Experience Nutrition

Category: Experience Nutrition Tips

  • Experience Nutrition: Simple Avocado Salsa, as Featured in Natural Awakenings Magazine, Arizona

    Experience Nutrition: Simple Avocado Salsa, as Featured in Natural Awakenings Magazine, Arizona

    It is again such an honor to create recipe articles for the Natural Awakenings Magazine, Phoenix and Northern Arizona during the last few years. And, I am humbled to contribute to the important May 2020 issue during the Coronavirus Pandemic, to bring a little joy to our lives, with beautiful food. –  Melanie Albert

    Recipes in the Natural Awakenings, May 2020 article include: Three Beautiful, Simple Plant-Based Recipes

    Enjoy mindfully and intuitively creating these simple dishes. Take time to appreciate the beauty of the food, the mindfulness of the cooking process, and the final food art of your culinary creations.

    Simple Avocado Salsa

    I hope you are inspired by this simple to-prepare, tasty avocado salsa, along with “food art.”

    Enjoy the video with the steps to prepare and plate your own avocado salsa.

    Serves 1

    Have fun intuitively creating your own avocado salsa with the veggies grown by our local farmers and available right in your own refrigerator. With the avocado as a base, add in your choice of aromatics (onion, garlic), citrus (lemon or lime), favorite veggies, such as carrots, green or red peppers, radishes, cauliflower, tomatoes), and a fresh herb (basil, cilantro, marjoram).

    Thanks to my Arizona farmer friends for the beautiful produce in this Avocado Salsa.

    • Blue Sky Organic Farms, Litchfield Park: Grafitti (purple) Cauliflower, Green Onions
    • Pinnacle Farms Phoenix: Mini-Carrots, Spring Garlic
    • Melanie’s Edible Garden: Fresh Basil, Mini-Tomatoes

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 soft, ripe avocado
    • 4-5 mini carrots, chopped
    • 1 green onion, chopped
    • 3-4 clove raw garlic, minced
    • 4-5 cauliflower florets, chopped
    • ½ lemon, juiced and zested
    • 4-5 basil leaves, chiffonade
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Garnish: Basil leaves and flowers, mini-tomatoes
    • Pinch sea salt
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    Simple Avocado Salsa: Beautiful Arizona farmers ingredients.

    Simple Steps

    • Chop all ingredients.
    • Place avocado in a bowl and mix with a fork.
    • Add all other ingredients to the bowl and gently mix all ingredients.
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    Simple Avocado Salsa: Mise en Place

    Simple Plating

    • Place ring mold onto plate or bowl.
    • Scoop avocado salsa into the ring mold.
    • OPTION: If you do not have a ring mold, place a mound of the avocado salsa onto the plate.
    • Garnish with basil leaves and mini-tomatoes.
    • Enjoy!

    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.

    I’m feeling that very soon we will ease out of our Coronavirus Stay-at-Home, so if you or your organization is looking for a live in-person hands-on interactive plant-based cooking experience, I’m happy to chat with you to explore opportunities.  Feel free to call (602.615.2486) or e-mail (Mel@MelanieAlbert.com) – Melanie

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

  • Experience Nutrition: Raw Carrot Cake. Vegan. Gluten-Free. Beautiful.

    Experience Nutrition: Raw Carrot Cake. Vegan. Gluten-Free. Beautiful.

    It is my pleasure to share with you another one of my favorite “healthy” desserts: Raw Carrot Cake. Berries. Edible Flowers.

    The Raw Carrot Cake recipe is adapted from my cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods.” Carrot cake has been a favorite of mine for decades. As much as I love the aromatherapy of cooking raisins with cinnamon and nutmeg for a baked carrot cake, I love the simplicity and freshness of a raw, plant-based version of carrot cake. – Melanie Albert

    Thanks

    • Natural Awakenings Magazine, Phoenix and Northern Arizona. Thanks so much for the opportunities to create recipe articles for your publication that supports our holistic community. I am especially honored to contribute to the May 2020 issue during the Coronavirus Pandemic to share the beauty of food to our community.
    • Blue Sky Organic Farms for the beautiful, bright orange carrots. I appreciate your hard work continuing to grow beautiful produce for us week-after-week and month-after-month, especially during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
    • Community Exchange Table at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market, where small local Arizona farmers and growers sell their extra bounty to our community. Special thanks for the seasonal Pakistani Mulberries, which I love every year.
    • Northwest Wild Foods for the tasty, tart Gooseberries. So great to initially meet you when we filmed the segment with your Aronia (Choke) Berries for The List TV Show. So glad we’ve connected.

    If you love plant-based, gluten-free desserts, enjoy our Banana Bread Recipe.

    Enjoy the Raw Carrot Cake Cooking Video

    • The beautiful ingredients.
    • Steps to prep the ingredients.
    • Mindful Plating: Food Art.

    Raw Carrot Cake Recipe

    I hope you enjoy creating your own beautiful, tasty raw carrot cake, with the aromatherapy of hand-grinding the cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and the mindfulness of plating food art with berries and edible flowers.

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    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup dates, pitted and soaked for 1 hour in water, then rough chopped
    • 2 cups carrots, shredded
    • 1 ½ cups apple, minced
    • 1 ½ cups raw cashews, ground into a fine meal
    • ½ tsp cinnamon, freshly ground
    • ½ tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
    • ½ tsp cardamom, freshly ground
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Garnish: Goldenberries, Pakistani Mulberries, Edible Flowers.
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    Ingredients: Raw Carrot Cake. Thank you Blue Sky Organic Farms.
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    Pakistani Mulberries. Goldenberries. Thank you Northwest Wild Foods. Community Exchange Table Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market.
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    Edible Flowers. Thank you The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden.

    SIMPLE STEPS

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    Raw Carrot Cake: Mise en Place.
    • Gather mise en place.
    • Soak dates, if they are not soft.
    • Place all ingredients into mixing bowl and with hands, combine gently until the mixture forms a ball.
    • Press dough into a springform pan.
    • Refrigerate for an hour.
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    Raw Carrot Cake: Plating Mise en Place

    PLATING

    • Mindfully garnish with berries and edible flowers.
    • Enjoy!

    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.

    Please reach out to us if you’re interested in planning future Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Cooking Experiences, Team Building, Retreats, or Catering. Contact, Melanie Albert at 602.615.2486 or Mel@MelanieAlbert.com

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

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    The Raw Carrot Cake.

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Zucchini Salad. The Farm at South Mountain CSA

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Zucchini Salad. The Farm at South Mountain CSA

    Again this week, I’d like to honor our local farmers and farmers’ markets in Phoenix, Arizona who are continuing to bring our “essential” beautiful food to us during the Coronavirus Pandemic. We truly appreciate you.

    As always, I am so honored to create recipes for the CSA at The Farm at South Mountain, a small urban farm about half a mile from my home in Phoenix, Arizona. In early May our farmers are transitioning from the “cooler” to “warmer” weather crops. So this week, many farmers are harvesting end of the Spring root veggies (carrots, beets), along with the early Summer veggies, like zucchini.

    This week I was totally inspired by the beautiful 2 pound 5 ounce (yes, I weighed it) Costada Romanesco Zucchini. I intuitively created a simple Zucchini Salad with Cashew Cream featuring The Farm’s grapefruit and fresh mint and lemon basil. I invite you to use this recipe as a guide to create your own Zucchini Salad with a nut cream prepared with fresh herbs and citrus available at your local farmers’ market, farmers, or grocery stores. – Melanie Albert

    Enjoy the video that showcases the steps to prepare the salad including how to:

    • Prepare a refreshing Raw Cashew Cream.
    • Spiralize zucchini.
    • Peel carrots for salads.
    • Mindfully plate with fresh veggies and edible flowers.

    Let’s take a look at The Farm at South Mountain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

    The May 2, 2020 CSA, with the transition from Spring to Summer:

    • Roots: Beets, Carrots
    • Greens: Glacier Lettuce, Salad Greens, Swiss Chard
    • Veggies: Zucchini
    • Citrus: Grapefruit
    • Herbs: Lemon Basil, Mint, Sage
    • Eggs
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    The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden CSA, May 1, 2020.

    RECIPE: Raw Cashew Salad. Cashew Cream.

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    Ingredients: Zucchini Salad. Cashew Cream.

    Serves 2

    Cashew Herbal Cream

    Inspired by The Farm’s grapefruit and fresh mint and lemon basil.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water, 2-4 hours
    • 2 TBSP grapefruit juice
    • 1 TBSP grapefruit zest
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 2-3 stems of mint and lemon basil
    • 2-3 onion green onions, sliced
    • Pinch sea salt
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    Mise en Place: Cashew Cream.

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Pre-soak cashews in water; rinse the cashews prior to using in the recipe.
    • Place all ingredients into food processor.
    • Process until smooth.

    Spiralized Zucchini

    Spiralize the zucchini and peel the carrots for the salad.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • ¼ zucchini, spiralized
    • 1 carrot

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Spiralize the zucchini with a spiralizer.
    • If you do not have a spiralizer, use a veggie peeler to thinly slice the zucchini.
    • Slice the carrots with veggie peeler.
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    Costada Romanesco Zucchini. Spiralized.

    Zucchini Salad

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Toss the zucchini and carrots with the Cashew Cream.

    SIMPLE PLATING

    Ingredients

    • Zucchini Salad
    • 1 Swiss chard leaf
    • 3-4 fresh herb leaves: mint, lemon basil
    • 3-4 mini-tomatoes
    • 1-2 green onions
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    Zucchini Salad: Plating Mise en Place.

    Simple Steps

    • Mindfully plate.
    • Place Swiss chard onto the plate.
    • Layer the tossed zucchini onto the Swiss chard.
    • Add the garnish ingredients.
    • Enjoy.

    Enjoy a few plating views of this simple, delicious, beautiful “summer salad.”

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    Zucchini Salad. Sunflowers.
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    Zucchini Salad. In the Garden.
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    Zucchini Salad. On the Video Set.

    Stay in Touch. Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

    Please reach out if you are interested in future plant-based farm-to-table cooking experiences, or catering. Look forward to collaborating when “the time is right.”

  • Experience Nutrition: Gardening: 10 Steps to Plant Your Summer Garden

    Experience Nutrition: Gardening: 10 Steps to Plant Your Summer Garden

    So many people are gardening now with the Coronavirus pandemic. I hope you are inspired to plant and enjoy your own garden this year. Then enjoy the harvesting and cooking of the beautiful food you grow with and for your family and friends.

    Happy to share with you the second phase of planting my little Arizona edible garden. Click to see Gardening Part 1: Earth Day: Slow Down with Home Gardening. Worms!

    10 Step Summer Gardening Experience

    After returning from the Arizona Worm Farm (see more in the Earth Day Blog), I knew I only had a few hours to plant my garden and use the Worm Tea. Thus, I was focused, mindful, and in the moment with these 10 Gardening Steps:

    1. Choose your Plants.
    2. Gardening “Mise en Place.” Get organized with the plants, mulch, worm castings, and worm tea for your garden.
    3. Take out the old (plants) to leave room for the new.
    4. Pull out all old roots and thoroughly mix the soil.
    5. Add mulch and mix it into the old soil.
    6. Plant the transplants.
    7. Sprinkle a layer of nutrient-dense Worm Castings onto the top of the soil.
    8. Drizzle Worm Tea onto the top of the soil, around all of the plants.
    9. Water the garden.
    10. Enjoy!

    Let’s take a quick video look at the Pre-Garden and then get started on our New Summer garden.

    Step 1. Choose Your Plants

    In general, at this time of year, in the Phoenix area and in many different areas across the USA, it’s time to plant warm-weather, hydrating crops. Think tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, watermelon, melons, summer and winter squash, beans, and herbs.

    Top Tips to Choose your Edible Garden Plants

    When purchasing plant-starts (transplants) be sure to purchase:

    • “Organic” or pesticide-herbicide-free.
    • Local crops, that will do well in your area.
    • Seasonal crops, to be planted now for the Summer.
    • Your favorite veggies, fruit, herbs, and edible flowers.

    Although I’ve lived in Arizona, this time for 15 years, I totally rely on the expertise of our local Phoenix area entrepreneurs who grow plant-starts for our community. A quick list of what I’ve purchased so far this season:

    Vilardi Gardens, Phoenix

    Vilardi Gardens is known as one of the best places for high-quality Arizona-grown edible transplants: All-natural, chemical- and pesticide-free. Perfect for growing in our Arizona climate. During the Coronavirus “stay-at-home,” at this point in time, Vilardi Gardens is selling at the Roadrunner Park Farmers Market (Cactus Road & 35th Street) on Saturday mornings and delivering to our homes!

    A few weeks ago, I opted for home delivery of a few summer favorites:

    • Tomatoes
    • Purple tomatillos
    • Peppers
    • Sweet marjoram
    • Italian oregano

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    The Vilardi Organic Transplants.

    The Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix

    Thanks so much to Billy Anthony, farmer at the Farm at South Mountain, for my favorites, including edible flowers!

    • Tomatoes
    • Cucumbers
    • Watermelon
    • Lemon balm
    • Peppers
    • Marigolds
    The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden. Plant-Starts.

    Step 2. Gardening “Mise en Place.” Get organized with the plants, mulch, worm castings, and worm tea for your garden.

    2AP-IMG_2914-garden-20Apr

    Step 3. Take out the old (plants) to leave room for the new.

    2AP-IMG_2920-old

    Step 4. Pull out all old roots and thoroughly mix the soil.

    Step 5. Add mulch and mix it into the old soil.

    Step 6. Sprinkle a layer of nutrient-dense Worm Castings onto the top of the soil.

    Worm Castings onto the Soil.

    Step 7. Plant the transplants from The Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain.

    Step 8. Drizzle Worm Tea onto the top of the soil, around all of the plants.

    Step 9. Water the garden.

    Step 10. Enjoy!

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    Let’s take a video look at the newly planted elevated garden…All ready with Summer plants!

    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your edible gardening and plant-based culinary creations.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Experience Nutrition:  Zucchini Lasagna Two Ways: Raw & Baked. The Farm at South Mountain CSA Recipe

    Experience Nutrition:  Zucchini Lasagna Two Ways: Raw & Baked. The Farm at South Mountain CSA Recipe

    Honored and happy to create the Recipe #51 for the CSA at The Farm at South Mountain, right here in my neighborhood. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to create new recipes for the CSA members, with ideas on how to prepare the veggies, fruit, and herbs in their weekly CSA.

    During our Coronavirus Stay-at-Home, with everyone cooking more at home, I am happy that our farmers are still working so hard to bring great food to our community. I’m also grateful that our Arizona farmers’ markets are still operating as “essential grocery stores.”

    Yesterday (Friday) afternoon, when I picked up this week’s CSA at The Farm, it was 99 degrees in Phoenix, and my AC was not working, so I decided to create a Raw Dish with the CSA veggies. Although, not at all planned, I then wanted to experiment with a cooked dish with those veggies as a base.

    I hope you enjoy creating a simple Raw or Cooked Zucchini Lasagna, along with a Raw Hempseed Cream.

    Enjoy the video for a glimpse of The Farm at South Mountain, where we are transitioning into our Summer growing season, along with the Raw and Baked Lasagna recipes.

    Spring CSA Week 7: 4.25.20

     For the CSA members, items in the CSA include:

    • Roots: Beets, Carrots, Purple Daikon Radishes
    • Greens; Glacier Lettuce, Salad Greens
    • Veggies: Zucchini
    • Citrus: Grapefruit
    • Herbs: Basil & Dill
    • Aromatics: Green Onions
    • The Farm Eggs
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    The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden. CSA 4.25.20

    Raw Zucchini Lasagna

    This week’s recipe was inspired by our warm Arizona weekend and the Soil & Seed Garden zucchini. The Raw Lasagna recipe features the end-of-season purple daikon radish and carrots. Enjoy with a Grapefruit Hempseed Herbal Cream.

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    Lasagna & Hempseed Cream Ingredients

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    Ingredients: Zucchini Lasagna. Hempseed Grapefruit Herb Cream.

    Lasagna Veggies

    Prep the zucchini, carrot, and daikon radish, and enjoy Raw Lasagna with Grapefruit Hempseed Cream.

    Serves 2

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • ¼ zucchini
    • 1 carrot
    • 1 daikon radish
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Thinly slice veggies with a mandoline or veggie peeler.
    • Place veggies, not touching, on parchment paper.
    • Drizzle veggies with olive oil and sea salt.
    • Let the veggies sit for 10-15 minutes.
    • Save the veggies to create the veggie lasagna.

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    Hempseed Grapefruit Herb Cream

    This raw hempseed cream was inspired by The Farm’s grapefruit and fresh dill, lemon basil, and green onions. This Hempseed Cream can be made very quickly since we do not need to pre-soak hempseeds, and you can add flavor with whatever herbs you have in your kitchen or garden right now.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • ½ cup hempseeds
    • ¼ cup grapefruit juice
    • 1 TBSP grapefruit zest
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 3-4 stems of dill, lemon basil
    • 2-3 onion green onions
    • Pinch sea salt
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    Mise en Place: Hempseed Cream

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Place all ingredients into food processor.
    • Process until smooth.
    • Add water, as needed, for creamier sauce.
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    Raw Hempseed Grapefruit Herb Cream

    SIMPLE PLATING

    • Layer the zucchini, carrot, daikon radish and the cream.
    • Garnish with Glacier Lettuce and fresh dill and lemon basil.

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    BONUS RECIPE: Baked Zucchini Lasagna

    Since I ended up with extra ingredients from the Raw Lasagna, I decided to cook a really quick and easy baked version of the lasagna. Hope you enjoy this version, as well.

    SIMPLE EXTRA INGREDIENTS

    • All ingredients from the Raw Zucchini Lasagna
    • 1 tomato, sliced
    • 2 small sweet peppers, sliced

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Layer all ingredients into a baking pan.
    • Cook for 20-30 minutes.
    • Enjoy!

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    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutritionaz on your Raw and Cooked Zucchini Lasagna dishes and other plant-based culinary creations.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

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    Self Care: Sunflower!

  • Happy Earth Day 2020! Three Views of Gardening. Slow Down. Worms. Plant. (Part 1 of 2)

    Happy Earth Day 2020! Three Views of Gardening. Slow Down. Worms. Plant. (Part 1 of 2)

    Happy Earth Day 2020.

    Synchronicity. Celebrating our 50th Earth Day with Gardening. Of course!

    Now during our Coronavirus “stay-at-home” across the USA, gardening has become more meaningful. So many people around the world are getting back to the basics with more home cooking, more home gardening, more self-care, and more time to reflect.

    As many of you are aware, my passion is creating with beautiful locally grown Arizona farmers produce, herbs, and edible flowers, all grown with organic practices. I’m honored to share my gardening experiences, as a few friends have been requesting my thoughts.

    It has now been 13 months since I first set up and planted my little elevated garden in my backyard in Phoenix, Arizona, and I’m looking forward to another season. Thanks to my farmer friend, Billy Anthony of The Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain for the encouragement and the plant-starts for the last few growing seasons. – Melanie Albert

    This week, I’m honored to share with you my 3 Different Views of Gardening.

    • Slow Down with Home Gardening.
    • Worms. Oh, My! Oh, Yes!
    • 10 Steps to Plant Your Summer Garden. (“Next” Blog)

    Slow Down with Home Gardening

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    Summer 2020 Elevated Edible Garden, Experience Nutrition, Phoenix, Arizona

    This week, while prepping and planting my little elevated edible garden, I also took extra time to reflect. My gardening experience was a personal day of incredible self-care, quietly outside in beautiful Phoenix with connection to our Earth.

    As many of us are aware, planting and gardening have been a metaphor for life and growth.

    We get rid of the old (plants).

    We plant seeds (or transplants).

    Nurture and care for them.

    Practice patience.

    Mindfully enjoy the growing process, days by days, weeks by weeks, and months by months.

    And, we enjoy the fruits of our labor when we experience the amazing freshness and life of our own home-grown food in our meals. I am already happily enjoying my recently planted fresh herbs and edible flowers!

    Importantly, I look forward to seeing the new growth in my life, alongside the growth of the garden.

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    Pause. Enjoy Your Mindful Gardening.

    Take time this season to really enjoy your own home-gardening. Enjoy the beautiful, slow, mindful process.

    Pause and take time to reflect on how your gardening experience reflects your life.

    Worms! Oh My! Oh Yes!

    My early memories of worms were getting the “best” worms for fishing (we lived in Baltimore with a river to the Chesapeake Bay in our backyard) from my grandmother’s rose garden.  Humm…worms for fishing and gardening?

    Thank you farmer, Billy Anthony

    This season while getting set to plant my Arizona Summer garden, I reached out to my knowledgeable, passionate farmer friend, Billy Anthony at The Farm at South Mountain. Since my little edible garden already had “good organic soil” and mulch from the Arizona Worm Farm from the prior growing season, Billy recommended fertilizing it this season.

    Arizona Worm Farm

    For fertilizing, I visited the incredible Arizona Worm Farm, only 7 miles from my home, currently operating as a Farmers Market on Saturday’s, where we can purchase produce, as well as compost and worm products for our gardens. “The Arizona Worm Farm is a unique little urban farm centered around sustainability, soil improvement, and turning garbage into food.”

    Arizona Worm Farm

    Take a look at the Arizona Worm Farm Worm Casting and Garden…

    For the extra fertilizer, my first thought was worms. Oh My, Oh My.

    And, second, Oh My, buying the Worm Tea and Worm Castings, I had a feeling I knew what they were. And, oh yes. Worm castings and worm tea were what I suspected. (I totally trusted the process.)

    Worm Castings

    Worm castings are basically worm poop. There’s the “Oh My.” According to the Arizona Worm Farm, worm castings or vermi-compost are a nutrient-dense amendment, high in microbial activity. The richest natural fertilizer. Castings rapidly stimulate plant growth because they contain nutrients in plant-available form and easily absorbed.  I bought 3 gallons for my 6 x 2 feet elevated garden and to top off my 2 large galvanized steel garden pots.

    Worm Tea

    Worm Tea is compost tea made from Worm Castings. This tea must be used within 4 hours of purchase to be effective in our gardens. So definitely, be prepared to garden the day you purchase your Worm Tea. As far as I know, the Arizona Worm Farm only sells the Worm Tea on Saturday mornings during the farmers’ market.  For perspective, I purchased 1 gallon of Worm Tea.

    Be sure to come back for our “10 Steps to Plant Your Summer Garden,” with the Worm Castings and Worm Tea and local Arizona plant-starts from Vilardi Gardens and The Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain.

    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutritionaz on your edible gardening and plant-based culinary creations.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

  • Experience Nutrition: Your Recipe Guide for a Quick & Simple Avocado Salsa With What’s in Your Refrigerator

    Experience Nutrition: Your Recipe Guide for a Quick & Simple Avocado Salsa With What’s in Your Refrigerator

    During our coronavirus stay-at-home, a simple to prepare lunch, breakfast or snack, is an “avocado tartare.” You might call it avocado salsa with a few extra veggies. I hope this avocado recipe guide inspires you to create your own beautiful, delicious avocado tartare with whatever vegetables are in your kitchen. – Melanie Albert

    Avocado Tartare Key Ingredients

    The 5 base ingredients for avocado tartare are:

    1. A ripe avocado
    2. Citrus: lemon, lime, grapefruit, Meyer lemon
    3. Sea salt
    4. Aromatic: onion, garlic, shallot
    5. Fresh herb: parsley, basil, cilantro, marjoram, lemon balm

    Avocado Tartare: The Add-in Veggies

    To these base ingredients, add in a few veggies – any kind – available at your local farmers’ markets, local farmers, or grocery stores. Some ideas: Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives.

    The plant-based cooking video guides you through the simple step-by-step process to prepare the avocado salsa. And, for reference, you can printout the recipe.

    Avocado Salsa Recipe Guide

    Use this recipe as a guide for Avocado Salsa with whatever veggies are in your refrigerator. This is a great recipe to experiment with intuitive cooking, where we choose a few vegetables, herbs, and aromatics we are attracted to and enjoy our creation.

    Serves 1

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 avocado
    • 2 tbsp green onions
    • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
    • 1 tsp Meyer lemon juice
    • Pinch sea salt
    • 1 carrot, sliced
    • 3-4 cauliflower florets
    • Optional garnish: few broccoli stems
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    Avocado Tartare: Simple Ingredients

    Simple Steps

    • Chop all ingredients
    • Toss all ingredients into a bowl.
    • Mix avocado with a fork.
    • Add Meyer lemon juice and sea salt to the avocado.
    • Mix all ingredients with a fork.
    • Mindfully plate.
    • Enjoy
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    Aocado Tartare: Plating Mise en Place

    Since I love Avocado Tartare’s so much, I’ll continue to share some of my intuitively created dishes with you, to give you more ideas on how you an mix-and-match veggies, herbs, aromatics, and citrus.

    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

    www.ExperienceNutrition.com

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  • Experience Nutrition: Extra Bananas in Your Kitchen? Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread WOW!!!

    Experience Nutrition: Extra Bananas in Your Kitchen? Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread WOW!!!

    Since so many people are buying many bananas during our Coronavirus stay-at-home, I decided and am excited to share an incredible banana recipe with you.

    Enjoy this incredible vegan, gluten-free banana bread with walnuts, dehydrated citrus, and edible flowers. This banana bread is so delicious all I can say is Wow! I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy mindfully preparing this bread and enjoying it as a breakfast break or snack. – Melanie Albert

    Enjoy the Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread Video…for the step-by-step cooking process.

    Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe

    12 Servings

    Simple Ingredients

    • Wet Ingredients
      • 3 ripe bananas
      • 1/3 cup coconut oil, liquid
      • 1 cup coconut sugar
      • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
      • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • Dry Ingredients
      • 1 ¾ cups gluten-free flour (blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum)
      • 1 tsp baking soda
      • ½ tsp baking powder
      • ½ tsp sea salt
      • 1 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
      • 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
      • ¾ cup walnut pieces
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    Banana Bread Ingredients
    • Garnish
      • Edible flowers and dehydrated grapefruit and blood orange slices.

    Simple Steps

    • Mise en Place
      • Gather your ingredients and organize your mise en place – get everything in place before your start cooking.
    • Bake the Cake
      • Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
    • Process Wet Ingredients
      • Place sliced bananas (about 3 cups) in food processor.
      • Process until smooth.
      • Taste. Add extra banana if desire sweeter taste.
      • Liquefy the coconut oil by placing oil in small bowl in a larger bowl of hot water.
      • Stream in coconut oil. Process again.
      • Add coconut sugar, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract to the food processor.
      • Process until smooth.
    • Mix Dry & Wet Ingredients
      • In large bowl, place flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
      • Stir until mixed.
      • Pour the banana mixture into the bowl.
      • Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture, until well mixed.
      • Fold in walnut pieces.
    • Bake the Banana Bread
      • Pour the batter into a parchment-lined pan, 9” x 7”.
      • Place several walnuts on top of cake.
      • Bake for 40-45 minutes.
      • Cake is ready when toothpick comes out dry.
    • Plate and Enjoy
      • Garnish with dehydrated grapefruit and blood orange slices, and edible flowers.
      • Enjoy for breakfast or a snack.
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    Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread. Dehydrated Citrus. Edible Flowers.
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    Enjoying the incredible Banana Bread with our beautiful Arizona sunset.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

    Visit us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ, Instagram: @experiencenutritionaz and #experiencenutrition

  • Experience Nutrition: Cook at Home Roasted Veggie Bowl with “Social Distancing.”  5 Tips to Roast Veggies Perfectly Every Time

    Experience Nutrition: Cook at Home Roasted Veggie Bowl with “Social Distancing.”  5 Tips to Roast Veggies Perfectly Every Time

    Now that we all all cooking more at home, it’s a great time to learn a few simple culinary (it’s cooking!) methods.

    With a plant-based way of eating, we do eat a lot of vegetables. With this in mind, it’s important to know several different simple culinary skills to prepare vegetables, such as roasting, steaming, sautéing, and raw.

    One of my favorite ways to cook veggies is roasting. With this method of roasting, we cook the veggies spread out “distancing” in the oven to brown the outside, while keeping the center a little soft. We can roast all kinds of veggies which gives us a nice variety of tastes, textures, and colors. – Melanie Albert

    Visit our new Experience Nutrition YouTube Channel for the video of the Roasted Veggie Bowl Recipe.

    Thank You Farmers and Farmers Markets

    Today’s roasted veggies were created with produce from local farmers: The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, and Blue Sky Organic Farms, Litchfield Park, Arizona. All of the veggies were in CSA’s (Community Support Agriculture) offered by the farms during our Coronavirus stay-at-home.

    In Arizona, we are so fortunate that our farmers and farmers’ markets are considered essential grocery stores. Thus, we still have the opportunity to purchase beautiful food from our farmers,  and they can continue to harvest and sell to our community. Thank you!

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    The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, April 2020

    Farm-to-Table Spring Roasted Veggie Bowl

    Enjoy this tasty roasted veggie culinary method and create a bowl with brown rice and beans for a perfect lunch. Use this recipe as a guide to roast crispy on the outside and soft on the inside veggies. Choose a few of your favorite vegetables from your local farmers that are right in your kitchen and enjoy roasting beautiful, tasty veggies at home.

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    Roasted Veggie Bowl: The Veggies, Olive Oil, Sea Salt

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Blue Sky Organic Farms
      • 1 fennel, root sliced
      • 1 spring green garlic, sliced
      • 1 leek, chopped
      • 3-4 celery stalks, sliced
      • 3-4 cauliflower florets
      • 3-4 broccoli florets
    • The Farm at South Mountain
      • 2 beets (golden and red), sliced
      • 1 radish (breakfast), sliced
      • 1 turnip ( scarlet) sliced
    • Grocery Store / My Pantry
      • 1 sweet potato, sliced
      • 2-3 TBSP organic extra virgin olive oil
      • Pinch sea salt
    • Extras
      • Plating: Brown rice, beans
      • Garnish: Edible flowers

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Chop all veggies into equal-sized pieces.
    • One-by-one, place veggies in a bowl.
    • Coat veggies with olive oil and sea salt.
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    Chopped veggies ready to be coated with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.

     

    • Place veggies flat side down on unbleached, natural parchment-paper- lined flat sheet pan.
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    Veggies “social distancing” on the parchment-lined sheet pans.
    • Cook for 12 minutes.
    • Flip.
    • Cook another 12-15 minutes.
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    Roasted veggies. Ready to be mindfully plated.
    • Enjoy as a veggie bowl.

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    TOP 5 TIPS TO ROAST VEGGIES PERFECTLY EVERY TIME

    1. Coat the chopped veggies thoroughly with oil.
    2. When placing on unbleached parchment paper, be sure the veggies do not touch each other.
    3. When placing veggies on parchment paper, place flat side down, so the side of the vegetable can brown.
    4. Flip veggies about half-way through the cooking process.
    5. Pay attention to veggies while they are cooking, as they cook at different speeds. More dense vegetables (like beets and sweet potatoes) take longer to cook than water-rich veggies, like onions.

    If you are enjoying our Experience Nutrition Blog, with simple plant-based recipes and lifestyle tips, please subscribe to the Blog, our www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ , and new YouTube Channel.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

  • Experience Nutrition Tip: Cooking More at Home? Simple Roasted Veggies with What’s In Your Refrigerator

    Experience Nutrition Tip: Cooking More at Home? Simple Roasted Veggies with What’s In Your Refrigerator

    Use this quick and easy culinary technique to roast any kind of veggies in your refrigerator, if possible, grown by your local farmers. All you’ll need is a few of your favorite vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt. That’s it. A few simple ingredients and easy cooking method to create a tasty, healthy veggie side dish. – Melanie Albert

    Click to watch the Video of the Simple Roasted Veggie Bowl.

    Thank You Farmers

    Thanks to our local Arizona farmers who are working so passionately to bring great, local food to our community while we’re all social distancing and cooking more at home. Thanks to my long time farmer friends at The Farm at South Mountain, Blue Sky Organic Farms, The Farm at Agritopia, Crooked Sky Farms, Rhiba Farms, Whipstone Farms, Steadfast Farm, Phoenix Pinnacle Farms, Maya’s Farm, and the Community Exchanges. From my heart, I really appreciate you.

    Thank You Farmers Markets

    Here in Arizona, I’d also like to thank our local farmers markets to continuing to stay open as grocery stores, so we have a safe place to purchase the quality food from our farmers, and our farmers have a place to sell the produce that is growing so abundantly right now. Special thanks to my friends at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, where I’ve been leading cooking demos for several years.

    Quick Roasted Veggies Recipe

    Create this quick roasted veggie dish with a few of your favorite veggies in your kitchen and enjoy it with quinoa or brown rice.

    Cooking Tip: Since some veggies cook faster than others, be sure to remove veggies from the pan when they have  been cooked.

    Simple Ingredients

    • Four to six of your favorite veggies.
      • For this intuitively created recipe, I pre-ordered a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from Blue Sky Organic Farms in Litchfield Park, Arizona. I then quickly picked it up at the Saturday Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market.
    • ½ Caraflex cabbage (sweet and mild)
    • 4-5 orange carrots, sliced
    • 1 large green onion, sliced
    • ½ kohlrabi, sliced
    • ½ yellow (cheddar) cauliflower, sliced
    • 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Garnish: Sunflower seeds, arugula, edible flowers
    • Extras: Cooked brown rice or quinoa
    AP-IMG_9444-quickroast-Blue
    Quick Roasted Veggies: Ingredients

    Simple Steps

    • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
    • Slice all veggies into bite-sized pieces.
    • Place veggies into baking pan.
    • Drizzle veggies with the olive oil and sea salt.
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    In to the Pan: Veggies, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt
    • Roast for 12 minutes.
    • Toss veggies.
    • Roast for another 12-15 minutes.

    A-IMG_9478-roasted-photo

    • Enjoy veggies with quinoa or brown rice.

    Plating

    • Plate the veggies in a veggie bowl with quinoa or brown rice, along with pumpkin seeds, arugula, and edible flowers.
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    Enjoy! Quick Roasted Veggie Bowl

    Click to watch the Video of the Simple Roasted Veggie Bowl.

    Please ask any questions, anytime, and share your culinary creations with us.

    Visit us on Facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenutritionAZ  #experiencenutrition

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

  • EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip: Stay-at-Home Simple Healthy Cooking Shopping List

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip: Stay-at-Home Simple Healthy Cooking Shopping List

    To eat well, cook simple meals, and do our best to stay healthy while we are all at home during the Coronavirus “stay-at-home,” it is important to be stocked with a few basic kitchen staples, along with fresh veggies and fruit.

    When we first started hearing about the coronavirus in the US, I actually started thinking about what foods would be essential to have at home. I realized that they are very similar to my list of “how to stock whole food pantry” in my book “A New View of Healthy Eating” for any time of the year. – Melanie Albert

    For a visual of my personal pantry, visit the Experience Nutrition You Tube Channel, and subscribe for future cooking videos.

    Learn to Cook. This whole food shopping list is based on staples to be able to cook, simple, delicious meals. Throughout the next few weeks, I’ll share how to use all of these staples. Please feel free to send me a note on my new Facebook Page (Facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ), if you have any specific questions or foods you’d like to learn how to cook, or if you need to make any substitutions, based on what’s available in your area.

    Go Slow. I do recognize that we are all at different levels of cooking knowledge and skill levels. If you are new with cooking, buy what you can and feel comfortable from the shopping list. Do not overwhelm yourself. Go slow over the next few weeks to gradually learn some new cooking skills into your life that may last the rest of your life.

    Shopping List Guide. I personally use this shopping list as a guide and invite you to shop for what you can in your own area and based on your personal level of cooking. I will be sharing cooking techniques and tips every day.

    Key Shopping Categories

    Use the Panty Shopping List as a guide for the ingredients to stock your pantry in the following food categories.

    • Whole Grains
    • Beans & Legumes
    • Whole Grains
    • Nuts & Seeds
    • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • Seasonings / Sea Salt
    • Dry Goods
    • Fresh Produce (hopefully your local farmers markets are open)

    Whole Grains

    Choose a few different whole grains for breakfast and side dishes. Buy a few pounds of each. If whole grains are not available in your local stores right now, or if you’d prefer delivery to your home, I just checked, and they are available online on Amazon (not promoting, just informing). I’ll be sharing a very simple way to cook whole grains perfectly every time, right on the stovetop. I’ll also share how you can enjoy grains for breakfast, lunch, and side dishes, including Veggie Bowls with Whole Grains.

    • Brown rice
    • Quinoa
    • Steel cut oats
    • Rolled oats

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    Dried Beans & Legumes

    I totally recommend dried beans as they are much more affordable than canned beans and taste better, as well. Buy a few pounds of dried beans and lentils to be used to make hummus, tossed in a salad, soup.

    With our Food & Lifestyle Tips and Videos, I’ll be sure to share with you how to easily cook dried beans. I’ll also share recipes for tasty hummus originally made for the VIP Tailgate Party at the Super Bowl in Miami in 2009, lentil soup, raw chili, and will create other recipe ideas for you.

    Experiment with a few different beans and legumes, such as:

    • Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
    • Green lentils
    • Red lentils
    • Black beans
    • Pinto
    • Kidney
    • Tepary Beans (especially if you’re in Arizona)

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    Nuts & Seeds

    Nuts and seeds are rich in protein and healthy fats and can be eaten as snacks, made into nut milk, used in smoothies, toppings in salads, and delicious raw desserts.

    Buy a variety of raw organic nuts and seeds, such as:

    • Almonds
    • Cashews (great for desserts!)
    • Pecans
    • Walnuts
    • Pumpkin seeds
    • Sunflower seeds
    • Hemp seeds
    • Chia seeds (for smoothies)

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    Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    During this time (and always), you’ll need a high-quality olive oil. Recommend: Organic, First-pressed, Cold Pressed. Less than .8 percent acid.

    Will be sharing tips on how to make a simple 3-ingredient home-made salad dressing, and different ways to cook veggies using olive oil as flavor. Personally, I use olive oil almost every day and believe it is a must in our kitchen all the time.

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    Seasonings

    The top seasoning is sea salt or Himalayan salt. Salt brings out or enhances the flavor of whatever we cook. I use coarse Celtic sea salt and hand-grind it in a mortar and pestle for cooking.

    A few basic seasonings you can use now while we are “at home” and continue to cook with in the future.

    • Dried Mediterranean herbs: Combination or separate herbs, such as basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme
    • Seeds: Cumin (for hummus and soups)
    • Dried Mexican spices: Any kind of peppers, such as chili, ancho, chipotle
    • Dried spices: Cinnamon (key); Extras: nutmeg, cardamom

    AP-IMG_1209-herbs

    Dry Goods

    Other extra foods to stock your pantry.

    • Coconut water (for smoothies)
    • Vinegar: Any kind for salad dressings, such as balsamic, red wine, rice, apple cider
    • Stone-ground mustard (for salad dressings)
    • Coconut oil. Virgin, unrefined (for desserts)
    • Extras: Olives and goji berries (my favorite extras)

    Fresh Produce

    Roots

    In the Daily Food & Lifestyle Tips, I will be sharing how to cook root veggies a few simple ways: Roast, Steam, Sauté, and even Raw.

    • Carrots
    • Beets
    • Sweet potatoes
    • Radishes

    Greens & Veggies

    We can enjoy nutrient-rich greens in side dishes, soups, and veggie bowls.

    • Dark leafy greens: Kale, collards, arugula, spinach
    • Broccoli
    • Cauliflower
    • Celery
    • Lettuce
    • Tomatoes
    • Bell peppers
    • Your favorites

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    Fruit

    • Bananas (freeze some for smoothies)
    • Apples
    • Lemons, limes (important for salad dressings)
    • Avocados
    • Dates
    • Your favorite fruits, for snacking
    • Frozen fruit: Mixed or separate berries, such as blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries

    AP-IMG_1205-fruit

     

    Fresh Herbs

    Purchase a few herbs, available at your local farmers markets or grocery stores. We’ll use the herbs to add flavor to all kinds of veggie dishes. Or, if available, plant a few of your favorite herbs. Side note, here in Arizona, one of our plant-start entrepreneurs is delivering plants, including herbs, to our homes.

    • Parsley
    • Basil, dill, oregano, marjoram

    Shopping List Guide. I invite you to use this shopping list as a guide to shop for what you can in your own area and based on your personal level of cooking. I will be sharing cooking techniques and tips every day.

    Cooking Videos. I’ll keep you posted on new, whole foods, plant-based cooking videos on my Experience Nutrition You Tube Channel, so you can actually see how to prepare dishes with the basic foods in the shopping list.

    Share on Facebook. Finally, as I mentioned earlier, please reach out to me with any questions on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

  • EXPERIENCE NUTRITION Tip: Stay-at-Home Cooking Method: Braised Greens in 5 Minutes

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION Tip: Stay-at-Home Cooking Method: Braised Greens in 5 Minutes

    During our Coronavirsus social distancing, stay-at-home, this 5 minute braising greens cooking method is a simple way to cook the greens your local farmers are growing. Choose any mix of dark, leafy greens such as kale, chard, collards, mustard, bok choy, dandelion, turnip, broccoli, or cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts greens.

    This recipe was inspired by farmer Billy Anthony of the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain, less than a mile from my home in Phoenix, Arizona. As part of this week’s Spring 2020 CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), Billy harvested beautiful white and red Swiss chard leaves that are perfect for cooking with quick stove-top braising. Add flavor to the greens with green onions and fresh dill.

    A look at The Farm at South Mountain…April 2020

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    Beautiful White Chard at The Farm at South Mountain

    Nutrition Tip: Dark leafy greens are fiber-rich and good sources of vitamins (such as A, C, and K and folate) and minerals (including iron and calcium). Our body needs a little fat to absorb some of the vitamins in leafy greens.

     Braised Leafy Greens Recipe

    Use this simple method to cook Spring braising greens while we are at home with our families and loved ones. Mix and match whatever greens your local farmers are growing to create a simple veggie side dish.

    Watch the full recipe video on our Experience Nutrition You Tube Channel

    Serves 2

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 2-3 cups braising greens, such as Brussels Sprouts, Swiss Chard, Cauliflower greens
    • 2-3 green onions, sliced
    • 2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Few sprigs dill

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Chop greens into large ribbons.
    • Mise en Place: All ingredients in place.

    C-IMG_1105-mise

    • Pre-heat sauté pan at medium.
    • When the pan is warm, coat bottom with organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Add the onions to the pan and sauté for about 2 minutes.
    • Add the greens to the pan.
    • Drizzle pinch of salt to the greens.
    • Cook for about 2 minutes, while tossing to coat the greens with the olive oil.
    • Add a few dill sprigs and cook for about 1 minute.
    • Plate and enjoy!

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

     

  • EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip: Create Stay-at-Home Vision Board in 60 Minutes

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip: Create Stay-at-Home Vision Board in 60 Minutes

    While our families and friends around the world are all at home with the Coronavirus Stay-at-Home, this might be an ideal time to create a Vision Board for the future forward view of our lives. At this point, we know our lives have changed and are changing almost daily. So, this may be the time to re-evaluate and reflect on what our ideal future looks like.

    I’ve been creating vision boards for decades, nearly every year, and I have found that the process is valuable for focus and to help me reach my goals. I’ve also had the incredible opportunity to lead vision board experiences in Nosara, Costa Rica and with former NFL players!  – Melanie Albert

    Steps to Create Your Vision Board

    Gather Your Supplies

    • Quiet place for you
    • Your favorite magazines and personal photos
    • Glue stick
    • Paper and pen
    • Posterboard
    • Candle and green tea

    Vision Board Steps

    Rather than start by cutting photos from magazines, this vision board process begins with written reflections for clarity, and the creation of the visual vision board with photos and words.

    1. A Quiet Place. (2 minutes) Find a quiet place where you’ll have about an hour to focus on you. Begin by lighting a candle.
    2. Relax. (2 minutes) Close your eyes, breathe in deeply, and exhale completely 4 times.
    3. Goals. (5 minutes) Very quickly write 10 responses to the question: What are the top goals you’d like to achieve a year from now. Be creative, out-of-the box. And dream big!
    4. Top Goals. (5 minutes) Look at your list. Quickly, which goal is the most important to you? Do this again 4 more times until you have your top 5 goals prioritized.
    5. Meaning to Me. (10 minutes) Starting with your top goal, write what each means to you. Write a few keywords, a sentence, and/or paragraph.
    6. Photos and Words. (15 minutes) Look through your magazines and photos and cut out images and words for each of your goal areas.
    7. Vision Board. (5 minutes) Glue your photos onto your poster board or paper. Have fun!
    8. Positive Affirmations. (10 minutes) Create positive affirmations around your vision board, in the present tense, as if they are already happening. For instance, “I am a successful international plant-based retreat leader”.
    9. Integration. (3 minutes) Say out loud the affirmations and meanings from your vision board. Feel your future visions emotionally, and believe your future life as if you are already living your goals.
    10. Action. (3 minutes) Based on your goals, write down your top 3 actions to achieve your goals.

    If you wish, feel free to share your vision board on our newly updated Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

    2017 Vision Board-Strategy-02-2017-0705
    Melanie Albert 2017 Vision Board

     

     

  • EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip: Pause. Take Time for You Today!

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip: Pause. Take Time for You Today!

    [et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]Today, I invite you to take time for you! Over the last few weeks, with the Coronavirus stay-at-home, all of our schedules, routines, work have shifted dramatically. Our responsibilities have changed. Today, take time for you.   Just you. Take time. To do nothing. To slow down. To rest. To relax. To restore. Pause and feel what you’d like to do today, just for you. A few ideas to get started:
    • A few minutes of quiet time, simply listening to your breath.
    • Light a candle. And sit.
    • Go out in nature, and look at the sky, listen to the birds, hear the stillness of our Earth.
    • Practice yoga and really feel the poses in your body.
    • Journal a few things you are grateful for today.
    • Take a warm bath with candles, Epsom salts, and quiet, meditative music.
    A glimpse into my quiet moments of self care with candle, nature, and birds.- Melanie Albert
    I invite you to come over to our newly updated ExperienceNutritionAZ Facebook page and share a photo or your thoughts on your personal “me time”. By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
  • EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip of the Day: 5 Steps to Cook Intuitively During our Stay-at-Home. Avocado Salsa Recipe

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip of the Day: 5 Steps to Cook Intuitively During our Stay-at-Home. Avocado Salsa Recipe

    Now that nearly everyone around the world is staying at home to help flatten the Coronavirus Curve, I will be sharing simple Food & Lifestyle Tips of the Day. The intention of the tips is to give you ideas that you could incorporate easily into your day-by-day activities around living a healthy lifestyle while we are all at home. And, in the long run implement tips that resonate with you to positively affect your life. — Melanie Albert

    Some of the tips will be around plant-based food, cooking, and eating with recipes, culinary (cooking) techniques, and even food art. Other tips will focus on positivity, mindfulness, and self-care.

    Meet Melanie Albert

    As a little background for those of you who do not know me, a few highlights. I am the founder & CEO of Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona, and award-winning cookbook author.

    • My passion is plant-based farm-to-table culinary, and I’ve led hundreds of cooking experiences, courses and retreats. I’m trained with 610 hours of plant-based culinary training.
    • 2007 graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition / Certified International Health Coach
    • 9 years marketing, branding, and licensing consultant with Weil Lifestyle, LLC/Andrew Weil, MD
    • 5 years nutrition and cooking with former NFL players, catering and events at Super Bowls, and official Health & Wellness Partner of the NFL Alumni Association in 2011.
    • 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and nearly 20 years practicing yoga.
    • For decades, I’ve lived my passion around healthy lifestyle, cooking, and eating, and am happy to share ideas with you.
    • I’ve been a work-from-home entrepreneur for 25 years; thus I have decades of personal experience with being at home, and enjoying it.

    I hope you are inspired by some of the motivational food and lifestyle tips I share with you.

    Experience Nutrition: Food & Lifestyle Tip of the Day: Cook Intuitively…with what’s in Your Refrigerator.

    What is Intuitive Cooking?

    With Intuitive Cooking, we pay attention to food. We notice the shapes, colors, flavors, and aromatherapy. By listening to our heart or gut, we choose a few foods we wish to purchase (at local farmers markets, if possible). When it’s time to cook, we pay attention to our bodies. What are we craving. Which foods are we visually attracted to. Then we cook with those foods and enjoy our meals.

    During our stay-at-home, it is also important to cook with our intuition. We listen to our bodies and senses. And, we cook with what’s available in our kitchens during these days when our food options may be limited.

    5 Simple Steps to Get Started with Intuitive Cooking

    1. Learn basic culinary (or cooking) skills or techniques and then use those skills to intuitively create dishes and meals with ease and confidence.
    2. Cook with what’s in your kitchen.
    3. Use a recipe as a guide.
    4. Substitute ingredients in the recipe with what you have in your refrigerator.
    5. Have fun experimenting and enjoy your creation.

    Intuitive Cooking Avocado Salsa Recipe

    Today, with intuitive cooking in mind, I created a very simple Avocado Salsa with what was in my refrigerator and little edible garden. This is a quick and easy lunch or snack. You’ll need an avocado, an aromatic (any onion), garlic (if you have it), a small tomato, citrus (lemon or lime), a fresh herb (parsley, basil, cilantro, marjoram), and sea salt. Plus, include optional ingredients for plating (such as broccoli or cauliflower).

    Use this recipe as a guide for Avocado Salsa with whatever veggies are in your refrigerator. Some ideas: Green or red bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumbers, olives.

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    Serves 1

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 avocado
    • 2 tbsp onions
    • ½ tsp garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 small tomato or ½ cup mini tomatoes
    • ½ tsp lemon juice
    • ½ tsp lemon zest
    • 1 tbsp fresh herbs, such as basil, cilantro, or marjoram
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Optional: few broccoli stems

    Simple Steps

    • Chop ingredients.

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    Avocado Salsa: Ingredients Chopped & Ready

    • Toss all ingredients into a bowl.
    • Mix with a fork.

    • Mindfully plate.

    • Enjoy.

    Please share your Avocado Salsa creations with us on Instagram @nutritionauthor #experiencenutrition and let me know if you have any cooking questions.

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