thinkin’ about my mama today… can’t believe it’s been 21 years! ❤
something about a rainbow gives me so much comfort… maybe they make me think of my mom, or maybe they remind me of that bible verse i liked when i was a kid, or maybe the scientist in me finds them truly fascinating… and maybe, they just provide a sense of peace somehow – a beautiful reminder that everything is going to be okay… a reminder that after the storm and after the rain, there’s always a
rainbow…
i love waking up and seeing this…
sometimes i feel like i have more conversations with wildlife lately than i do with humans. i’m not complaining; i talk to anything that has life or energy – so, i pretty much talk to everything 😉
this family of elk live in my ‘hood and they have recently been grazing the grasses by where i walk home every day… sometimes i see them, sometimes i just see their poop.
but i do believe they are starting to recognize me!
sometimes they just stare back at me… i inch closer, snap another foto, and they just stare. i do believe they know who i am now, and they know who my camera is, as well. the little fawns i’ve been seeing are just heart-melting, too!
let’s all take time this weekend to unplug – connect with your true source, with nature. hug a tree, smell the roses, look for bumble bees, stare at the clouds. get lost in the beauty that is around all around you… ❤
“plumango” vitamix smoothie :
– 1 fresh plum
– 1/4 cup dried mango
– 1/4 organic banana
– 1/4 cup frozen cherries
– 1/4 cup fresh spinach
– 1 teaspoon flax seeds
– 1 cup almond milk
i’ve been wanting to try to play with millet for a while now. i have had a package of it on the shelves for a good bit now and i thought it was high time to give it a whirl.
i like to store things in glass jars… packaging just annoys me! 😛
millet is a tiny grain that reminds me of something from my youth… when cooked, it is almost like a pilaf. i read online that it also can turn into more of a mashed-potato like consistency, if cooked the right way. Continue reading
i found this little guy {or gal? … are they asexual?!} in my tiny house the other day… and i think it’s so cool i was able to kind of capture the little legs!!!
i may have been a little freaked out at first, but that’s what you get when you live in the mountains – you have to learn to share your space with all of nature, as you are on her turf. when i looked up what this creature “represented” {according to some}, i read terms like psychic revelations, ability to survive stress, and this : “it is a wonder that something so small can humble even the largest and most threatening of creatures and people.” which clearly made me feel so good and comforted – cuz i am small, myself – but only physically 😉
i happily scooped him up onto a piece of paper and released him outside… but not before snapping a couple quick fotos. little bugger is FAST, too! i could only fire off two shots before he creeped down into a crevasse and scurried away…
apparently some centipedes are poisonous?! {yikes!} but not here in colorado, from what i’ve been told and read. i am thankful for my little gift of a centipede messenger. at the time i didn’t think much of it, but after reading about the energy this creature carries, i feel super blessed to have had it cross my path…
hey gang. hope you are all doing well.
this week was a rollercoaster as far as emotions and happenings go. and the only rollercoasters i like are the ones i build on rollercoaster tycoon and pretend ride. and i’m actually serious about that, just ask my former roommate and still one of my best friends… he’ll tell you about my non-love of rollercoasters or things that go fast, in general… like waterslides. 
nevertheless, here are a few happy highlights from my week via the shake-it app… {still my fav.}
i went pixie, again! i love it; brings out the new-yorker in me – and i just feel more like myself this way…
i happily spent a ridiculous 75 cents for this little cute bottle of club soda. i saved and reused the bottle for my liquid vitamins… i just love glass and i just love tiny things! 😉
it “sunny snowed” this week – and i am amazed my iPhone was able to capture the little flakes.
on that same day, my boss let me borrow his sunglasses ‘coz i forgot mine and he insisted they would make me cooler… i insisted that wasn’t possible. 😉
and despite the friggin mercurical weather, i planted my seeds…
and i hope to god they do not end up looking like this {clearly} genetically modified apple. i mean seriously, have you looked at conventional produce in the last couple years? it’s like that movie “cloudy with a chance of meatballs.” — the food is getting abnormally large! am i crazy or should an apple NOT be the size of two of my fists!??!?! i digress…
i had several very intense and wonderfully silent moments with my “neighbours”…
then there’s mount sopris… which just makes me happy for existing. and – i applied for a job with this view. uhm, yes please!
this is where i currently work – it’s kind of like going to heaven every day – only with more people 😉
and sometimes snow doesn’t piss me off… cuz it’s pretty…
but it’s also annoying… especially in april.
the end.. for now.
have a great weekend, ya’ll! ❤ 😉
i’ve definitely been throwing back a few of these in the last few weeks…
just your good ol’ basic lager. clean, smooth taste, easy finish. compliments a frozen pizza after a long day at work just perfectly! 😉
i love himalayan pink salt.
i love to cook with it, eat with it…
bathe with it, pray with it…
it’s one versatile salt! {and i happen to be somewhat of a connoisseur.} 😉
what makes himalayan pink salt extra special other than the awesome flavour, is its extremely high mineral content. this stuff is very high in… well, practically everything!
whole foods cracks a brand new fresh wheel of this crumbly gold every year around this time… and i always try to nab some up.
i look forward to it every year. there just isn’t anything like freshly cracked parmigiano reggiano. did you know in order for it to have that “stamp” or seal that says it’s the real deal, the cows can only graze on certain pastures in certain parts of italy. and that those cows are the only cows used to milk and create this wonderful cheese with?!
ain’t no fake stuff here! 🙂
nom nom…
april fools! – more snow on the way!!! big fat sigh.
it feels like groundhog day all over again… 😉
{by the way – i took this foto last week and the next day, it was literally a blanket of white…}
no, it’s not a typo. i called this dish “rainbow rainbow quinoa because… well – look at it. 😉
i wanted to use up some stuff in the fridge – like my shredded carrots and leftover cabbage… both of which, to me, can be a challenge to use up for one person. i find that quinoa is a great “anything goes” kind of dish. so when i’m looking to use up fresh veggies, i usually throw them in with quinoa. another reason i love quinoa is because it is a complete protein. basically what that means is it contains all 9 essential amino acids. this makes it a great grain for vegans or vegetarians.
rainbow rainbow quinoa – ingredients :
– 1/2 cup rinsed rainbow quinoa
– 1/2 cup chopped red cabbage
– 1/2 cup shredded carrots
– 1/4 finely chopped onion
– 2 cloves diced garlic
– 1 cup raw baby spinach
they aren’t exactly “sprouts” anymore… 😉
i’m obsessed with the fuzzy stems!!!! ❤
these are obviously my tomatoes… but i also have cucumbers sprouting right now… which i will probably have to transplant tomorrow. chives are starting to peek out and also a little dill. i bought some beets, carrots, and zucchini last week that i will plant in the ground when the temps warm up…
i have tons of plants started and tons of space to plant/grow stuff and i am so grateful and excited! my landlord/neighbour has a ton of space in the yard, and supplies and compost and all kinds of jazz to make this garden a success. i’m so thankful!!
with homemade toasted rye bread, creamy melted swiss, authentic deli mustard, and colourful coleslaw… nom nom…
i would also do almost anything for a pastrammy from MASTERPIECE right about now… this one i created a while back was pretty incredible {miss E knows how to slice some perfect pastrami!}… but nothing beats a sammy from masterpiece delicatessen… and i lived in new york! – so that’s saying a lot! 😉
…i can’t even handle it… SO CUTE!!!!!!!!
zuko is not my dog, but i get to play with him all the time ‘coz he belongs to my neighbour/landlord and he is always wandering over to my tiny home to play and be adorable. like when he laid on my yoga mat the other day in the sun…
downward-facing zuko.
😉
a look inside my {colourful} lunchbox :
– natural raw almonds
– fresh asparagus sauteed in olive oil
– large colourful salad w/ italian vinaigrette
– savory parmigiano reggiano baked chicken
– steamed zucchini medallions
– pastrami turkey strips and parm reggi chunks
– fresh organic strawberries
{i just love my laptop lunches bento box!} 😀
if you’re one of my colorado readers, you’ve probably already been obsessed with noosa yoghurt for a while now. if you haven’t, you will be soon…
this yummy creamy treat is made with milk from semi-pasture-raised cows here in colorado. noosa’s flavour is unsurpassed, and i believe it’s in part due to the milk from these cows.
celebrating two years of nom-noming and click-clicking!
thank you – all one thousand and twenty-eight of you! {as it stands, as i write this…}
i am inspired by you, encouraged by you, and grateful for and to you. i am already doing a giveaway in honour of you… but in honour of food & foto’s anniversary, i’ve decided to up the ante. i’ll be giving away TEN prints by the end of april! stay tuned…
this blog has been one of the healthiest things i could’ve done for myself.
i want to take this time to thank my friend michele for encouraging and inspiring me to start writing and posting about my passion{s}. the simplest gesture like just saying, “you should start a food blog…” has taken me to places that i may not have ever dreamed of going.
🙂 xxoo
food & foto 