Experience Nutrition

Tag: Enjoy Food & Life

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: We Eat with our Eyes First

    By Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, and speaker. Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    To celebrate the launch of my new book, A New View of Healthy Eating, last night I enjoyed an incredible, beautiful meal at the Quiessence Restaurant at The Farm at South Mountain, in Phoenix, with my yoga friend, Jody Loren. Since The Farm is only a mile from my home, over the last decade I have enjoyed the natural, quiet beauty of the farm; the just-harvested organic veggies, flowers, and fresh herbs at Maya’s Farm; and am honored to teach “farm to table” cooking classes in the Spring and Fall of 2016.

    Even though I spend a lot of time at the farm,  last night’s dinner at Quiessence totally exceeded my expectations with the mindfulness and beauty of the environment at The Farm, and the outstanding, unique beauty and simple, yet complex taste and textures of the delicious meal .

    The meal at Quiessence reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:

    “We eat with our eyes first.”

    I invite you to enjoy this photo essay of my celebratory evening at The Farm, commit to go out and enjoy the beauty of your food.

    The Simple Beauty of The Farm

     The Food Art

      Beautiful time with friends.

     Good night at The Farm

    I look forward to seeing photos of you enjoying your “food art” on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating 55-Card Deck: Go for a Nature Walk

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food author, speaker, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    Today’s message from my new “A New View of Healthy Eating, 55-Card Deck” for today is:

    Go for a Nature Walk: Self care with Earth

    A-card-nature-A-IMG_6881
    A New View of Healthy Eating

    This was the absolute perfect card for today, as I had the opportunity to spend a beautiful afternoon walking on the beach, Cocoa Beach, FL, to simply be with nature.

    A-card-naturewalk-B-IMG_6882
    A New View of Healthy Eating: Go for a Nature Walk: Self care with Earth

    Definitely self care with the Earth.

    • The rhythm of the waves reminds us to breathe in deeply and to exhale slowly.
    • The sand under our feet reminds us that we are connected to the Earth.
    • The bright blue sky reminds us that we are connected with the Universe.
    • The ebb and flow of the ocean reminds us that we are always changing.
    • The ocean itself reminds us that deep within ourselves we are always the same.
    A-nature-beach-IMG_6937
    A New View of Healthy Eating: Breathe in and breathe out at the beach.

     

    A-nature-wave-IMG_6926
    Self care with Earth: Ebb & flow with the waves.

    I invite you to take time this week, to go out for a nature walk, wherever you are, and practice self care with nature.

    Visit us on Facebook and share this week’s experiences with nature. Would love to see some photos!

    You can purchase the cards on my website: www.EXPNutrition.com

    A-nature-seagrass-IMG_6897
    Enjoy nature this week!

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Philosophies: Part 2: Shop Local, In Season, With Intuition

    by Melanie Albert, Food & nutrition author and speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ

    A New View of Healthy Eating begins with the food we choose to eat, and extends to our shopping, cooking and eating experiences.

    The key philosophies are:

    • Eat real whole foods
    • Shop local and in season
    • Enjoy intuitive shopping
    • Cook with intuition
    • Eat mindfully
    • Enjoy life

    In this blog we are focusing on shopping, where and how to shop for real whole foods.

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    Shop local and in season. When we eat food that is grown by local farmers, community gardens or our home gardens, our food is fresher and more nutritious since it is more recently harvested has not traveled thousands of miles and many days to arrive at a grocery store and our table. When we eat food that is in season, we eat food that our bodies naturally need at that particular time of the year or location around the world. We also support our local farmers and local economy. And, we have the opportunity to experiment with new foods that we may not be familiar with.

    “I love to the opportunity to try new-to-me foods, especially when I shop at farmers markets. Sometimes I do not recognize a plant food, but I buy it anyway and experiment with it in my kitchen or classes.” Melanie Albert

    Enjoy Intuitive Shopping. Enjoy the Process of Intuitive Shopping. When we shop for our food, it’s important to first pause and listen to our body. What are we craving right now? When shopping, shop mindfully and pay attention to the foods, colors, textures, and even aromas we are intuitively drawn to. Sometimes we might be drawn to lots of greens, other times it may be citrus or tomatoes. This is especially fun when we shop at different farmers markets and notice our choices in food during different times of the year.

    “Intuitive shopping is fun. Listen to your cravings and shop with your senses.” Melanie Albert

    This week, visit a farmers’ market and shop with your intuition. Come over to our new page on Facebook, and share photos of your shopping experience: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    For daily motivation check out our new: “A New View of Healthy Eating, 55-Card Deck.” Available NOW www.EXPNutrition.com

  • Experience Nutrition: Organic Sprouted Spelt Flatbread Recipe

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

    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.

    Experience Nutrition: Organic Sprouted Spelt Flatbread: Ingredients & Mise en Place

    What You Need

    • ¾ cup hot (not boiling) water
    • 1 TBSP dry yeast
    • ½ TBSP honey
    • 2 TBSP organic olive oil
    • 2 cups organic spelt flour
    • ½ tsp sea salt

    EN Spelt Flatbread Flour

    Simple Steps: Make the Dough

    • Put 1 TBSP dry yeast into ¾ cup hot water, add ½ TBS honey and ½ TBSP olive oil. Let it sit for about 10 minutes
    • Put 2 cups sprouted spelt flour in bowl with ½ tsp sea salt
    • Add the water with yeast into the flour
    • 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.

    EN-SpeltBread-Dough

    Simple Steps: Dough Rises & Into the Oven

    • 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)
    • Again, split the dough into 2 sections and spread it onto a pizza brick with your hands

    Simple Steps: Bake & Enjoy!

    • Pre-heat oven at 500 degrees with pizza brick in oven
    • Bake for 5 minutes, check it, bake for another 3-5 minutes, as needed
    • Enjoy your flatbread with olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar, as a pizza, or just plain

    EN-SpeltBread-04-Enjoy-01-2015-0822

    Come over to Facebook www.facebook.com/experience.nutrition.now and post your photos or ask questions.

  • Experience Nutrition: Inspired by Alice Waters & The Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California

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

    This week during our Whole Food S.O.U.L. (Seasonal Organic Unprocessed Local) Cooking Class at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, Arizona, I shared one of my favorite quotes which is totally in-sync with way I cook and teach intuitive cooking with real whole foods.

    Enjoy the quote from Alice Waters, organic food activist and writer and founder of the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California, which is the model of edible education for youth gardening and cooking programs across the USA. Click here to learn more about The Edible Schoolyard Project.

    Inspired by Alice Waters
    Inspired by Alice Waters

    I am also very inspired by Alice Waters overall philosophy, which is showcased at The Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley.

    Alice Waters Philosophies
    Alice Waters Philosophies

    Last year I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a few months in Berkeley and enjoyed peaceful quiet time at the Edible Schoolyard at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School.

    If you have ever visited the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, or in other cities across the country, we invite you to post photos on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/experience.nutrition.now

    Edible Schoolyard Berkeley
    Edible Schoolyard Berkeley

    Enjoy Food & Life!

  • Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 3. Raw Kale Salad

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

    Raw kale salad is definitely trendy in restaurants across the country. Now, you can make your own raw kale salad for Super Bowl Sunday.

    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Super Bowl Healthy Recipe: Raw Kale Salad
    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Super Bowl Healthy Recipe: Raw Kale Salad

    Raw Organic Kale Salad Simple Steps

    • Finely chop a few handfuls of dinosaur kale
    • Add 2 TBSP 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

    Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/9Ways90Days and share your Raw Kale Salad. Top 10 recipes this week on our Facebook page will receive a free e-book, “Enjoy Food & Life” featuring nutrition tips & recipes with former NFL players.

  • Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 2: Organic Hummus

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert, Author & Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Holistic Nutrition Instructor, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts

    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.

    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 2 Organic Hummus
    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 2 Organic Hummus

    Blend all ingredients in Vitamix or food processor, until smooth

    • 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 1 can Eden organic garbanzo beans with kombu
      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.

    Enjoy!

    Share your Super Bowl Hummus Photos with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/9ways90days. Top 10 photos this weekend win free download of new 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: 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 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