Delicious Vegan Chocolate Recipe

April 17, 2013 | By

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

homemade dark chocolate recipe

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!

Canyon Falls Spa & Salon, Scottsdale, Arizona: 50 Min Custom Blend Facial with Custom Chocolate Mask

Evian Salon & Day Spa, La Jolla, California, 60 Min Plaisir D’Aromes Yonka Facial and Chocolate Mask

WELL Spa at the Platinum Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada: 50 Min Chocolate Ice Cream Pedicure and Manicure

Solace Day Spa & Salon, Old Bridge, New Jersey: 90 Min Chocolate Covered Strawberry Manicure and Pedicure

Terrace Retreat Salon & Day Spa, Southlake, Texas: 50 Min Chocolate Body Scrub

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Healthy Cooking, Spalebrity Diaries Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

December 14, 2012 | By

This Sunday, December 16th is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day. To celebrate, we present to you our personal favorite chocolate covered “anything” (besides pretzels): Spa Deals, of course!

Our favorite thing about chocolate covered spa services is the array of incredible benefits this tasty temptation provides for your skin. Chocolate has powerful antioxidant properties, which can help smooth wrinkles and prevent elastin and collagen damage. Additionally, chocolate contains cocoa butter which has amazing skin-softening properties and nourishes skin. And of course, the heavenly smell is a welcome addition to any soothing spa treatment…

Satisfy your sweet tooth with a calorie-free treat this holiday season:

$69 60 Minute Chocolate Body Scrub and 60 Minute New Skin Hydrating Facial at Diva Spa & Salon in Jersey City, NJ (was $145)

$63 Chocolate Chai Warming Facial at Boston Skin Solutions in Brookline, MA (was $125)

$300 Holiday Peppermint Package including Peppermint Holiday Hydration Facial, Peppermint Hot Chocolate Immersion and more (M-Th) at The Spa at The Hotel Hershey in Hershey, PA (was $320)

$95 Organic Chocolate Sun Spray Tan with Exfoliating Body Scrub at Viana Hotel and Spa in Westbury, NY (was $120)

$130 Half Day Holiday Package: 30 Minute Swedish Massage, Mini Facial and Chocolate Pedicure at Ultrabeauty Day Spa in Philadelphia, PA (was $140)

$60 60 Minute Holiday Glow Facial with Cinnamon, Cherry and Chocolate at Nu Age Med Spa in Riverwoods, IL (was $100)

$39 Warm Chocolate and Cocoa Pedicure at Serenity in the City Salon & Spa in Medford, MA (was $55)

$60 Chocolate Peppermint Massage at The Spa at Boncaldo’s in Quincy, MA (was $75)

 Visit SpaWeek.com for more sweet spa deals in your area!

Filed Under: Spa Deals Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Guilt-Free After Dinner Drink

September 20, 2012 | By

Havana Central, NYC

Who doesn’t crave a rich after-dinner drink at the end of a delicious meal or during an evening out? We generally try to control our ever-present craving to mix chocolate and liquor because of the extraordinarily high calorie count. But we’ve scoped out an absolutely delicious frozen dessert drink that only racks up 131 calories per serving! Head to one of Havana Central’s three New York locations and order a Frozen Coconut Chocolate Café con Leche – or whip one up at home using this recipe!

FROZEN COCONUT CHOCOLATE CAFÉ CON LECHE

10 ounces ice

1 shot espresso

½ ounce Brugal Rum

½ ounce Godiva Liquor

½ ounce agave nectar

1 ½ ounces coco milk

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, cover and shake vigorously. Pour into a daiquiri glass, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Think this drink sounds tempting? Check out what delectable spa treatments using these ingredients you can get for just $50 each during Spa Week:

Chocolate…

90 Minute Chocolate Aroma Stones Massage at Euphoria Massage and Spa in Little Falls, NJ

50 Minute Jamachi Signature Massage with Chocolate Essential Oil at Jamachi Medi-Spa in Silver Springs, MD

55 Minute “Harvest” Massage with Chocolate Truffle Essentials Oils at Body by Melisa in Oakland, CA

60 Minute Swedish Massage with Chocolate Oils at Achelois Wellness Massage Therapy Studio in Natick, MA

…Coconut

45 Minute Fresh Coconut Lime Body Scrub with Fiji Shower Experience at Queen Jane Day Spa in New York, NY

60 Minute Massage with Natural Coconut Oil at Waterfalls Wellness Center in Vienna, VA

45 Minute Swedish Coconut Oil Hot Stone Massage at Dolce Salon & Spa – Arrowhead Fountain Center in Peoria, AZ

60 Minute Swedish Massage with Coconut Oil at Haven of Wellness in Huntington Beach, CA

Coffee…

45 Minute Package including Illy’s Coffee Scrub and Customized Spray Tan with Organic Ocean Solution at Spa Martier in New York, NY

Exfoliating Body Package including Full-Body Coffee Exfoliation with Rich Crème Massage at Epiphany Day Spa in Hempstead, NY

60 Minute After Summer Facial: Coffee and Honey Customized Organic Facial at Marosé Spa & Wellness in Smithtown, NY

45 Minute Coffee Body Buffing Treatment and Scrub at The Spa at Shula’s in Miami Lakes, FL

Filed Under: Food + Drink Tagged With: , , ,

Calorie-Free Ways to Celebrate National S’mores Day

August 10, 2012 | By

By Arielle Sidrane

Dessert-lovers, rejoice: August 10th is National S’mores Day!

On a diet? Don’t fret, we’ve found some ways to satisfy your s’mores cravings and let you celebrate (and indulge!) in a different way.

Little known fact: marshmallows are actually excellent for your skin! Those sticky sweets actually work to nourish, moisturize and repair dry skin. They even have an anti-inflammatory effect.

As for the chocolate… We all know that chocolate contains powerful antioxidant properties, which help protect skin’s elastin and collagen production. Chocolate also acts as a moisturizer, and the cocoa butter helps soften skin. The more we learn, the more it seems that s’mores are a dream food not only for our palate, but our skin as well!

Satisfy your sweet tooth for marshmallows:

Indulge your senses with beloved beauty brand Philosophy’s Ooey Gooey S’mores Lip Shine. This emollient lip conditioner provides a smooth, glossy finish, leaving lips sweet and kissable!

There are also some spas that use marshmallow masks in delicious pedicure treatments! Check out Bella Michelle Day Spa in Clearwater, FL; Belly Up in Lonetree, CO (for expectant moms!); and Platinum Salon and Spa in Wichita, KS.

And of course, we’ve got spa ideas featuring chocolate, too:

Pamper your skin with a personal favorite, Crater Lake Company’s Chocolate Truffle Body Polish. This luxurious scrub is made with organic cocoa powder, and works wonders at exfoliating. The polish is also moisturizing, leaving skin touchably smooth – and may even help satisfy the chocolate cravings that will surely ensue after reading this post.

We also had to mention godfather of all chocolate spa treatments: you guessed it, The Spa at the Hotel Hershey.  This decadent spa has a menu entitled “everything chocolate.” Need we say more?

Happy National S’mores Day! How are you celebrating?

Filed Under: Good + Happy Tagged With: , , ,

Sweet News: Chocolate May Help You Lose Weight

March 29, 2012 | By

“What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate.”– Katharine Hepburn

With that tiny waist, who was she kidding? But a new study suggests that Ms. Hepburn may have been on to something because eating chocolate can actually help you stay thin. Researchers at the University of California-San Diego found that people who frequently eat chocolate have lower body-mass indexes than people who don’t. Say what? We’ll repeat that, chocolate can help you lose weight. People in the study, whose ages ranged from 20 to 85, reported eating chocolate an average of twice a week and exercising an average of 3.6 times a week.

But hang on there chocolate monster, before you inhale that giant bunny patiently waiting for Easter, everything in moderation. While chocolate is derived from cocoa beans, that doesn’t make that candy bar a vegetable. Chocolate in its purest form, either dark chocolate or cocoa powder, is going to pack the most super powers of the cocoa bean, not its processed counterpart. Chocolate is still high in sugar and calories, so it is suggested to have a small amount regularly in addition to working out. But this is great news to relieve unnecessary guilt from chocoholics when they break down and have “just one piece,” and it’s reason for some of us to go ahead and pick up a chocolate habit.

Chocolate is also one of our favorite Sweet 16 Ingredients that will have you looking and feeling delicious. Check out all our Spa Week spas offering chocolate dipped $50 spa treatments below. Oh chocolate, how sweet it is to (love) and be loved by you.

  • 50 Min Swedish Massage with Cacao Absolute Aromatherapy/50 Min Chocolate Facial with Cacao Absolute Aromatherapy /60 Min Haircut with Chocolate Infused Coconut Hairtini Treatment at Zoe Salon & Spa in McLean & Fairfax, VA
  • 85 Min Chocolate Body Treatment with Swedish Massage at Diva Spa & Salon in Jersey City, NJ
  • 60 Min Cocoa Lotion Swedish Massage at Canary Orchid Retreat in Falls Church, VA
  • 50 Min Red Wine and Chocolate Facial and Glass of Wine at Spa Mystyk in Chicago, IL
  • 50 Min Chocolate Cake Ultimate Pedicure at Bellagio Salon and Day Spa in San Diego, CA
  • 50 Min Chocolate Scented Massage at The Chocolate Day Spa in Costa Mesa, CA,
  • 50 Min Package: Includes Chocolate Body Scrub and Massage at Magnolia European Organic Spa in New York City, NY
  • 75 Min Chocolate and Champagne Pedicure with Exfoliating Hand Treatment and Polish Change at Serenity in the City Salon & Spa in Medford, MA
  • 60 Min Anti-Aging Chocolate Bliss Facial including Brow Wax and Hand, Arm and Shoulder Massage at Pamper Me Skin Care in Wakefield, MA
  • 60 Min Anti-Aging Chocolate and Berry Facial at  CosMedica in Wakefield, MA
  • Chocolate-Rose Pedicure at Spa Butterfly in New York, NY
  • 50 Min Package: Includes Chocolate Body Scrub and Massage at Magnolia European Organic Spa in New York, NY
Filed Under: Food + Drink, Health & Wellness, Spa Cuisine Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,