Christmas Dinner Recipes From The Greenhouse Spa

Want to enjoy a Christmas feast but don’t want to wake up the next morning feeling puffed up like our chef friend there on the left? Then you’ll definitely want to take a look at The Greenhouse Spa’s Christmas dinner menu. From the savory shrimp mini-empanadas for starters to the marble pumpkin cheesecake for dessert, the entire meal has just 485 calories. The Greenhouse is a destination spa only, so you can’t just go for dinner, but the spa has shared its Christmas dinner recipes with us, and now I’m passing them on to you. Jump for full recipes for the previously mentioned items as well as butternut squash soup with lobster and ginger cream and roasted stuffed pork tenderloin with red pimento mashed potatoes, asparagus, and Madeira sauce.

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Dallas Named 39th Healthiest City For Women

That’s what a new survey from Women’s Health says, anyway. (Thanks, FitSugar, for the heads-up.) For men, Big D ranks 47th. Go here to see how the magazine determined the rankings and to see how other cities fared.

Well, Color Me Skinny

The past few weeks, we’ve done a lot of talking about the holidays—the parties, the sales, the gifts, the parties. But what we haven’t talked about is January 1—that lovely time of year when reality sets in and you realize what all those parties have done to your waistline. Well, if you plan to make weight loss one of your new year’s resolutions, you’ve come to the right place. With a new motivational tool called WeightView, you can upload an image of your current fat self, and within 48 hours, the Photoshop pros at WeightView will send you a picture of a newer, slimmer you (see left). The idea is that if you can picture the results you’re trying to achieve, you will be infinitely more motivated. The best part is that it’s free. I’m doing it right now! On second thought, I’d better wait till all those Christmas parties are over. Sigh.

Spa Deals

After all of this restless shopping I could really use a relaxing massage (hint, hint) and there are some great deals out there right now. The highly acclaimed Greenhouse Spa (pictured at left) is offering 30% off gift certificates through December 31. Hiatus Spa has many great deals for the holidays, including a $25 gift card of your own when you purchase a $150 gift certificate for someone else. For more deals on Dallas spa’s, go here. Happy spa-ing.

Equinox to Open in February

Equinox has officially announced its Oak Lawn club opening date: Tuesday, February 3. Perfect timing. Right when we’ll need to work off the holiday chub. And if you join before the opening date, the initiation fee (cost to join the club) is waived. For more information, visit http://www.equinoxfitness.com/. If you have any questions, feel free to email Phil at phillip.smith@equinoxfitness.com.

*The club opens February 3, not February 23, as I originally posted.

More Friday Fun

This weekend (starting tomorrow) is a good time to get out and shop if you can. Stock up on great gifts and treat yourself to something chic but cheap while you’re at it. Here are a few we have on our radar. Feel free to let us know about others Talkers shouldn’t miss out on!

What: Designer Sample Sale
What you’ll find: Clearance items from local designers Abi Ferrin, Courtney Warren, Sarah Briggs, Eddie Jo Jewelry, and Nest Jewelry. Tons of items only $10-$25!
When/Where: Friday December 5th, 10-8 and Saturday December 6th 10-6 at West Village, 3839 McKinney suite 160 (the old Lucy space at the NW corner of McKinney and Blackburn).

What: The Warehouse Sale
What you’ll find: 80% off premium denim (Frankie B, William Rast, AG Jeans, Rock & Republic, Diesel, and more), tops, dresses, and pants.
When/Where: Friday December 5th, 2-8 and Saturday December 6th, 10-4 at The Dallas Market Center, Freeway Hall, 2200 N Stemmons Fwy.

What: MaryGold jewelry Trunk Show
What you’ll find: 14k gold-filled bracelets, necklaces and earrings that are dripping with colorful precious and semi-precious stones. Full line priced 30-40% below retail for this event.
When/Where: Friday December 5th, 11-6 at Betty Cupcake in Snider Plaza.

Milk Does A Body Good, But Free Milk Is Even Better

Wanna save a few bucks on your Thanksgiving feast? Just spend $30 at Central Market and you can get a free gallon of CM Organics Milk. The offer is good through November 23. All you have to do is click here for the coupon. I’m thinking if I bring the milk, someone else will whip up the creamy mashed potatoes and the luscious chocolate cake. Who am I kidding? I know they will. I’m not even sure if chocolate cake calls for milk.

Twice the Feel-Good Factor at V Spa

There sure are a lot of opportunities to do some good while beautifying these days. Here’s another: The V Spa has officially opened at the Hilton Anatole. To celebrate, a portion of sales from every treatment—and gift card purchase—through the end of November will go to Genesis Women’s Shelter, which provides safety for battered women and their children in Dallas. The menu includes manicures, pedicures, organic facials, peels, and scrubs, aromatherapy massages, and an elixir bar, featuring healing teas and sparkling concoctions. Complimentary valet parking is provided. 2201 Stemmons Freeway. 214-761-7800. photography courtesy of David Lyles Photography Dallas

*Update: Well, Katie, great minds must think alike. I didn’t, however, think of all the clever V words that you’ve used! ShopTalkers, here’s double the info on V Spa. It’s clearly a trip worth making right now!

**Another update: V Spa was able to raise $2,100 for Genesis Women’s Shelter!

Meditate Your Stress Away

The economy’s not good. The weather’s making us sick. The holidays are creeping up on us before we’re ready. Do we need any more reasons to get away? And yet, sadly, we cannot take a break. (Not the kind we really want, anyway, which leaves us with a tan and a piña colada buzz.) But what we can do is learn to manage our stress through meditation. Exhale Spa is offering us complimentary meditation classes through the month of November. Every Monday from 1:30 pm to 2 pm, guided sessions will teach us to use acupressure, aromatherapy, and stretching to relieve our stress and worry. Call 214-370-5800 to schedule a reservation. Hotel Palomar. 5300 East Mockingbird Lane. http://www.exhalespa.com/locations/dallas/

Ease Up on the Sodium, Yo

Here at ShopTalk, we usually talk about such pressing matters as big sales, extreme facials, and fish pedicures (which are now extinct, BTW). But we are also concerned with health and well-being, which is why we wanted to share with you a recent press release from the Texas Medical Association (TMA) about the detriments of consuming too much sodium. The highlights are these: even if you’re not adding salt to your food at the table, you’re probably consuming way too much sodium, because prepared and restaurant foods are chock full of it. For example, one Wendy’s BLT salad without dressing has almost an entire’s day worth of sodium. Essentially, if you consume too much sodium, you are 90% more likely to develop hypertension. Yikes! And physicians are seeing children as young as 5 developing kidney stones, which can be caused by a diet too high in sodium (and not enough water). Stay with me after the jump for the entire release. Now I know why my trainer was so down on Lean Cuisines. They are packed with sodium too. (Thank you, Wikipedia, for the image.) (more…)

2008 Dallas Fashion Award Winners

The 33rd Annual Dallas Fashion Awards gala was held at the Dallas Market Center Saturday night. Max Azria (of BCBG Max Azria) received this year’s Fashion Excellence Award for his Herve Leger collection (which was relaunched in 2007 and has since been seen on many starlets including Lindsay Lohan, Victoria Beckham, Rihanna, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Kate Bosworth) and Gianna Madrini (Style Editor and Executive Producer of Global Fashion News) was the recipient of the Personal Style Award. Other winners included:
Accessories: Sondra Robert
After 5: Marc Bouwer GLAMIT!
Jewelry: Devn Leigh
Contemporary: Kenzie
Casual contemporary: Taka
Modernwear: Lynn Ritchie
Children’s wear: Florence Eiseman
Bridge/Designer: Zelda

Congrats to all!

Nice Lips

My lips are constantly chapped during the winter time, so I go through a LOT of chapstick. But before I slather it on, I like to know that the stuff hasn’t been tested on animals first. PETA’s adorable lip balms make this promise and more. While many products claim not to be tested on animals, very few can say they’re made without any animal byproducts whatsoever—PETA even eliminates beeswax! It’s good to know what you’re applying to your pucker hasn’t hurt an innocent creature. And you don’t have to be a vegetarian to love this stuff! The lips balms come in Fruit Smoothie, Tangerine, Vanilla Bean, Peppermint, and “PETA Compassion” Fruit. Of course, if you’re interested in eating a meat-free diet, visit www.peta.org. (I can tell you, I’ve been off the stuff for about a year, and I feel pretty good.) Proceeds from the goods help PETA fight against animal cruelty. And whether or not you enjoy a burger or own fur, you know you can’t disagree with that. The sticks are only $3 a pop, and you REALLY can’t disagree with that. Order here.

Eat Smart(er) At Long John Silver’s

The fried-seafood fast-food chain has just announced that it’s now offering more healthful dining options with its Freshside Grille menu. The three new entrees at Long John Silver’s—grilled tilapia, grilled salmon, and shrimp scampi—have 10 grams of fat or less, which is pretty close to the fat content in Subway’s Fresh Fit sandwiches. (Watch out, Jared!) The new meals at LJS also have reduced calories, but I didn’t see any mention of sodium content. (As someone who emerged from a salt-sensitive gene pool, that’s something I try to watch out for.) So, using Long John Silver’s handy nutrition calculator, I figured it out. Go here if you’d like to see the full nutrition info for the grilled salmon, a side of veggies, and a medium Diet Pepsi. For eating on the run, it’s not too bad. I haven’t been to LJS in just over a million years, but this makes things a little more appealing. Go fish!

Pamper Your Fanny

Exhale Spa’s got it right with this event: “Get Your Rear In Gear.” I love breathing in Child’s Pose, stretching in the Downward Facing Dog, aligning my chakras, and all that jazz, but let’s get to the point. What I really need is a firmer tush to get me through the fall season’s best pants. On Wednesday, October 22, the spa is teaming up with experts from the Blues Jean Bar to provide us with a wealth of knowledge—and goodies. The class will teach techniques for shaping and toning the lower body. The Blues Jean Bar pros will tell us about the latest and greatest trends and styles. The spa will send us off with a gift bag full of Exhale Spa product samples and coupons to the Blues Jean Bar. And the whole thing’s FREE. Enjoy! The BJB trunk show starts at 9 am. The class begins at noon. To register, go to www.exhalespa.com/locations/dallas or call 214-370-5800.

Shop For A Cure

Philosophy, Amy Grant, and the nonprofit company Art of Grace have joined forces to fight women’s cancer. As part of their She Colors My Day project, 100 percent of the net proceeds from the sale of Philosophy’s She Colors My Day bubble bath and keepsake gift and sketchbook will benefit the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund. Also benefiting the fund are sales from Grant’s recording of “She Colors My Day,” a song celebrating the relationship between mother and daughter and co-written by Philosophy founder Cristina Carlino. Go here to learn more about the project and to find out even more ways you can help this worthy cause.

Free Health Conference at SMU

It doesn’t take a psychiatrist to know that our society has a screwed-up relationship with food. And it doesn’t take a nutritionist to know that the food many of us put in our mouths on a regular basis is pretty screwed-up itself. Enter The Movement Dallas and the two-day health and wellness conference it’s presenting at SMU on October 17 and 18. “The Real Food Story: Living Like Nobody Else” will focus on such topics as losing weight, balancing hormones, improving digestion, and getting energy without stimulants. The conference is free as part of the university’s Wellness Week, and according to The Movement Dallas co-founder Craig Keaton, it will be an eye opener. “This conference blows the doors off what you know to be ‘healthy’,” he says, “and will radically change how you see nutrition.” I’m intrigued. How about you?

Gotta love yoga!

I started yoga a couple of weeks ago with my husband and my friend Susie. We have been attending Bishop Arts Yoga, and we love it! The studio is small and welcoming. Instructor Steven Grillo is knowledgeable and helpful. He doesn’t even get angry that I can’t do tree without falling over or that I have the attention span of a goldfish. Why should you be interested? He is offering a one-year unlimited plan for only $699 until Sept. 30th. That’s a pretty sweet deal! Don’t want to commit without trying out the studio? He offers a 10-day intro plan for just $10.

Hilton Anatole Gym Gets A Makeover

The Hilton Anatole Hotel today announced the grand reopening of its massive fitness center, the Verandah Club. The 80,000-square-foot private fitness club boasts $340,000 worth of new equipment, including treadmills, bikes, step machines, and elliptical trainers—all equipped with LCD TV monitors. (Get a glimpse of that workout room. I feel skinnier just looking at it!) Learn more about the club here. And look for a new spa opening later in the year.

Re: Get Fit, Lose Shirt With Terrell Owens

In conjunction with T.O.’s release of Finding Fitness, he’ll be making the rounds doing book signings and meeting fans. Jump for the full list of area events. (more…)

Get Fit, Lose Shirt With Terrell Owens

When Jennifer dropped by my desk the other day with a copy of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens’ new self-help book, I thought about reading it. I really did. But the unexpected pictorial I found inside T.O.’s Finding Fitness: Making the Mind, Body, and Spirit Connection for Total Health distracted me a little. Apparently finding fitness includes going shirtless as much as possible. Here are some of my personal favorites:

• a shirtless T.O. running on the beach
• a shirtless T.O. reading a book at home
• a shirtless T.O. standing under some type of flowing water feature
• a shirtless T.O. doing tai chi by the pool
• a shirtless T.O. standing and smiling in said pool

And that, dear readers, is in addition to the shirtless T.O. on the front cover and the shirtless T.O. on the back cover. The man does have a hot bod, so I can’t say I blame him too much, but that’s a whole lot of shirtless. If you’re interested in actually reading the book, you’ll be able to do so on September 23 when Simon & Schuster releases T.O.’s Finding Fitness into the world. If you follow T.O.’s guidelines, maybe one day you, too, can feel so comfortable sans top.

Why I Love Diet Gourmet

Being a magazine editor is a tough job, if you’re ever expected to go out into the world, representing your brand, which we are. Being a beauty magazine editor is even tougher–especially in a town like Dallas, where darn near every girl is gorgeous. Well, some of us regular girls–you know, the ones who aren’t 5-foot-9 and/or wear a size 2–have to work at it, by eating right and exercising. But what’s the fun in that? Especially when you’d rather dive head first into a bowl of queso than grill a piece of chicken and bike on the Katy Trail?

But things had gotten out of hand. Rather than going to the grocery store or ordering something sensible when I went to a restaurant, I was eating every meal like it was my last. So I went online to Diet Gourmet, determined to eat better without sacrificing good food. I am, after all, very picky. Okay. I’m a snob.

I’ve been eating Diet Gourmet for more than two weeks, and I am happy to report I feel a thousand times better, I’m eating more fruits and vegetables now than ever before, and I actually look forward to my meals. They use organic fruits and vegetables when available and hormone-free chicken. And they put together combinations of flavors I would never dream of–think edamame salad with mandarin oranges and red onion or lentil salad with cranberries. The Mediterranean combo I had for lunch on Monday came with tabblouleh as good as Ali Baba. I look forward to the smoked chicken whole wheat ravioli for dinner that’s coming up in week 4. Seriously, this is good stuff. Of all the meals–I do lunch and dinner–I have only been disappointed in two: chicken and dumplings (it was bland, even after I added some salt) and a open-faced prosciutto sandwich, a chef’s special, that just didn’t work (although the accompanying angel hair pasta salad was scrumptious).

So, if you want to eat better, but you’re afraid that means you have to eat bland, then check out Diet Gourmet. You can pick it up or they’ll deliver. Trust me. You won’t be sorry.

Beauty in a Bottle

Beauty Boost, an all-natural superfruit juice made from Açai berries, has just hit the market. I bet you have two questions. 1. What makes a fruit super?  2. Why will Açai juice make me beautiful? Let me ’splain.

1. Superfruits, which include goji berries, noni fruit, açai berries, and mangosteen fruit, among others, are named such because they have higher amounts of nutrients per serving than other healthy fruits and vegetables. They pack a punch, ladies and gents.

2. The açai berry is rich in the antioxident anthocyanin (it has 3.5 times that of red wine), plus 21 essential and non-essential amino acids, which is why this beauty berry encourages healthy skin, hair, and nails. It’s also an anti-aging agent.

Now, to make your insides match your outside, there are three more Boosts to boot: Happy Boost, which includes goji berries and supports positive moods, healthy aging, and liver and kidney health; Youth Boost, which has mangosteen juice and supports healthy aging, joint health, and cardiovascular health; and Inner Boost made with noni, a fruit that supports natural cleansing, healthy digestion, and healthy immune function. I sampled the Inner Boost, and it was surprisingly sweet, with a nice apple-juice flavor.

Per the nice folks at Central Market, you’ll be able to get a Boost in stores around the middle of next week. If you just can’t wait to try it, order online here.

F.I.G. Finale

I stopped by the much-anticipated sale first thing this morning with my husband and cousin in tow. There was already a crowd gathered outside eagerly awaiting eleven o’clock. This time around there are even more local stores participating - over 45 - including some of our favorites, V.O.D., Melanie Gayle, Kacky & Carl, Linus Lounge, Elements, LFT, True Rumors, Merge, and more. Most shops are only taking cash (there’s an ATM on-site in case you need it), but we spotted a few accepting checks and credit cards. Some showrooms (like Policei and Puma) are open for sample sales as well. There are many items worth the trip including a Mayle dress at V.O.D. - marked down from $575 to $100, Earnest Sewn skinny jeans at Merge for $75, Gil Carvalho shoes at Linus Lounge for $223, a men’s Zegna coat marked down from $1245 to $200 at LFT (everything at LFT that originally cost $1000 or more is now only $200). I was there for a little over an hour, but I could have spent many more. I think I may have to go back after work - it’s open until 9 P.M. tonight and again tomorrow from 11-5. Note: Be sure to wear clothing that’s easy to change in and out of as dressing areas are limited. Happy shopping!

Organic Wine Shows True Colors

I know reporting on wine is a stretch for a beauty blog, but I’m going to classify this one under health and wellness. After all, it is made from organic grapes. But that’s not the only thing that makes this Yellow + Blue Malbec special. Dr. Vino reports that instead of a bottle, the wine will come in a TetraPak (think juice-box packaging). The lightweight packaging will help to lower its carbon footprint. Get it? Yellow plus blue makes … that’s right.

I picked up a bottle (?) at Central Market a few weeks ago. It was about $10, and I was pleased to learn that because of the new packaging, it also held a third more wine than a conventional bottle. I can’t say I was super-impressed with the vino, though. I remember it having a slightly tinny aftertaste. But it’s green, it’s organic, and it’s inexpensive. Three reasons I’ll definitely try it again.

Get Pampered at Nailicious

Wednesday a few of the girls from D got together after work for a “nail party” at the newly renovated Beverly Hills Nail space on Oak Lawn, which has re-opened as Nailicious. The unassuming salon is sleek and modern on the inside and had the best massage chairs I have ever sat in. The walls display works of art by local artists which is also available for purchase. The staff is very friendly yet professional and did an excellent job on both my manicure and pedicure, which only cost $42. The salon stocks OPI polishes and always has the newest and most popular shades available according to owner, Catherine Vo. The shade of the day was “PARLEZ-VOUS OPI?”, a smokey lavender (pictured at left) from OPI’s new “France Collection”. The salon also offers brow waxing and threading. I will definitely return.