{thirsty thursday} – homemade black bean & tomato hummus w/ a pumpkin ale

16 Aug

too soon?!

it’s not quite autumn, i do realize that — but the air in colorado has been changing and i even saw some yellow leaves on a green tree on my walk around the lake the other day… just sayin’ – pretty soon, they’ll be tons of corn and pumpkins!

and besides, i love blue moon beer.  i’ve tried {almost} all of their beers and i have enjoyed each one.

simple black bean hummus : 

 

– chickpeas {“this” many}

– 1 can or box black beans

– some tomatoes {did i mention how i don’t measure…}

i used these delicious little cherry tomatoes and golden nugget tomatoes. how incredible do just their names sound?!  yum.

throw those three simple ingredients in a food processor, add in a little S&P, and spin in some EVOO as needed – start with a little, add as you go if necessary…

blend until desired texture… you know, like – hummus 🙂

serve with whatever.  for lunch, i smeared some on a slice of naan bread.  pita would work, too. add in some falafel and make a wrap out of it…

or, dip some blue chips in it.  YUM!

i accompanied it with this yummy brew.

who cares if it’s kind of an autumn beer?!  it was spicy-ish, less pumpkin than spicy – at least according to my palate.  i love the colour and i really enjoyed it. warm and complex, it would be good alone as an after-dinner drink, or with a mild dish like this hummus or even a mild cheese.

{wordy wednesday} – patience.

15 Aug

well well well.  what do we have here?

i’ve been in colorado for exactly a year now.  i’ve been doing the same job for that entire year.  that’s not normal for me – i’m very progressive, often get promoted quickly, move up quickly, etc.  i just have a go-getter attitude and people usually notice that.  hell, i was promoted within 2 months in new york city to one of the top managers of my store… all i gotta do is flash ’em that smile, usually – 😉

hehehe

well, as the universe would have it, i’ve once again been promoted.  i’m back in my stride, doing my thing, and i have the position i needed and wanted since i moved here.

what has the last year taught me then?  what has all that disappointment, struggle, hardship, nonsense, and hidden truth done for me?!  what has waiting, waiting, and waiting, done for me?!  what have i learned in all that?! Continue reading

{travel tuesday} – atop the metropolitan museum of art, NYC

14 Aug

this was hands-down one of the most romantic nights of my life to date…

the weather was perfect.  i believe it was right around this time of year… i was on one of the best dates i’ve ever been on in my life — and it started with an amazing dinner at an amazing restaurant – i remember using the word “enamored” several times to describe the food…

then we went to an exhibit on top of the metropolitan museum of art… it was incredible… the view was something like this : Continue reading

{meatless monday} – spaghetti squash w/ spinach

13 Aug

i heart spaghetti squash.  a lot.

i love the texture, the colour, the crunch… it’s a great vegan option — in fact, why didn’t i make this on my cleanse?! i think it wasn’t available in organic at the time… anyway, here are the {uber-simple} ingredients i used :

Continue reading

{foto friday} – my blog “assistants” and some farm fresh eggs

10 Aug

meet my cats :

ferris bueller loves to help out in the kitchen.  and by help out i mean – get totally in the way and make me always almost step on him and spill stuff… but he’s got so much personality!  super chatty, and no doubt a gemini, just like his owner – my roomie.

callegurl loves to hang in the “studio” and make sure lighting is taken care of and she also provides the cute factor, which she has perfected exceedingly well.  she is most likely a scorpio or cancer, very emotional, independent, and kind of hard to tie down, just like her owner – me. Continue reading

{thirsty thursday} — homemade potato chips : a tribute to the east coast

9 Aug

when people ask, “where are you from?” you probably have one solid answer, right – “california, wisconsin, canada, las vegas, china, etc…” ?! well, i usually respond with, “i’m kind of from all over…” because, i am.  i mean, i just never respond with the place i was born and stop — i don’t claim one place as ‘home’ — i am really, kind of, from all over…

a little history on me :

– born in south carolina, didn’t stay long…

– lived in pennsylvania for a year {ish}

– massachusetts for like another year or so, i think…

– then maryland for a while, with some

– long summers in oklahoma

– then colorado for a while…

– long summers in virginia

– colorado again… always came back to colorado

– then back to maryland for a while

– then back to colorado

– then back east to new york

– and now here we are… once again, living in colorado.  i always come back to colorado… i suppose there is something to be said about that…?! Continue reading

{wordy wednesday} – the man in the mirror

8 Aug

“i’m starting with the man in the mirror, i’m asking him to change his ways – and no message could’ve been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make that CHANGE!”

— michael jackson, lyrical genius.

———

well, it’s wordy wednesday.  and i have a lot to say this time.  it’s been quite a week. a HUGE full moon last wednesday and i’m not talking viewable by a telescope huge, i mean like – effect me on all levels huge.  i have always talked about how i am a huge astrology buff.  i follow zoe moon astrology, and you should too!  she’s fantastic and always right on!  astrology and horoscopes are NOT exactly the same.  i’m not saying i follow my horoscope and freak out if “my crush” doesn’t ask me out even though my horoscope said it would.  i’m talking about astrology – a study of the movements of the planets.  it’s a very in-depth and fascinating field that i have studied more and more as time has gone on… also, i am very “in tune” with the planetary changes.  and i FELT this last full moon like, with major force.  it was intense!!! Continue reading

{travel tuesday} – the famous brooklyn bridge

7 Aug

the BB was always a place i would take visitors.  for one, it’s just classic cool. for two, it’s great exercise to walk it.  and for three, it was close to my apartment.

these photos are from two different visits to the brooklyn bridge.  both times i walked the entire length of the bridge into brooklyn from downtown manhattan.  it’s a great walk, a cool chance to see so much of both boroughs from a unique perspective.  a lot of times, when i had a guest in town – i’d show them the brooklyn bridge, then i’d take them across the staten island ferry, for a chance to see even more of the city from another perspective. i’ve probably walked the brooklyn bridge at lease half a dozen times now…

so, without further ado, here are some photos for travel tuesday… another snippet from my life in new york : Continue reading

{meatless monday} – sweet potato, carrot, & falafel open-faced pitas

6 Aug

good morning, happy monday, hope you all had a nice weekend.

i was delightfully lazy yesterday, glued to the couch and the olympics most of the day.  i completely heart sundays for that reason.  if i want to go somewhere, i can – but mostly it’s just my day to rest… and eat.  🙂

this dish was created because i always keep falafel in the house – it’s one of my protein staples, and i love love love it!  i also had another bunch of the purple carrots – and i know they compliment sweet potatoes well.  i had almond milk in the fridge, and i keep the spice on hand because i love curry spice!  i didn’t have any tomatoes around, so i used tomato paste for a little extra flavour : Continue reading

thirsty thursday and foto friday – combined! {breakfast pizza and beer, nom nom}

3 Aug

pizza and beer, anyone?!

breakfast pizzas are popping up all over pinterest and blog sites alike, and i was so eager to try one of my own.  after 14 days of cleansing, i have been obviously rather ravenous lately.  carbs, bacon, eggs, and cheese were all that would suffice last weekend.  so, i made my own organic breakfast pizza and served it with a delicious farmhouse saison… you’re going to want to try this.  Continue reading

wordy wednesday – WHATEVER

1 Aug

full moon.

bad morning.

not a lot of words today – the only thing that i keep repeating is my current mantra :

BRING TRUTH TO LIGHT, AND HELP ME NOT LOSE SIGHT.

 

 

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