Food + Drink | Spa Week Daily

Combine Memorial Day & Salad Month

May 22, 2013 | By Arielle Sidrane

You know we’re all about quirky holidays here at Spa Week. Memorial Day is pretty mainstream, but did you know that May also happens to be National Salad Month? Perhaps not so coincidentally, these two holidays are perfect to be celebrated in tandem.

Disclaimer: we <3 summer! It is our favorite season and we couldn’t be more excited that it will be kicking off this weekend. However, there is one major downside to barbecue season, and we’re sort of dreading it – the overabundance of food and dessert makes it easier than ever to pack on the pounds.

With party after party to attend, each boasting different desserts, red meat and sugary cocktails that we just must try… well, you see where we’re going with this. Whoever made barbecue and bikini season one in the same was just cruel.

This year though, recognizing National Salad Month has brought to our attention a solution to this problem. We know exactly what you need to bring to any Memorial Day Barbecue you’re attending this weekend. A light, yet still elegant and delicious – salad! It’s so simple. And as for the surrounding fatty foods…just pick. Here are some great recipes to choose from:

Replace that rich, fatty seven layer dip with this gorgeous Seven Layer Salad. Make your own dressing utilizing low-fat versions of typically heavy ingredients like mayo and cheese. Tip from Eating Well – the salad will stay fresh under the dressing and the flavor is even better when kept overnight (full recipe from EatingWell.com)!

This recipe from none other than Sam’s Club for Summer Corn Salad has got our mouth’s watering. All of the fresh ingredients – corn, cucumber, grape tomatoes – and bright colors make it the perfect dish to kick off summer (full recipe from SamsClub.com).

Toss fresh vegetables with grilled country bread for an absolutely delectable side dish with a healthy crunch – Grilled Bread Salad! We have no doubt your friends will be satisfied and this plate will steal the side dish show (full recipe from myrecipes.com).

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Nutrition Tagged With: healthy bbq, healthy bbq sides, healthy salads, May, memorial day, national salad month

My Matcha Green Tea Obsession

May 16, 2013 | By Marissa Gold

I am obsessed (OBSESSED) with green tea. Not the drink, but the powder. The sweet, hard-to-describe taste of ground Matcha tea when its added to virtually any dessert recipe. The tangy sweetness is a flavor you either love or hate, but most people I know respond with pure love when I introduce them to one of my favorite green tea desserts (see below).

Green tea has antioxidants and plenty of health benefits, but it also just makes desserts taste really cool. Our reader and Twitter follower @sweetmatcha told us, “I love matcha ice cream, if you have an ice cream maker it’s worth the effort!” We have yet to take her up on that [Note to self: Register for an ice cream maker!] but can vouch wholeheartedly for these green tea sweets below:

Matcha creme brulee, via Foodspotting

Matcha macaron, via Foodspotting

Matcha donut, via Foodspotting

Matcha lava cake, via Foodspotting

YUM! Are you drooling yet? Visit Foodspotting to search for some matcha green tea desserts in your city. You won’t be disappointed.

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Nutrition Tagged With: dessert, Desserts, foodspotting, green tea, Matcha

70 Calorie Rice Pudding

May 15, 2013 | By Marissa Gold

I know this isn’t Vegan or Paleo or any of those current healthy eating buzzwords, but this rice pudding is 70 calories. And for that, we must celebrate it!

I am hooked on this supermarket find, Kozy Shack No Sugar Added Rice Pudding.

If you like rice pudding, you’ll understand why I’m so excited to find one that I can eat without feeling bad. After all, regular rice pudding is like chasing a gallon of heavy cream with a gallon of sugar — not exactly the healthiest treat.

This pint-size portion (it’s satisfying, I promise!) clocks in at just 5 grams of sugar, making it great for those with diabetes in the family, or who are just looking to monitor their sweets intake.

Do you have a similar supermarket favorite? Tip us off in the comments below.

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Nutrition Tagged With: dessert, Kozy Shack, low sugar, No Sugar Added, Rice Pudding

Delicious Zucchini Bread Recipes

April 25, 2013 | By Arielle Sidrane

If you’re going to eat bread…might as well make it one that’s vegetable based, right? Not only is zucchini bread delicious, but it has significant nutritional value, too.

First, a brief educational history of our favorite squash. Zucchini found its way stateside with the Italian immigrants, starting in the 1920’s. Once it passed through Ellis Island, the name was changed from the Italian form of ‘zucca,’ to zucchini as it remains today.

Here are some things you should know for the next time you hit the grocery aisle (or even better, the farmer’s market!):

Contrary to popular belief, bigger isn’t always better: small to medium sized zucchini are the most flavorful.
Zucchini is composed of 95% water!
The darker the zucchini skin, the richer in nutrients it will be.

And of course, we couldn’t leave you without some mouthwateringly delicious recipes to try:

Sweet – Paula Deen’s Zucchini Bread

The sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans in this recipe are sure to satisfy every sweet tooth. After all, Paula isn’t famous for her spinach and kale salad recipes…

Savory – Zucchini Bread with Roasted Red Peppers from Closet Cooking

This recipe utilizes the strong flavors of some of our favorite savory ingredients, like feta, garlic and balsamic vinegar. The result is what looks like an incredible side dish for any meal…

Sweet – Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Simply Recipes

This bread uses four whole cups of grated zucchini, resulting in a moist, delicious treat for everyone. Almond extract, instant coffee grounds, cinnamon and cocoa make for an irresistible combination!

Savory – Herbed Zucchini Cheese Bread from Hobby Farms

This bread chocked full of herbs and veggies would make a perfect addition for anything from your winter soup to a summer barbeque. If you’ve never tried the combination of cheese and zucchini together, we can promise that it will not disappoint…

Healthy – Healthier Zucchini Bread from Whole Foods

This recipe lightens up classic zucchini bread by replacing regular flour with whole wheat, applesauce and yogurt for some of the oil and butter, and adds walnuts to include a healthier fat. Try this one guilt-free!

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Healthy Cooking, Nutrition Tagged With: healthy eating, healthy recipes, national zucchini bread day, summer squash, zucchini, zucchini bread, zucchini facts

Delicious Vegan Chocolate Recipe

April 17, 2013 | By Michelle Joni

Happy Spa Week, my Spa Sweethearts!

I hope you are enjoying your sweet, sweet week, full of sugar scrubs and chocolate facials, no doubt! In honor of this healthy, irresistible week of spa, I wanted to share with you an equally healthy and irresistible recipe I learned from Dashama. Remember in this video she promised to show us? Dashama has an easy-breezy cooking style: all her recipes are healthy, organic, full of superfoods, and take no longer than 20 minutes. Score! Also, forget exact amounts and precise ingredients; Dashama encourages you follow your taste buds and intuition! However, you’ve got to start somewhere. Use this framework to yield some absolutely delicious vegan, organic dark chocolate in mere minutes. (And don’t forget to enter to win 7 nights in Bali with her this summer, she’ll be sure to personally show you many healthy tricks up her sleeve!)

DASHAMA’S HOMEMADE VEGAN ORGANIC DARK CHOCOLATE in 20 MINUTES

Ingredients:

Raw organic coconut oil - 1 cup
Raw cacao powder - 1/4 cup
Chocolate vegan protein powder (optional) - 1/4 cup
Stevia liquid (or to taste) - 1 tsp
A pinch of pink sea salt
Optional: almonds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, coconut flakes or other goodies to add texture, taste and nutrients.

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Freeze for 10-20 minutes. You can make it in any container: a flat square plate for a chocolate bar effect, a bowl for a rounded aesthetic like you see here, or use a rubber ice cube tray to make various fun shapes.

After it hardens in the freezer, pop your chocolate treat out easily. Clean, smooth, no problemo.

And the best part: Enjoy! And don’t forget to save some for your friends… they will be very impressed.

Dashama and her homemade superhero vegan chocolate!

Care for your chocolate in the form of spa? While you’re noshing on your delicious bits of healthy dark homemade goodness, this Spa Week, a whole box of chocolate covered $50 treatments await. You can still book these and quench your craving, but hurry before the moment passes!