Recently, I had an amazing opportunity to have dinner with an Olympic athlete . Kerri Walsh Jennings beach volleyball professional and three time Olympic Gold medalist was in NYC celebrating her ambassadorship with Almond Breeze. You know,the creamy delicious almond milk and coconut milk sold in most grocery stores . Kerri is the epitome of the tall gorgeous california girl but with a serious muscled physique. I found out how the 6’2 stunner keeps in top shape and what her preferred Almond Breeze drink is .

When a top female athlete drinks and uses Almond Breeze Almond milk and Coconut milk just like us mortals  you know it’s something good.  Kerri told me she and her family  (Can you believe she has given birth to 3 little ones?) drink Almond breeze everyday. As the new spokeperson for Almond Breeze she now gets the opportunity to tell us all about her favorite almond milk recipes.

Of course what she puts in her body must be fuel efficient. Kerri actually mentioned she had this conversation with another super athlete, Kobe Bryant. ” He told me he completely changed his diet at one point and it made a huge difference in performance .” she mentioned.  Since she travels so much, many times it is shipped to her in her favorite Vanilla flavor.  Kerri and husband Casey Jennings, also a pro beach volleyball player are an active family constantly on the go. So  having it on hand in every city makes it possible to stick with their family routine. A perk of being an ambassador!

Kerri was super nice and easy going.  I arrived early and was able to get some alone time with her and I found out a few things we have in comon.

•  Kerri is a Leo , we are both summer babies
•  She is DIY beauty fanatic -she makes her own deodorant
•  She’s obsessed with hair treatments
•  Kerri loves Almond breeze

Now that bikini season is here,I had to ask Kerry about her killer abs .If Almond Breeze can help me get close to that I’m going to keep drinking it! I asked her how she mainstains her muscle off the beach. She said since she basically lives in a bikini she has to hit the weights and train hard .In between she credits pilates for keeping her muscles lean and firm.  But her favorite place is the beach and her home beach is Manhattan Beach in California. So if you happen to be hanging out there you may catch her on court or doing a beach workout.

It was great learning about all of the things you can make with Almond milk . Our media dinner was  prepared with almond milk either in the recipe or the sauce.

For more Almond Breeze Recepies check here 

Benefits of Almonds and Almond Milk 

Even us mortals working on our athletic stamina benefit from this super food. Almonds are high in protein and vitamin E. They are also packed with fiber, calcium and iron. The monounsaturated fat in almonds is the best kind for your heart health and my even lower blood cholesterol. So what’s not to love?.

Below are two of my favorites dishes from the evening. Try them at home and let me know how it worked for you!

Quiche

Crustless Kale, Mushroom and Gouda Quiche (Reduced Sugar Original Almond Breeze)

6 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cups chopped shallots

3/4 cup chopped butternut squash

1 1/2 cups halved and very thinly sliced small baby bella mushrooms

3 cups lightly packed small torn pieces curly kale

1 1/2 cups shredded aged Gouda cheese

2 1/4 cups Blue Diamond Reduced Sugar Original Almond Breeze

3 tablespoons flour

7 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add shallots and squash and cook for cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes more.
5. Add kale and cook until wilted.
6. Spread vegetables in prepared dish and top with cheese.
7. Beat remaining ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over vegetables.
8. Cook for 50 to 55 minutes or until center is set when dish is gently tapped.

Makes 8 Servings

Vegan Zuccini  Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

1 ½ cups flour

½ cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 stick (8 tbsp) vegan shortening

1 chia egg

1 cup finely-shredded zucchini

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup chocolate Almond Breeze

1 cup dark chocolate chips

*chia egg = 2 tbsp chia seeds + ¼ cup water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, sift dry ingredients. Set aside. In a 2^nd bowl, cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add chia egg, vanilla and zucchini, and fold until mixed. Slowly add in dry ingredients until a thick dough forms. Add milk to thin the batter. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into a cupcake tin or 9×9-inch pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20-30 minutes

Here is a favorite frozen desert I  have made to top off the brownie

Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

2 large bananas chopped and frozen

1 tblspn of coco powder

1/4 cup of Almond Breeze almond milk(or almond chocolate milk)

1/4 teaspoon of Cinnamin

Blend in blender, nutribullet , or processor

The consistency should be similar to gelato when fininshed. Make sure all of the bananas and ground down. Once its done spoon the contents in to a container and place it in the freezer for up to an 1 hour and it’s ready to enjoy!

Prep time 15 min

All photos courtesy of Almond Breeze except

Photos #2 Getty Images via Zemanta

#3 Me and Kerry taken with Motorola Moto