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Palisade Peach Festival Travel Tuesday

Last week I was lucky enough to explore the beautiful city of Palisade, Colorado where Colorado wineries are fruitful, agriculture tourism is high, and where my son and I had some of the the best peaches we have ever tried! Where ever you go, out in the orchards and wineries or in and around Palisade, you hear about the buzz about the 2014 Palisade Peach Festival. The festival starts this week on August 14 thru the 17^th. All over the Valley and beyond, beginners and seasoned cooks are busy figuring out their Peach Recipe Contest entry. Everyone is salivating over the sample sales after the contest. Local chefs are busy creating their dishes to present at the Peach cuisine with Colorado chefs. Peach jams, jellies, cobblers, pies and vendor peach specials are being prepared.

The Festival down at Riverbend Park Friday and Saturday joins all the activities going on all over town with the Peach Parade, Recipe Contest, Peach Pancake Breakfast and restaurant peach specials. Where ever you go in and around Palisade… peaches rule!

Growers and valley chefs bring to you, “Feast in the Fields” where guests will enjoy a gourmet meal with local wines, among the peach trees at Z’s Orchards and Suncrest Orchard Alpacas. When you’re in Palisade Peach Country during the festival, it’s all about the Power of the Peach with this years bumper crops of those juicy, sun kissed, high dessert, grown to perfection, peaches! How sweet it is! Come join us!

Special note: The Grand Junction Rockies join in the celebration with “Peach Night at the GJ Rockies” on the Wednesday night August 13^th, the day before the festival starts, Tim Ray, general manager for the GJ Rockies is pleased to help honor the best peaches in the world and those who grow them! For more information call 464-7458 or go to www.palisadepeachfest.com

Schedule of Events

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13th

Peach night with GJ Rockies 7:05 PM

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14th

Hisotrical Society documentary: Roller Dam 100 Yrs 5:00 PM

Ice Cream Social & Street Dance 5:30 PM

Peach Cake Stroll 6:00 PM

Town Grouch and Peach Queen & Court 6:30 Pm

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15 th

Historical Walking tours 10:30AM & 12:30PM

Peach Festival in Riverbed Park 3PM – 9PM

Peach Cuisine w/ CO Chefs 3:00PM – 5:00PM

Peach Jammin Stage 5PM – 9PM

Feast in the Field Dinner at Z’s Orchard 6PM – 9PM

Feast in the Field Dinner at Suncrest Orchards 6PM – 9PM

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16th

Peach Recipe Contest 7:30AM

Peach Festival Parade 9AM

Lions Club Pancake breakfast 7AM – 10Am

Peach Festival @ Riverbend Park 9AM – 9PM

peach eating contest 12:00 pm

Peach Cuisine w/ CO Chefs 1:00PM – 5:00PM

peach plunge 4:00 pm

Guns vs hoses tug of war 4:45 pm

Peach Jammin Stage 1 PM – 9PM

Feast in the Field Dinner at Z’s Orchard 6PM – 9PM

Fruit & wine byway agri tours

sunDAY, AUGUST 17th

Farmers Sunday market 10Am – 2PM

Fruit & wine byway agri tours

Palisadepeachfest.com

Cucumber Pineapple Smoothie

Have you tried cucumber in your juicing or smoothie recipes? I made this Cucumber Pineapple Smoothie, and my 3 kids loved it! Cucumbers are healthy and so low in calories. Here are a few health benefits of cucumbers:

1. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins.

2. Cucumbers are a valuable source of conventional antioxidant nutrients including vitamin C, beta-carotene, and manganese.

3. Cucumbers are 95 percent water, keeping the body hydrated while helping the body eliminate toxins.

4. Cucumbers aid in digestion due to their fiber and water content.

Aztec Energy Bars

The newly introduced Aztec Energy Bars at chic Viceroy Zihuatanejo on Mexico’s Pacific coast have quickly become a hit with fitness-conscious guests – and the favorite after-workout pick-me-up at the resort’s gym. They are prepared with oats, nuts and dried fruits, but what really sets them apart is a traditional Mexican grain – the nutritional, and gluten-free, powerhouse of amaranth that was a staple of the ancient Aztecs. Amaranth was a food of the gods in the Aztec world, representing as much as 80% of their caloric consumption and used in ritual drinks and dishes. It held such sway over the Aztecs that the Spanish outlawed its cultivation after the conquest.

These Aztec Energy Bars are easy to make at home, particularly since the magical amaranth grain has been discovered by nutritionists and foodies in the U.S. (it has more protein than wheat, low carbohydrate content and is rich in amino acids, fiber, calcium, magnesium and iron) and can now can be found in health- and specialty-food stores or online.

Viceroy Zihuatanejo’s executive chef, Paco Isordia, created this recipe to reward guests who commit to working out while on vacation, jumping into everything at the resort from martial arts classes and yoga instruction to stand-up paddle boarding, fly-boarding and the well-equipped gym. He drew inspiration from the various uses of amaranth in Mexico today.

A paradisal on Mexico’s Pacific coast, Viceroy Zihuatanejo is nestled on one of the country’s most beautiful and pristine beaches, Playa La Ropa, on tranquil Zihuatanejo Bay. The enchanting two-story adobe-inspired casitas, housing 46 luxurious suites and guestrooms, are tucked in gentle hills above the picturesque fishing village of Zihuatanejo. The garden landscape is rich with coconut trees, rainbow-hued bougainvillea and vibrant hibiscus. The resort’s exquisite white-sand beach stretches for 600 feet along a gorgeous coastline. Guests enjoy massages and treatments at an intimate spa in a lush tropical setting, fitness center, yoga program and an array of activities from water sports to cooking classes.

Being Green Juice for St. Patricks Day

St. Patrick’s Day is widely known for being one of the most fun, spirited holidays of the year but often leaves partygoers feeling like they overindulged the next day. Whether you’re looking for a healthy (but still celebratory) alternative to the typical St. Patty’s adult beverages this year or preparing an evening cure for your day drinking hangover, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants has created a juice to help folks join in the holiday spirit and feel like they have the luck of the Irish in beating .

Being Green Juice is a nutrient-rich mixture of cucumber, celery, spinach, kale and lemon that’s packed with iron and Vitamin K to provide the much needed energy boost to either join in the festivities with fellow revelers or nurse your body back to health after a long day of celebrating. Kimpton is the first hotel brands to offer a fresh juice menu companywide and will offer this healthy perk at all properties by the end of 2014. I love them!!!

Ski into Spring at Fairmont Hotels

I have been fortunate enough to ski in Banff and Aspen in the past few months, but if you’re looking for other options for great ski trips, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts invites families and friends to hit the powdery slopes to take full advantage of exclusive ski packages ideal for a spring break getaway. With properties located in some of the best mountain destinations in North America, including the stunning peaks of the Canadian Rockies, the elite mountains of Colorado, and the charming villages of Quebec, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts offers ski enthusiasts a variety of locales and authentic experiences to choose from. Perfect for “après ski,” Fairmont guests can enjoy world-class dining, shopping, spa experiences and tailor-made excursions, leaving them refreshed and rejuvenated this spring. I want to go, don’t you? Check out these awesome spring ski specials:

The Canadian Rockies

The Fairmont Banff Springs: The Luxury Ski the Canadian Rockies Package includes accommodations, self-parking for one vehicle, a total of two tri-area ski passes per room, per night (valid at Sunshine Village, Lake Louise Mountain Resort and Ski Banff at Norquay), shuttle service to the ski hill, daily à la carte or buffet breakfast, a daily access pass to the Willow Stream Spa and complimentary ski and snowboard storage as well as all gratuities. Available through April 30, 2014, rates start from $499 CAD.

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise: The Lake Louise Family Ski Experience Package includes deluxe accommodations, two lift tickets, one in-room movie, and a $25 Deli credit for treats. Complimentary transportation between the ski hill and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is also included. Available through April 20, 2014, rates start from $359 CAD per night.

The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge: Families can hit the slopes with the Family Ski Experience. Package includes accommodations in a Fairmont Room, transportation to and from the ski hill, as well as family ski lift tickets for two adults and one child. Available until May 4, 2014, rates start from $339 CAD per night.

Quebec

Fairmont Tremblant: Families can enjoy Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains with the Family Ski Experience Package, which includes accommodations, one ski lift ticket per adult and $50 CAD food & beverage credit per day through April 12, 2014 starting at $357 CAD.

The Ultimate Tremblant Ski Package offers ski-in/ski-out access, as well as an array of activities for all ages. The package includes overnight accommodations, breakfast, and one ski lift ticket per adult through April 12, 2014. Rates start from $409 CAD per night.

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac: The Family Ski Experience includes accommodations, full buffet breakfast for two adults, two adult one day ski lift tickets for either Mont Sainte-Anne or Stoneham, one in-room family movie rental and a special in-room delivery of popcorn and juices. Available until April 26, 2014, rates start from $429 CAD

Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu: Families can take on The Charlevoix Family Ski Experience, including accommodations, ski lift tickets for two adults and two children at Mont Grand-Fonds, cookies and milk, and an in-room movie per night. Available until March 23, 2014, rates start at $289 CAD.

For those looking for an adrenaline rush, the Ultimate Le Massif Ski Package offers accommodations and ski lift tickets for adults at Le Massif, which has the highest vertical drop in Eastern Canada. Available until March 23, 2014, rates start at $299 CAD.

Whistler

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler: The Ultimate Ski Experience package provides ski-in/ski-out access to the famous Whistler Blackcomb, co-host of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The offer includes mountainside accommodations (with a two-night minimum) and one Whistler Blackcomb dual-mountain ski resort lift pass per adult, per night. Available through April 21, 2014, rates start at $283 CAD.

Colorado

Fairmont Heritage Place, Franz Klammer Lodge: The Franz Klammer Family Ski Experience includes accommodations in a two or three-bedroom residence, children’s welcome amenity, two adult lift tickets daily (excluding arrival day), complimentary ski valet, complimentary airport transfers from Telluride or Montrose airports, and complimentary valet parking. Available through April 6, 2014, rates start from $475 USD per night (four night minimum).

Wellness Travel Blogger at Huffington Post: Tuesday Travel

BIG NEWS!!! I am still Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Healthy Travel magazine, and we are continuing in 2014! YAY! I also have some other news. I am now a Blogger at Huffington Post, a Wellness Travel Blogger. It’s been a blast so far. See my recent posts on 6 Best Beach Workouts in Cabo and 5 Summer Travel Destination with Kids. For more information, See Huffington Post Bio. And yes! ALSO, I am still developing recipes and doing food and travel spokesperson work and media for Ingredients, Inc!