Archive | the foto RSS feed for this section

{organic golden kiwi}

22 Jul

goldenkiwi-1

golden kiwis are not the same as regular green kiwis you see in the stores….. i mean, of course they aren’t, right?! – they’re being featured on food & foto ๐Ÿ˜‰

originating in china, golden kiwis are now mostly from new zealand, and they blow regular kiwi out of the water! ย {sorry, kiwi}

their thin skin is different from the regular kiwi – smooth and hairless with little freckles throughout. ย they ripen just like regular kiwi, so look for one that slightly gives to the tender touch…

goldenkiwi-2

the flavour is similar, but the golden kiwi boasts a less-acidic quality and taste. they have almost a pineapple flavour… and i just LOVE THEM!!! Continue reading →

{volcanic garlic – beautiful, incredible, delicious, nutritious…}

19 Jul

…shall i continue?!

volcanicgarlic-1

i first discovered this beautiful goodness from mudd’s harvest at the arvada farmers market…

volcanicgarlic-3

i bought two small bulbs after spotting it and trying it… i fell in love with the colour! {and the outstanding flavour!} Continue reading →

{thirsty thursday – delicious beers you ought to try}

18 Jul

just some suggestions for a few life-celebrating libations…

goodjuju-1

good juju is brewed with ginger – a unique one for sure! ย it compliments spicy snacks rather well…

colette-1

colette is a wonderfully bright and bubbly farmhouse ale that finishes like champagne, with a high alcohol content…

firerockpaleale-1

fire rock is a kona brewing company pale ale. this yummy beer gets its dark colour from roasted hops, which aren’t too overwhelming… and the flavour does not disappoint!

newbelgiumloft-1

new belgium brewery just knows how it’s done. ย i’ve never had a beer i didn’t like from them… loft is a seasonal brew full of citrus notes from the kaffir lime and is in the pilsner family.

{some rainy-day pics}

16 Jul

just celebrating the rain we’ve been getting this week with a few fotos :

leafdrops-1

mdcows-1 mountainclouds-1 rain-1 Matt and Emily's Wedding

{healthy snack options – quick and easy kale chips}

15 Jul

easykalechips-1

one of my favourite snacks – grab a head of kale and break up into “chip” size pieces… then rinse, sprinkle on oil of your choice {i stick with EVOO, but coconut oil is great, too!} and then smother in nutritional yeast. ย i use a bag and shake it up really well, then add more on top just before baking in the oven @ 350 degrees until crisp…

easykalechips-2

they don’t last long… and they are great on top of salads, soups, or just as they are!

 

{foto friday : more kitty yoga}

12 Jul

the first time i captured callee on my yoga mat, she kindaย posed for me…

calleeyoga-2

this time she was extra wiggly… movin’ all around on that thing, and bustin’ out poses i’ve never seen before… ๐Ÿ˜‰

calleeyoga-1

she’s all like, “namaste – mrrreow” … seriously though, she is sooooooo beyond chatty! ย the most talkative cat you’ll ever meet. one day i’ll get a good video of her talking and post it for you…

{thirsty thursday – aloe juice}

11 Jul

aloejuice-1

do you know how amazing aloe vera is?! do a little research and find out for yourself how many benefits there are from drinking this incredible stuff!

i’ve been drinking it to help with hydration and skin ailments. ย i just mix mine with some apple juice since it’s a little bitter on its own. ย it was suggested to me to buy the “inner fillet” part of the aloe – for a few reasons including the fact that it is easier to digest.

aloejuice-2

i drink 2 ounces in juice twice a day and it just makes me feel good knowing i’m drinking something so good for my body. ย here are a few key benefits from drinking aloe {which by the way, you can also totally throw in your smoothies, dan! – you’re welcome ;)} :

– supports digestion

– anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal

– helps reduce inflammation

– natural weight loss aid

– great for the skin!

{whatever wednesday : what i did on my summer vacation}

10 Jul

just some fotos from my little stay-cation last week.

๐Ÿ™‚

coolwallandchairs-1

…i know, right?!

believeinlove-1

always.

melatte-1

oh, hi. ย just enjoying a macchiato on the porch… Continue reading →

{meatless mondays : vegfest colorado!}

8 Jul

heyyyy, hope you enjoyed the weekend and had a nice holiday!

my vacation isn’t quite over yet, but i wanted to share these fotos fromย vegfest this weekend…

vegfestdenver2013-17

…it totally poured like, 4 minutes after i got there. ย hence, the super curly puff-ball of a fro on top of my head. ย i kinda love it, though… i miss the humidity in a way, mostly because of how well my hair behaves with it – how silly is that. ๐Ÿ˜›

vegfestdenver2013-2

not as silly as this cool car i saw when i first walked in… Continue reading →

{red, white and – blue potatoes?!}

4 Jul

july4thpotatoes-6

i guess they’re actually purple potatoes – but, i sort of enhanced the colour just a tad to represent july 4th a little more ๐Ÿ˜‰ Continue reading →

{enjoy the holiday week! – and eat some cookies!}

1 Jul

hey gang.

i’m taking vacation this week – beginning wednesday. i am beyond ready for some time off, i just really hope i can easily make it through the next two days at work…

i wanted to share this recipe from last year, it was such a hit! it’s just a basic sugar cookie with a basic frosting and some fruit. ย super festive though… and yummmmmmy! ย i think i’m going to take the week off from blogging, as well… i just need to disconnect and get out in nature and rest and relax… i’ll be back next week. ย i hope you enjoy the holiday and these cookies!! ๐Ÿ™‚

———

{from the archives}

this is not exactly up my typical healthy recipe alley – but if you’re going to go for it, GO FOR IT!

festive holiday sugar cookies…

i think they turned out pretty cute… oh, and delicious. Continue reading →

{foto friday – i miss this hair, this moment, and this part of lower manhattan}

28 Jun

missing new york and hair long-enough to pull in a ponytail…

menyc-16

i’ll get there soon… it’s growing sort of fast{ish}… okay not really at all. ย and i hate to blame it on colorado but i do… my hair always behaves funny here and it’s nothing like my east-coast hair…

whatever… sigh.

and on that note, have a great weekend! ย mercury is retrograde, in case you didn’t know… there is lots of information out there for those of you interested in reading more… just do a search. ย and be patient as you may encounter delays as per the very essence of MR. ย even as i typed this blog, my keyboard kept freezing up. ย and my music was skipping… haha.

one day i’ll talk about how i was born under MR. ย it’s rare, as am i… and usually i can articulate myself a little more effectively when mercury is slowing down for those few weeks every 4 months…

aaannnyway, enjoy the weekend!! ๐Ÿ™‚

{thirsty thursday – peach chia lemonade}

27 Jun

peachchialemonade-4

this may look a little bizarre to you if you’ve never heard of chia drinks… but it seems to me like they are all the rage these days…

peachchiadrink-1

you remember chia seeds?! “the pottery that grows” — ch-ch-ch-chia! haha – anyway, this is the same stuff.

peachchiadrink-2

it’s good on salads, in smoothies, etc.

chia seeds congeal when mixed with liquid, so they create this interesting and fun texture that i just love – but i admit not everyone does ๐Ÿ™‚ ย the best part is chia seeds are loaded with fiber and protein as well as naturally-occuring good-for-you-in-so-many-ways omegas 3 and 6. ย they’re kind of a wonderfood – the aztecs just loved chia seeds!

and i do too! ๐Ÿ™‚ Continue reading →

{english peas}

26 Jun

englishpeas-1

their season is ending soon… so grab ’em while you still can!

englishpeas-2

i look forward to them every year! ย i just love love love ’em! ย and i love how they keep for a good long time in the fridge!

englishpeas-3

i do lots of things with english peas…

englishpeas-4

 

i haven’t yet tried to pulverize them in a vitamix smoothie, though… but oh boy i just thought of this – i bet it would make a great spread with some garlic and hummus… mm mm, i may have to try that!

what do you like to do with your english peas?

{“fancy” french salt}

25 Jun

i love specialty foods, in case you haven’t yet discovered that about me…

frenchsaltandavocado-1

and i happen to LOVE salt – in all its varieties.

frenchsaltandavocado-2

so when a friend brought me this adorable jar of salt back from her trip to france, i was totally excited!!

frenchsaltandavocado-3

when i said to her, “ohhh i’m so excited to blog about this fancy french salt…” she was like, “wellllll – it’s just salt. ย the only thing fancy about it is that i carried it all the way back home in my backpack… just for you.”

i fancy that, i say. Continue reading →

{meatless mondays – farmers market pasta!}

24 Jun

oh my goodness was this a lovely meal. the whole day was lovely yesterday : there was such amazing energy in the air! ย that supermoon energy was flowing all around me and through me, it was awesome!!!! ย did any of you get a chance to see the super moon? ย it was too cloudy here, so i will have to camp out next year ๐Ÿ™‚ ย but i definitely still felt the energy this weekend!!!!

i took a little trip to a farmers market a little north of me in search of some kirby cucumbers to make pickles with. ย no luck in that department, unfortunately… however i did discover some amazing things while there! and with most of the ingredients i purchased yesterday, i made this incredible pasta dish!

farmersmarketpasta-12

farmers market pasta.

farmersmarketpasta-3

most everything in this dish was purchased fresh from the market yesterday…

– garlic chive pasta from pappardelle’s {amazing!! ย family-owned company and they have over 100 kinds of pasta!}

– organic heirloom tomatoes

– garlic scapes

– volcanic garlic {i can’t wait to blog about this!}

– fresh chives from my friend’s yard

– basil dressing, cream cheese, tomato paste, and a little parmesan {not from the market, but perfect to have in the fridge for this dish :)) Continue reading →

{foto friday – makes me think of summer romance}

21 Jun

i’ve been feelin’ the heat of the summer, the passion of the sun, and just a little extra frisky lately…

makes me think of summer romance… since it is the summer solstice and all ๐Ÿ˜‰

nyccslewis-8

this was one romantic night in ol’ nyc…

nyccslewis-9

i remember it clearly…

have a great {romantic} weekend, xxoo

{fair trade & organic – ice box watermelon}

19 Jun

do you know how to pick out a good watermelon?! ย … one that’s guaranteed to be ripe, juicy, and flavourful?!

watermelon-15

well, for one thing – to guarantee the flavour and ripeness, it’s important to begin with quality.

watermelon-16

i always opt for organic food {especially produce} when i can… organic produce is grown with more care, handled with more care, and therefore just plain tastes better… in my humble {and generally RIGHT} opinion ๐Ÿ™‚

this sticker tells us that not only is this watermelon organic, but it’s fair trade. which {happily} means the farmers that grew this watermelon are paid a FAIR WAGE for their product and services. ย this is extremely important to me also because i’m a collective thinker – i am grateful for that farmer who took time to grow this beautiful fruit for me to enjoy. ย and i want him/her to get paid what they are worth for doing that service. fair trade kind of cuts out the middle man, if you will. ย you can read more about fair trade products here. Continue reading →

{hooray for cherry season!}

18 Jun

nom nom, don’t you just love cherries?!

they are so fabulous for so many reasons!! …

cherries-3

good for your heart… {among other things like gout and blood clots}

cherries-1

loaded with antioxidants… Continue reading →

{meatless mondays : quinoa pasta w/ sauteed ramps, simmered pear tomatoes, & fresh english peas}

17 Jun

that’s a mouthful, and a really long title for a blog…but that is essentially what is in this dish, and to leave out any part just seamed wrong. ย those are all amazing and wonderful things and when you put them all together you get this incredible dish :

peartomatoesquinoapasta-24

super healthy, keeps well in the fridge, easy to make, delicious…ย cute. ๐Ÿ™‚

peartomatoesquinoapasta-29

i mean, seriously though – it’s cute… sure – it’s pasta, but it’s cute. ๐Ÿ˜›

peartomatoesquinoapasta-14

i’ve mentioned this pasta before – i love it for a bunch of reasons, including the fact that it is non-gmo, organic, and gluten-free. Continue reading →