Archive | July, 2012

travel tuesday – union square street artist Joe Mangrum

31 Jul

one time, when i lived in new york – a very nice colleague and friend of mine let me borrow his brand new canon camera and take it out on the town.  i went shopping with some friends and then later cruised through union square to see the haps.  never a dull moment on any given street in manhattan, but i loved going to USQ because there was the farmers market, the shops, the arts, the people, and the chess-players. and, lots of awesome randomness to stumble upon.

this day was when i met Joe Mangrum, an NYC legend in street art.  Joe is most known for his beautiful, unique and colourful sand art.  most commonly done in USQ, Joe gets out into the streets and does his thing – small or large crowd, rain or shine alike.  he is one friendly dude, too!

here are a few shots i snapped while watching him work : Continue reading

meatless monday – “nutri-tatoes”

30 Jul

i’m not feeling very well at all today.  so this is going to be a quick and to-the-point post.  a simple vegan recipe that i feel the whole family will love…

super easy to make, too. keeps well in the fridge, can be reheated, and of course – good for you! i had these quite a few times on my cleanse, as i could feel my body needing the protein. Continue reading

happy weekend!

28 Jul

…wherever you are!  🙂

foto friday – manhattan henge

27 Jul

so – right around this time of year – and i think once again near the winter, the sun is positioned just right in the sky, and at sunset – it passes through the main strips in manhattan {14th street, 34th street, 42nd street}, illuminating the streets and causing intense building shadows and traffic to literally stop.

i had heard of this event thanks to my friend anthony.  it is aptly referred to as, “manhattan henge” {like stonehenge} because it does create this fantastic contrast and to be frank, it’s not often the city gets that drenched with light, so people flock to it!

i set out on the M15 bus uptown and stopped at 42nd street on the east side and started walking west… Continue reading

thirsty thursday – watermelon mojitos

26 Jul

oh boy, you are seriously going to want to make sure this is on the drink table at your next summer BBQ!

i can’t take the credit for originality on this, however – i’m a huge rachael ray fan… and she had this on her show a few weeks ago and i was uber excited to have company over so i could test it out.  i think i pretty much insisted my brother come by for a visit, mostly to force him to drink my concoction 🙂

click HERE to watch rachael explain the whole recipe. Continue reading

wordy wednesday — a long one, so what.

25 Jul

by the way, i’ve decided to add some real structure to this blog, so i have something to look forward to posting each week, and you have something new to look forward to reading.  this is how it will break down :

meatless monday – {vegan recipe}

travel tuesday – the foto {a blog about something cool i have done in NYC or somewhere along the way in my life}

wordy wednesday – {as you’re seeing here}

thirsty thursday – {on top of a new recipe, i’ll try a new beer or wine or mixed drink and recommend it to you }

foto friday – the foto {this will also be a blog about something to do with photography – most likely a portrait session or event i’ve shot, but it may be a recipe as well}

and i’ll probably take weekends off – as most people in the blogging community seem to do.  but i may occasionally break that rule, too 😉

———

i should preface this by saying i appreciate you readers SO much for taking time to read anything i write – and i’m also extremely tired and i can’t proofread this as in depth as i normally do, for i need a nap.  so, thanks for baring with my ramblings… it’s uber important i get out my thoughts!

 

 

shew.  what a morning.

it started with my cat, pawing relentlessly at my door until i let him in to cuddle – then i couldn’t get back to sleep so i shot up out of bed and did some quick yoga, then made a smoothie, sat down at my computer, and started crying.

this is how some days begin. Continue reading

travel tuesday – flying over the island

24 Jul

depending on which airport you fly into in new york, where you are flying from, and the time of day – one can get the coolest view of the city from above – a rare opportunity to look at the entire scope of new york city, and almost catch a glimpse at all 5 boroughs…

i love this photo because you can see my old apartment to the right, just past the bridge…

Continue reading

black bean quinoa w/ heirloom tomatoes and pale lager

23 Jul

yep, that says pale lager.  i had beer, too!!  🙂

so, this was my first “solid” meal after my cleanse.  this was the first grain and/or legume i had in 7 days!  so weird. hard to believe i made it through that cleanse.  the middle ground was definitely the hardest, but today i feel great!  i also did a ton of “other” cleansing last night to include a calcium bentonite clay mask, mustard seed bath, sage-smudging, and meditation by candlelight and incense.  i literally feel anew today.  it’s a weird space to be in, actually. i’m not entirely sure what the next step is.  kind of a void, if you will.  but it’s not a negative thing. it’s just that i feel so fresh and new and it’s like i want to reinvent myself and the world around me… i can’t help but think of one of my favourite bloggers when i say that – it’s like i want to create a new mantra for my life… and so i will.

today it started with gratitude, snuggles from my kitty, yoga {this video is similar to my morning practice – also what got me started doing yoga!}, and a detox tea.

last night for dinner, this is what went down : Continue reading

“i see you” {AKA audrey michelle’s very emotional, real, and cathartic DIY cleanse update}

21 Jul

well, here it is – the official “end” i suppose.

{oh and by the way, this is one LONG AND WORDY POST!  be forewarned.}

i made it 5 whole days {entering my 6th now} eating only raw or steamed organic fruits and vegetables, juice, water and kombucha.  funny thing is, i don’t think i’m going to stop.  i had absolutely no idea how this cleanse would effect me – i certainly didn’t fathom it effecting me more on an emotional level than physical.  and i dare say – spiritual.  it almost brings tears to my eyes {again} as i write this.

yesterday was rough.  the worst day to date.  so why the hell would i want to keep putting myself through this?! good question… Continue reading

audrey michelle’s colourful DIY cleanse – DAY #4

19 Jul

today was rough, i will admit that. and i think this photo shows it  – maybe i should’ve photoshopped the bags from under my eyes – hA!  oh well, i’m an honest person – this is how i look and feel on a 5-day DIY cleanse i randomly decided to do and invent 😉

today was harder than yesterday.  but it makes sense now – after i did a ton of research on cleansing and symptoms.  see, this is how i roll – i just wing it… whatever “it” is.  sometimes it works out, sometimes i learn a valuable lesson the hard way, meh.  anyway – i was super nervous about how i was feeling today… mostly because i was unsure if it was “normal,” if you will. and plus, i was abruptly awoken this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, so i knew i’d be a little irritable, but i worried i was doing more damage than good with this cleanse…

until google clarified it all… Continue reading

audrey michelle’s colourful DIY cleanse – DAY #3

18 Jul

today was different.

i definitely felt the cleanse, or my body detoxing slightly, or the odd sleeping, or something.  something was different.  i don’t feel bad per se, i just feel different.  my head is much more clear, as in not cluttered with stupid thoughts or particularly, anxious ones.  which is good!  mostly i feel a little sluggish, surprisingly, and my head {although clear} feels kind of weird. maybe it’s because it’s clearer, don’t know – but i feel different.

i have been dreaming of food, however.  hAhA! i think last night i dreamt of pizza – no joke. i was browsing the food section on WP late at night, i’m sure that didn’t help – hA.  a reader asked me if was craving anything in particular, and i will say that today i did notice i was missing carbs, starch, etc.  so i made potatoes with dinner, which seemed to scratch that itch – for now.

here’s how the menu went today : Continue reading

{the foto} missing coney island

18 Jul

i mean, seriously – nothing says summer in new york like a trip to coney island in brooklyn.  a dear friend and follower of the blog, anthony, took me to the coney island circus one time.  it was one of my only trips to coney island, since it was quite a hike from where i lived in manhattan. there’s such an old charm about that place.  the games, the “carnival” feel, the boardwalk, the old rides, etc.  so much history.  anthony is a superb tour-guide, he told me and showed me so many great little secrets hiding in that great city.

a few of my favourite captures from that day : Continue reading

backyard oregano

18 Jul

i seriously need to learn to cook with this — it’s growing like a weed in my backyard and practically taking over :

it’s grown so much, the stems are toppled over, and it’s beginning to flower…

i had to cut it back a little… and i was talking to it like, “how should we prepare you? would you like to go in a sauce? what do you compliment best?”  hAhA!

any suggestions to you herb growers/users out there?!

audrey michelle’s colourful DIY cleanse – DAY #2

17 Jul

alright.  here we are.  my roommate and his friend are drinking a nice cold hefeweizen in the room downstairs, and i’m sitting here next to my homemade soda water.  *ahem*  and i’m okay with that… actually, i really am. as much as i love my brewskies, i realize that the ones i like to enjoy would and do keep me pretty much couch-bound for the remainder of the evening. mmmm, la fin du monde

it’s odd how my energy levels have shifted.  i’m definitely having a harder time in the morning “waking up” and i tend to get my energy after around 2 p.m., where i’d normally be tired.  it’s interesting.  i kind of like it.  especially since i work at night, or will be again once my vacation is over.

okay, so here’s how day 2 went : Continue reading

{the foto} the little ant that could…

17 Jul

so, i’m doing my morning yoga yesterday and it’s a lovely morning… the sun is hot as per usual here in colorado even at 9 a.m. i was resting in corpse pose, breathing in the quiet morning air, when i suddenly heard this scraping sound along the concrete. i had my two furry four-legged children out with me, but they were accounted for.  so, i lift up my head to see what is the noise, and that’s when i connect with mister adam the ant. — as he’s dragging a seemingly no-longer-living “rollie pollie” across the small walk in my backyard. just like this :

i was a little confused, having just learned in that moment that perhaps ants are not vegetarians… hmm, curious. Continue reading

audrey michelle’s colourful DIY cleanse – DAY #1

16 Jul

welp, so far so good.  18 hours into my cleanse and i actually feel pretty decent… sleepy, but decent.

here are the colourful things i came home with today :

a few organic produce items for the cleanse :

– cabbage

– peppers

– celery

– carrots

– peaches

– avocados

– strawberries

– sunchokes

– english peas

– black plums

– kiwi

and the list goes on…

i had no anticipations of feeling lousy, as i do typically eat this kind of food anyway.  the real key for me was avoiding the coffee, alcohol, and that occasional entire bag of late july dude ranch tortilla chips.  oh man, those sound good right now… Continue reading

audrey michelle’s 5-day colourful DIY cleanse

15 Jul

greetings, you awesome readers, you.

{i’ll be using this a lot next week}

so – i’ve decided to do a juice and raw veggie cleanse for the first time in my life.  i eat very well – 80% vegetables in my diet.  but i binge on my occasional “healthy junk food” as i call it.  and really, it’s not about anything other than i think i need to do it.  my body is telling me to.  this also goes along with an “intuitive eating lifestyle” i always talk about.  i know it’s time to do this.  for me, it’s not just a cleanse.  it’s a chance to hit the “reset” button.  to start over, kind of.  i’ve been living in colorado for a year now, and it was a really rough adjustment after leaving new york city… and i’d kind of like to say, “forget all that hardship, let’s start over”  so, i’m hoping a cleanse of the body will also cleanse the mind and my emotions, and allow me to let go and move on 🙂

i have always admired people who can do fasts like the master cleanse or even just juice or liquids alone. however, i have come to learn that i am not one of those people. i need to chew occasionally!

so, i made up my own cleanse.  mostly a fruit and veggie cleanse void of any meat, dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, oil, sugars {other than naturally occuring}, or processed ingredients.  just raw fruit and veggies in several forms.  and a TON of liquid flushing!  i’ve also decided against any grains or nuts, nutmilks, or anything solid, really – other than veggies and what’s in the protein powder i am using… so, it WILL be colourful!

i’m also adding in a minimal exercise routine – as to not overexert myself.  but also, to keep the body moving and the blood flowing. — isn’t that what it’s all about anyway?! 😉

and – the saddest part : no coffee, no alcohol — womp womp. Continue reading

pre-cleanse “last meal” comfort food

15 Jul

haha – okay, i’m actually not going to eat this today, but i did a couple weekends ago.  and i have a feeling after my upcoming 5-day juice and veggie cleanse, i’m going to want a big ol’ bowl of this!

biscuits and gravy.  — a southern classic.

many people do not know this about me – but i was born in south carolina. i usually like to say “i’m from all over” because i didn’t live there past my second birthday, but i guess it was long enough to learn to like collard greens and biscuits and gravy, hehe. actually – growing up, my grandma used to do a lot of southern cooking, which is where i learned how to prepare my carrots the way i do. i seldom eat biscuits and gravy anymore, but occasionally it’s just good comfort food. Continue reading

{palate pleasing padron peppers}

13 Jul

that was fun.

and as we all know, i love to try new things. so, i saw these little pretty peppers hanging out in the produce section one day and i immediately snagged them up, got on my phone and googled how to make them!

Continue reading

zucchini pizza strips

11 Jul

food can be fun.

i love it when i see a recipe or look at a vegetable a different way and say, “what if i tried it like this…”  because typically, i’m a creature of habit.  when i find something that works for me, i stick with it.  i often don’t sway.  in fact, i had been using the same ranch dressing for like, 7 years.  annies organic cowgirl ranch.  i love the stuff.  but then one day a co-worker suggested this other brand {with less fat, made from yogurt, and still so tasty} and now THAT is my new favourite – haha.  i guess my point is, sometimes i get tunnel vision. but this blog has helped me to rethink ways of preparing food.  i always chop my veggies into 1-2 inch pieces, and steam them or saute them.  sometimes i’ll roast them all together.  but never did it occur to me to cut zucchini into strips and serve it like a pizza slice!!  what! Continue reading