z3.5-Poultry,ZSpecialties
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.
Chicken Mamou
One of my favorite Cajun meals is chicken mamou. Mamou in Creole is basically grandma. So this is “grandma('s) chicken.”
Curried Asparagus Soup
Serve in soup bowls with a protein of choice. In Z2 this is your veggie portion. You can have plain salad greens on the side if you need more. It’s very filling though.
Beef Taco Soup (EASY)
What’s the difference between chili and taco soup? Broth, of course. There is more broth in taco soup is more so it’s thinner than chili. The internet tells me that chili is technically considered a stew. Go figure.
Spinach Stuffed Roasted Chicken
ZSpecialties,Z2-Entrees,ZS-Dieter Favorites,Z2-Poultry
A unique way to stuff a chicken! From our dieting friend from Canada…Loretta.
Caramelized Pears (ZReboot 3.5 Version)
ZSpecialties,Z3.5-Desserts,ZS-5 Ingredients or Less
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!
Chili #4
ZSpecialties,Z2-Entrees,Z2-Beef,ZS-Zola to Go,Z2-Soup
I have designed several chili recipes for Plan Z. This is one of those that is very straightforward and simple. It doesn’t even have a lot of ingredients.
Seafood Chowder
This is not the usual, thick, gloppy chowder since you are on ZReduction, but it will pass as a fancy, flavorful meal.
Hot Brown Open-faced Sandwich
This is fast to make and is a wonderful comfort food addition to your recipes.
American Amatriciana
Amatriciana is an Italian dish. Simple and traditional. I am calling this American Amatriciana because the Italian version is made with guanciale or pancetta. I make mine with good ole’ American bacon. This is one of my husband’s favorite dishes. I hope you love it too.
Cheeseburger Casserole
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.
Shrimp and Mushroom Casserole
This is elegant comfort food. It’s sort of like the American version of the French dish called Coquille St. Jacque.
Chili Con Carne
Z2-Soup,ZS-Zola to Go,Z2-Entrees,ZSpecialties,Z2-Beef,ZS-Dieter Favorites
This is a meaty chili with some veggies tossed in for crunch factor. Makes a satisfying lunch.
French Chicken with Lemon-Tarragon Cream Sauce
ZS-Dieter Favorites,Z2-Poultry,ZSpecialties,Z2-Entrees
A delightful chicken dish that tastes very French. This is super easy to make and dieters are enjoying it all over the country.
Braised Red Cabbage
For all you cabbage lovers out there, this recipe is a ZReduction take on a German classic. While you can whip this dish up in about 30 minutes, red cabbage tastes sweeter the longer you cook it -- so if you are on ZReduction and like your cabbage a little sweeter, cook it low and slow until the flavors mellow and meld to your liking.
Strawberry “Almost Ice Cream”
Z2-Vegetarian,Z2-Desserts,ZSpecialties,Z2-Beverages,ZS-Dieter Favorites
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.
Chimichanga Casserole
When I was young I loved going to Chi Chi’s and ordering the chimichanga. Now that I know all the carbs from the tortilla it was wrapped in are a bad idea, I decided to make a lower carb casserole version.
Creamy Cajun Shrimp and Sausage “Stew”
I’ll admit it. I found this inspiration recipe online. I did not have to change it up much to Zola-fy it..it is soooo good!
BBQ Bean Hash
Z3.5-Entrees,Z3.5-Sides,Z3.5-Beef
When I was a kid my father traveled a lot. When he was gone, sometimes my mom would let us just fry up some hamburger meat and add a can of Campbell’s baked beans. We called it bean hash. I loved it.
Hot Wing Dip
ZSpecialties,ZS-Dieter Favorites,Z3-Poultry,ZS-Holiday,Z3-Appetizers & Snacks
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.
Burger and Egg
It’s all the rage in the big city. Have a runny egg on top of your burger. Well, you can do that in ZReduction too! I just ate mine and I’m stuffed!
Chicken and Green Chiles Casserole
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.
Sunday Chicken
Pierre Franey was a cooking hero of mine. He was the original “60 Minute Gourmet.” I adapted this recipe from one of his and turned it into a wonderful diet meal.
Turkey or Chicken Meatloaf
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.
Italian Pepper Steak in a Crock Pot
This is a great crock pot recipe. Super simple but really tasty.
Shrimp Cocktail Chowder
Talk about easy to make. This soup is done in a flash. If you’re like me you’ll make a triple batch. You can freeze the portions and just add shrimp bits when you go to serve it.
Roasted Butternut Squash, Egg and Cheese Casserole
This recipe is for all the vegetarians out there. Thank you dieter Nancy for this photo. For you non-vegetarians this makes a great side dish to go along with a grilled meat. We had this last night with grilled Andouille sausage and had a lovely meal.
Chef Jernard’s Holiday Collard Greens
Z3-Sides,Z3-Pork,Z3-Soups & Stews
Celebrity Chef Jernard Wells knows soul food. While a lot of his food is quite decadent, he also loves greens, and shared his wonderful southern greens recipe in a local interview. What's great about it is it can easily be modified to fit ZReboot. His original recipe calls for sugar, but by replacing the sugar with your favorite sugar substitute, you can still enjoy this delicious recipe.
Tomato Steak Stew
Made this tonight and was very happy with it – it would count as your vegetable and your meat although you could definitely add a green salad. I found it to be very filling.
Turkey Fricassee
ZS-Holiday,Z3-Entrees,Z3-Poultry,ZSpecialties
I love to take the leftover turkey and transform it into something different. French comfort food. BIG YUM.
Creole Soup (with or without protein)
This soup is super easy to make. If you are a fan of southern food this will hit the spot.
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
When you get into the second portion of ZReboot you can start to experiment with a little more carbohydrates. Try this at week 4 – 6 of ZReboot and see how you do.
Beef Stroganoff
You can have your stroganoff and eat it too! Most stroganoff recipes are served over rice or a big pile of noodles. You don’t have to do that. You have other choices.
Roasted Lemon Chicken
ZS-Holiday,ZS-Dieter Favorites,ZSpecialties,Z2-Poultry,ZS-5 Ingredients or Less
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.
Cincinnati Chili (EASY)
Z3.5-Beef,Z3.5-Soups & Stews,Z3-Beef,Z3-Soups & Stews
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.
Creole Meatloaf
Z2-Entrees,ZSpecialties,Z2-Beef,ZS-Dieter Favorites
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.
Green Bean Casserole
ZSpecialties,Z3-Sides,ZS-Zola to Go,ZS-Holiday,Z3-Vegetarian
Just like the one your mom made, only healthier. Everyone loves the green bean casserole. Here I'll show you one one that doesn't take much longer to make and it’s real food, not processed!
Cabbage Rolls
We were really happy with the way it turned out and I think you could adjust the seasonings to your own taste if you want more garlic or more salt, etc.
Zola Lasagna
What makes this Zola lasagna is a reasonable amount of pasta. Most lasagna recipes run at least 3 or 4 layers of noodles. This one has 2. And I promise, you won’t miss the other two layers.
Warm Apple Dessert (Compote)
This tastes amazingly like gooey apple pie! This is delightful. Just like Grandma used to make.
Roasted Fennel
ZSpecialties,Z2-Sides,ZS-5 Ingredients or Less,Z2-Vegetarian
Fennel has a distinct flavor, but when it's roasted, the flavor mellows. If you like fennel, this recipe is great, and it's very easy to make.
Zucchini Lasagna
ZS-Dieter Favorites,Z3-Beef,ZSpecialties,Z3-Entrees
This lasagna has no noodles. Standing in for the noodle layers are zucchini sliced the long way.
Breaking Thanksgiving Tradition
ZSpecialties,ZS-Holiday,Featured Posts
Everyone has their Thanksgiving traditions; especially when it comes to food. Do you ever think about breaking tradition and making something different?
My Mother’s Apple Crisp
ZS-Zola to Go,ZSpecialties,Z3.5-Desserts
There’s something about the potential of smelling apples baking with cinnamon and nutmeg that conjures up fond memories of my mother in the kitchen. She taught me as a small girl to make apple crisp so I did it often. This also makes a wonderful little breakfast the next day.


















































