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A New View of Healthy Eating: Philosophies Part 3: Eat Mindfully
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ. 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 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

Today, we focus on Eat Mindfully

A New View of Healthy Eating: I Commit to Mindful Eating

When we eat, this is the time to enjoy our food, the beauty of our food, and to enjoy our family and friends in a beautiful environment. Enjoy the social time to connect with your family or friends. Or, if eating alone, take the time to pause and enjoy the quiet meditative time for yourself.

A few ideas to add mindful eating to your life:
- Set your table with a pleasing environment, using real plates and silverware and perhaps flowers and music.
- When you eat, pause and enjoy the beauty and aroma of the food that was grown and lovingly prepared for you.
- Really mindfully eat. Pause, chew, place your fork down, and pause again.
- Enjoy your meal with all your senses.
“The key to mindful eating is to pause and enjoy your food and the connections with yourself, your family and friends. “ Melanie Albert

This week, I invite you to pause when you are eating and notice if you are eating mindfully.

If you are not eating very mindfully, I invite you to add one mindful eating idea to your meal. Come over and share your experience with us on Facebook.

And, enjoy!

Click to Purchase: If you are interested in my “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” for your personal inspiration around farmers market shopping, simple culinary skills, quick whole food recipes, intuitive cooking, mindful eating and self care.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Set your table with a pleasing environment.
January 18, 2016
A New View of Healthy Eating: Commit to Intuitively Shopping & Cooking: Kumquat Challenge

By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ. Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker. Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Holistic Nutrition and Whole Food Cooking Instructor at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.
These intuitive culinary creations were all inspired by the little 7 foot tall organic kumquat tree in my backyard, which was full of bright orange ripe kumquats when I returned to Arizona from Florida, after the Christmas holiday.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Arizona Organic Kumquat Tree

Very excited, I challenged myself to create different dishes with the kumquats, rather than getting stuck in the rut. And, I was inspired by the card in my new “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck”: Commit to Intuitive Shopping & Cooking.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Commit to Intuitive Shopping & Cooking

“All of the creations with the kumquats were intuitively created with local Arizona organic farmers’ market produce. These kumquat creations are definitely a “new view,” as this was the first time I have ever created these dishes and smoothie. The point is, when we shop and cook intuitively, with a few basic cooking techniques and a few fresh whole foods, we can create quick delicious drinks, salads and breakfast meals.” Melanie Albert

Kumquats are a little tangy, sweet and spicy at the same time and remind me of a little sour orange. Since kumquats are so small, about the size of a large olive, and do not have a lot of juice, I slice them thin and eat the skin.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Arizona Citrus Fruit Salad

Kumquat Challenge: Day 1: Arizona Citrus Fruit Salad. Inspired by the kumquats, along with our Arizona in season sweet cara cara oranges, this fruit salad was built layer by layer, first with the cara cara orange, then the local Arizona apple, the kumquats, a few sprinkles of fresh pomegranate seeds, and topped with freshly ground cinnamon and nutmeg.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Kasha & Kumquats. Perfect Warm Breakfast.

Kumquat Challenge: Day 2: Kasha & Kumquats. Perfect Warm Breakfast. Perfect for a chilly day, kasha (or buckwheat), which is a gluten-free pseudograin, topped with apples, kumquat, walnuts, raw Arizona honey and the aromatherapy of ground cinnamon and nutmeg.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Kumquat & Raspberry Smoothie

Kumquat Challenge: Day 3: Kumquat & Raspberry Smoothie: Blended raspberries, bananas, and slices of kumquat with coconut water and topped with goji berries and this week’s signature kumquats. Love the fresh, refreshing sharp taste of the kumquats.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Avocado Kale Kumquat Salad

Kumquat Challenge: Day 4: Avocado Kale Kumquat Salad: Dinosaur kale massaged with avocado, fresh squeezed lemon and sea salt, tossed with kumquats and Arizona tomatoes and celery for a fresh, crunchy lunch salad.

There are still plenty of kumquats on my little tree, so next on my Kumquat Challenge are dehydrated kumquats and kumquat sorbet. I invite you to join us on Facebook and share your intuitive cooking creations.

Click to Purchase: If you are interested in my “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” for your personal inspiration around farmers market shopping, simple culinary skills, quick whole food recipes, intuitive cooking, mindful eating and self care.

January 10, 2016
A New View of Healthy Eating: Pomegranate Smoothie with Just-Made Almond Milk
By Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker. Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Inspired by the pomegranates sitting on my counter, I decided to create a smoothie. I wanted this smoothie to be special, since I’ve loved sweet juicy pomegranates since I was a young kid mindfully picking the seeds out of the fruit like crab meat, with the deep red juice dripping down my arms.

A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck

Intuitively, I created the pomegranate smoothie with home-made almond milk, which is delicious, even by itself. Enjoy the process of creating this thick, creamy sweet smoothie.

Simple Ingredients
• 1 pomegranate, seeded
• 1 cup coconut water
• ½ cup almonds
• 1 Medjool date
• 1 frozen banana

Simple Steps to Get the Seeds out of a Pomegranate, without all the Mess!
- Cut pomegranate in half
- Place pomegranate in a bowl of water
- Tear apart the pomegranate. Seeds will float to the bottom of the bowl and the tan membrane will rise to the top
- Mindfully examine the seeds and take out small piece of membrane
Fresh Home-made Almond Milk
- Blend coconut water, almonds and date in high-speed blender for 1-2 minutes
- Enjoy a taste
Simple Steps: My First Ever Pomegranate Smoothie
- Add banana to the almond milk in the blender and blend for about a minute
- Enjoy another taste
- Sprinkle pomegranate seeds into blender and blend for another minute
- Pour smoothie into glass
- Top with a few pomegranate seeds and almonds to add a crunch to the smoothie
- Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!
Fun with mise en place: All ingredients set up to prepare the smoothie.

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Come on over to Facebook www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating and share your smoothie creations with us!

A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck is available NOW: www.EXPNutrition.com
January 4, 2016
A New View of Healthy Eating: Broil Wild Sockeye Salmon
By Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker. Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
A New View of Healthy Eating: Broil Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

Today’s “A New View of Healthy Eating, 55-Card Deck”Broil Wild Sockeye Salmon was influenced by the memory of teaching former NFL player, Arizona Cardinal, John Bronson, to cook wild Alaskan salmon, and shooting a video with him 3 years ago at The Legacy Golf Resort.

“Often people ask me what kind of eater I am: Melanie are you vegan? Are you vegetarian? I respond that I’m a pescatarian, that I primarily eat plant-based vegetarian, with the addition of fish, primarily wild salmon. I love the mild flavor of wild Alaskan salmon and it’s so simple to very quickly prepare salmon by broiling or grilling it with organic extra virgin olive oil and a blend of dried herbs.” Melanie Albert

Wild Alaskan Salmon on the Grill (or Broiled) Recipe
In 2011, as an Official Health & Wellness Partner of the NFL Alumni Association, my organization Experience Nutrition, had the honor to serve this simple Wild Alaskan Salmon Recipe at several Super Bowl XLV weekend events in Dallas. The former NFL players keep coming back for more salmon, so it was obvious that they enjoyed it. The recipe is very easy to prepare. Grill or broil the salmon with a few spices and olive oil to easily create for a restaurant-quality meal in your home.

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Ingredients
- 4 Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon filets (4-6 ounces per person), sliced into 1/2” strips
- 1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
- 3 TBSP dried herbs and spices: garlic granules, onion granules, dried dill, lemon peel, fennel, black pepper and sea salt
Simple Steps

1. Defrost salmon filets in refrigerator for a few hours or under cold running water
2. Slice wild salmon into thin strips, about 1/2 inch wide and 1-2 inches long
3. Prepare salmon marinate by mixing olive oil and spices and herbs
4. Marinate salmon with spices and herbs in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, or even overnight
5. Pre-heat broiler or grill on medium high for 15 minutes before you are ready to cook your salmon
6. Place filets on a flat tray with parchment paper for broiling or directly on grill
7. Cook each side about 3-5 minutes
8. Remove salmon from grill right before salmon is completely cooked, as it will continue to cook when taken off grill
9. Let salmon sit for about 5 minutes
10. Enjoy with a veggie stir-fry, steamed veggies or a raw kale salad, with a whole grain, such as quinoa

Cook your wild salmon and share your photos with us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating
January 2, 2016
A New View of Healthy Eating: New Beginning with Ocean Sunrise
by Melanie Albert, Nutrition, food & cooking author, speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
This morning, the day after Christmas 2015, after witnessing the first full moon since 1977 early Christmas morning, I decided to walk to the beach, Cocoa Beach, to enjoy the magnificence of the sunrise.

In one word: Breath-taking!

The sunrise in our East on the ocean is the message of new beginnings, new ideas and new energy.

Reflect & Dream Big. Inspired by the ocean sunrise, I invite you to take some quiet time these last few days of the year, to both reflect on your accomplishments, and intuitively vision your new beginnings. For reflection and vision, take quiet time, perhaps with nature, walking on the beach, sitting near a stream, hiking in the desert, or sitting in your favorite quiet spot in your home.

Reflection
As you reflect on your past, I invite you to focus on your accomplishments and celebrate with yourself, your family or friends.
- What is your #1 personal accomplishment for 2015? Journal all the details in your accomplishment and savor them while you are writing. How did you feel? Who were you with? Where were you?
- What is your #1 business or career accomplishment in 2015? Journal on the all details of your accomplishment and your strengths that helped you achieve your accomplishment.
- What is your #1 accomplishment that really surprised you? For this one, journal about something that may have been outside your comfort zone, or something that you experienced that had an awesome unexpected positive result.
- Share your accomplishments with your family and friends.
New Beginnings
Now, as we look into the East, with new beginnings, new ideas and new excitement, I invite you to be intuitive and feel your deep passion as you wildly dream.
- In your wildest dreams, listening to your heart, your intuition, what is your #1 personal accomplishment for 2016? Describe in your journaling, all the details about it. What exactly is it, how do you feel? Who are your with? Where are you?
- In your wildest dreams, again listening to your heart, your intuition, what is your #1 business or career accomplishment for 2016? Journal on all the details, your strengths, and exactly what this achievement looks and feels like.
Anchor. For your 2016 accomplishments, I invite you to create an anchor, to ground your vision and as a reminder of your accomplishments throughout the year.
- What is your one word to anchor your 2016 personal accomplishment?
- What is your one word to anchor your 2016 business / career accomplishment?
If you wish, visit us on Facebook and share your New Beginning Wild Dreams
December 26, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Enjoy Dehydrated Organic Tomatoes
by Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Motivational message from “A New View of Healthy Eating, A-55 Card Deck”

Enjoy Dehydrated Tomatoes

A New View of Healthy Eating: Enjoy Dehydrating Tomatoes, Bananas & Apples

Dehydrating is a simple, quick way to prepare veggies for different types of people and for different culinary uses:
- Raw Diet. Raw foodists (who eat food that is not cooked above 118 degrees) dehydrate lots of fruit, vegetables, crackers with nuts and seeds for everyday eating.
- Simple Fruit. Kids and adults of all ages enjoy dehydrated fruit (bananas, apples, persimmons) for everyday snacks.
- Culinary Delight. Chefs and culinary enthusiasts dehydrate to concentrate and intensify the flvor of food, such as tomatoes, sweet peppers and beets.
20 Pound Flat of Organic Tomatoes. A few months ago I purchased a 20 pound flat of organic tomatoes at an Arizona Farmers’ Market. I sautéed some of the tomatoes into a simple sauce with garlic and onions; roasted some tomatoes with garlic, onions, and carrots for a thick tomato sauce; and dehydrated a batch into a beautiful culinary treat with a deep, rich, sweet garnish for salads, veggies, avocado salsas, and pizza.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Dehydrated Organic Tomatoes

Home-grown Dehydrated Bananas. This week while in Cocoa Beach, Florida, we harvested dozens of bananas from my 80+ year old parents’ yard. My Dad was actually thinking about buying a dehydrator since they grow bananas year-round and literally have 100s of fresh bananas. We dehydrated our first batch of bananas for about 12 hours which are so crunchy, sweet and full of flavor. We also dehydrated a few organic apples that are so crispy and melt in your mouth.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Dehydrated Home-grown Bananas

Dehydrate! I invite you to dehydrate some fruit and share your photos on our Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

For motivational messages for healthy eating, intuitive cooking, culinary skills, mindful eating, and self care, purchase “A New Way of Healthy Eating”, A-55 Card Deck
December 23, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Philosophies: Part 3: Cook 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.

Key philosophies of “A New View of Healthy Eating”
- Eat real whole foods
- Shop local and in season
- Enjoy intuitive shopping
- Cook with intuition
- Eat mindfully
- Enjoy life
Today’s Focus: Cooking with Intuition

When we cook with intuition, we first use recipes as guides, learn simple culinary cooking techniques, and then intuitively create beautiful, tasty meals with real whole foods.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Intuitive Cooking: Farmers’ Market Organic Stir-fry

With intuitive cooking we use recipes as guides. We first learn simple basic culinary methods and techniques (such as raw, steaming, roasting) to prepare real whole foods with recipes as our guide. Naturally, over time, we learn to trust our own intuition to cook foods we desire using cooking techniques we have learned.

Overtime, we do not need to rely on recipes. We trust ourselves and our culinary skills to create our own healthy dishes. For instance, we learn the culinary technique to steam carrots in a bamboo steamer and use our recipe to finish the carrots with walnut oil, toasted cumin, fresh lemon juice and parsley and a pinch of sea salt. After learning the bamboo steamer technique to quickly steam veggies, we create other steamed veggies (such as broccoli and cauliflower) and finish them with different oils, spices and herbs.

Cook Mindfully. With intuitive cooking we also naturally cook more mindfully, meditatively enjoying the rhythm of chopping veggies or the mindfulness of massaging kale or grating fresh spices.

Share your Intuitive Cooking experiences with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

Purchase “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” at www.EXPNutrition.com for motivational messages around healthy eating, culinary skills, simple recipes, mindful eating and self care.
December 22, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Brew Loose Green Tea the Right Way

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition, food and whole food cooking expert, author and speaker; Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
Today’s motivational eating, cooking and mindfulness card from “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck”

Brew your own Loose Green Tea

Enjoying Green Tea for 11 Years
I started drinking green and matcha tea in 2004, 11 years ago, when I first starting working in marketing and licensing with Dr. Andrew Weil (Weil Lifestyle, LLC) who is an advocate of the health benefits of green tea.

Top 6 Reasons Green Tea is Good for You
1. The antioxidant, ECGC, in green tea is an anti-inflammatory
2. Research has found that green tea benefits heart health, brain health and helps prevent cancer
3. It is full of catechins and polyphenols which help the brain relax and stimulate dopamine levels
4. Theanine in green tea helps improve mood and provides a sense of relaxation
5. Less caffeine than coffee
6. It tastes delicious, so enjoy a few cups every day

Green Tea Experience: From Bitter to Mindful. When I first started drinking loose green tea, it was very bitter tasting to me, but I kept experimenting with different teas and even attended The World Tea Expo a few years. Importantly, I learned the proper way to brew green tea for an enjoyable, smooth taste Today, I I love the smooth, grassy taste and the mindful experience of brewing and enjoying tea.

Brew Green Tea Perfectly Every Time. I invite you to take the time to try a Japanese green loose tea, such as the high quality Gyokuro or Sencha, the most popular Japanese tea. The key is to brew your tea properly so it is not bitter tasting.
• Bring a few cups of water to almost a boil
• Pour over tea leaves in a pot or with a tea strainer
• Brew for about a minute or two
• Enjoy your green tea throughout the day

Share your green tea brewing experience photos with us on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

And, if you’d like a daily motivational tip around healthy eating, culinary skills, simple whole food recipes and self care, our “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” is NOW available: www.EXPNutrition.com

December 20, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Simply Sprout Beans

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
A New View of Healthy Eating: Today’s Motivational Card

Simply Sprout Beans

A New View of Healthy Eating: Try mung beans

Awesome First Sprouting Experience. It was a year ago when I really started to sprout beans, while taking the Professional Plant-based Culinary Course with Rouxbe. I was in Florida visiting my parents and we decided to experiment with all kinds of organic beans (mung, adzuki, green lentils) and a few seeds (sunflower and broccoli). We ended up sprouting about 12 quart jars of beans in a week and harvested so much we shared with neighbors.

First bean and seed Sprouting Experience: Exceeded our expectations.

Popular Mung Beans. Today, our focus is mung beans, which are the most widely eaten sprout on our planet. The sprouting process releases dormant enzymes that make the beans more easily digestible and in some cases, even more nutritious.

Eat Mung Beans Raw or Cooked. Mung beans, a great plant-protein, are very easy and fun to sprout, and can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw mung beans add a nice crunch on top a salad, avocado salsa, or hummus. And can be cooked for added protein in a veggie stir-fry or soup, and have been used in many Chinese dishes for centuries.

6 Simple Steps to Sprout Mung Beans
1. Soak ¼ cup mung beans in a few cups of water for 8-12 hours out of direct sunlight
2. Rinse beans and place them in a wide mouth quart Mason jar with a wire lid
3. Rinse beans with water 2-4 times a day
4. After each rinsing, rest jar on a slant, so any extra water can drain
5. Harvest beans 2-5 days
6. Enjoy raw or cooked!

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December 16, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Avocado Salsa Day!
by Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Today my 89 year old Dad chose our card from “A New View of Healthy Eating, 55-Card Deck.”

Avocado Salsa Day

Fortunately, we have a few organic avocados, fresh garlic, dehydrated local Arizona tomatoes in our home as a base for our avocado salsa.

With intuitive cooking, making avocado salsa is so simple:

Intuitive Recipe Guide
- Squeeze ripe avocado into bowl.
- Squeeze ¼ fresh lemon and dash of sea salt on avocado and massage the avocado.
- Add an herb: chopped cilantro or basil.
- Add-in your favorite veggies, such as rainbow carrots, cucumbers, green onions.
- Mix in extras: Olives, sprouted mung beans.
I’ll being going to the Sunseed Coop in Cape Canaveral, FL, to see what extras are available and will make my batch of avocado salsa this evening.

Look forward to seeing photos of your creative avocado salsas on Facebook.

Available Now: “A New View of Healthy Eating, 55-Card Deck.”
December 12, 2015
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 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 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 New View of Healthy Eating: Breathe in and breathe out at the beach.

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

Enjoy nature this week!
December 11, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Eat What You Love
by Melanie Albert, Food and nutrition expert, author, speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC.

Our card today from my new “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck”:

Eat What You Love

A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck: Eat What You Love

I was very excited about his message today, as I have one of my favorite foods in my home right now, organic dark chocolate, which I will definitely enjoy.

To me, the message around this card is to give ourselves permission to eat and enjoy foods that we may have deprived ourselves from eating in our past or even today.

I invite you, right now, to grab a piece of paper and pencil and do the following exercise:
- Step 1: Write down all of the foods that you absolutely love. Be creative. Write down all of the foods, even from spices, to olive oil, to fruits, to veggies, to snacks, to beverages.
- Step 2: Now, draw a circle around 5 of those foods that you generally deprive yourself of. That is, you love the food, but you do not eat that food.
- Step 3: Draw another circle around one of those 5 foods that you commit to eat this week. Choose your food that you will, right now, give yourself unconditional permission to eat. Unconditional permission to eat with joy!
- Step 4: Say out loud with passion: “I love my life and I give myself unconditional permission to eat_________________” (fill in your food)
- Step 5: Go out and purchase your food or go out to a restaurant and enjoy your food with a friend.
- Step 6: Share your experiences with us on Facebook. Would love to see your photos of you enjoying your “eat what you love food” and how this experience was for you.
Often when we do this “eat what you love” exercise in classes and workshops, people give themselves permission to eat chocolate cake. Pizza is always on the top of the list. Many love ice cream. Do you relate?

Have fun and really enjoy your food this week!
December 9, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Try a New Food

by Melanie Albert, Author, Nutrition & food expert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Now that my new “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” is in my hands, I will be sharing a few cards with you each week. It is my intention to motivate you to take action around food in a positive way, with new ways to shop, new culinary skills, trying a new recipe, eating mindfully, or adding a little self care in your life.

Today, our card is: Try a New Food. Not all radishes are red.

A New View of Healthy Eating: Try a New Food

In November, while shopping at a local Phoenix farmers market for a catering event for the non-profit, Mankind USA, there were many different colored radishes available, so I actually purchased all of them, from bright red, to white, to purple, to watermelon radish. I knew we would be roasting roots for the event, so I bought the rainbow of radishes. We also used the radishes raw for dipping in the amazing hummus. When eaten raw, radishes are often a little spicy and when roasted they become naturally sweet.

Not all Radishes are Red

A farmers’ market is the perfect place to experiment with new foods, you have never tried before. Look for a food you do not recognize, ask the farmer about it, and they may also give you ideas on how to prepare it.

Look at the beautiful purple radish!

I invite you to visit a farmers’ market or natural market, and buy one, just one, new-to-you fresh veggie. Come over to Facebook (www.Facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating) and share a photo of your new veggie with us and how you prepare it. We can give you suggestions on how to prepare it.

Most important, have fun and enjoy new, interesting food this week.

The first printing of the new “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” is now available to purchase on our website: www.EXPNutrition.com

December 8, 2015
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.

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
December 6, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Philosophies: Part 1: Eat Real Whole Foods
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
A New View of Healthy Eating: Eat real whole foods.

Eat real whole foods. Eat foods that are in their natural form, as nature created them. Focus on plants, local, in-season foods. Focus on organic. When we eat real whole foods, we get more nutrition from the foods, we get all of the fiber from the foods, and we receive the energy from the Earth. When we focus on organic we choose to eat food that is “clean”, without pesticides or herbicides, and that are not genetically modified (not GMO).

Real whole foods include: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, and wild salmon. 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, MD, the Mediterranean way of eating, and the Blue Zones, as researched by National Geographic, Dan Beuttner and his team.

“Real whole foods are real. Think actual fruit, vegetables, fruits, grains in their whole from, like brown rice, beans such as garbanzo or lentils, nuts & seeds, and wild cold-water fish, like wild salmon.” – Melanie Albert

Your reflection: I invite you to think about the food you have been eating during in the past few days and share with us where you are with whole food eating at this point in time with your life. Come over to our new Facebook page www.facebook.com/newviewhealthyeating

BRAND NEW: AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE NOW: First edition of our new “A New View of Healthy Eating: A-55 Card Deck” with daily motivational tips, culinary techniques, recipes, shopping suggestions and self care.
December 2, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: A 55-Card Deck
By Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Food Author & Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, Arizona
I’m very excited to announce the launch of my very first card deck, “A New View of Healthy Eating” A 55-Card Deck, as a companion to my Spring 2016 book. As some of you are aware I have been a little quiet during this Thanksgiving holiday to intently focus on creating this deck.

A New View of Healthy Eating Card Deck Layout Ready to Print

Order Today, November 29, 2015. I will be placing my initial order today, so if you are interested in receiving one of the very first decks, I will include your deck in my order. Expected arrival, December 9, 2015.

Celebration Pot-Luck in Phoenix. For those of you who live in Arizona, purchase your Card Deck before December 31, 2015 and come to a special celebration pot-luck (with a new culinary experience) on January 9, 2016, 3-5pm at my home in Phoenix.

The intention of the card deck’s daily motivational messages around food is to inspire you to approach the food you and your family eat, a little differently, that is, with a new view.

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

A New View of Healthy Eating Philosophies
- Eat real whole foods
- Shop local & in season
- Enjoy the process of intuitive shopping
- Cook with culinary skills & your intuition
- Eat mindfully
55 Motivational Tips in Card Deck
- Food Shopping
- Simple Culinary Techniques
- Whole Food Recipes
- Nutrition
- Mindful Eating
When you receive your card deck, I invite you to intuitively choose a card every day and incorporate that one “new view of healthy eating” into your life. And, share your experiences and food creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Experience.Nutrition.Now

The ultimate goal is to enjoy food & life!
November 29, 2015
Experience Nutrition: Yoga Quote: Mindful Breathing

By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ. 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 days ago at my massage I received the message “breathe” on the wall in the massage room, which inspired me to share a beautiful quote that reminds us to take time to be still and to breath quietly.

Breathing offers us the perfect time to refresh ourselves and to gain insights for our life. – Melanie Albert

For me, right now, I am at the very early stages of dreaming and creating my new book, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Intuitive Cooking, with Culinary & a Taste of Yoga.” So, I am very consciously taking the time to breathe, to be still, to listen and create. I invite you to breathe, too.

“We spend most of our time caught up in the memories of the past or looking ahead to the future, full of worries and plans. The breath has none of that “other-timeness.” When we truly observe the breath, we are automatically placed in the present. We are pulled out to the morass of mental images and into a bare experience of the here-and-now. In this sense, breath is a slice of reality. A mindful observation of such a miniature model of life itself leads to insights that are broadly applicable to the rest of our experience.” – Henepola Gunaratana

November 17, 2015
Experience Nutrition: Hemp Seed Tomato Tabouli Healthy Recipe
by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Food Expert, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Whole Food Cooking Instructor Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition.
Refreshing and full of flavor tabouli salad. Gluten-free and created with good fat, omega-3 rich hemp seeds. This tabouli is especially refreshing with farmers’ market fresh heirloom tomatoes, and can be prepared with a rainbow of tomatoes. Hemp seeds are a nice alternative to the typical bulgur wheat in tabouli, for those of us who are sensitive to gluten or have Celiac disease.

Hemp Seed Tomato 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 green onions, chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
Experience Nutrition: Hemp Seed Tomato Tabouli: Fresh Ingredients

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!
Experience Nutrition: Hemp Seed Tabouli: Simple Steps

Create your own Hemp Seed Tomato Tabouli and share your dish with us on Facebook.
November 14, 2015
Experience Nutrition: Yoga Quote: Stop Nibbling

Those that only take a nibble here and nibble there will never attain anything…Those who really want to be yogis must give up, once for all, this nibbling at things. Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. – Swami Vivekananda
Pause & Stop Nibbling, Melanie Albert

November 12, 2015
A New View of Healthy Eating: Intuitive Cooking with Culinary & a Taste of Yoga
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, AZ. Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker. Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Holistic Nutrition and Whole Food Cooking Instructor at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.
I am excited to share that I’m working on my new book, pulling together my new thoughts, approaches to cooking and eating over the last few years. I started teaching simple cooking with small groups in 2007 and in 2008 I began teaching former NFLplayers and their families, kids , seniors, and holistic practitioners (such as yoga teachers, life coaches). Since my early work, my work has evolved.

I noticed that my way of teaching simple healthy cooking that works, is fun, and creative, blends several different methods or concepts:
- Shopping. Cooking and eating intuitively.
- Using simple professional culinary methods to prepare and cook food.
- Using beautiful farmers market-fresh local, organic food, as much as possible and eating with the season.
- Bringing mindfullness and intuitiveness to enjoying eating.
I have now worked with 1,000s of people, guiding them to cook; Completed a Professional Plant-based Culinary Course with Rouxbe in early 2015; completed a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification with Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in 2015 and am now a 200 hour registered yoga teacher; and I have had the honor to teach Whole Food Cooking and Conscious Eating courses at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts since March 2014 and have reached hundreds of students and their families.

As a result of my new experiences , I have come to writing this new book with a new view, with such new knowledge, skills and awareness, that I want to share it with the world to guide and encourage others to really enjoy shopping, cooking and eating food with family and friends; and to add-in some self care, such as yoga each and every day. Combining the enjoyment of food and life.

I am very excited and will share with you my ideas, writing, photos along the way in my writing process and look forward to your feedback and suggestions.

Please visit us on Facebook and share your new ways of cooking and enjoying food.

EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Bamboo Steamer Organic Rainbow Carrots
November 9, 2015