Under the Tecate Sun
Although my first choice for a vacation usually would not include all the flaxseed you can eat and dinner without a wine list, my week at a health spa in Mexico was an escape to a place dedicated to the joys of fitness and relaxation.
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| My pretty little casita. I was told Robert Redford stayed here! |
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| Before |
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| After...just kidding. This is me in the middle of a morning hike up the mountain. |
Founded in 1940, Rancho la Puerta Fitness Resort and Spa is south of San Diego in the border town Tecate.
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| Literally on the wagon....there is no alcohol served with meals at the Ranch...but stay tuned... |
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| Ssssstrrrreeeeccchhhh...after the uphill, then downhill hike then race everyone to breakfast. |
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| The quiet villa pool where I spend solitary afternoons listening to birds. |
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| Sculptor in residence, Jose Ignacio Castaneda, helps turn clay into creations. |
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| I was just walking by one afternoon and Jose invited me to join the class. Next thing I knew .....I was a sculptor too. |
The beauty and bold flavors of Rancho La Puerta Spa Cuisine
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| Salads are a thing of beauty |
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| Bold flavors of Mexico highlight the menu |
All of the physical activity certainly helps work up an appetite, so it’s rare to see anyone late for a meal in the dining hall.
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| Just in case you're so hungry you lose your way..... |
The four-course dinner the first night started with leek potato spinach soup with caramelized carrots and an heirloom tomato salad with smoked cheese, baby greens and basil dressing.
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| Fresh shrimp from the Baja California on the menu at Rancho La Puerta |
It’s a principally vegetarian menu here, with many dinner meals featuring fish dishes such as citrus garlic tilapia with red mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, and a roasted red bell pepper sauce. There’s no sugar in sight. Beverages and desserts including a dark chocolate tiramisu with mango sauce are sweetened with agave nectar.
The beautifully presented plates are prepared with produce plucked daily from the ranch’s organic farm where there’s a cooking school called La Cocina que Canta (the kitchen that sings).
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| Virginia Willis, far right, as guest chef at the cooking school. My recipe pal is Lorren Negrin of Seattle. |
Atlanta cookbook author Virginia Willis was the guest chef during my vacation week. Her hands-on cooking classes featured a spa-style Southern menu. “Saying that Southern food is only fried chicken is like saying Chinese food is only egg rolls,” says Willis, author of “Bon Appetit, Y’All!”
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| Lorren (a registered dietitian like me) and I were asked to create a dish from seasonal vegetables picked just moments before. The pink things are lightly sautéed radishes! |
Cook healthy, eat healthy
Laura White and Becky Jackson, guests from Atlanta, learned Willis’ recipe for bread-and-butter pickles using the organic garden’s cucumbers. Jackson said, “I’m making these at home. Most people think making pickles is hard, but in 20 minutes, we’re done!”
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| Don't worry, you get dessert too. Virginia Willis' recipe for strawberry shortcake was light and luscious! Her secret- no sugar in the whipped cream and canola oil with butter in the pastry. |
Also on the menu: asparagus salad, cornbread-crusted halibut, and stone-ground grits with fresh greens.
“I didn't know about stone-ground grits before,” said Lorren Negrin, a registered dietitian from Seattle. “Now I can tell my patients who are originally from the South they should try these, because they’re healthier than refined grits and they taste better.”
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| Guests get to keep a beautiful embroidered apron. |
Deborah Szekely, 91, who founded Rancho la Puerta and still presents inspirational lectures to guests, says, “Your body makes new cells all the time, so every day you wake up a little younger. Take care of your body so it can take care of you.”
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| Alex's tree, a focal point at Rancho La Puerta seen with a full moon still hanging above the mountain at 6am. |
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| I gave my guy a beret. I couldn't figure out how to make the hair. |
Lessons learned at the Ranch
> Try to limit meat. Plant foods are the stars of the meal here with small but satisfying servings of fish or shrimp. The typical American plate is dominated by large servings of meat.
> Try something new. Gina Christman, of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine tried acidopholus milk (good for digestion) at Ranch La Puerta, "I've taken this habit home. It tastes like buttermilk."
I tried flaxseeds sprinkled on cereal (good source of healthy omega 3 fats) because I heard it's good for shiny hair and healthy skin!
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| Gina Christman and I successfully reach Alex's Tree on a morning hike. Yes, it's already really hot! |
> Try less sugar (and alcohol). A vacation away from favorite indulgences is an adventure, too. I drank water and hibiscus tea instead of wine this week. —- think of the calorie savings!
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| OK, we did find a wine lounge with Baja wines! |
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| The wine lounge in a cute little casita is a new addition at The Ranch. |
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| Guests can taste Baja whites, reds and roses in the afternoon before dinner, or after dinner. My definition of health and happiness! |
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| Tasting the variety of produce at the Ranch's organic farm will help you appreciate dinner even more! |
> Try keeping track. Guests wear pedometers at the Ranch to measure how many steps taken each day. Aim for 10,000 steps a day as a fitness goal. Wow, that morning hike got me half way there even before breakfast!
Don't worry there's plenty to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and look how much I piled on my tray for lunch.
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| Yes, that's a cookie with a chocolate kiss in the middle. Friday treat of the week. |
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