Based on a request for a chocolate dessert that is actually healthy, I’m happy to share this simple-to-prepare, delicious, healthy Avocado Chocolate Pudding. This dessert features a few superfoods as toppings for the pudding: Goji berries, raw cacao nibs, and hemp seeds.
Simple Recipe from “A New View of Healthy Eating” by Melanie Albert
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Incredible, rich, and creamy vegan chocolate pudding will delight everyone. Make it for dessert or an after-work or after-school snack. Once you’ve made this avocado pudding, experiment by adding some extras, such as bananas, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, homemade nut milk, and freshly ground spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
2 ripe avocados
4 Medjool dates, pitted and sliced
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 cups water
Avocado Pudding Mise en Place
SIMPLE STEPS
Place all ingredients in food processor or high-speed blender.
Blend on high for about 2 minutes.
Stop and scrape down sides of food processor or blender, if needed.
Blend for another 2 minutes or until completely pureed and smooth.
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Enjoy topped with goji berries, cacao nibs, hemp seeds,citrus, raw cacao powder.
Avocado Pudding: Ingredients into Food Processor
Avocado Chocolate Pudding. Superfoods.Add Edible Flowers & Raw Cacao Powder to your Plate.
Within the Experience Nutrition Corporate Wellness Programs, we offer private online communities where we share healthy eating tips and recipes, and employees share their recipe creations and ask food and nutrition questions.
This week one of the participants wanted to know how to cook asparagus. While asparagus is not growing in season in Arizona right now, I shopped in a few different stores to find fresh organic asparagus.
Simple Asparagus
Happy to share with you two ways to enjoy cooking and eating asparagus, starting with steaming asparagus in a bamboo steamer to enjoy as a side or in a fresh salad. And, the next recipe is Roasted Asparagus. Corn-on-the Cob. Heirloom Tomatoes. Turmeric Hummus.
Bamboo Steamer Asparagus Recipe
Use this simple bamboo steamer culinary technique to steam asparagus, as well as other fresh vegetables.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
Bamboo Steamer Asparagus
8-10 asparagus stems
Pinch sea salt
Basil Finishing Oil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp basil leaves
SIMPLE STEPS
Basil Oil
Since it only takes about 5 minutes to steam the asparagus in the bamboo steamer, first prepare this very simple Basil Oil as a finishing dressing for the asparagus.
Pour oil and basil into a small blender.
Blend for about 2 minutes.
Use the oil as a finishing oil for the asparagus.
Simple Basil Oil IngredientsPour olive oil and fresh basil into small blender.Blend olive oil and basil for 2-3 minutes.The Simple Basil Oil.
Bamboo Steamer Asparagus
Pour a few cups of water into a large pot.
Place pot on the stove top and bring to a boil.
Place asparagus stems onto bamboo steamer rack, spaced a part and not touching.
Sprinkle asparagus with sea salt.
Place asparagus onto bamboo steamer. Drizzle with sea salt.
Cover bamboo steamer.
Place steamer on top of the pot of boiling water.
Steam asparagus for about 5 minutes.
Allow the steam to cook the asparagus for about 5 minutes.
Test the asparagus for doneness.
When the asparagus easily falls off the fork, it is cooked.
Asparagus is ready when it falls off the fork.
Take the asparagus off the bamboo steamer.
Drizzle the Basil Oil on the asparagus.
Mise en Place: Asparagus. Basil Oil.Toss asparagus with Basil Oil.
Mindfully plate or enjoy the asparagus in a salad.
By Melanie Albert, Intuitive Cooking Expert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Award-Winning Cookbook Author, Speaker
Today, I’m excited to share with you the update of my website, www.ExperienceNutrition.com, With the website launch, I thought I’d take a moment to briefly share my initial motivation for healthy eating and living, along with my philosophies about plant-based eating.
The Power of Food: Mom’s Breast Cancer 23 Years Ago
23 years ago my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the conventional doctors gave her six months to live. At that point, I left my corporate marketing career in Kansas City to be with Mom and my Dad in Cocoa Beach, Florida. At night I read the few nutrition books that were available. I had already stopped eating meat and was eating organic food.
This was when I first learned that food and positive mindset were key to health.
I’m happy to say, as I write this today, that my Mom celebrated her 89th birthday this month. And, my Dad is now 92 years old. And, they are both enjoying life every day with their positivity and beautiful Cocoa Beach backyard.
Melanie Albert with Mom & Dad in Cocoa Beach, Florida
I’ll continue to share more of my journey with food and cooking in my blog posts so you can get to know me and my motivation for being here with you.
Top 6 Philosophies of Plant-Based Eating from Melanie’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating”
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 food and life.
Eat Real Whole Foods.
Eat foods that are in their natural form, as nature created them. Focus on plants and local, in-season foods. Focus on organic. When we eat real whole foods, we get more nutrition and fiber from the foods and receive the energy from the Earth. When we focus on eating organic, we eat food that is “clean,” without pesticides or herbicides, and not genetically modified (i.e., not GMO).
Real whole foods include vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. It’s quite simple. The recommended foods in “A New View of Healthy Eating” are primarily in alignment with an anti-inflammatory way of eating as advocated by Andrew Weil, M.D., the Mediterranean way of eating, and the Blue Zones as researched by National Geographic, Dan Buettner, and his team. The foods and recipes are all gluten-free and dairy-free.
A New View of Healthy Eating Book, by Melanie Albert
Farm-to-Table Cooking Classes at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona
Farm-to-Table Intuitive Cooking Classes at The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona
I’m honored to teach hands-on interactive cooking classes at the beautiful The Farm at South Mountain for the three years. Hope our local Arizona friends can join us this Fall.
Join our Plant-Based Community Come on over to our Simple Daily Plant-Based Facebook Group, where I share daily tips around shopping, cooking, and eating beautiful, delicious food. CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE GROUP
Join our e-newsletter for cooking ideas, recipes, and events. And, please let me know if you are interested in any nutrition cooking programs for your organization.
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
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.
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
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
America is Sick & Confused about Food. Our country is sick with epidemic levels of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes and many live in pain. An estimated 45 million people are on diets each year. The food in our country has changed dramatically with processed food and fast food over the last 50 years. Many in our country today do not eat at home and do not know how to cook. People are also confused about what to eat. There are so many different food pyramids and 100s of different dietary theories in the media.
Status of Health in America Today. There are huge problems in our country today. Our country is sick with epidemic levels of obesity, heart disease and diabetes with many people living in pain. An estimated 45% of people are on diets, which do not work. Even professional athletes experience many of the same health concerns as the general public.
Growth of Processed Foods. The food in the U.S. has changed dramatically with the consumption of processed foods and fast foods negatively affecting the health of our nation. McDonald’s opened in the U.S. in 1955 and today one-fourth of the population of our country eats fast food every day. Furthermore, Americans eat 31 percent more packaged food than fresh food, and they consume more packaged food per person than their counterparts in nearly all other countries.
Changed Eating Habits. In addition to the food eaten in the U.S., people’s eating habits have changed dramatically. Today, people are eating while watching television, driving or working and many do not know the basics of eating at home.
Confusion About Shopping and Preparing Food. People are so accustomed to eating out, eating on the run, grabbing quick processed foods or microwaving a meal, that we have lost our skill of shopping for and preparing real food.
