SpaFinder Wellness Week 2013!

Divas and Gents, it's that time of year again! Wellness Week 2013 begins in just one week! For those of you who don't know, Wellness Week is your chance to improve the way you look and feel with exclusive spa treatments and wellness offerings at discounted prices (some 50% off!). You can choose from a variety of services, including massages, private training, laser hair removal, and teeth whitening. Also, Wellness Week is a great opportunity for you to take a step back and evaluate how you are taking care of yourself; sought of a health check for your body. Wellness Week will take place at hundreds of spas, yoga, Pilates and fitness studios and wellness centers across the country.

Are you game? Wellness Week will run from March 11 - March 17, 2013, so check out the SpaFinder Wellness Week website and search for a participating spa in your area. Also, be sure to take the Wellness Week Pledge:

1. Change your breakfast;

2. Choose to move;

3. Hydrate;

4. Connect with nature;

5. Make sleep a priority;

6. Embrace the power of touch; and

7. Give yourself the gift of silence. 

We work hard every day, and a little pampering at half the price is definitely welcomed. Oh...if you head over to the website now, there's an offer for a $25 Wellness Week Bonus card. In the spirit of sharing....!!!

Have a great week!

Read more »

Quick Meals For a Busy Diva...Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon!

Photo Credit: Randy Mayor

Well, over the past month or so, I've noticed that I have been eating way too many meals outside of my home. I'm talking breakfast, lunch, and dinner! And I really can't use the excuse that I've been too busy at work to prepare meals. After all, I'm always busy at work...but I also have several recipes in my arsenal that I can prepare fairly quickly. So this week, I've decided to "check myself," and make a greater effort to cook more. And since I am always in a sharing mood, I decided to share the following recipe for Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon that I came across last year. Of course, this recipe is courtesy of my favorite food magazine/website, Cooking Light. This is a dish that I have prepared many times at home, mainly because it tastes delicious and I can prepare it quickly. It's also pretty healthy, which is always a plus. So, check out this recipe for Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon, a be sure to let me know how you like it. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients (Yields 4)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

1 (6-ounce) can pineapple juice

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

2 teaspoons canola oil

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Grated orange rind (optional)

Recipe

- Combine first 4 ingredients and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside.

- Preheat oven to 400°.

- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of salmon with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. 

- Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes. 

- Turn fish over and place in oven; bake at 400° for 3 minutes. 

- Remove from oven; brush 1 tablespoon sauce over each fillet. Return to oven, and cook 1 minute or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. 

- Sprinkle with orange rind, if desired.

How many of you are frequent home cooks? About how long do you typically spend preparing your meals?

Read more »

Dr. Oz's Green Drink!

Greetings Divas and Gents! As some of you may know, I have recently become a huge fan of Dr. Oz. There's something so comforting about him, and I love the fact that he is always sharing ways to better one's health. I recently found myself stalking browsing Dr. Oz's website, and I came across the recipe for his Green Drink. Some months ago, I started making fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies to enjoy on my way to work. After doing so for a while, I found myself feeling more energized at the beginning of the day, and less hungry. So when I came across the Green Drink, I was all in!

According to Dr. Oz, the Green Drink is high in fiber, low in calories, and full of important vitamins. For those of you who are habitual breakfast skippers, this may be a great option for you. Prep the ingredients the night before, throw them in the blender in the morning, pour it into a travel container, and go...it's definitely worth a try! If you so dare, here is the recipe for Dr. Oz's Green Drink:

Ingredients

2 Cups of Spinach
1/2 Cucumber
1/4 Head of Celery

1/2 Bunch of Parsley

1 Bunch of Mint

3 Carrots

2 Apples

1/4 Orange

1/4 Lime

1/4 Lemon

1/4 Pineapple

Recipe

Combine all ingredients in a blender. 

(Yields 28-30 ounces, or 3-4 servings)

Just a quick disclaimer: I have not yet tried the Green Drink, so I'm not sure how it tastes. I intend to try it this weekend, and tweak it to my liking. If any of you have tried the Green Drink, let us know how you like it. Also, let me know if you intend to try it...maybe we can exchange notes!

Happy Blending!

Read more »

Don't Sleep On Healthy Options!!!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Greetings Divas and Gents! And welcome to the beginning of another productive work week. I usually don't start off the week with recipes, but I couldn't wait to share this one with you all. Over the past few years, I have developed somewhat of a sweet tooth. Every few days or so, I crave something sweet...cake, cookies, candy, anything with sugar in it! Obviously, partaking in this habit is never beneficial to my waistline...or my hips...or my thighs...you know where I'm going with this!

As some of you may know from my previous posts, I am a big fan of Cooking Light Magazine. Their recipes always taste great, and they're healthier for you than their traditional counterparts. So when I started getting a craving for Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, I immediately went to Cooking Light's website in search of a recipe...and I found one! The recipe looked easy and simple, and I already had many of the ingredients in my cabinets. I made a trip to the supermarket to retrieve the rest of the ingredients, and I was ready to make my cake.

As always, Professional Divas and Gents love numbers...they put everything in perspective. Check out these nutritional stats:

Classic Recipe

367 Calories Per Serving

367 Milligrams of Sodium

14 Grams of Fat

Cooking Light Recipe

264 Calories Per Serving

280 Milligrams of Sodium

7.9 Grams of Fat

Ingredients

- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple slices in juice, drained

- Cooking spray

- 1/3 cup fat-free caramel topping

- 9 maraschino cherries, drained

- 5 tablespoons butter

- 2/3 cup sugar

- 2 large eggs

- 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Press 9 pineapple slices between paper towels until barely moist; set aside. Reserve the remaining pineapple for another use.

3. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray; drizzle caramel topping over bottom of pan. 

4. Arrange prepared pineapple slices in a single layer over caramel; place 1 cherry in the center of each slice.

5. Place the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave at high 1 minute or until the butter melts. Add sugar, stirring with a whisk. Add eggs, and stir well. Stir in low-fat buttermilk and next 4 ingredients (buttermilk through baking soda). Lightly spoon 1 1/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add flour, stirring just until blended (do not overstir). Pour the batter into prepared pan.

6. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 1 minute in pan on a wire rack. Place a plate upside down on top of the cake, and invert onto plate. Cool completely. Cut cake into squares.

My next suggestion is to get a few of your friends to help you partake in the deliciousness that is the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. And make sure you enjoy it with the satisfaction of knowing you are eating a lower calorie, lower fat version of cake...and it takes good!

To view the Cooking Light recipe, Click Here!
 

For other delicious recipes courtesy of Cooking Light, check out its website at www.CookingLight.com. 

Read more »

Don't Sleep On Healthy Options...Part Two!

Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Happy Hump Day Divas and Gents! As you may recall, a few months back I shared with you a recipe for macaroni and cheese that I found in my Cooking Light Magazine. The recipe shaved a whopping 500 calories per serving from the traditional mac and cheese recipe by substituting butter, eggs, and full-fat milk with butternut squash, skim milk, and non-fat Greek yogurt. While I was initially skeptical as to how the mac and cheese would turn out, I was pleasantly surprised by the results…it was delicious! (See Previous Post Here!)

I received a lot of positive feedback after posting this recipe…even from those who were expecting another martini recipe! As such, I thought it prudent to share yet another mac and cheese recipe that also sheds hundreds of calories from the traditional recipe. This time, Cooking Light suggests bacon, garlic powder, onion powder, and chicken to create the decadent Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. I tried this recipe a couple of weeks ago, and it was AMAZING! Even more amazing are the nutritional stats (Because Professional Divas love stats!):

Classic Recipe

908 Calories Per Serving

963 Milligrams of Sodium

36 Grams of Saturated Fat

Cooking Light’s Recipe

497 Calories Per Serving

545 Milligrams of Sodium

7.4 Grams of Saturated Fat

WINNING! Now we can have our mac and cheese and eat it too! Check out the recipe for the Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Macaroni and Cheese.

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 slice applewood-smoked bacon
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend (such as Sargento)
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
½ cup (2 ounces) shredded colby-Jack cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to drippings in pan; sauté 6 minutes or until done.

3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.

4. Preheat broiler.

5. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Voila! To see this recipe at Cooking Light Online, CLICK HERE!

For other delicious recipes courtesy of Cooking Light, check them out at CookingLight.com.

Read more »