Military Officer - April 2007 - (Page 64) Relax in WellEarned Luxury G R E AT G E TA W AY S You’ve served your country. Let us serve you. The Fairfax indulges residents with a five-star retirement lifestyle. Now, the best is getting better. Even if you’ve visited before, take another look. 16 independent living floor plans Enhanced, growing assisted living community with 24-hour bistro Nursing facilities redesigned with the warmth of home New memory care neighborhood Go ahead and spoil yourself at the area’s largest retirement community for military and Foreign Service officers. Call 703.799.1200. Take in the scenery — rock art and a reflecting pool — at The Boulders. stunning Acacia Restaurant. And to complete the dinner, we thought we rightly earned dessert — a dense chocolate torte with ice cream. Dine amid boulders We spent our night at The Boulders, a secluded resort in the adjacent town of Carefree. Its adobe casitas snuggle against enormous 12-million-year-old granite boulder formations, piled atop each other like colossal rock art. Feeling the pain from the previous day’s hike, Damon and I opted against taking a rock-climbing class. Instead, we headed to the sunny café in the resort’s Asian-style Golden Door Spa. Chef Scott Strubinger is a registered dietitian, endurance athlete, marathon runner, and former Peace Corps volunteer. He’s serious about food and health, and his culinary creations are seriously healthy. Menu items are broken down by the amount of calories, fat, protein, and carbohydrates they have, ranging from a spicy, 86-calorie cactus-corn chili to an entrée of roasted chicken with sweet potatoes, oyster mushrooms, caramelized onions, and a cinnamon-thyme glaze — all for less than 340 calories and only three grams of fat. For dessert, chocolate espresso THE FAIRFAX 9140 Belvoir Woods Parkway Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 www.sunriseseniorliving.com www.arrfp.org 64 MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2007 cake weighed in with just 223 calories, or I could splurge on apple bread pudding with bourbon sauce at 255 calories. Anyone who thinks dieting means deprivation hasn’t dined here. The Boulders is on its way to becoming the country’s first 100percent organic resort, from wine to minibar treats. The highlight is a newly planted organic garden with lettuce, carrots, celery, heirloom tomatoes, herbs, edible flowers, chili peppers, and prickly pear cactus — plus grapevines, figs, and avocados — and a “cocktail” tree that grows lemon, oranges, and grapefruit from its branches. (I’m still scratching my head over that three-citrus tree.) Within the garden’s walls, there’s a reflecting pool with water flowing over rocks, a mesquite-burning fireplace, seating for 12, and a demonstration kitchen. Guests can harvest their dinner ingredients, take spacuisine cooking classes, or have an intimate dinner under the stars. It was the perfect, satisfying ending to our desert-detoxification getaway. This was one vacation where I not only was able to button my jeans upon returning home but also could tighten my belt a notch. And those sore muscles? Gone in no time. MO PHOTO: COURTESY THE BOULDERS http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com http://www.arrfp.org
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