Feeling Zesty: Vitamin C packed Chocolate Puds
By SpaFinder | January 20, 2012
During the colder months, we’re relying on the uplifting flavour and aroma of orange zest for a vitamin C fix. Here is a delicious—and healthy—dessert recipe from Chef Dean Rucker and the renowned Golden Door.
Warm Flourless Chocolate Pudding with Orange Sauce ( Serves 8 )
Using ingredients not usually found in a typical flourless chocolate pudding like bananas and sweet potato, this Warm Flourless Chocolate Pudding with Orange Sauce recipe is a healthier alternative that doesn’t sacrifice taste. With only about 35 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of cooking time, you can’t go wrong.
Tips from Chef Rucker: Be sure not to let any water come in contact with the chocolate as it melts; water or condensation will cause the chocolate to become grainy and unusable. When preparing this recipe, grate the orange zest for the pudding before juicing the oranges for the sauce.
For the Puds:
225g good-quality dark chocolate with 60%-70% cacao, chopped
1 large egg
2 very ripe bananas, sliced (225g)
75g sweet potato (1 small baked, peeled sweet potato or canned pumpkin)
40g honey
1 tbsp orange zest, grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 large egg whites, whipped
1 orange, peeled and separated into segments for serving
Vegetable oil cooking spray
For the Sauce:
Juice from 3 oranges
2 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp single cream
1 tbsp Grand Marnier
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 175°C. Spray eight 115g ramekins or with cooking spray until well coated and place them on a baking sheet.
- To prepare the sauce, pour all but 1 tbsp of the orange juice into a small saucepan and place over low heat. In a small bowl, stir the cornflour into the reserved 1 tbsp orange juice until smooth. When the juice comes to a simmer, whisk in cornflour and juice mixture and continue to whisk for 30 seconds until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Whisk in the single cream and the Grand Marnier. Set aside to keep warm or chill; the sauce can be served warm, at room temperature or chilled.
- Make the puddings: Place a bowl over a saucepan filled with a couple of inches of simmering water; the water should not touch the bowl. Place the chocolate in the bowl and wait until the chocolate is shiny and completely melted (about 10 minutes). Stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is smooth. Remove from the heat. (Chocolate should be pre-melted and cooled before making pudding batter.) Combine the egg, peeled and chopped bananas, peeled and baked sweet potato, honey, orange zest and vanilla in a blender and process until very smooth.
- Add the Warm Flourless Chocolate Pudding banana mixture to the chocolate and stir together until just combined. Set aside. In another bowl, use an electric whisk to whip the egg whites and salt together until they form soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until just incorporated. Do not over-mix; it is fine if streaks of white remain.
- Spoon the mixture into the ramekins or foil cups to about ¼ inch from the top. Bake until the tops are set when a ramekin is gently nudged and the centres are slightly puffed, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack. When the ramekins are cool enough to handle, run a paring knife around the edges and turn over onto eight dessert plates. The centre of the puddings should be nice and soft.
- Drizzle the sauce around each pudding and garnish with orange segments. Serve and enjoy!
Nutritional information per serving: 274 calories, 10g fat, 5g protein, 42g carbohydrates, 64g fibre, 25mg cholesterol, 96mg sodium
Tags: Chef Dean Rucker, Golden Door, healthy dessert recipe, Warm Flourless Chocolate Pudding with Orange Sauce
Hitting the Slopes: 6 Stretches and Exercises
By SpaFinder | January 20, 2012
There’s nothing more invigorating than hitting the slopes on a crisp winter’s day (and then heading to the spa for a relaxing treatment!), but before your next downhill run, remember that it’s important to stretch to prevent injuries. Our friends at Montage Deer Valley, a spectacular Park City, Utah, resort and spa with ski-in/ski-out access, share with you six simple stretches and exercises to do on the mountain — even with your skis and boots on!
Squats: Stand on a flat surface. While fastened into the skis, place the inner rails together and slowly bend the knees, coming into a squatting position. Stand up and squat down several times to stretch and work the quadriceps. Replicate the different ski positions by squatting with skis touching and then performing squats with skis about shoulder-width apart. To engage the core muscles, perform the squat without the use of ski poles.
Hamstring stretch: Perform this stretch before you hit the slopes but after you get into your ski boots. This exercise can also be done on the mountain between runs to keep hamstrings stretched. With the insides of the skis touching, reach down and touch the outside of the ski boots, keeping both legs nearly straight. This stretch targets the hamstrings but also helps the body adjust for the extra height gained by the boots & skis. The extra height typically causes the body to have a slight lean and stretching out the muscles slowly before getting on the slopes can help the body recognise the small change in the hamstrings.
Side-to-side walks: In the ski boots take a small squat position so your knees are slightly bent. Without the use of your poles, step side to side. This motion activates the hip joints and the buttocks, as well as raises the heart rate.
Hip rotations: In the ski boots, take a small squat position so your knees are slightly bent. Keep both feet on the ground and shift your body weight to your left foot as your drive your hip to the left. Rotate side to side. Move the hips in circular motions to keep the hips loose and the lower back engaged.
Upper body rotations: Stand feet hip width and arms loose. Turn to the left and then rotate arms and hips to the right. Swing the arms side to side. As you come to the centre, bend and straighten your knees into a slight squat, warming up the quads and the upper body.
Side bends: Reach down the side of your leg towards your ski boot as your opposite elbow is bent and reaching the elbow towards the sky. This exercise warms up the obliques and the upper back muscles.
Plus, if you’re lucky enough to visit Montage Deer Valley during the winter season, try some of the resort’s ski-ready classes:
Yoga for Skiers: A practice dedicated to stretching and strengthening your skiing muscles
Pre-Ski and After-Ski Stretch Classes: Every a.m. and p.m., prepare and relax from a day of skiing with stretches and exercises that will stretch, soothe and strengthen lower body muscles. Spend time on the Free Motion Vertex Vibration machine.
Skiers Bootcamp: Use plyometrics, cardio, strength, and a variety of equipment and exercises to get ready for the slopes.
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Tags: Montage Deer Valley, prevent injuries, six simple stretches, ski-ready classes
Time for Tea: Detox, Cleanse & Balance
By SpaFinder | January 20, 2012
The New Year always comes with a plethora of detox juice and smoothie recipes. While we think these are great ways to cleanse and revitalise at any point in the year, the chilly temperatures that have come with winter’s sporadic and largely late arrival has us craving all things warm. We decided to round up some beneficial teas that will not only help you detox from any food indulgence, but feature added benefits as well, such as improved focus or better skin. Besides being great for your health, these are simple to make and require no juicers or blenders!
Here are two teas from Kamalaya Koh Samui, Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa in Koh Samui, Thailand, to help cleanse, relieve, revitalise and balance, in addition to some recommended fresh tea combos from Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in Queensland, Australia, that will cleanse and curb your cravings for sweets.
Kamalaya Recipe: Happy Tummy Tea
This tea is full of powerful herbs and spices loaded with antioxidants and strong anti-inflammatory properties. Great for treating digestive imbalances, it promotes the secretion of enzymes and digestive juices to stimulate digestion and relieve indigestion, nausea, gas and bloating. This tea is also mildly diuretic and supports the removal of phlegm.
535ml water, boiled
75g ginger, peeled and grated
1⅔ tbsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp fresh turmeric
5 tsp fennel seeds
Place all the ingredients in a non-metal teapot and add the freshly boiled water. Brew for 15-20 minutes, strain and serve.
Kamalaya Recipe: Balance & Harmony Tea
Recommended for calming the mind and rejuvenating and rebalancing the nervous system, this herbal brain tonic promotes restful sleep, regenerates brain cells and nerves, promotes intelligence and memory and balances nervous disorders, including stress and depression. Said to strengthen the adrenal glands, cleanse and nourish the immune system, these herbs are also beneficial for skin health. Positive effects on the circulatory system include improving the flow of blood while strengthening veins and capillaries. Gotu kola, found in this recipe, is considered a spiritual herb used by yogis to improve meditation. It is believed to balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain and is regarded as one of the most important rejuvenating herbs in Ayurvedic medicine, according to Kamalaya. Check out Kamalaya’s video to watch Chef Kai Mueller make this tea!
Just over 535ml water, boiled
28g gotu kola, dried
100g spearmint, dried
50g rose petals
3½ tbsp fennel seeds
Place all ingredients in a non-metal teapot and add the freshly boiled water. Brew for 15-20 minutes, strain and serve.
Gwinganna Tea Combinations
And give these simple fresh tea combinations a try as well. Subtle and delicious, the fruit and herb blends were designed by Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat to cleanse the palate, aid in digestion and replace the desire for something sweet. Just infuse the ingredients (play around with the amount and adjust according to taste) in a teapot with boiling water and enjoy!
- Lemon, ginger and mint
- Orange, cinnamon and star anise
- Lime, lemon and ginger
- Apple, cardamom and cinnamon
- Lemon myrtle and apple
- Pear and mint
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Tags: Balance & Harmony Tea, detox juice, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in Queensland, Happy Tummy Tea, Kamalaya Koh Samui, Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa
Lose those Christmas Pounds: Three Steps to Stay on Track this New Year
By SpaFinder | January 10, 2012
We’ve all been there, making our list of resolutions that, nine times out of ten, includes a gym membership or a crash, fad diet. We stick to our brand-new plan for a few days, maybe even a month but then we just stop, leaving us feeling deflated and down. This year is going to be different: we’ve come up with three simple and achievable steps for staying on a healthy path this New Year. 2012 is looking brighter already!
1. “Take Small Bites”
We don’t mean to literally take smaller bites, we mean start slow and simple when going for a lifestyle change. The whole idea of changing your entire diet is unrealistic. When actress Mariel Hemingway, stopped by to give us all a few tips for staying healthy, she told us to start slow. “I say to people, if they want to change the way they eat, change your breakfast – start with one thing, because it’s do-able and more often than not, if you change your breakfast, you’ll feel differently at lunch and make a healthier choice then. If you push too hard or make it so extreme and so far from your regular life, then you won’t continue it. So I always say go slow, take small bites.”
2. Make it FIT!
If just the idea of getting up an hour early to go for a run or head to the gym makes you cringe, it’s unlikely you will actually get up and go when the alarm is blaring at 5am. Make your goals fit in with your lifestyle. If you don’t like waking up early then try to tackle your workout after work. Buy free-weights and use them and do a few sets of crunches while you watch your favourite TV show if you can’t get to the gym. Make working out a group activity. Go for a brisk walk with your friends or children. Keep in mind that SpaFinder isn’t just about spa, and find a fun yoga, Pilates or fitness class to take. As far as dieting goes, SpaFinder is always bringing you healthy and delicious spa recipes to try at home so you don’t have to stick to an unappetising diet. Make the goal pleasant.
3. Give it Three Weeks
Don’t buy a gym membership or start a crash diet thinking that after a week, you’ll have lost half a stone and gained a brand new set of abs; that’s just not how it happens. Mariel says that so many times “we put so much pressure on ourselves that we feel beaten before we start.” Don’t expect immediate results, “wellness doesn’t happen overnight, lifestyle is something that is created, it’s habits that are ingrained in you. Habits get ingrained over 21 days. It takes that long for a habit to happen, so you have to give something three weeks in order for it to be in your cellular structure. [Once] you do that past the 21 days, then it becomes something that you just do.”
If you start with these three, simple steps: start slow, make the goals possible and be optimistic, we can guarantee that this year’s weight-loss resolutions will be kept!
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Tags: crash diet, creating fitness habits, Food & Recipes, gym memberships, health plan, healthy food choices, lifestyle goals, weight-loss resolutions
Best Spas to Kickstart your Fitness Programme
By SpaFinder | January 10, 2012
Sometimes a DIY approach is just not enough to renew and reinvigorate your body, mind and soul. Many spas offer so much more than traditional treatments and services, most stay spas have an extensive programme menu and whether you are trying to lose weight, tone up or just get healthier, a little expert guidance can make all the difference.
Here’s a reminder of your Top 10 Favourite Fitness Programmes of last year, which you voted for in SpaFinder’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Top 10 Spas for Favourite Fitness Programme:
Biggest Loser Resort Malibu (Malibu,CA)
Cal-A-Vie Health Spa (Vista, CA)
Canyon Ranch in Lenox (Lenox, MA)
Canyon Ranch in Tucson(Tucson, AZ)
Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat (Queensland, Australia)
Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa (Sedona, AZ)
Rancho La Puerta (Tecate, Mexico)
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa (Paradise Valley, AZ)
Ragdale Hall Health Hydro and Thermal Spa (Melton Mowbray, UK)
You could also visit one of these spas that you voted Best for Losing Weight.
Are there any spas you head to yearly for a slimming detox, body blasting boot camp or weight loss programme?
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