ArcaMax

Editor's Note: Enjoy this previously published Zola classic edition!

When I was a young girl of 12, I became obsessed with weight. Twiggy was the super model 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 was a normal 12-year-old, but I was worried I was too fat to be in my sister’s wedding so I started trying to diet.

The first thing I did was go buy a tiny book that listed the number of calories in various foods. They sold these little pocket versions by the checkout at the grocery store. I bought one of those books and rather than carry it around with me, I set out to memorize it.

I did memorize it.

I did such a good job that as I grew older I could still recite what was in that little manual. I knew the calorie count for all my favorite things.

I knew a hard boiled egg was 75 calories.
I knew an 8 oz glass of whole milk was 140.
I knew a tablespoon of peanut butter was 90.

I memorized pages of items that I wanted to be able to eat. I was told it was all about counting calories. I was good at math.

Trouble is, that wasn’t really what I needed to learn. That was the conventional wisdom at the time, but even though I counted calories like a maven, I gained weight.

What I know now is different. Reality and new science prove it wasn’t about calories in/calories out. It was really about what you eat and how your body decides to process it...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Three-Ingredients Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies are SOOOO good. And no flour! Just be careful what peanut butter you buy and be sure to order the sweetener ahead so you are prepared to bake and eat.

Servings: Serves 15-18

Ingredients:

1 cup of unsweetened peanut butter*
1/2 cup of sweetener**
1 large egg

*There’s a trick here. You CANNOT use an oily peanut butter with this. You want unsweetened and emulsified (that means it’s whizzed so it stays together). FIRST option is to go to (or order from) Whole Foods. They make their house brand called 365. You want the UNSWEETENED PEANUT BUTTER SPREAD. If you cannot order or don’t have a store near you, my fall back is Skippy Natural but that definitely has sugar so you’ll have to control the number of cookies with more discipline.

**This is an easy trick too, but you have to order one of these brands. I have only once seen them in a store. They are called ZSweet or Swerve. They can be ordered from Amazon. They are not cheap but worth it. Get the granulated version. You can also order the powdered sugar if you want to make frosting for a cake or cupcakes. These both bake just like sugar. Truvia is not a good option and Splenda is not good for you.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper if you can, or lightly spray with oil.

Mix the peanut butter, sweetener, and egg until smooth. I do this with a wooden spoon. Get it all thoroughly mixed.

Drop spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. I roll them in my hands a bit to a size a little smaller than golf balls. I gently put them on the cookie sheet. This way they are perfectly round. Then I do the cross-hatch thing with a fork so they get the grid. Don’t push hard. They will sink down as they bake.

Bake for six to eight minutes. Do not over bake! These taste best when they still have some give to them. Barely browning. I call them “medium rare.” You can bake them to your taste as you choose.

For some people, there will be an aftertaste of a “coolness.” It’s the sweetener. Doesn’t bother me but some folks to notice it.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola