The Saddle

Melanie and I went on a hike together this morning over the Tuacahn Saddle.  I don't know if I can count the amount of times I've heard our Desert Cliffs guests say they love this hike and that it's their favorite.  In fact, many times our return guests will request it and if the weather and conditions are suitable, we are happy to oblige.

I don't know if I can pinpoint exactly why it is everyone loves this hike so much.  It could be the fabulous views from the saddle, looking down onto Tuacahn and Snow Canyon.  It could be the heart-pumping scramble to the top.  It could be the arch, Fern Gully and pools of water on the decent.  It could also be the sea of sand that sculpts and tones our calves (well the guides love it!).  It could be the possibility of seeing a Desert Tortoise or the Jack Rabbits. It very well could be the combination of all of these things.  I know it is for me.  This hike leaves you feeling accomplished with an "I can do anything" feeling.

We call this hike The Saddle, but it is known in Snow Canyon State Park as Padre Canyon.  If you are a guest with Desert Cliffs, you'll enjoy being guided on this hike with us but if you visit the St. George area on your own, this is should be on your must-do-list.  Check out the Snow Canyon tab above for more info.

We have just posted a poll on our Desert Cliffs Facebook page because we're interested in hearing which hike is the most favorite of our beloved guests!  Go vote!  If you don't see your favorite hike listed, be sure to vote "other" and list the hike in the comments section.

Take a hike!!

Must Do Hikes in Dixie

A lot of people ask me about the hiking in the St. George area.  Kelly Vincent from Utah Dixie Deals asked me some questions about some hikes here in Dixie and has featured my article on her website.

Go here, to read more.

Of course, if you want to be guided on one of these hikes or any others, feel free to come visit us at Desert Cliffs and we'd be happy to take you!

Happy Hiking!

Desert Cliffs Top Ten Reasons to own a Backpack

1.  A backpack doesn't get jealous of other backpacks.

2.  A backpack will cary a ton of stuff - without complaint.

3.  You can pick a new backpack out of a catalog.

4.  A backpack always stays the same size (within reason).

5.  Backpacks never raise an arm and say, "Talk to the hand".

6.  Having more than one backpack is socially acceptable.

7.  A backpack is ready to leave whenever you are.

8.  A backpack doesn't mind if your friends come over - A LOT!

9.  "Backpack Swapping", is not publicly frowned upon.

10.  A backpack never gets tired of shopping.

So grab a backpack and let's...

Take a Hike!

If you are planning to hike with Desert Cliffs, plan on bringing a backpack that can hold a water bladder of a minimum of 2 liters, a packed lunch, plus any other necessities you might need.  A backpack is a good investment and with good treatment, will last many years and serve you well.

Tip:  You can store your water bladder in a freezer between hiking trips.  That will keep bacteria from growing inside!

Spring is here at Desert Cliffs

There is nothing more lovely than hiking in the desert during the Spring!  It's here!  While many parts of the U.S. still have snow, we sure don't.  You really should come now.

Come enjoy the spring hikes with us at Desert Cliffs!

"Indeed, it has affirmed my belief that our purpose as spiritual beings is to follow our bliss, seek our passions, and live our lives as inspirations to each other." ~ Aron Ralston

You all inspire me when you come and share our passion of hiking with us.

Cheryl

Vegetarian Mexican Quinoa Salad - Eat the rainbow!

One of our guests here at Desert Cliffs LOVES our quinoa chili and asked if there might be a way we could recreate it for lunch... You betcha! 

This Mexican Quinoa salad is light, refreshing and so vibrant! The exciting flavors will make you say WOW and best of all, it's perfect to keep you feeling full throughout those long hikes. 

No meat required!

  Our guests have been raving about this Mexican Quinoa Salad! We've experimented with many variations and it's always a huge hit!

Made with only the freshest ingredients and packed full of protein and nutrition

you are sure to feel recharged and ready to tackle any mountain after indulging in this mouthwatering flavor explosion!

Mexican Quinoa Salad

What you'll need: 

For the Cooked Quinoa

• 1 cup well rinsed quinoa  (always remember to rinse quinoa)
  
• 2 cups vegetable both, chicken broth or water
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1 garlic clove grated
• 1/2 small onion chopped 
  
  
  • Preparation: Mix these 5 ingredients together in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender to bite. Allow quinoa 5 minutes to cool and add in the following ingredients.

• 1 orange bell pepper chopped
• 1/2 red onion minced
• 1 avocado cut into cubes
• 1 can rinsed and drained black beans
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut into 4ths
• 1 bunch cilantro minced or chopped 
• 1 cup frozen corn 
• juice of 1-2 limes (depending on how juicy they are)
• Salt & Pepper to taste (optional)  

Mix ingredients together and taste the rainbow! This salad even tastes better as it sits. So make ahead, prep for the week, eat as a side with some fresh grilled chicken or by itself any day of the week... However you devour it, we know you'll LOVE it!

Love & Light,
Head Chef - McKenna 

Be a Follower

What kind of a slogan is that?  Be a follower?

Follow us to the mountains and red sandstone formations of Southern Utah.  That's what we're talking about!

Many of you wish you could be here with us right now.  So we offer you several ways to get your hiking 'fix' every day.  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.  We post pictures and motivational quotes almost daily.  You can follow your dreams of hiking with us in the desert sun from anywhere!

Need some hiking or weight loss inspiration?  Pinterest has your motivational pins!  You'll find us under Desert Cliffs Hiking Spa.

http://www.pinterest.com/lkemp/desert-cliffs-hiking-spa/

Want some portable recipe updates and photographs on your smart phone to get you through your work day?  Follow Desert Cliffs on Instagram.  Look for us @desertcliffsfitnessspa
Share your photos of hiking with us there by adding the #desertcliffs or #desertcliffsfitnessspa to your shots!

And we welcome you our community page on Facebook at Desert Cliffs Fitness Resort, where we check in almost daily and give you current updates on our clients with photos.

Of course, we wish you could be with us every day.  But don't give up on your fitness goals and dreams!  Stay motivated!  Stay strong!  Follow us to help you get there! And don't forget to get out there and Take a Hike!

Hope to see you soon!

Sweet and Savory Stuffed Butternut Squash

This has been a new favorite at Desert Cliffs since I started as the new head chef back in October. I've had multiple guests ask for this recipe and we're so excited to be sharing it here with you. This is a comforting, quick, delicious and nutritious meal that can be made any day of the week or even for a special occasion when you need to impress your guests! 

This is the sort of meal you can swap out ingredients or add as you so desire. You could swap the Butternut for an Acorn squash or I even like to sub ground turkey for turkey breast leftovers, or the quinoa for wild rice (which I prefer), or even chopped pecans, walnuts, or almond instead of the pine nuts. This dish is so versatile and a cinch to make you'll be stuffing your family and/or self with a healthy meal in no time!

Enjoy.

 Ingredients:

•  1 large butternut squash
• 1 lbs ground turkey
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 1 cup celery chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• bunch of thyme sprigs tied together
• 1 rosemary sprig minced
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 cup reduced sugar craisins
• 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
• salt and pepper to taste
• parsley for garnish

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees place squash cut side up on baking sheet and spray with coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour or until tender when poked with a fork. Squash should look like this when removed from the oven. 

• While the squash is baking, heat a large sauté pan to medium-medium high heat

• Add 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and ground turkey. Cook turkey until nearly cooked through.

• Add onions, celery, rosemary and thyme and lightly salt and pepper. Sauté until onions are translucent.

• Add minced garlic, cook for 1 more minute.

• Add quinoa and stir for another minute.

• Add chicken stock and craisins.

• Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is cooked through.

• When squash is tender remove from oven, cut into 4ths and plate. Top each squash segment with stuffing and garnish with toasted pine nuts, parsley and freshly grated parmesan (optional)

Bon Appétit!

-McKenna 


 Stuffed Butternut Squash: Serves 4. With 407 Calories per serving.

Losing weight NEVER was this beautiful and DELICIOUS!

 If you have ever thought about trying out a weightloss spa, there is not a better time to do it than now in Southern Utah.  The weather is perfect for an ALL day hike, and the scenery is UNBEATABLE. 

 Linda is from Denver Colorado, and just came from SNOW!  Our guests do not have to go to the gym while they are with us to lose their weight, we take them out to our beautiful mountains, and hike until they can hike no more. 

 This was a BEAUTIFUL 14 mile hike, and the weather all day was PERFECT!

 

 

 Dave and Joan from Canada come back about every 6 months to recharge and remind themselves to take the time out of their day to eat healthier and exercise. 

 The splashes of color this fall are INCREDIBLE, so if you are thinking about it, don't hesitate, NOW is the time to come!

 What will you eat while you are here?  How about delicious healthy Beautiful meals! 

 Healthy Chicken picata with quinoa and steamed broccoli.....YUM

 You will want to eat your brussel sprouts here when they are served with baked Salmon, and sweet potato mash, topped with basil.

 Who doesn't love a good Shrimp stir fry?

 With apple cinnamon quinoa with dried blueberries and cranberries, flax, hemp, and topped with organic yoghurt, you are sure to be fueled and ready to 'Take a Hike'! 

 We do spoil you with a small dessert each night, but be certain it is homemade and healthy like this Blackberry lemon cake.  YUM

 This is Clinese and she is from Southern Calfornia, this is the First time with us, and she was amazed by the beauty, and a little surprised with all the scrambling up red sandstone.:) 

Clinese was here with us for 2 1/2 weeks, and we can't wait to see her again in March! 

So what is there to think about?  Is there anyone  who wouldn't want to be surrounded by breath taking scenery, eat DELICIOUS meals and lose a few pounds along the way? 

There is NOT a better way to lose weight

What an INCREDIBLE week we had this past week.  We got to enjoy having Janice from California back even if it was for only 5 short days.:(   We know most of our guests can only take a week off from their busy lives, so we really try to pack in their week with hikes that are perfect for them.  Janice LOVES to work out,  (Click here to see her on a 24 hour fitness commercial).  Janice hiked with us every day but Thursday she decided to take the day and spend at our gym.  She took a bootcamp class in the morning, walked on the hiking trek machine, took a spin class, swam a little, took the BEST pilates class, and then finished with a Mayhem class (a beginning crossfit class).  After her many workouts,  Janice walked the 3 1/2 miles back to the spa home on a beautiful bike path.....NOT too shabby.:) After 5 days Janice dropped 3 1/2 lbs on the scale, and 8 lbs of BODY FAT!!

 

 On Tuesday the group went up to Cedar Breaks National Park.  This Park is breathtaking and at 11,000 ft our guest are SURE to get a workout.  This day was particularly beautiful because the leaves were changing and it was just INCREDIBLE.  Clearly we at Desert Cliffs offer something special and unique that you will NOT find ANYWHERE else. Kacey is from California, and he is here with us for 4 weeks.  He struggled a little bit the first week with the distance of our hikes, but we were able to push him enough that he made it as far as we knew he could go, and after 2 weeks he has already dropped 20 lbs!!  Kim and Ryan were an adorable couple, they were so excited to try something NEW for the first time, and they couldn't GET enough.  Kim lost 4 lbs this week, and Ryan dropped 8 lbs.  They are already planning their next trip with us, and we can't wait!

 Kadie has dropped 4 sizes in the six weeks she has been here, and this girl is FAST out on the trail.  She is continuing to set record times for our hikes.  We will certainly miss her when she returns home in a few short weeks.:(

 The beauty in Cedar Breaks is just magnificent!

 We love to show our guests  our incredible mountains here in Southern Utah, and we get so excited to get our return guests back to surprise them with even more beautiful hikes.  If you are feeling like you just need a GREAT jumpstart, and you want to have a BLAST and lose weight incredibly FAST, grab your backpack and 'Take a hike' with us!!  We pride ourselves on giving personal one-on-one attention and designing our hikes around what we believe will be best for you!

Why Desert Cliffs?

These are many of the reasons our guests have told us why they come to Desert Cliffs.....

-'I have a "sweet tooth".'

-'I love to snack in the evening.'

-'I eat too much.'

-'My diet at home is not good.'

-'I am a social eater.'

-'I drink too many calories.'

-'I have trouble with portion control.'

-'I need to refocus.'

-'I don't lose weight near as quickly as I used to.'

-'I eat too much junk'

so,......'Why not?'

Take a hike with us, and 'Hike your way to BETTER health!'

Beat the heat in the Summer

 Cedar Breaks is about an hour and half drive from Desert Cliffs.  This park offers you the chance to stand above 10,000 feet on a cliff edge surrounded by lush forests and flower-covered meadows looking into a desert amphitheater 2,500 feet deep, covered with incredible, multi-colored hoodoos.  The weather is BEAUTIFUL in the summer months

Besides the sheer beauty of the area, the constant cool temperatures make Brian Head Resort an ideal hiking destination. When the deserts are hitting 110°, the Resort rarely exceeds 70°. The coolness is a welcome relief, making a shady hike a pleasure to savor.

 This trail offers a gradual winding descent through a variety of scenic delights; lush meadows, bubbling springs, dense forest, and the famous Southern Utah Red Rock Vistas

This pic was taken  June 19th, and yes it was a chilly morning.:)

This hike in Pine Valley winds through a lush area of Aspen trees, pines and past a delightful stream, reaching a plateau section at 9.200 ft.

Corkscrew falls

The Narrows, recently ranked as #5 on National Geographic’s list of America’s Best 100 Adventures.  This trail will have you hiking up streams through dramatic, narrow slot canyons.

Moss Canyon

Snow found in June on our whipple trail

We have so much to enjoy in the Summer!