{organic golden kiwi}

22 Jul

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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 😉

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

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

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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?!

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

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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…

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

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

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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!

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new belgium brewery just knows how it’s done.  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.

{i don’t remember exactly what i put in this vitamix smoothie…}

17 Jul

…but it was still delicious!

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and pretty! …

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it appears to be berries, spinach, dates, coconut milk, flax… i feel like i’ve made this one before?! Continue reading

{some rainy-day pics}

16 Jul

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

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

{healthy snack options – quick and easy kale chips}

15 Jul

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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.  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…

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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 kinda posed for me

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

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she’s all like, “namaste – mrrreow” … seriously though, she is sooooooo beyond chatty!  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

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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.  i just mix mine with some apple juice since it’s a little bitter on its own.  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.

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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.  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.

🙂

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…i know, right?!

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always.

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

{personal product review : pack*it – the lunchbox cooler!}

9 Jul

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i should get paid to do reviews for companies like this – haha!  {but seriously, feel free to email me with offers! ;)}

and i honestly love this product – and i recommend it to anyone!

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especially for lunch at work, or for traveling, or for kids and family outings, or whatever… it’s so great!

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what is it?!  well i’m glad you asked 😀

it’s the portable, packable, freezable, transformable, incredible – *drum roll* 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 from vegfest this weekend…

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…it totally poured like, 4 minutes after i got there.  hence, the super curly puff-ball of a fro on top of my head.  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. 😛

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

{red, white and – blue potatoes?!}

4 Jul

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i guess they’re actually purple potatoes – but, i sort of enhanced the colour just a tad to represent july 4th a little more 😉 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.  super festive though… and yummmmmmy!  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.  i hope you enjoy the holiday and these cookies!! 🙂

———

{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…

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i’ll get there soon… it’s growing sort of fast{ish}… okay not really at all.  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!  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.  and be patient as you may encounter delays as per the very essence of MR.  even as i typed this blog, my keyboard kept freezing up.  and my music was skipping… haha.

one day i’ll talk about how i was born under MR.  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!! 🙂

{thirsty thursday – peach chia lemonade}

27 Jun

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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…

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

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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 🙂  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.  they’re kind of a wonderfood – the aztecs just loved chia seeds!

and i do too! 🙂 Continue reading

{english peas}

26 Jun

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

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

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i do lots of things with english peas

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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…

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

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

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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.  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!  that supermoon energy was flowing all around me and through me, it was awesome!!!!  did any of you get a chance to see the super moon?  it was too cloudy here, so i will have to camp out next year 🙂  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.  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!

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farmers market pasta.

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

– garlic chive pasta from pappardelle’s {amazing!!  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 😉

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this was one romantic night in ol’ nyc…

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i remember it clearly…

have a great {romantic} weekend, xxoo

{purple cabbage smoothie}

20 Jun

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i read somewhere online that cabbage was a good “blending” type of veggie in that the flavour didn’t take over when combined in a smoothie, much like spinach.  i was excited about this because of the colour!

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so i mixed mine with some watermelon, frozen strawberries, frozen banana, frozen mango, coconut milk,  and flax seeds…

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made a lovely shade of… something. it’s not quite plum, not quite magenta, not exactly pink…

what would you call this colour?! other than delicious 🙂 ?!