Archive | April, 2013

{drink the rainbow! – chartreuse vitamix smoothie}

30 Apr

this one is SUPER yum and i just love the colour!!!  another great post-workout drink!

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– frozen mangos {about 1/4 cup}

– frozen pineapple {about 1/4 cup}

– frozen bananas {about 1/4 cup}

– coconut milk {about 1 cup}

– splash of orange juice

– handful of fresh spinach

– a couple pitted dates

–  sprinkle in some golden flax seeds

i’ve somehow almost got it down to a magical science now- that whatever i put in my vitamix makes *just enough* for this glass jar i drink out of {which i believe is about 12 ounces}:

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isn’t that colour awesome?!?!

{miss L’s farm fresh eggs}

29 Apr

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nothing says “spring” quite like fresh eggs.

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i feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have eggs “gifted” to me from time to time…

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one of my co-workers has chickens… and she shares her eggs with some of us when she has a bounty…

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she’s given them to me several times now… Continue reading

{missing NYC – cherry blossoms, the perfect portrait accessory}

26 Apr

i’m reminiscing about brisk spring foto shoots in central park like the one with this beautiful couple from singapore…

Cecylia and Sub

cherry blossoms just reek of spring – quite literally! 😉

and i think we are finally entering spring here in colorado – even though it’s doubtful i’ll see any of these here!  warmer temps are expected for our weekend, though – and i look forward to going for a walk by the lake, working in the garden, and having a smoothie outside on the patio.  i hope yours is filled with warmer temps also – among other delicious things!

{i heart the vitamix!}

25 Apr

this post is probably going to sound like a sales pitch or something – whatever!  i love love love my vitamix!

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a hefty pricetag, i agree – but oh oh OH so worth it!!

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i use mine every day, and i find new ways to use it and it never gets old… Continue reading

{kohlrabi is cool!}

24 Apr

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meet kohlrabi. i tried this yummy vegetable about a year ago when it first showed up in the produce department. it’s super-cool-looking for one, and it turns out it’s rather delicious and good for you!  kohlrabi contains loads of vitamin c as well as some fiber and potassium.  mostly i love the fun texture and the leaves are actually really good as well, so i saute them as a side… Continue reading

{drink the rainbow! – clementine creamsicle vitamix juice}

23 Apr

this is super delicious, as you can imagine!!

my only issue with this drink right now is that i want one, and yet it’s snowing outside, so it’s just kinda weird… have i mentioned how i’m so beyond ready for spring?!? – even though technically it ought to be here by now…! sigh…

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for this creation, i used some clementines i bought in a bag and just pre-peeled some for smoothies and snacking…

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– clementines {about 3/4 cup}
– coconut milk {about 3/4 cup}
– ice

blend on high until desired consistency is reached and ENJOY!
coconut milk is wonderfully creamy and makes drinks like this extra delicious and frothy.

{missing new york!}

19 Apr

i mean, in a way i always will miss new york.  there’s just no place on earth quite like it… and i miss all the cool doors i would always see…

New York City

New York City

Continue reading

{parsnip lovers}

18 Apr

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i *just had to* snap a foto of these two parsnips that grew together like this…

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they came apart, but went right back together.

one of the coolest things i’ve seen produce do, yet!!!!

LOVE!

{not the prettiest vitamix juice on the planet…}

17 Apr

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but a damn good-tasting one! and good for you, too!

the recipe is something like…

– frozen mixed berries {1/4 cup}

– frozen mango {1/4 cup}

– frozen pineapple {1/4 cup or less}

– frozen banana {a few cut pieces}

– a few dates {pitted}

– 1/4 apple of choice

– fresh kale {about 1/4 cup}

– orange juice {about a 1/2 cup}

– almond milk {about a 1/2 cup}

– ground flax seeds

…or just wing it like i do and get a different creation each time! 😉

{meatless mondays – kaniwa endive “boats” featuring spring-welcoming english peas}

15 Apr

happy {meatless} monday everyone!

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these are SO SO SO SO SO GOOD!  i planned on just eating a few and saving some for lunch the next day, but i ended up devouring the whole batch in under 5 minutes!  so delicious!

i’ve introduced you to kaniwa a few times now… and this is one of my new favourite things to do with it!

i am all about texture – i love it in both food and foto.  kaniwa has plenty of texture and the most fun little crunch.  you know how quinoa has that little “pop” kind of crunch going on?! – well kaniwa is like that but it’s much smaller and it’s just so fun to eat!  i also love belgian endive for that reason – fun to eat and TEXTURE! so, when i combined the two in this recipe, my taste buds and senses were dancing because it was just so completely delicious and enjoyable!  and healthy and simple and easy and all of those things i like to promote here at food and foto dot com!

so without further ado, here is a recipe that’s great as an hors d’oeuvres, snack, light dinner, fun brunch… or blog-worthy dish 😉

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another amazing item i will have to blog about again soon – english peas.  there are only a few other produce items that make me think of spring like english peas do.  i’m trying to encourage it to hurry and get here – we are due for more snow this week, blast!  i know we need the moisture, but i just wanna wear flip flops and t-shirts already! 

i digress –

ingredients {makes about 8-10 “boats”}:

– 1 medium-sized belgian endive

– 1/4 cup tomato, chopped

– handful of fresh english peas, shelled

– 1 cup kaniwa {you do not need to rinse it}

– about 2 tablespoons honey {preferably local}

– pat of your favourite butter {or substitute}  Continue reading

{homemade applesauce – vitamix style!}

12 Apr

as we know, i’m all about DIY in the kitchen.

between skyrocketing food prices and the need for healthy, organic, fresh food – i have to find a balance so that i can still continue eating well, but also still afford to pay rent 😉 – and honestly, owning a vitamix has helped tremendously in that arena.  even though it was a steep investment initially – it’s actually helping me save money by making a lot of things at home!

for example, this homemade applesauce.  i did make some once a while back with my potato latkes.  but i hadn’t tried it with the vitamix, yet.

applesauce isn’t something i just go out and buy.  in fact, i’m not actually much of a fan of apples. i love the flavour and i love apple juice, but i just have never been one to eat handheld fruits.  i’m more apt to eat grapes, mangos, berries, and bite-size typed fruits.  it’s just one of those idiosyncrasies of mine… i’ll eat apple slices with some nut butter, that’s more my style 😉 oorrrrr, this delicious applesauce…

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and whoa – was it easy to make!

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step 1.  buy some apples.

i opted for honeycrisp because they were on sale and approaching the end of their season… plus, these were super cute and smaller than most.  have you noticed how BIG apples are getting lately?!  it’s just not natural… i’m like “i can’t eat that in one sitting!” haha.  these honeycrisps were perfectly-sized and came in a 3-pound bag. Continue reading

{champagne mangos — it’s like making-out with a piece of fruit!}

11 Apr

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have you ever had a champagne mango?

not quite the same as your common mango, which are typically more oval-shaped with green and red hues to the skin.  champagne mangos start off green, but are yellow when ripe…

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the champagne mango is shaped almost like a tear-drop or in some ways to me it is shaped more like a nut…

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fun with shapes… 😉

champagne mangos originate from mexico… and they are just heavenly. Continue reading

{drink the rainbow! – “pineapple island dream” vitamix juice}

10 Apr

another good one… i’m hoping all of these tropical-type drinks will convince nicer weather to stick around, instead of more snow!  {we got another 6 inches or so here in colorado – boo!}

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– frozen pineapple

– fresh mango

– fresh kiwi

– coconut milk

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and if you want, throw in a little frozen banana…

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this one is a nice balance of sweet and tart, it’s very refreshing, and makes me want to be on the beach!!

and it also needs a little umbrella…

{missing NYC – international pillow fight day!}

9 Apr

yes, there is such a thing. it happened this past weekend, on the 6th.

one year, i fotographed it.

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super excited.

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spectators from above…

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cameras everywhere!

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pillows everywhere! Continue reading

{drink the rainbow! – “strawberry sunrise” vitamix juice}

8 Apr

i LOVE this one!

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– fresh strawberries

– frozen pineapple

– 1/4 frozen banana

– coconut water

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*glug glug* – what a pretty colour! cheers!

side-note : i use frozen bananas because i believe it takes over the flavour too much when using fresh, plus it’s a cheap way to save overripe bananas.  just chop ’em up and freeze ’em. then you can use a little at a time.  some things are just better fresh, and others work fine frozen – like berries or pineapple.  last week i just happen to catch fresh strawberries on sale, so i hooked it up!  plus, mixing it up with frozen and fresh helps the smoothie stay cold.  if you want to use only fresh ingredients, just make sure to throw in a little ice 🙂

{the time i climbed a 90-foot grain elevator}

5 Apr

do you know what a grain elevator is?!  i didn’t until the time i was visiting indiana, fotographing a wedding… a very special wedding. my cousin, M married his lady, E and and her family has a farm – they are bonafide farmers! experiencing their farm first hand was such an absolute joy!  mister T is one proud owner, and he knows his farm in and out.  from hydraulic garage doors to magic hoses to ceiling snow, the place is just loaded with charm that encourage memories for years.

as i said yesterday, one of my favourite moments of all time was spent on this farm on that wonderfully warm midwest day in mid may.  the rain came crashing down out of nowhere, but the sun didn’t have time to really leave so the air had that yummy glare to it that you just knew was going to create the most amazing rainbow once the clouds parted…

Matt and Emily's Wedding

double rainbow!

Matt and Emily's Wedding

my biggest fan anthony wanted to know the story behind yesterday’s “favourtie moment” shot.  here it is.  i walked through “attic winter wonderland” i called it – insulated craziness balance-beamed between one world and the next… we get to the end and mister T tells me to turn left and “climb in”… essentially, i am inside this box, just on the other side…

Matt and Emily's Wedding

see that little box? i’m in one just like it… i’m just on the other side of the barn. 🙂 so after we got out of this barn, we walked over to the grain elevator. i was beyond scared, but also knew i really wanted to do this…

the grain elevator i walked up looks nothing like the ones in the wikipedia fotos… this was basically a giant ladder… and i kind of have this phobia of heights, and also a phobia of ladders – so this was a big feat for me! Continue reading

{one of my favourite fotos -and moments- of all time}

4 Apr

Matt and Emily's Wedding

i love this foto mostly because it totally evokes so many emotions for me — i remember this day so well… and i can be whisked away to exactly this moment in time again when i look at this foto… i can just close my eyes, and i’m there…

the pleasing aroma of the rain, the sound of it dancing on the rooftop above my head, the glare from the determined sun somehow still shining through it…

it was a very magical experience, this moment… and i had a camera with me!

🙂

{the perfect garlic and a pretty heirloom tomato}

3 Apr

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just perfect.

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so pretty.

cook ’em up …and put ’em on something… and eat ’em…  a lot!

because this is one kickass combo for health! and tomatoes are more bioavailable when cooked – did you know that? so what that means is your body absorbs more of the nutrients when cooked versus raw.  lycopene is a big one we know of with tomatoes, but this also applies for foods that are in that same colour family {oranges, yellows}… like red peppers, carrots, corn, etc… there is actually way more lycopene in tomato paste than a raw tomato.  fact check me, it’s amazingly true! 🙂

and this is totally why i want a tomato plant of my own very very soon!!!!

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nom nom.

{vitamix smoothie w/ dehydrated fruit}

2 Apr

so yesterday i showed you that i made some dehydrated fruit, right… delicious mangos and honeycrisp apples – nom nom, right… well, may i just first comment on the difference in flavour from a fresh mango and a dehydrated one? i really believe the taste is very different. i mean they are both outstanding, i don’t have a favourite. but they do taste way different.
and i suppose that applies for apples, too… but mangos – i just love love love dried mangos! something about ’em…

i {barely} saved a few of each and threw some in with a smoothie that included frozen mixed berries, fresh spinach, 1/2 a banana, some orange juice, a little grape juice, splash of almond milk and some ground flax seeds.

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one is never really certain just what colour the smoothie will turn out. at least the way i do it sometimes… lots of colour in there, doesn’t always blend to the prettiest, but this turned out great! and a pretty dark reddish-purple. oh, and it was for sure delicious!

cheers!

{homemade dehydrated fruit}

1 Apr

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i need a dehydrator. it just feels like a really good investment to make, and you know me i’m all about DIY in the kitchen! my former roommate let me borrow hers when i was living there, and i became an insta-fan! there’s something about dehydrated fruit – particularly apples – that i just love!

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and these little honeycrisps steal the show, no doubt. Continue reading

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