Experience Nutrition

Tag: plant protein

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick Lentil Quinoa Sweet Potato Soup

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

    A few days ago a friend asked me for some ideas to create plant-based protein meals. Interestingly, when I was teaching former NFL players how to cook, one of the first questions they asked me was: “Mel, will I have to stop eating meat?”. Well, I let them know that if they ate meat, they should eat clean meat. I also let the NFL guys know that there are some great sources of plant protein, including legumes (beans, lentils) and some whole grains, such as quinoa, which is a complete protein. Lentil quinoa soup is quick and easy, as both ingredients do not need to be pre-soaked.

    Today’s soup is one that I taught former Arizona Cardinal, John Bronson how to cook. Take a look at the photos in my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating,” of John enjoying learning how to make Lentil Quinoa Soup with lots of anti-inflammatory turmeric.

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     LENTIL QUINOA SWEET POTATO SOUP RECIPE

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup lentils
    • 3-4 carrots and/or sweet potatoes, chopped
    • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 onion or 5-6 green onions, minced
    • 3-4 celery stalks, chopped
    • 2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 5-inch strip of kombu seaweed, if desired
    • 1 cup brown rice or quinoa
    • 6-8 cups water
    • ½ tsp cumin seeds, hand-ground
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • ½ bunch kale, torn or chopped into bite-size pieces

    Simple Steps to create your Lentil Quinoa Sweet Potato Soup

    • Step 1: Gather your mise en place.

     

    • Step 2: Heat large soup pot at medium-low, add onions and cumin seeds to pot, and sweat for 5 to 10 minutes.
    • Step 3: Add celery and carrots, and cook for about 5 minutes.
    • Step 4: Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

     

    • Step 5: Add sweet potatoes to pot and cook for about 5 minutes.

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    • Step 6: Add ground turmeric to the pot.

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    • Step 7: Rinse lentils and quinoa and pour into pot.

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    • Step 8: Add about 8 cups of water to the pot.
    • Step 9: Bring soup to a boil.
    • Step 10: Lower to simmer and cook covered for about 30-45 minutes.

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    • Step 11: Enjoy. Today, I topped with fresh pea shoots for freshness.

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    If you’re interested in additional simple recipes, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available.

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  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Hummus Recipe, Just like the hummus we served at the Super Bowl XLIV in Miami

    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 Organic Hummus Recipe: Just like Super Bowl VIP Party in Miami
    9 Ways 90 Days Organic Hummus Recipe: Just like Super Bowl VIP Party in Miami

    This is the same recipe we made for the Super Bowl XLIV Tailgate Party for the Super Bowl in Miami. Now, you can make it, too.

     

    Blend all ingredients in Vitamix or food processor, until smooth

    • 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
    • 1 can Eden organic garbanzo beans with kombu
    • Or, If you have time, 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (soak beans overnight, cook for  about 50 minutes with ½ strip kombu seaweed)
    • 1/3 cup chickpea water
    • 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste or sesame seeds)
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
    • ¼ tsp black pepper
    • 1/8 tsp cumin
    • 1/8 tsp coriander (seeds from cilantro)

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

    Add any of the following and blend again: Cilantro, dill, sautéed onions and garlic, sun-dried tomatoes or olives. Remember, you can make hummus with any kind of beans. Once you know how to make this basic hummus, try making it with black beans or navy beans.

     

    Make your own delicious, simple hummus and enjoy the Super Bowl today!

  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Why Protein is Essential

    By Melanie Albert, Nutrition and Wellness Expert, Author and Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Excerpt from book, “Enjoy Food & Life. 9 Ways 90 Days step-by-step action plan for healthy eating and living.”

    No Meat for 25 Years. I stopped eating red meat 30 years ago because my body could not digest it. I was a runner and felt like the meat made me sluggish. Then 18 years ago when my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, I learned about antibiotics in poultry and stopped eating chicken and turkey, which I loved at the time. My family was worried for years that I was not eating enough protein, but while I was studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I learned so much about good plant protein, and now I’m honestly not worried about eating enough protein. Today, I love educating people about good sources of plant protein, including beans, whole grains and even some vegetables.

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    9 Ways 90 Days: Protein is Essential

     

    Why Protein is Essential

    • It is a macro-nutrition, which we must eat every day, with very meal
    • Builds and repairs tissues
    • Makes enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals

     How Much Protein Do We Need?

    • About 25% of our daily diet should come from protein
    • Eat protein at every meal
    • Average serving size of protein should fit in the palm of your hand

    Why Protein is Important for Athletes

    • Stimulates metabolism
    • Improves muscle mass and recovery
    • Reduces body fat

     Tips for Post Workout Meals for Athletes

    • Eat soon after intense exercise
    • Eat approximately 50% protein with good carbs, and minimal fat

     Action. Visit us on Facebook and share: Based on your knowledge of protein, right now, which and how much protein-rich foods do you eat in a typical week?


  • 9 Ways 90 Days: Quick Simple Organic Collard Stir-fry with Hemp Seeds Recipe

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition and Wellness Expert, Author and Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Excerpt from new book, “Enjoy Food & Life: 9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating and living.”  PRE-SALE Available NOW

    If you only know collard greens cooked in lots of pork all day, this is a new way of cooking delicious collards in a few minutes. Learn how to cook stir-fry collards and you can cook any type of greens.

    Greens are missing from the SAD. Greens are one of the most absent foods from the Standard American Diet (SAD). We typically eat plain iceberg lettuce which has no nutritional value. Many people only know greens as the décor around a salad bar. I started eating greens 6 years ago while a student at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Little did I know that the green stuff I remember seeing around salad bars would become one of my favorite foods. Or, that I’d be eating weeds (dandelion greens).

    Greens are important to add to your diet as they are mineral-rich with calcium, iron, vitamin-rich with A, C, and K, and have a lot of fiber.

    Other Reasons Why You Should Eat Greens:

    • Cleanse and detoxify
    • Strengthen bones
    • Cancer-protective
    • Boost immune system
    • Energetically uplifting, since they grow upward
    • Easy to cook
    • Taste great

    Organic Collard Stir-Fry with Hemp Seeds Recipe

    9 Ways 90 Days Collard Stir-fry with Hemp Seeds
    9 Ways 90 Days Collard Stir-fry with Hemp Seeds
    • Chop about 5-6 large collard greens or kale and mince a few fresh garlic cloves and green onions
    • Pre-heat saute pan on low or wok on medium-high. Thanks to Chantal Cookware for the beautiful Copper Fusion Saute Pan; The veggies cook perfectly, with bright vibrancy
    • Turn saute pan heat to medium-high
    • Add organic extra virgin olive oil and then garlic and onions, and stir-fry a little
    • Add collards and about ¼ cup water
    • Stir and steam
    • Enjoy with pizza, wild Alaskan salmon, goat cheese or nuts and seeds, like hemp seeds

     Action. Make your simple, quick stir-fry with collard greens, garlic and onions. Take note of all the wonderful flavors and post your photos on our Facebook page.

  • 9 Ways 90 Days Recipe: Organic Lentil Soup with Greens

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert & Author, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Excerpt from book, “Enjoy Food & Life. 9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating and living”

    This process of cooking soup gives us the foundation for making any type of bean soup. To make quick, delicious soups you will use a mix-and-match of beans, veggies and greens.

    •       Beans: protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals

    •       Any roots: Carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnip, and/or turnips

    •       Whole grains: Brown rice, Quinoa

    •       Greens: Kale, collards

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    Ingredients

    • 1 cup lentils
    • 3-4 carrots and/or sweet potatoes
    • 2-3 cloves garlic
    • 1 onion or 5-6 green onions
    • 3-4 celery stalks
    • 2 TBS organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 5” strip of kombu seaweed (Seaweed is high in minerals and improves digestibility of beans)
    • 1 cup brown rice
    • 4-5 cups water
    • 1/2 tsp cumin
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • 1/2 bunch kale

     Simple Steps

    • Saute carrots, garlic, onions and celery with extra virgin olive oil
    • Add about 6 cups water to pot
    • Wash lentils and add to pot
    • Add brown rice
    • Add kombu to pot (to tenderize the beans)
    • Add cumin and black pepper
    • Bring to a boil
    • Skim off foam
    • Cook at moderate-low heat for about 30 minutes
    • Sprinkle chopped kale to top of soup and cook 5 more minutes

     Your Action

    Cook and enjoy a basic home-made lentil soup. Visit us on Facebook and share a photo and what you used in your soup:

    Beans__________________

    Roots__________________

    Whole grains_____________

    Greens__________________

  • 9 Ways to Enjoy Food & Life

    9 Ways to Enjoy Food & Life

    The 9 Ways to Enjoy Food & Life
    1. Hydration
    2. Organic Roots & Greens
    3. Snacks, Superfoods & Smoothies
    4. Right Fats
    5. Plant Protein
    6. Whole Grains
    7. Be Active
    8. Self Care & Relationships
    9. Live your Passion

  • Enjoy Food & Life: 9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step Action Plan for Healthy Eating & Living

    9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step Action Plan for Healthy Eating & Living, by nutrition and food expert, Melanie Albert, featuring former NFL players.

    NEW BOOK: January 2014

    9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating & living
    9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating & living

    9 Ways 90 Days Action Plan is based on the successful program which positively affects the health and nutrition of former NFL players and their families. The book offers nutrition education with a simple step-by-step action plan to integrate good nutrition with a healthy lifestyle into life. The program is designed to help you achieve good nutrition and health to reach your personal goals, including reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes, weight loss, reducing joint pain, increasing energy and reducing stress. 

    Our country is sick and people are confused. They are confused about what to eat, how to shop and how to prepare healthy food. The 9 Ways 90 Days Action Plan, created from sound science and a variety of nutrition theories with hands-on interactive learning and cooking experiences, is a solution to these problems. It also includes simple ways to prepare easy meals with recipes, nutritionrecommendations, and the 9 Ways 90 Days Action Plan to incorporate learning into life.