Grilled Eggplant Rolls

Grilled Eggplant Rolls

(Serves 6)

Ingredients for Grilled Eggplant Rolls:
2 large Eggplants, peeled & sliced 1/2" thick lengthwise
2 medium Red bell peppers, julienne
1 medium Red onion, julienne
1 Cup Carrots, julienne
1/2 Cup Portabello mushrooms, julienne
1 tsp. Garlic, minced
8 oz. Fresh spinach
2 Cup Marinara sauce
6 oz. Mozzarella cheese substitute (such as soy kaas)
Olive oil
To taste Salt & pepper

Directions for prep:

1. Lightly spray eggplant with olive oil. Place on hot broiler until eggplant is soft enough to roll without tearing.
2. Sauté the mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until just tender.
3. Add spinach. Take off heat and place in mixing bowl.
4. Toss in 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta sauce and shredded soy cheese.
5. Place some of mixture on each eggplant slice and roll.

Directions for cooking:

1. Place eggplant rolls in lightly oiled sauté pan. Top with marinara sauce and small amount of shredded cheese.
2. Bake in oven until hot through.

Recipe nutrient analysis, single serving
Calories: 180  
Net carbs: 18g
Protein: 11g
Fat: 7g
Fiber: 5g   

Red Mountain Resort's Stone Goddesses

Red Mountain Resort's Stone Goddesses

By Betina Lindsey, Shaman Spirit Guide

“When Deborab Grebenar creates, it is a sacred act; her sculptures bless.”

After knowing Deb for many years, I feel these words speak true of Deborah’s sculptures which grace the Red Mountain property on the South, West, North and East of the Canyon Breeze Restaurant. When I first came to work at Red Mountain I was very thrilled to see some of Deb’s sculptures resting on the land. The goddess Spirit Keepers, as I have come to know them, are a tribute to the four directions, four elements (earth, wind, water and fire) and the four seasons.  Of most of her work, she described its essence as "maybe Self and Spirit Self, Self and God, Self and Other Self, or the unity of masculine and feminine. I don’t care what anyone sees, as long as they see something that is of service to them — whatever needs to be held up, reformed and spiritually transformed."

She said in an interview, “For a time I created only goddesses because I needed to see them.“ 

 I’m glad she did for we all need to see goddesses in these times. She loved being a role model of feminine power for girls, especially when they could see her working. At Breckenridge’s annual wood-carving event, she is out there with a chain saw — and the only woman among men. "I like being that evidence for little girls to know they can weld, mix concrete, wield a chain saw and buy power tools," Grebenar said.

Writer Trina Hoefling, in an article in Denver Woman Magazine about Deb, tells us that “Dance was a metaphor for movement with Grebenar, who was also a watsu water massage therapist. Whether the dance of body and water and the watsu therapist guiding and gliding through water, or the dance of artist and medium dancing into creation, all is movement. Sculptural art encourages people to move around the piece. Deb believed the water massage made her a better sculptor, and the sculpting made her a better body worker. Whether as artist or body worker, she focused on the interaction of separate beings moving together to shift consciousness into something new. Whether art lover or watsu client, we are moved by her work.”

Grebenar’s career as an artist moved forward powerfully through the years. When Hoefling asked her how she came to believe so strongly in herself, her talent and her work, she replied, "Incrementally!" Little Deb Grebenar began sculpting at age 5 when she found Ivory soap and a paring knife. When she discovered alabaster, stone felt so familiar. It looked like Ivory soap! She’s been an art teacher, postal worker, retail sales clerk, printmaker, illustrator, fabric artist — but when she went from flat art to stone, she knew she had found her medium. She discovered her full artistic self incrementally, and came to name herself "sculptor" even more incrementally.

Grebenar began her definition of self as "sculptor" years ago in Frisco, Colorado. She knew she wanted to sculpt, but did not believe she could afford a studio. Immediately she found an ad for the "perfect gallery and studio" for $250. It took her 18 months to say yes to herself. Her next step was to place one 18-inch sculpture, Moonchild, in her friend’s Breckenridge bookstore. She had the courage to do so because it was a bookstore, not a gallery. The piece sold for $600.

Her works can show up any where. I have "Eve’s Dream" in my home. Other commissioned public and semi-public permanent sculptures of Grebenar’s can be found in California, Nevada, Utah, Pennsylvania and many cities in Colorado — Gunnison, Glenwood Springs, Breckenridge and, of course, Denver. 

In Zion Canyon at the center of Springdale Town Park sits Deb’s Earth Mother herself! On my morning walks, I always pause beside the nurturing massive sculptor. She is an enduring presence cradling the earth child in her arms. I am that child…we are all that child.  

Often, we don’t know what we have lost until it is gone…but in this case her art remains a lasting gift to us.

Thank You Deb, for your inspired life and your work of stone blessings.

Fire Grilled Beef Sirloin Oscar

Fire Grilled Beef Sirloin Oscar

(Serves 4)

Ingredients for Beef:
1 lb. beef sirloin, 4 ounces per portion
4 tsp. blue crab meat, backfin
½ cup mock hollandaise (see recipe below)
16 each asparagus spears, index finger length
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 cup mashed potatoes
To taste salt & pepper
2 tsp. olive oil

Ingredients for Mock Hollandaise:
4 oz. soft tofu
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Pinch crumbled saffron
Pinch kosher salt
Dash Tabasco
1 large egg yolk
To taste butter flavor (liquid)

Directions:

1. Cream egg yolk in small mixing bowl over a double boiler (sauce pot filled with steaming water).
2. Place tofu, lemon juice, saffron, salt, Tabasco and butter flavor into a food processor and puree until smooth. Serve warm.
3. Pre-heat grill on high heat. Lightly season sirloin on both sides with salt & pepper; coat lightly with olive oil.
4. Toss asparagus spears in olive oil and lemon zest, coating lightly.
5. Grill sirloin steaks to desired doneness and lightly grill asparagus spears until they begin to soften slightly.
6. Crisscross asparagus spears on top of the mashed potatoes, then place beef on top of the asparagus, top with crabmeat and ladle hollandaise sauce over the top. Garnish with a pinch of fresh lemon zest.

Recipe Nutrient Analysis (per serving):
Calories: 339
Carbs: 13g
Protein: 27g
Fat: 20g
Fiber: 2g

Epsom Salt Baths

Epsom Salt Baths

By Marci Howard-May, Spa Services Supervisor

Epsom Salt has been used for centuries as a curative for a variety of ailments. The benefits of Epsom Salt range from reducing inflammation, easing muscle pain and soreness, curing skin problems, healing cuts, detoxifying the body, reducing blood pressure, and a skin exfoliant for both face and body.

Epsom Salt, which is named after a spring at Epsom in Surrey, England, does not actually contain salt. It is a compound of magnesium and sulfate which occurs naturally and studies show this compound is readily absorbed through the skin. 

Magnesium performs many functions in our body. It regulates over 325 enzymes, helps the production of serotonin, helps muscle and nerve function, increases energy and stamina by encouraging the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and is critical in the proper use of calcium in muscle contractions, thus its ability to ease muscle spasms. Sulfate helps flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells as well as improves the absorption of nutrients. 

To use Epsom Salt put two cups in the bath and soak for at least 15 minutes. You can also add a little to your facial cleanser to exfoliate your face. Use it mixed with equal parts of oil to exfoliate your entire body. Soak your feet with a half cup of Epsom Salt to soothe achy feet, soften rough skin and eliminate odor. 

Skin Care = Health Care

Skin Care = Health Care

By Janice Thompson-Restaino, PCA Certified Licensed Aesthetician 

How do you take care of your body and your skin at the same time? It’s as simple as the amount of water you drink, the food you eat and your daily nutritional supplements. Taking care of your skin is not just what you do to it topically, but also what you put into our body. This helps build the base of health for skin and the body overall, promoting general wellness from within.

Omega-3 helps reduce acne and inflammation, and encourages more supple skin, leaving it more hydrated, softer and smoother. It helps create strong, healthy cells, which in turn, can help rejuvenate and renew skin for a more radiant look.  Omega-3 DHA might delay or even prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and possibly other types of dementia. It is also highly beneficial for heart health as well as strengthening its position as an ultimate body-mind wellness nutrient.

Antioxidants also are up and coming in the quest to preserve mental agility and bodily health into the later years. Polyphenols, which are found in grape seeds, actually reach the brain where they are thought to prevent the formation of plaques that cause Alzheimers’ disease. And, of course, a myriad of skin care products contain antioxidants, which benefit the skin by encouraging anti-aging and fighting back against destructive free radicals. Studies have demonstrated that Resveratrol is a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and anti-cancer characteristics.

Adopt the philosophy that skin care is health care, not a binge of vanity.

The Quicker Picker-Upper

The Quicker Picker-Upper

You know that moment during the day where you feel overwhelmed by the pile of tasks that need to be accomplished ASAP? This is the perfect opportunity to take five minutes to induce the art of stillness. Taking just a couple minutes during a hectic day will help elicit the relaxation response where you can breathe space into your mind and instill mental clarity to organize your thoughts. 

GET COMFORTABLE. It really doesn’t matter if you sit on the edge of your chair with an extended spine and your feet hip width distance apart or if you cop a squat on the floor behind your desk, sit in the most comfortable position that supports a long, fully extended spine.

CLOSE YOUR EYES. Either soften your gaze or close your eyes. Begin to take your awareness within, closing off the chaotic outside world.

BREATHE. Become aware of the natural flow of your breath. Notice where you naturally tend to breath. Do you feel your breath in just the top of your lungs, behind your chest; can you sense the breath expanding your ribcage or pulling down toward your belly? Just watch at first, become a silent witness to your connection with life. If we did not breathe, we could not live!

3 PART BREATH. Now begin to consciously control your breathing. Start by filling the bottom third of your lungs with oxygen, energy; sense your belly expanding on the inhale and deflating on the exhale. Keep filling the lower third of your lungs, now begin to sense your ribcage expanding 360º, finally, allowing your chest to rise. Inhaling belly, ribs, and chest, then exhaling chest, ribs, and belly. Complete 10–20 complete breath cycles. 

JUST SIT AND BE. After you complete conscious control of your breath notice the effect it has had on both your body and your mind. Sense a state of peace and release. Notice how your heart rate has slowed down. Explore the expanse of open space in your mind. 

WAKE-UP. Slowly wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes. Pick up a pencil and write a list of what you feel is the most important tasks you need to accomplish, remain relaxed, and begin. 

Body Exfoliation

Body Exfoliation

By Marci Howard-May, Spa Services Supervisor

Many of us know the importance of exfoliating our face to keep it looking young, radiant and even in tone. But, how many of us regularly exfoliate our entire body? Our skin, the body’s largest organ, performs many functions to keep us healthy. If we are not regularly exfoliating the dead skin layers that can clog the skin, those functions are impeded and dry skin can result. Also, your body products are not absorbing into anything but dead skin.

Full body exfoliation should be done at least once a week. If you are using a dry brush, loofah or exfoliating body gloves on dry skin it can be done up to daily. If you are using a salt or sugar scrub once a week should suffice. The benefits of doing a dry exfoliation include not just the dead skin removal but also stimulating the lymph to drain when the exfoliation is done from the feet up and arms down with light, short, brisk strokes. Using a salt or sugar scrub can provide a deeper exfoliation that leaves behind an oil to re-hydrate the skin, leaving it silky smooth. If you do not want to scrub or brush your skin, soak in milk (1 cup) and honey (1/2 cup) to gently exfoliate, soften and clean the skin.

Life Fitness: A commitment to being green

Life Fitness: A commitment to being green

By Kim Watters, Fitness Manager

A few months ago we added new cardio equipment to our gym made by Life Fitness. We chose this company partially because of their commitment to being green. Below you can see in their own words what this commitment means to them.

Life Fitness is committed to developing products and processes that help you run a greener facility. We've been a part of the solution for over 30 years, ever since we introduced the first self-powered commercial exercise bike. Today, almost all of our models allow people to power their own workout as soon as they are installed. There is never a need to purchase an additional system to offer exercisers the feel-good effect of self-power. Life Fitness Treadmills, which do require electricity, require far less than competitive models.

Hybrid Engage

Our 2011 Elevation™ Series Engage Cross-trainer, and both upright and recumbent Lifecycle® Exercise Bikes are partially powered by the exerciser when the person is working out at a moderate intensity or higher. The energy the exerciser generates powers the machine and reduces electrical draw by 75%.

Bigger Motor, Smaller Energy Bill

A Life Fitness Treadmill uses up to 52% less power than those of our top competitors. Intertek, an independent agency, tested Life Fitness Elevation Series Treadmills against Matrix, Technogym, Precor, and Star Trac. Findings showed that the Life Fitness Treadmill, with the most powerful motor of the group, is also the most energy efficient. 

People Powered since 1978

Life Fitness Lifecycle® Exercise Bikes have been self-powered since 1978. Our ellipitcal Cross-trainers have been selfpowered since their introduction in 1997. The Summit Trainer, Stariclimbers and all 300+ strength machines, also offer self-powered convenience. We have always been committed to the idea of exercise equipment that doesn't pull energy from the grid, no accessories necessary.

Energized Entertainment

We also offer more equipment that powers the entertainment with energy the exerciser creates than any other fitness equipment manufacturer. Connect an iPod® or iPhone® to a Cross-trainer, Lifecycle, Summit Trainer or Integrity Stairclimber and it will charge with energy generated by the person. Elevation Series Lifecycles and Cross-trainers with the Inspire console go even further. They feature the only LCD touchscreen available from any fitness manufacturer that is powered by the person enjoying it.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We aspire to live this idea by using reusable packaging, recycling plastic, metal and other materials from used circuit boards and recycling office waste. Every step towards sustainability helps.

Certified Landfill-averse

Life Fitness has the largest integrated Certified Pre-Owned program. Through this program, 50–75% of parts from our commercial cardio products are reused to create a durable line of CPO products. Through this program, we keep materials out of landfills and cut down our manufacturing footprint. Since 2004 we have placed 70,000 of these units back in the field.