Experience Nutrition

Tag: organic

A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: More Roasted Roots: Roast Roots & Roots Greens Tops
by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Within my home-cooking, cooking classes, cookbook, and recipe blogs, one of my key philosophies is learning some simple culinary techniques and then using the techniques to cook all kinds of veggies. For those of you who know me from classes, Facebook, and my blog, you are aware that I love roasting veggies.

Roasting is simple and the cooking process caramelizes the veggies keeping them crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. The flavor is always delicious and roasting can be used in any season with basically any veggies our farmers grow.

Today I roasted veggies that I purchased on Saturday at this week’s Gilbert Farmers Market from a few of our amazing local organic farmers: Steadfast Farms, Blue Sky Farms, Abby Lee Farms, and Crooked Sky Farms. Plus, I still had a few turnips from The Farm at South Mountain. I was especially happy to also cook beans from Crooked Sky Farms for the first time.

And, I had fun experimenting with roasting a few roots – carrots and radishes – with the whole veggie. I roasted the roots and the greens and they were so beautiful. Definitely food art!

Simple Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes (Crooked Sky Farm)
- Carrots (Blue Sky Organic Farm)
- Radishes (Steadfast Farm)
- Tomatoes (Abby Lee Farms)
- Broccoli (Blue Sky Farm)
- Turnips & Breakfast Radish (The Farm at South Mountain)
- Black Beans (Crooked Sky Farm)
- Quinoa
- Organic extra virgin olive oil
- Dry seasoning (Today Penzeys Fox Point (salt, shallots, chives, garlic, onion, green peppercorns)
Simple Steps
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice veggies into equal-sized pieces.
- Coat veggies with olive oil and seasonings.
- Place veggies flat side down on parchment-lined flat sheet pan.
- Cook for 15 minutes.
- Flip.
- Cook another 12-15 minutes.
- Plate with quinoa and black beans.
- Enjoy!
I have just started a new Facebook Group: Simple Plant-Based Daily Eating Tips with Melanie Albert. Please come over and join in the conversation.

Interested in learning more plant-based culinary skills, Melanie’s book includes 84 simple culinary techniques.

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March 13, 2018
A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: The Beauty of Local Farmers’ Food

by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLCs
Today I spent the day living my passions and having fun with my like-minded food friends. Next weekend (Saturday, February 17, 2018, 10am) I’ll be leading a Taste of the Market Cooking Demo at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, so I visited the market today to see what our local farmers are growing and to get inspired for ideas for the class.

Our Winter Arizona farmers’ bounty is so incredible, I just wanted to “be” with the food and my farmer friends. I ended up staying at the market for three hours, enjoying the food, taking food, talking cooking, and having my kind of fun. Later in the day, I stopped at The Farm at South Mountain, an urban farm about a half mile from my home.

Sharing some of the beautiful food and a video of some incredible cauliflower…hope you enjoy..

In awe of the cauliflower grown by Blue Sky Organic Farm…

Powerful Purple…

Gorgeous Green…

Fresh Yellow & Orange…

Radish Red…

Taste of the Market Cooking Demo…

Thanks, Downtown Phoenix Farmers’ Market…

And all my farmer friends…Maya’s Farm…Steadfast Farm…Abby Lee Farms…Golo Family Farms…McClendon Select…Community Exchange…Blue Sky Organic Farm…

Interested in my book, you can buy it and I’ll gift wrap and mail to you.

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If your organization is interested in a cooking workshop, event, or retreat, please let us know your interests. Thanks!

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February 10, 2018
A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Arizona Winter Salad: Arugula and Avocado

by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
It’s fun to intuitively create a quick salad with an avocado base and a few farmers’ market goodies. Today’s Arizona Winter Salad features a few of my very favorite goodies from our local Arizona farmers, including incredible carrots and arugula. Plus, an avocado, which adds to the richness of the salad with its good healthy fats. And, I included a whole grain, with left-over brown rice in the refrigerator.

Thanks to Turkish Fair Trade Imports, LLC for the great Turkish Basil Extra Virgin Olive oil and to the Uptown Farmers’ Market and Arizona farmers – Steadfast Farms for the incredible carrots, and McClendon Select for the fresh arugula.

Steps to Create a Quick Winter Salad

Step 1: Choose a few organic produce. Plus, an olive oil, whole grain, and fresh herb.

Step 2: Get your mise en place – everything into place – with veggies chopped and mindfully organized.

Step 3: Decide which ingredients to pair together for the salad. Today’s pairings: Arugula, tomatoes, sea salt, brown rice, and basil olive oil. Avocado pairing: the avocado, carrots, tomatoes, and fresh Arizona lemon. When you are pairing your ingredients, have fun and use your intutition. There are no right or wrong pairs.

Step 4: Toss the arugula ingredients to coat the leaves with olive oil, lemon, and sea salt.

Step 5: Gently mix the avocado ingredients and press into a ring mold.

Step 6: Plate and enjoy! I had fun playing a little with the sweet carrots!

If you are looking for more simple culinary skills, recipes, and ideas to cook intuitively, check out my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating.”

January 6, 2018
A New View of Healthy Eating: Organic Tomato Gazpacho Cold Soup Recipe
By Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, and speaker. Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Recently, I’ve been teaching public hands-on Intuitive Cooking Experience Classes at the Phoenix Public Market and The Farm at South Mountain, in Phoenix. Tonight I’m getting set to lead tomorrow’s class at the Phoenix Public Market. Lately, I’ve been really enjoying tomatoes, so tomorrow, October 15, 2016, at the Phoenix Public Market (9-11am, Central & Pierce) we will intuitively create a simple tasty, fresh tomato gazpacho soup. Looking forward to tomatoes from Abby Lee Farms, about 4-5 miles from my home.

Excerpt from A New View of Healthy Eating

Summertime Tomato Gazpacho Cold Soup

A fresh, cold tomato gazpacho is refreshing, especially on warm days. Make this quick cold tomato soup with red, orange, and yellow tomatoes and red, orange, yellow, and green bell peppers for a bright summer side dish. Be sure to try the beautiful (some may think ugly) heirloom tomatoes. If you are fortunate enough to purchase a whole flat of really ripe organic tomatoes, make a big batch of tomato gazpacho for a summertime picnic.

Simple Ingredients: Soup
- 10 medium tomatoes, cut into eighths
- 4 red, orange, yellow, and/or green bell peppers, seeded and rough chopped
- 3 cucumbers, rough chopped
- 2 jalapeno or Anaheim peppers, seeded and rough chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
- Up to 2 cups water, if needed
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Simple Ingredients: Topping
- 4 tbsp cucumber, small diced
- 4 tbsp tomato, small diced
- 4 tsp cilantro leaves
Simple Steps
- Place all soup ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix well.
- Puree half of the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
- Combine pureed soup with chopped veggies.
- Taste and season with sea salt and/or pepper.
- Top with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro.
- Enjoy!
- Refrigerate leftover gazpacho soup and enjoy the next day for an even more flavorful soup.
Create Your Own Tomato Gazpacho

Use your intuition when you create your tomato gazpacho. Use different colors and types of tomatoes. Sometimes make it chunky; other times make it smooth. Try different levels of spiciness using jalapeno or Anaheim peppers. Sometimes make it spicy hot, sometimes make it mild. Try different types of in-season cucumbers, such Armenian, pickling, or lemon.

“The key to a beautiful tomato gazpacho is to blend some of the fresh veggies into a creamy liquid and to keep some veggies chunky.”

I’ll be selling my new book A New View of Healthy Eating, this weekend at 2 events in the Phoenix area:
- Saturday, Oct 15, 2016, Phoenix Public Market, Central & Pierce. 9am-1pm
- Sunday, Oct 16, 2016, Yoga Rocks the Park, Steele Indian School Park, Phoenix (3rd Street, North of Indian School), 9am-noon
If you are not in the Phoenix area and would like to purchase the book, it’s available on my website and I’m happy to ship a copy to you.
October 14, 2016
A New View of Healthy Eating: How to Sprout Mung Beans in 7 Days!
By Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, and speaker. Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
I’ve been having fun with sprouting mung beans the last few days and wanted to share with you some photos, so you could see how quickly and much they grow in a few days.

Day 1: August 28, 2016
- Rinse 1/4 cup of mung beans and soak in water overnight.
Day 2: August 29, 2016, 6pm: Beans are already beginning to open.
- Drain water from beans.
- Put jar with mesh top on a slant.
- Rinse beans with cold water 2-4 times a day.
Day 3: August 30, 2016, 8:30am: Already starting to see a few little mung bean tails.

Day 4: August 31, 2016: Sorry, missed taking photos on Day 4.

Day 5: September 1, 2016: The sprouts are just about ready to eat.

Day 6: September 2, 2016: The jar is almost full.

Day 7: September 3, 2016: Time to enjoy the sprouts.

Get the 7 Simple Steps to Sprout Mung Beans Blog

Tomorrow I’ll blog a beautiful organic heirloom tomato and mung bean salad that I intuitively created with these home sprouted mung beans.

The second print run of A New View of Healthy Eating is expected to arrive in Phoenix on September 6, 2016. Order now to be sure you get a copy.

Order the book today and receive Top 5 Recipes and Culinary Tips.

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September 3, 2016
A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Way to Roast Tomatoes in the Oven
By Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, and speaker. Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

Yesterday, when roasting roots, I also decided to cook some tomatoes and beautiful peppers, with a shallot. The tomatoes and peppers were both grown by farmers within a few miles of my home. The tomatoes were from Abby Lee Farms and the beautiful peppers from Maya’s Farm at The Farm at South Mountain.

To roast the veggies, I simply tossed the tomatoes and peppers with the same dressing as the roasted roots – organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, dried oregano and basil. The aromatherapy was so sweet and I loved the sweetness of the tomatoes.

Excerpt from A New View of Healthy Eating

Simple Roasted Tomatoes Sauce

Oven-roasted tomato sauce is very easy to cook. The main ingredient is time. Be creative with the quantity and combination of tomatoes, onions, carrot, and garlic when you roast this beautiful, delicious sauce. Use the sauce with veggies or, to make soup, strain the cooked tomatoes through cheesecloth, then blend into a creamy soup.

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
- Tomatoes
- Red onion, sliced
- Few carrots, chopped
- Few garlic cloves, sliced
- Sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
1. Place whole tomatoes in a large roasting pan.
2. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and sea salt and lightly toss.
3. Roast for about 3 hours, stirring every 45-60 minutes.
4. Enjoy the aroma of the roasting tomatoes.
In many parts of our country, tomatoes are in season, so I invite you to visit your local farmers’ market, buy some tomatoes, and create your own simple roasted tomatoes.

Post your tomato creations with us on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating
August 26, 2016
A New View of Healthy Eating: 5 Simple Steps to Make Your Own Nut or Seed Milk
By Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, and speaker. Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
Many people are not aware how easy it is to make a nut or seed milk. This morning I made a really quick smoothie to enjoy prior to teaching a cooking class. The base was a simple homemade sunflower seed milk, with frozen raspberries and a banana.

Excerpt from A New View of Healthy Eating

Make Your Own Nut or Seed Milk

Nut milks are very popular, but often store-bought milks contain added sugars or preservatives. Use these simple steps to make your own nut milks, which are nutrient-dense, more affordable than store-bought milks, and taste so fresh. Enjoy your made-from-scratch nut milk as a beverage, in smoothies, or in recipes that call for milk.

When making nut milk, it’s important to remember that various nuts and seeds have different flavor profiles, from neutral, to slightly sweet, to slightly bitter. Intuitively create your own favorite nut milk by experimenting with different nuts and seeds.
- Neutral: Almonds, Brazil nuts
- Slightly sweet: Cashews, macadamia, pecans
- Slightly bitter, may need to balance with a sweetener: Seeds
Nut-Based Milk. Generally, nut milk, such as almond, tends to be white and watery, with a thin texture and a mild, almost bland flavor. Use almond milk as a great plant-based replacement for milk or water in smoothies or with morning whole grains, such as steel-cut oats.

Seed-Based Milk. Seed milk, such as hemp milk, is thick and creamy. Hemp milk made with dates and vanilla has a lot of depth and a flavorful, sweet, nutty, earthy taste. Drink hemp milk as a perfect healthy beverage.

5 Simple Steps to Make Your Own Nut or Seed Milk
1. Pour ⅓ cup raw nuts or seeds (almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, or hemp seeds) into a high-speed blender.
2. Add 1 cup water or coconut water.
3. OPTIONAL: Add 1 organic date (pre-soak 1 hour to soften) for sweetness and/or ⅓ teaspoon vanilla extract for smoothness.
4. Blend on low to start and increase speed to high for 2-3 minutes, to finely pulverize the nuts or seeds and create a smooth texture.
5. OPTIONAL: Pour liquid through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or nut bag and hand squeeze the liquid through the cloth.
6. Use nut milk as a base for smoothies, a liquid in whole grains, or a tasty beverage.
6 Nut and Seed Milk Tips
1. 3:1 Ratio. Start with a ratio of 3 parts liquid to 1 part nuts or seeds. Use more or less liquid depending on your personal preference for smoothness.
2. Make a Little at a Time. Nut and seed milk stays fresh in the refrigerator for a few days.
3. To Strain or Not to Strain. It’s Up to You. Strain the blended nut milk in cheesecloth, a nut bag, or a fine-mesh strainer. Straining ensures a smooth, milky texture, and you can use this nut or seed pulp as a base for other creations. Do not strain cashews, hemp seeds, and sesame seeds due to their soft texture. If you do not strain the nut or seed milk, the nutrients and fiber from the nuts or seeds go right into your smoothie.
4. Pulp for Breakfast. Add pulp from the nut milk to a whole grain breakfast.
5. Dehydrate the Pulp. Dehydrate the pulp to use in crackers or crusts, or grind it into gluten-free flour. To dehydrate, spread the pulp onto dehydrator sheets and dehydrate until crisp, about 4-6 hours. Blend in a food processor and sift to make flour.
6. To Soak or Not to Soak. It’s Up to You. Many raw foodists pre-soak nuts and seeds to neutralize enzyme inhibitors, make proteins more readily available for absorption, and make digestion easier. From a culinary view, pre-soaked nuts and seeds are easier to blend and result in creamier milk. If you have not pre-soaked the nuts and seeds, you can still make quick nut milk, which works well with morning smoothies. Blend the milk, add fruit, re-blend, and you have a quick smoothie.
I am humbled by the huge positive response to the book and thank those of you who have already purchased A New View of Healthy Eating.

I’m happy to say, I only have one more copy of the first print run of the book available. If you’d like that copy or one from the next print run, you can order now.

Pre-order the book today and receive Top 5 Recipes and Culinary Tips.

STEP 1: Pre-order Book

STEP 2: Fill out this form and receive the Top 5 Recipes & Culinary Tips.

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August 23, 2016
A New View of Healthy Eating: 12-Week Arizona CSA, Week 1: Veggie Stir-fry

By Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker. Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC.
During Week 1 of 12 weeks with my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from Maya’s Farm at the Farm at South Mountain, only a mile from my Phoenix home, I created one of my favorite simple intuitive creations from the CSA: simple veggie stir-fry.

Simple Veggie Stir-fry
Have fun preparing a quick delicious stir-fry with a few simple steps. The key is to be organized. Pre-chop all your ingredients, and set up your mise en place (all ingredients in place) for your cooking before you start your stir-fry.

To create a simple veggie stir-fry chose a few of your local in-season veggies, some roots and some greens. This stir-fry was inspired by the baby bok choy and fresh green garlic in this week’s CSA. Added to the stir-fry were some other veggies from local farmers, along with sun-dried tomatoes and capers. During the middle of the stir-fry I decided to add a little fresh lemon to de-glaze the pan and to add local Arizona citrus to the dish.

Simple Ingredients
• Organic extra virgin olive oil
• Green garlic
• Brussels sprouts
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Capers
• Asparagus
• Baby bok choy
• Sea salt
• Fresh lemon (extra!)

Simple Steps
• Gather your mise en place.
• Pre-heat saute pan on medium-high.
• Pour organic extra virgin olive oil into the pan.
• Add the aromatics (green garlic) and cook a few minutes.
• Add veggies you’d like to brown a little (Brussels sprouts).
• Add dense veggies that need to cook a little longer (carrots, cauliflower).
• Add extras (sun-dried tomatoes, capers).
• Add vegetables that do not need to cook very long (asparagus, bok choy).
• Enjoy!

This stir-fry (really quick saute) method and recipes are in my new book “A New View of Healthy Eating” to launch in April 2016.

Week 1: Arizona CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Simple Stir-fry

Hope you enjoy your own stir-fry this week! Come on over to Facebook and share your creations: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

Join our e-newsletter list for recipes, simple healthy culinary techniques, intuitive cooking, nutrition tips, mindful eating and self care. www.EXPNutrition.com

February 26, 2016
A New View of Healthy Eating: 12-Week Arizona Winter CSA: Part 1
Arizona Winter CSA Part 1: Organic Salad Mix with Orange Green Garlic Dressing Recipe

By Melanie Albert, Nutrition and food expert, author and speaker. Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC.2007 graduate Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Instructor Whole Foods Cooking and Conscious Eating, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. Her new book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” will be available in April 2016.

Eat Local & In Season
One of the best ways to eat local and in season is to get a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Share. Developed in the 1960’s in Japan, CSA programs are designed to build a relationship between the farmer and the community. At the beginning of each season farmers sell CSA memberships to consumers. Each week consumers receive a sampling of produce that’s available from one farmer or a group of local farmers. Cost is generally $25-35 per week for 6-8 weeks.

CSA’s are great for those of us who wish to experiment with new-to-us locally grown food. CSA’s are generally distributed at farms, farmers’ markets, convenient pick-up locations, such as yoga studios, and some farms deliver CSA’s right to your home.

My Commitment to a 12-Week CSA: A Mile from Home!
This week I committed to a CSA with Maya’s Farm at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix. Maya’s Farm is a small certified organic 7 acre farm and a quick 1 mile walk from my home. I purchased the Winter (Late February through mid-May) Arizona season for 12 weeks, at a total cost of $300, or $25 per week.

Each week, I will blog about my simple whole food intuitive creations with the Winter Arizona CSA and share recipes, simple culinary techniques and nutrition tips.

The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, AZ

Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, at Maya’s Farm, The Farm at South Mountain

Week 1: February 20, 2016: Greens, Roots, Citrus and Tomatoes
This morning, when I picked up my CSA at Maya’s Farm I was really excited to see the colorful rainbow baby carrots and smell the fresh green garlic. This week’s CSA share includes several different greens (Tuscano kale, mini bok choy, arugula, spring salad mix), rainbow baby carrots, fresh green garlic, a few tomatoes, red French breakfast radishes and different bright oranges.

Arizona Lettuce Mix

Arizona Organic Salad Mix with Orange Green Garlic Dressing Recipe
As soon as I arrived in my kitchen, the pungent aromatherapy of the fresh green garlic and sweet aroma of the oranges was the inspiration for a very simple salad. The key to a farm-fresh salad is a simple light dressing, gently tossed with salad mix and a few colorful veggies.

Orange Green Garlic Dressing

Simple Ingredients
• Orange, freshly squeezed
• Twice as much organic extra virgin olive oil (eg. 1/8 cup orange juice: ¼ cup olive oil)
• Pinch sea salt
• Fresh green garlic, minced

Simple Steps
• Squeeze orange into jar.
• Add olive oil.
• Add sea salt and garlic.
• Shake.
• Taste. Add additional oil for more fat or orange juice for more acid.

Arizona Winter Organic Salad
Simple Ingredients
• 2 cups salad mix
• 3-4 rainbow carrots, sliced
• 3-4 red radishes, sliced
• 1-2 tomatoes

Simple Steps
• Gently toss salad mix with dressing, coating all leaves.
• Add carrots, radishes, tomatoes and toss.
• Plate and enjoy.

Culinary Tips
- Lightly toss salad greens with dressing right before serving to keep leaves fresh and not soggy.
- To make a great salad dressing, use a high quality extra virgin olive oil and pair it with an acid. Use a 2:1 ratio of fat (olive oil) to acid (citrus or vinegar).
- Create a salad with a rainbow of colorful veggies for beauty and a variety of nutrients.
NOW AVAILABLE: Purchase “A New View of Healthy Eating. A-55 Card Deck” for motivational messages to inspire you to cook simple healthy whole food, try new recipes, learn simple culinary techniques and add selfcare to your life. “A New View of Healthy Eating” book to be launched April 2016.

Join our e-newsletter list for recipes, simple healthy culinary techniques, intuitive cooking, nutrition tips, mindful eating and self care. www.EXPNutrition.com

Share your CSA Creations on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating
February 20, 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: 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
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

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.
October 18, 2015
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.

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
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.
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
Come over to Facebook www.facebook.com/experience.nutrition.now and post your photos or ask questions.
August 22, 2015
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

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 page: www.facebook.com/experience.nutrition.now

May 25, 2015
Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 9 Days: Make Your Own Organic Almond Milk Blueberry Smoothie
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
So many people are now enjoying smoothies made with nut milks. You can make your own fresh organic nut milk with raw almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds or your own favorite nuts & seeds.

Simple Steps to Make Your Own Nut Milk
It is simple to make your own nut milks which are quick and easy to prepare, and only have a few ingredients. Pre-soak the nuts & seeds if you prefer smoother nut milk. It is not necessary to pre-soak the nuts and seeds.

Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Make Your Own Organic Almond Milk Blueberry Smoothie

Nut Milk Ingredients
- Handful of raw organic nuts &/or seeds
- 1-1.5 cups coconut water
- 1 Medjool date
- Splash of vanilla
- Fresh nutmeg & cinnamon
Smoothie Ingredients
- Handful of frozen blueberries
- Frozen banana
Simple Steps: Nut Milk
- Put nut milk ingredients (except nutmeg and cinnamon) in high-speed blender
- Blend, starting at low and increasing to high speed
- Blend for about 2 minutes
- Taste, add an additional date if you prefer a sweeter nut milk
- Enjoy with fresh ground nutmeg or use the nut milk in your smoothie
Simple Steps: Blueberry Smoothie
- Pour nut milk into blender
- Add frozen blueberries and bananas to blender
- Blend for about 2 minutes
- Enjoy!
Share your nut milk and smoothie photos with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/9Ways90Days
February 18, 2015
Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 9 Organic Trail Mix

by Melanie Albert, Nutrition & Food Expert, Author and Speaker, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Holistic Nutrition & Whole Food Cooking Instructor Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition
Create your own Trail Mix full of nuts, seeds, dried fruit & berries. A perfect snack for Super Bowl day.

Experience Nutrition: 9 Ways 90 Days: Top 10 Super Bowl Healthy Recipes: 9 Organic Trail Mix

We first started creating organic trail mix for the Super Bowl XLIII VIP Tailgate Party at the Super Bowl in Tampa.

Over the years we’ve been honored to serve custom trail mix at numerous Super Bowl events & golf tournaments with NFL Alumni & NFL Hall of Fame Players.

For custom trail mix for your events or golf tournaments, contact us, EN@9Ways90Days.com

February 1, 2015
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.

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

August 26, 2014
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

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

August 19, 2014
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.

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.

April 13, 2014
9 Ways 90 Days: Why We Need Carbs
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: Eat Whole Grains

Why We Need Carbs

People are confused about carbs and about whole grains. Many diets are no carb or low carb, but in reality our bodies need about 40-50% carbs every day at every meal. The problem is that people eat low quality carbs, like cookies, cakes, crackers and bread. Other carbohydrate-rich foods, such as whole grains, beans, vegetables are good for us.

Carbs are:
- The body’s main source of fuel
- Easily used by the body for energy
- Needed for the central nervous system, kidneys, brain and muscles (including the heart) to function properly
- Stored in the muscles and liver and later used for energy
- Vital to intestinal health and waste elimination
Anatomy of a Grain

Bran: The outer shell of grain which protects the seed. Contains fiber, B vitamins and minerals.

Germ: Nourishment for the seed. Contains B vitamins, minerals, vitamin E, and phytonutrients.

Endosperm: Energy for the seed. Contains carbohydrates, some protein and B vitamins.

What Makes a Grain a Whole Grain?
- It has not been processed (made into other food products like flour, cookies, bread or crackers)
- It is a whole food and includes the germ and bran
- It is considered a “good carb”
Refined grains: Grains or grain flours that have been significantly modified from their natural composition. Generally involves mechanical removal of bran and germ. Further refining includes mixing, and bleaching.

Enriched grains: Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and iron are often added back to nutritionally enrich the product. Because the added nutrients represent a fraction of the nutrients removed, refined grains are considered nutritionally inferior to whole grains.

ACTION

Go to our Facebook page and share what grains you currently eat and which you will enjoy in the future.
March 20, 2014