After being inspired by DonnaMaria Coles Johnson’s (@indiebusiness on Twitter – a must follow for any indie business owner!) creation of Fitceos, I knew I wanted to jump on board. I love the easy method of promoting health in all aspects of life. We post tips on eating healthy, recipes, as well as tweet our workouts. I love the accountability this provides and look forward to seeing my life (and waistline!) transform as a result of being part of this group.

DonnaMaria recently created her own tofu salad and her creation inspired me to do the same. Here’s her recipe and photo:

My inspiration for eating tofu!

Looks yummy, doesn’t it? I set out to make my own tofu salad and prayed my family would like it as well, so that we could incorporate some vegetarian meals into our diet. Here’s what I did (amounts are approximate – I was so hungry and partially skeptical that I’d like it, I didn’t write everything down):

2 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil – heated on medium high and added
1/2 pkg of Naysoya Organic Lite Firm Tofu – drained and cubed
Seasoned with 1 Tbl minced garlic, pepper and spicy grill seasoning for chicken/fish

I cooked this for approximately 10 minutes, stirring often. I tasted it about halfway through and it seemed too soft to me, so I kept cooking to brown the outside and make it a bit crisper. Texture is a huge deal for me with food, and one of the main reasons I’d never eaten tofu before was because I was afraid it’d just be mush.

Meanwhile, I mixed:
Baby Spinach
Iceburg Lettuce
Red cabbage
2 celery stalks – cut into 1/4″ chunks
1 carrot, chopped
1 green onion (both green & white parts), chopped
handful of dried cranberries

After the tofu was cooked, I simply mixed it into the salad and served it with some freshly baked bread.

Results: I really liked it! The texture was still a bit soft for my taste, maybe next time I’ll get the extra firm, but it was definitely edible. The tofu absorbed the seasoning flavors and the cranberries gave it enough of a sweet flavor that no salad dressing was needed. All in all a wonderfully flavored, filling and low fat meal! My husband’s response: “What did you cook this chicken in? It’s good!” I’m glad his first meal with tofu was a good experience for this die-hard meat and potatoes guy. My daughter (2 years old) ate it all up as well so it was a thumbs up all the way around.

We’ll definitely be eating more tofu in the future – in fact, I just read a recipe for a maple glazed tofu that I’m thinking about for tonight! What are your favorite tofu recipes? I’d love to try them out, so please share!

Join us tomorrow for a live chat and enter to win one of two $25 Vintage Body Spa gift certificates along with other home spa related products! We’ll be chatting about how to create your own spa experience at home and sharing home spa recipes. I’m honored to be cohosting with:

Katja from Skimbaco Lifestyle
Katie from GoodLife {eats}
Shannon from The Bath Project
Mommy Niri of Mommy Niri

If you are not familiar with Snazl yet – sign up today and check it out. It is like YouTube and Ustream combined, but better – video and picture sharing on real time from multiple locations.

So come back here at 2pm EST tomorrow, or head to the Snazl homepage and join in the chat. We’re excited to answer your questions about spa beauty products, eating healthy and transforming your home into a serene sanctuary. See you there!

We are so very blessed as Susan Johnston, an amazingly talented songwriter, actress, writer and entrepreneur has generously donated the lyrics to her song ‘Don’t Touch Me That Way Again’ to raise awareness of our Behind the Curtain initiative and the ways in which we’re working to combat violence. This beautiful song was also used in a National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Campaign. Here are the poignant lyrics:

Don’t Touch Me That Way Again

We can talk it out
I’m tired of being hurt
Tired of feeling pain
Crouching down
I want my feet back on the ground
Walk with me, talk to me
Just don’t touch me that way again

You have no right
There should be no fighting
Its just a disagreement
I know we can work it out
Don’t touch me that way again

No matter how hard you try
I can see through your denials
Your words hurt me too
I have feelings and a right to live a violence free life
Walk with me, talk to me, just don’t touch me that way again.

Embrace me, hold me tight, don’t hurt me-instead just count to ten
Walk outside and don’t come back until you can walk with me, talk with me.

© Susan Johnston

Not only did Ms. Johnston offer her song, she’s also generously donating $3.00 from each sale when our readers purchase her book to support the Buy One, Give One program. LA For Free, Almost is a great resource for anyone living in or traveling to the Los Angeles area who is needing to save and/or make money. Johnston was able to survive her first year and a half in LA with little to no money using the principles in the book.

Everyone at Vintage Body Spa is thankful for Ms. Johnston’s generosity, and we’re excited to offer our readers the opportunity to have yet another way in which they can support Behind the Curtain.

We’re a little late in posting this, but we did choose a winner in the Pamper a Mom this Mother’s Day contest. Thanks to all who submitted great stories about many deserving moms. We’re happy to announce that Karen V. of Illinois has been awarded a 3-month membership to our Indulgence of the Month Club. She has already received her first month’s products, and her daughter, Amanda is enjoying the Whipped Sugar Scrub in Lavender Bergamot she chose as her prize. Congratulations, Karen and thanks Amanda for submitting the touching story of you and your mom. We’re happy to help pamper her!

We’re going to kick this blog off with a great contest, just in time for Mother’s Day. Nominate a mom who deserves some extra pampering this Mother’s Day, and if your entry is chosen, you win as well!!

The winning mom will receive a 3 month membership in our Indulgence of the Month Club valued at $90! Each month for three months she’ll receive a special gift with one or more luxurious products from Vintage Body Spa to pamper herself. Each month her products will arrive packaged and gift wrapped, ready to encourage her to take some time out for herself.

And that’s not all! Whomever writes the winning entry will ALSO win their choice of any of our single products. So nominate someone today and score some pampering yourself! You can of course nominate yourself to win, but you’d only receive the Indulgence of the Month Club membership.

HOW IT WORKS:
1) Write a entry of less than 500 words about the mom you’re nominating. Tell us why she deserves to win this pampering gift club membership. Be creative, be detailed. Don’t just say ‘she’s a great mom’ – tell us why! What is it about her that deserves to be recognized and celebrated this Mother’s Day?
2) Email your entry to contestsatvintagebodyspadotcom.
3) Return here and leave a comment with the one product you want to win if your entry is chosen. Don’t forget to leave your scent choice as well!

Contest is open through 11:59 pm on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009. All entries will be reviewed by a 3 person panel chosen by Vintage Body Spa. The panel’s decision is final. The author of the winning entry will be notified via email and will have 72 hours to respond or will forfeit the prize. Upon confirmation, the winner will need to provide some method by which we can contact the winning mom to ship her prize each month.

Questions? Email customerserviceatvintagebodyspadotcom. Can’t wait to pamper an extra deserving mom this year!

Some of you may have noticed a big improvement in our retail store and we hope you will find it to be a much easier place to shop!