Category: Recipes

  • Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 7 Vegan Avocado Chocolate Pudding

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & food expert, author & speaker, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Holistic Nutrition and Whole Food Cooking Instructor Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition

    Surprise your family and friends with this super delicious dessert for your Super Bowl Party. This recipe may sound a little odd, but just try it. Everyone I know who has tasted this, even at some of my cooking classes, loves it.

    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 7 Vegan Avocado Chocolate Pudding
    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 7 Vegan Avocado Chocolate Pudding

    Ingredients
    • 1 ripe good-fat avocado
    • 4 Medjool dates
    – Energy for athletes
    – Great for sugar cravings
    – Full of fiber
    – Sweet, soft, rich, caramel taste
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla
    • 2 TBS cocao powder
    • ½ cup water

    Simple Steps
    • Blend on high
    • Refrigerate for a few hours
    • Enjoy

  • Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 5 Hemp Seed Tabouli

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Food Expert, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Holistic Nutrition & Whole Food Cooking Instructor Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition.

    Gluten-free tabouli. For those of us who are sensitive to gluten or have Celiac disease, hemp seeds are a great alternative to the typical bulgur wheat in tabouli.

    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 5: Hemp Seed Tabouli
    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 5: Hemp Seed Tabouli

    Ingredients
    2 bunches of parsley
    ¼ cup fresh mint
    ½ cup hemp seeds
    1 large tomato, diced
    ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
    2 TBSP organic extra virgin olive oil
    2 TBSP onions, chopped
    1 tsp sea salt
    Simple Steps
    Place parsley and mint in food processor and pulse several times until well chopped
    Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the hemp seeds, tomato, lemon juice, olive oil, onion, and salt
    Toss and serve
    Enjoy!

    Post your Hemp Seed Tabouli recipes on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/9Ways90Days Top 10 photos will win free e-book, “Enjoy Food & Life,” featuring nutrition tips and recipes by former NFL players.

  • Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 4 Wild Salmon on the Grill

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Food Expert, Author, Speaker; Integrative Nutrition Health Coach; Instructor Holistic Nutrition & Whole Food Cooking, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts

    Our 4th healthy Super Bowl Recipe is wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon on the grill. Full of the good-fat, omega-3 fatty acids, we served this at several Super Bowl XLV weekend events in Dallas with the NFL Alumni Association. This salmon is so delicious, it will melt in your mouth.

    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: 4 Grilled Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: 4 Grilled Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

    Ingredients
    • 4 Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon filets (4-6 ounces per person)
    • 1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 3 tablespoons salmon marinade, made with garlic granules, onion granules, dried dill, lemon peel, fennel, black pepper and sea salt

    For the best salmon (after Super Bowl Week), try the salmon from our friends at Vital Choice Seafood.

    Simple Steps
    1. Defrost salmon filets in refrigerator for a few hours or under cold running water
    2. Make salmon marinate by mixing olive oil and salmon marinade
    3. Pre-heat grill on medium high for 15 minutes before you are ready to grill your salmon
    4. Place filets on grill
    5. Cook each side about 5 minutes
    6. Take off grill right before salmon is completely cooked, as it will continue to cook when taken off grill
    7. Let salmon sit for about 5 minutes
    8. Enjoy with steamed veggies or a raw kale salad, with a whole grain, such as quinoa

    Post photos of your grilled salmon on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/9Ways90Days. Top 10 photos will win a free e-book, “Enjoy Food & Life,”featuring nutrition tips and recipes by former NFL players and their wives.

  • Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 1: Avocado Salsa

    by Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Nutrition & Food Expert, Author, Speaker

    I have been guiding former NFL players, their families, organizations and kids about simple healthy eating since 2008 and my company, Experience Nutrition was an Official Health & Wellness Partner of the NFL Alumni Association in 2011.

    One of our very favorite healthy recipes for Super Bowl is avocado salsa, otherwise known as guacamole.

    Avocado Fun Facts

    • Almost all avocados in the US grow in California in 6,000 acres, Some avocados grow in Florida
    • The most common avocados in the US are Hass avocados. The Mother tree is still standing in California
    • Hass avocados are sometimes called Alligator pear since they are so rough
    • On Super Bowl Sunday, we eat 8 million pounds of guacamole in our country

    Try this simple Avocado Salsa Recipe and make your own guacamole this weekend!

    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Healthy Super Bowl Recipes: 1: Avocado Salsa
    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Healthy Super Bowl Recipes: 1: Avocado Salsa

    We invite you to come over to our Facebook page  www.facebook.com/9ways90days and share your Avocado Recipes. The 10 best recipe photos Super Bowl weekend will receive a free download of our new book, “Enjoy Food & Life,” by Melanie Albert, featuring former NFL players and their wives nutrition tips and recipes.

    Enjoy!

  • 9 Ways 90 Days Recipe: Raw Dehydrated Flax Seed & Almond Crackers

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Food Expert, Author, Speaker, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach

    I’ve been enrolled in a Professional Plant-based Culinary Certification Course with Rouxbe. This week, one of my creations was Raw Crackers which are so incredibly tasty and beautiful that I’m sharing the recipe, and step-by-step raw food process with you. Once you make these crackers, I have a feeling that you’ll never want to eat processed crackers again. Enjoy!

    Raw Dehydrated Organic Flax Seed & Almond Crackers
    Raw Dehydrated Organic Flax Seed & Almond Crackers

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    Simple Ingredients   MIse en Place
    Simple Ingredients MIse en Place
    • ¾ cup golden flax seeds, ground, then soaked in 1.5 cups of water
    • ¾ cup raw almonds, soaked for 2 to 3 hours, until soft, drained
    • 1 ¼ cup yellow bell pepper
    • 2-3 green onions, chopped
    • ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked and drained (use my own dehydrated Roma tomatoes)
    • 1 ½ TBSP onion granules
    • 1 tsp sea salt
    • SIMPLE STEPS: Make the Batter
    • Blend flax seeds and almonds in food processor until smooth
    • Blend all remaining ingredients (separate from flax seeds and almonds) in food processor until smooth
    • Add the vegetable ingredients to the flax seed/almond mixture, and fold to thoroughly combine

    Fold Batter    Spread onto Parchment Paper

    SIMPLE STEPS: Dehydrate the Crackers

    • Set dehydrator at 115 degrees (I use an Excalibur, which I love!)
    • Evenly spread mixture, less than ¼ inch thick, on a non-stick dehydrator sheet (or parchment paper)
    • Dry in dehydrator for 2 to 3 hours, then score into crackers
    • Dry for another 2 to 3 hours, then flip crackers onto dehydrator trays (without the parchment paper or non-stick dehydrator sheet)
    • Dry for an additional 6 hours or until crisp
    • Remove from trays and store in sealed container
    • Enjoy your home-made raw crackers
    Into the Dehydrator   Score & Dehydrate
    Into the Dehydrator Score & Dehydrate

    Action
    Make your own Raw Crackers and share your creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/9Ways90Days

  • 9 Ways 90 Days Recipe: Raw Veggie Pasta with Cashew Basil Pesto

    By Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Food Expert, Author and Speaker, Certified Health Coach

    WOW! If you’ve been afraid of the “raw way of eating”, try this simple, beautiful, colorful, fun-to-prepare side dish. Enjoy fresh, local organic veggies with a creamy nutty pesto.

    9 Ways 90 Days Veggie Pasta with Cashew Basil Pesto

    Ingredients: Veggies
    • 2-3 golden beets
    • 2-3 carrots
    • 2-3 zucchini
    • 1 sweet potato

    Ingredients: Cashew Basil Pesto
    • ½ cup fresh basil leaves
    • 4 oz raw cashews, soaked
    • 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
    • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • ½ cup organic extra virgin olive oil

    Simple Steps
    • Cut the veggies with a spiral slicer or mandolin.
    • Place all ingredients for the cashew basil pesto, except olive oil in the food processor.
    • Puree.
    • Add the olive oil until smooth.
    • Toss the veggies with about ½ cup of the pesto and serve.
    • Enjoy the taste, the textures and the colors!

    SHARE
    Come on over to our Facebook page, and post your raw veggie pasta creations: www.facebook.com/9Ways90Days

  • 9 Ways 90 Days Recipe: Organic Collard Greens with Reed Avocados & Lemon Cucumbers

    By Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Food Expert, Author and Speaker, Certified Health Coach

    Kale is the rage with raw salads, kale chips and smoothies. But, what about collard greens? I’m taking a Professional Plant-based Culinary Certification Course with Rouxbe, where we experimented with different ways to prepare kale. As an option, I decided to use some of the same techniques with collard greens.

    On top of that, Reed avocados were available at Whole Foods Market this week, so I decided to try one. About 90% of the avocados are grown in California and about 90% of those are Hass avocados. The Reed avocado variety generally grows later in the season, are larger and rounder than Hass avocados, have a thick skin, and contain more monounsaturated fat and thus are creamier than Hass avocados.

    Scroll down for the 9 Ways 90 Days Recipe: Organic Collard Greens with Reed Avocados & Lemon Cucumbers

    9 Ways 90 Days Recipe: Organic Collard Greens, Reed Avocados & Lemon Cucumbers
    9 Ways 90 Days Recipe: Organic Collard Greens, Reed Avocados & Lemon Cucumbers

    Organic Collard Greens with Reed Avocados & Lemon Cucumbers Recipe
    This recipe was inspired by the lemon cucumbers from this week’s farmers market in Ahwatukee Arizona, the Reed avocado and collard greens.

    Ingredients
    • 3-4 large collard greens leaves, chopped
    • 1 Reed avocado
    • 1 lemon cucumber
    • 4 small heirloom tomatoes
    • ½ red pepper
    • 3-4 green onions
    • 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
    • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
    • Fresh lemon basil, to taste
    • Fresh lemon thyme, to taste
    • Sea salt

    Simple Steps
    • Chop all the vegetables
    • Squeeze the avocado into a bowl
    • Add collard greens, lemon juice and sea salt to the avocado
    • Massage the collard greens for about 3 minutes
    • Add the fresh garlic, lemon cucumber, red pepper, green onions and gently toss
    • Add the fresh lemon basil and lemon thyme and gently toss
    • Enjoy this delicious & refreshing salad

    Come on over to our Facebook page, and post your avocado & collard greens creations: www.facebook.com/9Ways90Days

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: New to Me: How to Gently Sweat Organic Veggies

    By Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Author and Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    To further my cooking expertise for myself and my clients in speaking engagements, cooking classes and writing, I’m enrolled in a Professional Plant-based Cooking Certification with the Rouxbe Cooking School. I am definitely learning amazing skills, such as knife skills, and new ways to prepare simple, healthy, beautiful food.

    This week, I learned something totally new: Sweating vegetables. Why do we even sweat veggies and how do we do it? I learned that sweating veggies is the first step in preparing the flavor profile of a dish, it’s a dry heat method of cooking and a very gentle way to cook. Patience is key.

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION 9 Ways 90 Days Organic Veggie Sweat Recipe
    The recipe I prepared for my class was local organic veggies with quinoa. Within “9 Ways to Enjoy Food & Life” eating real food, cooking simple meals, and eating local, in-season produce are important. So, this recipe is perfect.

    Image
    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION 9 Ways 90 Days: Sweating Organic Veggies Recipe

    Ingredients
    Approximately ½ cup of each of the following organic veggies:
    • Onion
    • Fresh garlic cloves
    • Carrots
    • Red pepper
    • Celery
    • Squash
    • Quinoa cooked in a home-made veggie broth
    • Plus, Olive oil, sea salt

    Simple Steps
    • Mince all veggies
    • Place olive oil, onion and a pinch of sea salt in sauté pan, turn stove on medium-low and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. It’s important to be very patient, with the gentle slow heat, and do let the pan get hot enough to hear sound (that’s the moisture of the veggies).
    • Add in the carrots, celery and fresh garlic, and again cook until the veggies are a little soft.
    • Add in the red pepper and cook until soft.
    • Add in the squash and cook a little. (I prefer a little crunch in squash, so I only cooked it about a minute).
    • Fold the quinoa into the sauté pan
    • Enjoy!

    Come on over to our 9 Ways 90 Days Facebook page to see more Sweating Veggies photos and to share your sweating veggies photos.

     

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Simple Organic Sprouted Spelt Flatbread Recipe

    By Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author, speaker. Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group

     

    A few years ago I discovered that I was sensitive to gluten (the protein in grains like wheat, barley and rye). By exploring different grain flours, I’ve found that I’m not sensitive (no hives, no bloating, no headaches) to the Organic Sprouted Spelt Flour by One Degree Organic Foods. During the last few months, I’ve traveled with this flour and have made organic flat bread with 15 pounds of it. Have fun making your own flatbread.

     

    Organic Sprouted Spelt Flatbread Recipe

    Image

     

    ·         What You Need

    o   ¾ cup hot (not boiling) water

    o   1 TBS dry yeast

    o   ½ TBS honey

    o   2 TBS organic olive oil

    o   2 cups organic spelt flour

    o   ½ tsp sea salt

     

    ·         Simple Steps

    o   Pre-heat oven at 450 degrees

    o   Put 1 TBS dry yeast into ¾ cup hot water, add ½ TBS honey and ½ TBS olive oil. Let it sit for about 10 minutes

    o   Put 2 cups sprouted spelt flour in bowl with ½ tsp sea salt

    o   Add the water with yeast into the flour

    o   Blend with a fork a few minutes, then knead with your hands another few minutes. Only knead for about 4-5 minutes total. Otherwise the flatbread will be tough. If the dough is sticky, add more flour. If it’s dry, add more water

    o   Split the dough in half. Place 2 balls of dough into a bowl which has coated with organic olive oil, and cover for about 2 hours (to rise)

    o   Again, split the dough into 2 sections and spread it onto a pizza brick or silicon sheet with your hands

    o   Bake for 5 minutes, check it, bake for another 5 minutes

    o   Enjoy your flat bread with olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar, or just plain

     

    Come over to Facebook www.facebook.com/9ways90days and post your photos or ask questions.

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Hummus Recipe, Just like the hummus we served at the Super Bowl XLIV in Miami

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Excerpt from book, “Enjoy Food & Life, 9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating & living.”

    9 Ways 90 Days Organic Hummus Recipe: Just like Super Bowl VIP Party in Miami
    9 Ways 90 Days Organic Hummus Recipe: Just like Super Bowl VIP Party in Miami

    This is the same recipe we made for the Super Bowl XLIV Tailgate Party for the Super Bowl in Miami. Now, you can make it, too.

     

    Blend all ingredients in Vitamix or food processor, until smooth

    • 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
    • 1 can Eden organic garbanzo beans with kombu
    • Or, If you have time, 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (soak beans overnight, cook for  about 50 minutes with ½ strip kombu seaweed)
    • 1/3 cup chickpea water
    • 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste or sesame seeds)
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
    • ¼ tsp black pepper
    • 1/8 tsp cumin
    • 1/8 tsp coriander (seeds from cilantro)

    After the hummus has been blended, taste and add any more of the ingredients to your taste.

    Add any of the following and blend again: Cilantro, dill, sautéed onions and garlic, sun-dried tomatoes or olives. Remember, you can make hummus with any kind of beans. Once you know how to make this basic hummus, try making it with black beans or navy beans.

     

    Make your own delicious, simple hummus and enjoy the Super Bowl today!

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Stop Your Sugar Cravings with Organic Sweet Potatoes

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Excerpt from book “Enjoy Food & Life: Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating & living. “

    When my Dad was preparing his garden in Cocoa Beach, Florida last we he “stumbled upon” sweet potatoes (on the left in this graphic) that were still growing from last year’s crop.

    Reminded me of how great sweet potatoes are for sugar cravings. Over the years, I’ve encouraged my sugar addicted clients to enjoy a sweet vegetable, like sweet potatoes every day.

    Sweet Potato Facts

    • Rich in beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A
    • Good for vision
    • Boost immune system
    • Low in calories and high in fiber, great for weight loss
    9 Ways 90 Days Baked Organic Sweet Potatoes
    9 Ways 90 Days Baked Organic Sweet Potatoes

    Action: Bake an Organic Sweet Potato and come on over to Facebook and share your experience.

    Scrub a few organic sweet potatoes then puncture with a knife a few times for venting. Wrap the sweet potato in foil and cook at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Take note of the sweetness of a plain sweet potato.

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Organic Chia Pudding Recipe

    By Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Chia seeds are the rage today! But some of us remember when they were the green hair that grew on our Chia Pets when we were kids. Who knew that decades later we’d be eating them!

    Chia seeds come from a flowering plant in the mint family that’s native to Mexico and Guatemala, and history suggests it was a very important food crop for the Aztecs.

     Benefits of Chia Seeds

    •   Good fats. Chia seeds, like hemp seeds and flax seeds are a great ALA omega-3 healthy-fat rich seed, which is important for brain health and reduction of inflammation in the body.
    • High in protein. Great source of protein for vegetarians and vegans
    •  Stabilize blood sugar. Important for diabetics
    • Improve heart health. According to the Cleveland Clinic, chia seeds have been shown to improve blood pressure in diabetics, and may also increase healthy cholesterol, while lowering total, bad LDL and triglyceride cholesterol
    • Good source of calcium. 18% or the recommended daily intake for calcium.

    9 Ways 90 Days Organic Chia Pudding Recipe

    9 Ways 90 Days Chia Seed Pudding
    9 Ways 90 Days Chia Seed Pudding

     Ingredients

    •  1/3 cup chia seeds
    • 1 cup soy milk
    • 2 chopped bananas
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1 Medjool date, if you desire more sweetness
    • Berries, nuts and seeds for toppings

     Simple Steps

    • Mix chia seeds, vanilla and date into the soy milk
    • Fold in the bananas
    • Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight)
    • Enjoy for breakfast, snack, or dessert with your favorite berries, nuts and seeds

    Post your Chia Pudding creations on our Facebook page!

     

     

     

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Organic Raw Kale Salad Recipe

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Recipe excerpt from book, “Enjoy Food & Life, 9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating and living.”

    Did you know you can eat raw kale? Simple, delicious healthy recipe to add this power food to your meals.  Kale is full of bone-building vitamin K, calcium plus, iron and vitamins A and C.

    9 Ways 90 Days Organic Raw Kale Salad
    9 Ways 90 Days Organic Raw Kale Salad

    Raw Kale Salad Simple Steps 

    • Finely chop a few handfuls of dinosaur kale
    • Add 2 TBS organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Squeeze ½ fresh lemon
    • Sprinkle sea salt (to your taste)
    • Massage the kale for about 3-4 minutes
    • Let the kale sit for 10-15 minutes
    • Add some fresh veggies, such as tomatoes, cucumbers or carrots

     

    Your Action

    Make a raw kale salad.  You will love it!

    Did you enjoy it?

    Come on over to Facebook and share a photo of your raw kale salad.

  • 9 Ways 90 Days Recipe: Organic Lentil Soup with Greens

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert & Author, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Excerpt from book, “Enjoy Food & Life. 9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating and living”

    This process of cooking soup gives us the foundation for making any type of bean soup. To make quick, delicious soups you will use a mix-and-match of beans, veggies and greens.

           Beans: protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals

           Any roots: Carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnip, and/or turnips

           Whole grains: Brown rice, Quinoa

           Greens: Kale, collards

    Image

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup lentils
    • 3-4 carrots and/or sweet potatoes
    • 2-3 cloves garlic
    • 1 onion or 5-6 green onions
    • 3-4 celery stalks
    • 2 TBS organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 5” strip of kombu seaweed (Seaweed is high in minerals and improves digestibility of beans)
    • 1 cup brown rice
    • 4-5 cups water
    • 1/2 tsp cumin
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • 1/2 bunch kale

     Simple Steps

    • Saute carrots, garlic, onions and celery with extra virgin olive oil
    • Add about 6 cups water to pot
    • Wash lentils and add to pot
    • Add brown rice
    • Add kombu to pot (to tenderize the beans)
    • Add cumin and black pepper
    • Bring to a boil
    • Skim off foam
    • Cook at moderate-low heat for about 30 minutes
    • Sprinkle chopped kale to top of soup and cook 5 more minutes

     Your Action

    Cook and enjoy a basic home-made lentil soup. Visit us on Facebook and share a photo and what you used in your soup:

    Beans__________________

    Roots__________________

    Whole grains_____________

    Greens__________________