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Healthy Eats, No Sauna Required Simple tips for spa-style dining at home 
Eating healthfully is easy during spa visits. A trained chef magically transforms vegetables and lean meats into sumptuous morsels. You're not tempted to nibble while you're cooking or scraping the plates, because hey, you're not in the kitchen; you're the paying guest. But if a luxurious, pampering break isn't in your budget this year, you can still pick up nutritious mealtime ideas from chefs at some of the country's best-known spas. What's more, you may be surprised at how deliciously well you dine, according to Barb Peters, chef at the Heartland Spa, Gilman, Ill. "People think that healthful eating is bland, or just vegetables. Not so," Peters says. Her audience appreciates the eye-appealing and full-flavored dishes she serves, including marinated salmon and chocolate soufflé. You may be familiar with the general guidelines spa chefs promote. They say to consume more whole grains along with seasonal fruits and vegetables; eat frequent small meals and reduce your intake of high fat, high-sodium processed foods. But the culinary experts also have specific tips they share with their audiences. Here's what they suggest: • Bulk up with low-calorie, high-nutrient foods Take the scrambled eggs at the famous weight loss spa, Hilton Head Health, Hilton Head, S.C. The recipe includes one egg, one white, an onion and a bag of arugula. "You get four times the volume," says Cathryn E. Matthes, executive chef, Hilton Head Health. Another entrée might be the black bean and sweet potato croquette Matthes pairs with apple and jicama slaw. • Slim down salad dressings Matthes tops a jaw-dropping sized salad of shredded greens with lime cilantro "sour cream" dressing. The sour cream is actually a mixture of cottage cheese and lemon juice pureed in a food processor. "It's huge and it's yummy," Matthes says. Adding pureed vegetables to a homemade dressing is Peters' solution to the salad issue. She blends cooked artichokes or roasted red pepper with oil and vinegar, trimming the oil. • Get out of the butter habit Cook rice in chicken or vegetable broth for flavor and omit the pat of butter many recipes call for, Peters says. In place of butter, squirt a wedge of lemon on steamed vegetables. • Raise the heat levels "I'm big on mustard, horseradish and red pepper flakes," Peters says. "When people think of those [flavorings] they think it's going to be too hot or spicy. But the result is interesting, with flavor," she says. • Treat your body well Instead of avoiding foods you love, eat smaller amounts prepared and served in a way your taste buds will notice. If you crave cheese, sprinkle it on top of pasta, salad or other dishes. Don't blend the cheese into other ingredients allowing the distinctive flavors to get lost. Cookies are most alluring when they first come out of the oven. Peters' theory is that you'd be satisfied with less if you could only take a bite at that moment. "Who doesn't like warm cookies?" Peters says.
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Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"
