a look inside my {colourful} lunchbox – volume 2
– lemon pepper smoked salmon chunks
– noosa brand yoghurt with vanilla almond granola
– steamed chioggia beets
– nut thins crackers : almond flavour
– sauteed swiss chard with garlic
– tomato, mushroom, and spinach amaranth porridge
– a few slices of premium salami
—
hey gang, how are things? i hope you are enjoying the season, wherever you may be…
lately, i’ve decided to cut back on blogging a little… no particular reason; it just sometimes feels like a job to blog every day, and i’m trying to find other avenues in my life to expel creative energy… but i also am focusing more on blogging about the tiny home. it’s pretty amazing how this movement has taken off and how much i feel like a part of something pretty special and cool! my landlord recently started a new construction project – a tiny home! so, stay tuned as i document the adventure! also – i haven’t forgotten about the giveaway i promised back in march… i just need a little more time to gather my favourite images, so – stay tuned for more information on that, as well!
the last few weeks have gone by at what feels like lightning speed… and i have just been sitting here kind of spaced out, wondering what and how anything happened…
luckily, i have fotos to prove it 😉
lately…
… i am very happy to see the winter season come to a close…
… i’ve been throwing my polarizer sunglass lenses over my iPhone to snap cool fotos…
… and, i’ve been looking UP a lot more!…
… insect energy keeps making itself known to me…
… i’ve been receiving gentle reminders…
… things like this have been making me giggle and appreciate the little things…
… i’ve been getting more involved with farming/farmers/farm fresh food…
… the earth seems to be bubbling from below…? {maybe it’s the GRAND CROSS}
… mini frittatas and roasted fingerling potatoes have been the start of my day...
… i’ve been cleaning out old files and giggling more over stuff like this…
… i’ve enjoyed having many many delicious snuggle moments with this adorable furball…
it’s been far too long since i posted an update on my tiny home… like, four months too long! 😉
it really amazes me how much this “movement” has taken off!
i’ve made quite a few changes around the tiny home, and i’m rather happy with the way things look, now… i feel like it’s finally coming together. my next project is working on the upstairs bedroom/loft area… i need to maximize space and upgrade the whole “college dorm room” feel currently happening… 😉
upon entering my tiny home, you first see my personalized dresser from the target closetmaid collection… it’s actually two pieces stacked on top of each other, and i’ve managed to fit most of my clothing inside! just to the left of the dresser, i keep the ladder to my loft propped against the wall. as you may recall, this attaches to that black beam for easy access to the loft, and quick removal when not in use!
on the right is the kitchen table, which is where my desk used to be. i just felt like it opened up the house more with the setup this way… Continue reading
this was a christmas gift from my awesome landlord/neighbour and i’ve been super enjoying it during this winter and spring longest season ever.
it’s been so relentlessly cold here… dark, cold, snowy, damp… did i mention cold?
nothing warms my bones like a hot salt bath. we all know how much i luuuurrve himalayan pink salt, and i do sometimes throw it in my warm bath water. but since i have had these wonderful {hand-made} bath sand satchels, i have been using them to soak in lots of healing from the powerful dead sea salts and essential oils these adorable packages are filled with.
i just love salt; it has amazing healing properties in so many ways.
sometimes nothing will comfort me like a hot salt bath. to detox the skin, the body, the pores, the aches and pains… and what i love about these great little packages is how my skin feels when i leave the water… so super soft and smooth, and smelly-good, too! 😉 ❤
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
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…
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! 😉
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
another beautiful piece of produce i picked up at the cutest organic store in town….
have you ever had golden beets?! i just loooooove them! i am pretty sure you can keep the skin on – so long as you scrub it pretty thoroughly. i just peel mine. these were so cute and little!
love the colour!
i usually just steam mine. i find them to be so delicious, i don’t even add any S and/or P. i think they have the most unique flavour. i just love to put them in salads or just munch on them alone… so good! beets are loaded with vitamins and minerals and they are just an all around amazing vegetable!
how is everyone doing? i hope your week is off to a beautiful start. i have been feeling SO GOOD with the change in seasons rapidly approaching, and the evening light sticking around longer. i just feel so much better when spring gets here. i do believe i sometimes feel “SAD” – you know, “Seasonal Affective Disorder” – that is a definite real thing. it was so dark and cold this winter {especially for colorado} and i struggled on some days to even get out of bed.
i received an email recently, asking if i wanted to participate in a new campaign on a new site that is dedicated to offering simple information regarding all things health-related. i tend to be a little hesitant with stuff like that, but after researching the company, i realized that it falls in line with my own values and so i was happy to connect with them.
american recall center is running a campaign titled “who is your health hero?” and i’ve been asked to write a post about just that. so, here we go…
———
this is where the second part of my blogpost title comes in – i am my own health hero.
i noticed a few new followers have joined the fun – thank you and welcome!
in case you don’t know this about me, i love to eat anything with colour. i believe in living by the motto… well, a lot of “mottos” really – but one of them is “eat the rainbow.” if your food has colour naturally, it is good for you! this dish definitely meshes with that motto. i whipped it up last week when i was doing a short veggie cleanse. i just love mushrooms – do you?!
this is a great vegan dish, or a healthy random way to get in a ton of veggies all at once. sometimes i’ll construct meals entirely of vegetables… this one i just made up on the spot, when inspired by the fresh-looking produce in the market.
simple ingredients : portabella mushrooms, zucchini, purple cabbage, shredded carrots.
i’m fascinated by the intricate insides of certain vegetables – like cabbage. Continue reading
an update on my adorable organic cherry tomato sprouts!
i love the little fuzzy stems… and the smell!!
food & foto 