Venus Spa

I usually wait until my muscles beg me to get a massage.  Since I've started bar-tending I've needed one more than ever.  Last night was especially exhausting because I had to work an open bar, 21st birthday party.  I woke up tired from working and my body ached because its been so hot this Summer.  This morning I decided to sweat and do the bike for 19 miles.  After the gym I headed over to Venus Spa.  I didn't have an appointment, but that was alright because they take walk-ins, no big deal.  The receptionist asked me if I would be okay with a male masseuse and I said yes.  The one thing I like about walk in appointments are that you always have a different massage therapist, giving you a whole different experience each time.

This place is so special.  They do a great job and when you walk into the room you sit down and put your feet into a hot bucket of water.  They give you jasmine green tea to sip on while you listen to relaxing music.   They proceed to wrap you up in white towels while they massage your back.  This is the most painful part for me because I think that's where I hold most of my tension.  Its nice to feel like jello afterward though so I try to endure as much of the process as possible.  People come and go at different times, but they are really quiet and you barely notice them.

This masseuse had a strong and hard technique.  I had to ask him to go a little easy on me more than a couple of times, but then I asked myself as I peered through the opening in the massage table at my purse and flip flops on the floor...No pain no gain, right?  Maybe my body needs to rid its self of these knots through this deep tissue massage.  My absolute favorite part of a massage is when the therapist rubs the forearm and down to the hands and fingers.  He did this little snap on the end of each finger that sounds like he was cracking something but it felt so good.  I love those pressure points on the ends of the fingertips.  In that moment I say "Thank you! Thank you! yes, that feels so good!"... In my head of course, wouldn't want to mess up his flow.  To me that feels better than anything in the world!

 Beside me today was a man face down in the middle of his massage who began to snore.  I felt like maybe he was missing out since he was asleep, but his body will still know the difference even if he wasn't awake to remember it.  Then something that I'm always fearful of happened... His phone went off with the six sequence chime of the Sports Center app... "dunn nuh nuh, dunn nuh nuh".  I laughed because its a sounds I'm too familiar with.  It didn't bother him or anyone else in the room.  Then I started to think about the camaraderie of sports and how it brings people together to play and have fun.  I started to think about how I want to to start watching games with friends and family, making yummy food and snacks for everyone to enjoy.  It had me thinking about how I want to start going to basketball, baseball, football and hockey games.  I was thinking about how it could be cool to try all the different foods that professional stadiums and fields have to offer.

Its funny how your mind wonders while your supposed to be present in the moment, relaxing.  I was relaxed I was just also dreaming away of where I could take this blog if I wanted to.  Today I had one of the best massages I've ever had! Can't wait to go back.

Xo,

Rach

Mexican Fruit Salad

What is more simple of a snack than a fruit salad?  The Mexicans got it right when they chose to spice it up a bit with chili powder and fresh lime juice.  I can't believe I'm just now learning how delicious and healthy this is.  I never really crave fruit unless if its in a smoothie, but if I had fruit like this I could eat it everyday.  I picked up a half watermelon from Northgate Market and just cut it in cubes.  I didn't need a whole watermelon anyway.  Cutting a half watermelon is much more simple than cutting up a whole watermelon.  Then I cut up one cantaloupe and a few cucumbers.  I purchased jicama that was already sliced and just cut it into thirds.

SERVES: 10 people

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 large watermelon cut into cubes
• 1 cantaloupe cut into cubes
• 2 cucumbers peeled and sliced
•  Package of sliced jicama
• 4 limes
• Tajin chili powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Toss fruit in a bowl
2. Squeeze lime juice on fruit (I used one of those lime squeezers)
3. Add Tajin to taste

Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups

When you're at the beach laying out the sun is draining. What you really need along with some water, while absorbing that good old vitamin D are some light and healthy snacks. These Mexican chicken enchilada roll-ups are perfect for a day at the beach. They only take a half hour to whip up and another to let sit in the refrigerator to harden. I found the recipe from Christy Denney's blog AKA The Girl Who Ate Everything (Hey, sounds like me), here. They were delicious and my crew ate them all up.

INGREDIENTS:

• (2) 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
• 2 tbs taco seasoning
• 2 cups shredded chicken (Rotisserie is great)
• (1)  10-oz can diced tomatoes with green onions, drained

DIRECTIONS: 

1. In a large bowl blend all the ingredients except for the tortillas
2. Spread 1/2 cup of mixture to an entire surface of tortilla
3. Roll the tortilla tightly and add a little more of the mixture to the ends if needed
4. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to harden (makes the rolls easier to slice into)
5. Cut rolls 1/2 inch wide with a serrated knife and serve