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{cherry sweet-tart vitamix smoothie}

22 Mar

i’m a little late on posting today – it’s snowing here in colorado… and, sigh – i’ll just go ahead and say it – i’m over it!  can we please be in spring now?!  i’m just dying to put on my sanuks and put away my wellies.

i’ve been making a smoothie every morning since we are ‘officially’ in spring now – but i admit it’s just not as satisfying first thing in the morning as a warm cup of coffee or tea.  but i’m determined to start cleansing my body out, preparing it for a different season, and lots of different veggies to compliment!

in the meantime, here’s another smoothie recipe.  i created this one in mind as more of an evening smoothie. tart cherries and tart cherry juice are good for insomnia, remember?!  i call it “sweet-tart” because i used sweet frozen cherries and tart cherry juice… and it turned out rather delicious!

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cherry sweet-tart vitamix smoothie :

– frozen sweet cherries {1/2 cup}

– 3 frozen strawberries

– 3 frozen pineapple chunks

– 1 pitted date

– 1/2 cup coconut milk

– 1/2 cup tart cherry juice

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{1,000 followers! – that deserves a giveaway!}

20 Mar

FRIENDS!!

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ONE THOUSAND of you, specifically!  wow – THANK YOU!

that seems like a really big number to me.  it makes me feel very humble. and it makes me so grateful that THAT MANY PEOPLE find what i have to say valuable, interesting, or at least somewhat entertaining enough to make a simple gesture like click the “follow” button…

in the two years that food & foto has had life, i have found myself growing and changing right along with the blog.  from refining what it is all about, to being honest and open about things, to many twists and turns – we’re almost parallel, my blog and me.

i just was blown away today when i had my 1000th follower sign up to join the fun!  and it inspired me to want to do something special to honour it.

and what better to do just that – than a GIVEAWAY!!!???!!!?!!!??!?!

the big question is – what?!  what do i give away?  it can be anything i want, i suppose.  i could find a vendor that wanted to donate something… meh. i can do that anytime.  i could give away some healthy-eating coaching… meh. i kind of do that already.  i could donate a portrait session… meh. been there, done that. i could give away a camera?!?!  dude, that would be amazing… but i don’t have one to give away…

hmph.

would a beautiful print from my lab suffice?  your choice – a personalized print from my portfolio.  i have an extensive one, you know… portraits, landscapes, editorial, street photography, NYC, california, rocky mountains, macro, food, fine art… what’s your pleasure?!

and my goodness, how do i get people to get involved?

why, you already are!!!  just by following my blog, you are already automatically entered in the drawing for a free fine art print of your choice!  i will give away 5 prints before the end of April.  I will post a blog with choices and the lucky 5 winners will win a print of their choice.

how’s that sound?!

mostly, i just wanted to do SOMETHING to show my appreciation to each of you for following my blog. as i’ve mentioned, this is my personal little playground and i love engaging and hearing from each of you.  i may not always respond, but i want to take this time to tell you how much i appreciate the support!  as an introvert, knowing what i have to say in print matters… matters.

🙂

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{thirsty thursday – lovely lemon water}

20 Mar

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a few reasons why lemon water is amazing :

– balances pH levels {although lemons do contain citric acid, our bodies metabolize them to be alkaline within – so cool, right?! lemons are actually one of the most alkalizing foods out there!}

– boosts metabolism {sure does!, not that i personally need that…}

– freshens breath {cool, huh?!}

– boosts vitamin C levels {yay immune system!}

– digestive aid {yay tummy!}

– helps clear skin {i particularly enjoy this fact – who doesn’t love to ‘glow’!}

– detoxifying {bye bye toxic mess!}

– energizing {WEEEEE!!!! i love lemon water!!!}

i drink a warm glass of lemon water immediately upon rising.  it’s my favourite new way to start my day.  i find it also encourages me to drink more water throughout my day… and in these high altitudes, that is extra important! 😀

so drink up {and down}!  when you drink water, it’s like your whole body says, “AHHHHH” 😛

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{drink the rainbow : purple-ish antioxidant-rich vitamix smoothie!}

19 Mar

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how’s that for a title?!

vitamix-ing {and really, smoothie-making in general} is all about experimenting.  sometimes you nail it. sometimes you don’t. more times than not, it turns out amazing… like in this case. 🙂

purple-ish vitamix smoothie :

– 1/4 cup frozen blackberries

– 1/4 cup frozen pineapple

– 1/4 cup red/purple cabbage

– 1 pitted date {for sweetness}

– 2-3 dehydrated apple wedges {i like to dehydrate stuff}

– 1/2 – 2/3 cup coconut milk

– splash of orange juice

– sprinkle in a little raw protein powder

—

and the fact that it tastes amazing is a huge bonus to how incredibly healthy and good for you it is!! 😀

check out that colour!!!

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{exploring new produce : radicchio}

18 Mar

as you may have noticed – i like to try new things.  and there was this one particular vegetable i had been wanting to try for a while now – radicchio. i knew it had to be good for us – just look at all that colour!

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when i did a little research on this interesting-looking chicory, i discovered that it may actually help insomnia.  and – as you may recall, i battle with that from time to time… eating intuitively has become such a way of life for me, that i notice i’ll crave things i need and not even realize it. how awesome is that?! our bodies are so incredible! Continue reading →

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{st. paddy’s day green vitamix smoothie}

17 Mar

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it’s been a while since i wrote a vitamix post!!  green smoothies are always fun, and this is fitting for the holiday. this week i decided to do a short cleanse. partially in honour of the moon, partially in honour of the upcoming solstice, and partially because i have been eating donuts almost every day for breakfast for about 2 months… not even kidding. *ahem* anyway, i was super excited to bust out my vitamix again! Continue reading →

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{sunday sprouts}

16 Mar

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i have tomatoes sprouting!

 

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{classics : grilled ham and cheese}

15 Mar

did ya’ll sleep in today?!  i sure wanted to… daylight savings always jolts my system.  takes me a week or so to get used to it – but goodness, do i love having that light in the evenings!!! i just look forward to the mornings catching up, ya feel me?!

i’m going to start my seeds for my garden this weekend and of course, i’ll be documenting the whole thing. i bought tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, chives, and leeks for now.  i have attempted to grow from seed before, but to no avail.  i learned my lesson with my lovely tomato plant last year and i just don’t think some kinds of lettuces grow well here.  SO – we are going to try again 😀

my awesome landlord has all the fixins’ to get my garden going and plenty of outdoor space in which to plant it all… one of the things i’ve wanted so desperately over the last couple of years was to have a garden. i’m so glad i can finally try!

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i do love me some good ol’ romaine lettuce from time to time – the crunch is so good.  not much nutrition going on, but i do find myself craving the fiber and just wanting something to put dressing on, mostly.

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it’s a comfort food kind of day.  grilled ham and cheese on 7-grain toast with roasted red pepper and tomato soup…

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it’s a childhood classic… grown-up style.

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{thirsty thursday – zuberfizz draft soda!}

13 Mar

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everyone knows i love to support local.  and obviously i’m totally down with the all-natural.  however, you may be surprised to discover that i love ginger ale. i mean i LOVE IT! almost as much as i love beer… almost.

😉 Continue reading →

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{aspen-leaf swiss chard}

11 Mar

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i have always thought swiss chard was so beautiful.  the colours, the intricate web-like design on the leaves, the fun “bubbly” type texture… and i thought this one was particularly cool. for one, it kind of reminds me of an aspen leaf – the shape of it.  and for two, look at the fun pink tip – it’s like a paintbrush…

nature’s paintbrush 😉

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how beautiful and cool is that?!  nature does it best. Continue reading →

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{sauteed sunchokes}

10 Mar

i have been wanting to try sunchokes {aka “jerusalem artichokes“} for a long time now. they are so interesting-looking {as most root vegetables are} and one time i bought a bag when i was doing a cleanse, but i didn’t get to cook them and unfortunately they spoiled.

so, when i was at the cutest little organic store in town the other day, i picked some up so i could fotograph and blog about them.

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and of course – EAT THEM! 😀

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sunchokes-2sunchokes-3 Continue reading →

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{foto friday – local love}

7 Mar

how happy am i to have recently been made aware of an amazing little local/organic store within biking distance of where i live!!?!??!!!?!?!?!

SO!!!!!! 😀

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beautiful cherry tomatoes grown within 60 miles of my home…

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exploding with flavour!!  i’m guessing they are hydroponically grown… which in my opinion, seems to be the most tasty way to grow tomatoes – just from personal experience, having eaten a bajillion of them over the last few years. 😉  hello, remember my san marzano obsession!?  cuz i do… Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday – saison 88}

6 Mar

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saisons are some of my favourite kinds of beer.  when i worked for whole foods in new york city, we had a beer room!  i was going to link you, to show it off to you guys – but apparently it closed!  i can’t believe it!… it’s hard to imagine what it looks like or what’s there now.  life is weird like that – how stuff changes…

i digress.

when i worked at that awesome store, the beer room had a local contest for homebrewers – and the winner got to put their beer on one of our taps!  the winner was a saison, farmhouse ale. it was, and maybe to this day still is, one of the BEST beers i have ever tried if not my favourite beer i’ve ever tried.  and, i gotta tell ya – i’ve tried quite a few beers.  this saison 88 from santa fe brewing company reminded me a lot of that delicious homebrew i had in ol’ NYC some 5 years ago now. i remember it well, though.  it stayed with me… one remembers a really good beer.

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{organic beef and potato lettuce wraps w/ caramelized shallots and fresh sugar snaps}

5 Mar

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this is one colourful dish! and fun to eat, too!

simple ingredients : 

– 1 pound organic grass-fed beef {i choose 85%}

– 1/2 pound fingerling potatoes {any potato will do, i just had leftovers}

– 1 medium shallot

– handful sugar snap peas, shelled

– artisan lettuce wraps

– organic shredded cheese of choice {i went with cheddar}

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{specialty produce : fingerling potatoes}

4 Mar

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tell me you’ve tried these before?!  i’m pretty sure i’ve mentioned them at least once or twice on this here blog of mine… they are definitely a staple in my home!  what’s better than colourful carbohydrates?!

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i was a little surprised and way excited when i spotted this multi-coloured pack at the market. my favourite way to prepare them is to simply drizzle them with tons of olive oil and S&P and roast them in a 400 degree oven for about a half hour…

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the finished product is a sheen, tender and sweet potato ready for poppin!

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they make an excellent side dish, and are also great in soups.

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{meatless monday – “the av-egg-ado”}

3 Mar

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i saw this somewhere on the web recently and i’ve been so eager to try it. i mean – isn’t is so apropo for food & foto? simple, easy, delicious, and healthy!

two ingredients: {3 if you decide to sprinkle cheese on top…}

– 1 ripe avocado

– 1 medium egg Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday – “snapshot”}

27 Feb

this doesn’t really need words… right?!

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*click click*

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*glug glug*

it’s like, the beer for fotographers.

and it is soooooo good!!! 😀

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{abstract snow}

25 Feb

i took my camera for a walk the other day… and goodness, was it slushy and wet.  however, it was still cool to see all the snow in its many forms… the patterns the water creates and carves as the it melts is just fascinating to me!

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{wild rice with lemon chicken, shallots, and tomatoes}

24 Feb

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it’s a little sad for me to admit that i just haven’t been cooking as much lately. i lovelovelovelovelove my tiny home, don’t get me wrong… but it has been a bit of a challenge to fotograph my recipes in action within 180 square feet.

so, i’ve just had to change the way i do things a little. and that’s okay.  i’m super forever inspired by one of my favourite bloggers – i mean she’s cute as a button, and she is into the same stuff i’m into regarding eating healthy and with the seasons.  i love her style of fotography as well; so simple and elegant and she’s such a new yorker – so classy.

i’m still working out the kinks to finding the perfect way to fotograph inside the tiny home – but for now, here’s a simple recipe i made up this weekend that turned out delicious! Continue reading →

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{nom nom, fresh pineapple}

22 Feb

after many years working in the organic food industry, i learned a lot about picking good produce.  it’s hilarious to watch me at the market – i take my time when picking out my fruit and vegetables, mostly because i know i’ll be fotographing them. and hey – aesthetics matter!  plus, food is outrageously expensive these days and i’ll be damned if i’m going to spend five dollars for a pineapple and not have it be incredible!

therefore, i browse the produce stands carefully when choosing what to buy. have you ever purchased something and it spoiled two days later or when you cut into it, the flesh was rotting or brown? not everything you pick up at the market is necessarily fresh and/or tasty at any given time – it’s another reason i prefer to buy and eat with the seasons… stuff just tastes better when it’s in season! i mean, wouldn’t you like to be picked during your prime?! 😉

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speaking of which, do you know how to pick a good pineapple?  the beginning of their season is just around the corner… and i’m already salivating thinking about them.

one thing to look for when picking out a pineapple – is how the leaves feel when pulled out from the top.  if they remove easily with little force, it’s a pretty sure sign your pineapple is ripe.  you also want to pay attention to the scent. i often sniff the bottom of the fruit, looking for a fresh scent that is strong enough to seep through.  and finally, you want to look for a pineapple that is a little darker in colour… not quite brown, but just golden… Continue reading →

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