Tag: #HealthyRecipes

  • Experience Nutrition: Welcome to the NEW Experience Nutrition with Melanie Albert

    Experience Nutrition: Welcome to the NEW Experience Nutrition with Melanie Albert

    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:

    1. Eat real whole foods.
    2. Shop local and in season.
    3. Enjoy intuitive shopping.
    4. Cook with intuition.
    5. Eat mindfully.
    6. 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.

    November 18, 2018, 11am-1pm: Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Thanksgiving CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKET

    December 9. 2018, 11am-1pm: Plant-Based Holiday Desserts CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKET

    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.

  • Experience Nutrition: Super Simple Organic Hummus Recipe: Just like the hummus we served at the Super Bowl VIP Tailgate Party

    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.

    Make EXPERIENCE NUTRITION Super Simple Organic Hummus

    I’m excited to share with you the same hummus recipe we made a few years ago at the Super Bowl XLIV VIP Tailgate Party for the Super Bowl in Miami. Now, you can make it, too. Scroll down for a fun behind the scene photo from the VIP Tailgate Party.

    Super Simple Organic Hummus

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION Organic Hummus Recipe
    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION Organic Hummus Recipe

    Step 1: Blend all ingredients in Vitamix or food processor, until smooth

    • 2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
      • 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (soak beans overnight, cook for about 1.5 hours with 1/2 strip kombu seaweed for tenderizing. If you do not have time to cook your own garbanzo beans, use a can of beans, such as Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans that have been cooked with kombu
    • 1/3 cup chickpea water
    • 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste or sesame seeds)
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper
    • 1/8 tsp cumin (grind fresh cumin seeds)
    • 1/8 tsp coriander (grind the seeds from cilantro)

    Step 2: After the hummus has been blended, taste and add any more of the ingredients to your taste.

    Step 3: 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.

    Step 4: Experiment with your own hummus creations. Once you know how to make this basic hummus, try making it with black beans or navy beans or a combination of your favorite beans.

    Step 5: Practice Intuitive Cooking Experience and share your cooking experiences, including hummus, with us on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/experience.nutrition.now

    Melanie Albert’s book, Enjoy Food & Life, is available as an e-book on www.EXPNutrition.com and you can join her on Twitter @NutritionAuthor She is available for speaking engagements, cooking workshops and retreats.

    Melanie Albert at Super Bowl VIP Tailgate, Super Bowl 2008 in Miami.
    Melanie Albert at Super Bowl VIP Tailgate, Super Bowl 2008 in Miami.

  • Experience Nutrition: Intuitive Cooking & Eating for Self Care

    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 love self care! And, I’ve been practicing and advocating self care for decades. Self care is vital for life. Self care experiences are activities we enjoy for our own pleasure. My personal self care menu includes:
    • Practicing yoga
    • Receiving a massage
    • Cooking with my niece
    • Going to an NFL football game or the Super Bowl
    • Walking on my golf course

    Within the last few years, I’ve added Intuitive Cooking & Eating to my self care menu. As part of this self care experience within my life, I begin by going to local Arizona farmers markets and farms to shop. I intuitively browse the market and enjoy seeing the foods that are in season; their beauty, colors and textures. And, I purchase fresh, vibrant produce that I’m most attracted to and excited about. To me self care is eating whole foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Buying food from local farmers allows us to purchase fresh food that has not traveled across our country or from other parts of the world, which add to the carbon footprint of food.

    In addition to local farmers market fresh produce, and whole foods, eating organic is vital to my self care. I intuitively started eating organic 20 years ago, way before organic was trendy and in the news. I intuitively “knew” that I did not want to eat food grown with pesticides or herbicides, or genetically modified (GMO) food. When I eat local, organic foods I feel as though I am putting the highest quality food into my body.

    Singh Farms, Scottsdale, Arizona
    Singh Farms, Scottsdale, Arizona

    Preparing and cooking meals has also become one of my favorite self care experiences. I enjoy choosing all of the ingredients for my culinary creations, again intuitively. By looking at the beauty of the food and mindfully paying attention to what I’m craving or desiring to eat, I begin meal preparation.

    It could be a fresh fruit smoothie with coconut water, hemp seeds, raw cacao and goji berries for breakfast. Or it may be a simple avocado wrap for lunch with local Arizona tomatoes, cucumbers, rainbow carrots, fresh garlic, and just picked Meyer lemons and fresh basil. Often the self care experience extends to the aroma of produce, such as the zesty lemons and sweet basil.

    Intuitive Super Food Smoothie
    Intuitive Super Food Smoothie

    The mindful chopping of the veggies, as I prepare my beautiful meals is an enjoyable part of my self care experience. I love taking the time to mindfully enjoy the calming, rhythm of cutting the beautiful veggies. And, as many of my students know, I love the ritual of mise en place, getting all of my ingredients in place, for easy organization, as I prepare to cook.

    For dinner, one of my very favorite self care cooking and eating experiences is a simple, beautiful veggie stir-fry with the fresh local Arizona produce from the farmers market. Will post this healthy organic recipe soon.

    I invite you to practice Intuitive Cooking Experience as part of your own self care and share your experiences with us on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/experience.nutrition.now

    Melanie Albert’s book, Enjoy Food & Life, is available as an e-book on www.EXPNutrition.com and you can join her on Twitter @NutritionAuthor She is available for speaking engagements, cooking workshops and retreats.

  • Experience Nutrition: Organic Chia Seed Pudding

    By Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Instructor Holistic Nutrition Conscious Eating and Whole Food S.O.U.L. Food at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.

    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.

    Top 5 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, whil lowering total, bad LDL and triglyceride cholesterol
    • Good source of calcium. 18% or the recommended daily intake for calcium.

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION TM Organic Chia Pudding Recipe

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION Organic Chia Seed Pudding
    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION Organic Chia Seed Pudding

    Ingredients
    • 1/3 cup chia seeds
    • 1 cup soy milk (or coconut water)
    • 2 chopped bananas
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1-2 Medjool dates, if you desire more sweetness
    • Berries, nuts and seeds for toppings

    Simple Steps
    • Mix chia seeds, vanilla and dates into the soy milk or coconut water
    • 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

    Share your Chia Pudding creations on our Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/experience.nutrition.now

  • Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes 10 Have Fun!

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

    Our final #10 healthy recipe to enjoy Super Bowl 49 with the New England Patriots vs the Seattle Seahawks, is to HAVE FUN!

    Enjoy the game, have fun with your friend and family, and enjoy some great (healthy) food!

    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes 10 HAVE FUN!
    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes 10 HAVE FUN!

    Our Experience Nutrition; 9 Ways  90 Days; Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes

    1. Avocado Salsa

    2. Organic Hummus

    3. Raw Kale Salad

    4. Grilled Wild Alaskan Salmon

    5. Hemp Seed Tabouli

    6. Kale Chips

    7. Vegan Chocolate Pudding

    8. Hemp Seed Energy Balls

    9. Organic Trail Mix

    10. Have Fun!

    Share your Super Bowl 49 Party photos with us at www.facebook.com/9Ways90Days The top 10 healthy recipe photos will receive e-book, “Enjoy Food & Life,” featuring nutrition tips and recipes by former NFL players and their familiies.

  • Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 8: Hemp Seed Energy Balls

    Try this simple, quick snack for an energy boost, full of protein and omega-3 rich nuts. Enjoy these during your Super Bowl party!
    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 8 Hemp Seed Energy Balls
    Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 8 Hemp Seed Energy Balls

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup fresh or soaked dried organic Medjool dates
    • 1/2 cup almonds
    • ½ cup hemp seeds
    • 1/8 cup chia seeds
    • 3 TBS cocao powder

    Simple Steps

    • Take seeds out of dates
    • Place dates, hemp seeds, almonds and chia seeds in high speed blender
    • Mix on high for about a minute until the mixture becomes soft and warm
    • Roll the mixture into small balls
    • Roll the balls into hemp seeds
    • Roll a few of the balls into cocao powder and hand mix it into the balls

    Enjoy!

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