ArcaMax

Counting Calories

We were all taught the same thing. Calories in. Calories out. It’s all about the calories.

When I was a young teenager, I bought one of those pocket-sized calorie counting books they sold at the grocery store. They were prominently displayed by the check out. I took it home and it didn’t take me long to memorize it. I was obsessed with wanting to lose weight and look like a waif. Twiggy was the “model of the moment” in those days. She was the most famous waif on the planet. I wasn’t really fat. I just thought I was. And the way to lose weight was to cut back on calories consumed. Everyone knew that.

Well, what everyone knew to be true was wrong.

You will be shocked at how flawed counting calories really is when you watch this video. Absorb this info and your whole view of calorie counting will change...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Tarragon-Mustard Shrimp

This dish made a wonderful lunch salad entrée in our Plan Z kitchen. I think it would be GREAT as an appetizer at a cocktail party, too. If you are on ZReduction you can take this with you and you’ll have what you need to eat. As an appetizer it can be served, hot, room temp or cold. The other guests at the cocktail party will NEVER know you are eating diet food. They will love it, too.

Servings: Serves 6. Can easily be doubled for a party.

Ingredients:

For the Shrimp:

1/3 cup of Dijon mustard
1 large shallot or 3 green onions, minced
2 tsp of minced garlic, jar garlic can work 3 Tbl of minced, fresh tarragon. (You need the fresh stuff for this dish)
2-1/4 pounds of medium-large shrimp, (3 inches long) thawed, shelled and deveined
sea salt and pepper to taste
a sprinkle of cayenne

For the optional salad:

3 small heads of leaf lettuce cut up into bite-sized pieces. Remember, salad greens are unlimited so have at it.
1 large red pepper cut into strips
1 large yellow pepper cut into strips
1 large orange pepper cut into strips
2 cups of celery bits
1 pint of cherry tomatoes cut in half

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl add the mustard, shallot bits, garlic and tarragon. Rinse and drain your shrimp. Add them to the big bowl with the other ingredients and stir. Add a grating of salt and either cayenne or black pepper. This is not a spicy dish. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or up to three hours. Don’t go longer than that without cooking them or the vinegar in the mustard will start to cook the shrimp like ceviche.

Preheat your broiler.

Spray a large cookie sheet with sides. You’ll use olive oil spray. Then add the marinated shrimp. Spread them around so they are in one layer. Spray the top of them with a bit more olive oil spray. Place on the rack below your broiler about four inches below the element. Broil for 2 minutes. Take them out of the oven and turn them over; just sort of stir them up. Put back in the broiler and broil for another two minutes.

Remove from oven and serve. Be sure to get the ‘sauce’ from the bottom of the cookie sheet.

If you are serving this on top of salad, your sauce becomes your dressing. It’s amazing how buttery this dish tastes with no butter added. Just don’t overcook the shrimp and the natural oils of the shrimp will come out and make the sauce taste buttery.

For a cocktail party you can just put these in a bowl and pass out toothpicks to grab them. Don’t ever leave shrimp on a cocktail party table for more than an hour; even if they are cooked. Encourage your guests to eat them and they will be gone in a flash.

For the Salad

Throw all the veggies in a bowl and mix. Take a handful or two, watch your veggie portion so you keep it to one cup with the lettuce as extra and toss it on the plate. Then arrange your shrimp however you wish, I centered mine.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola