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{a week of vitamix smoothies – day three : bananas, blueberries, flax seeds, coconut milk}

28 Aug

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yep…

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– frozen blueberries

– frozen banana chunks

– flax seeds

– coconut milk

– 1 pitted date or teaspoon honey to sweeten {optional}

…that’s it.

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kept this one SUPER SIMPLE.

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and what a lovely colour, i must say!

drink the rainbow! 😀

{a week of vitamix smoothies – day two : mangos, blueberries, spinach, flaxseeds, almond milk}

27 Aug

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yet another colourful creation… and although this one is definitely “green”… it’s not at all green.

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– frozen blueberries

– fresh spinach

– 2 pitted dates

– whole flax seeds

– apple juice

– almond milk

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as i’ve mentioned before, i’m not big on measuring – i just ‘eyeball it’ usually… i’d say the basic ratio is roughly 1 cup solids to 1 cup liquids, generally speaking…

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adjust consistency to your liking, adding more liquid or fruit as necessary… easy peasy.

DRINK THE RAINBOW!

😀

{a week of vitamix smoothies — day one : blueberries, pineapple, coconut milk}

26 Aug

the kids are up early and back in school, the leaves are slowly beginning to change their colours, the air just smells different, and the produce section is starting to feature those fall harvests we look forward to…

and i figured since the seasons are about to change, i would honour the idea of cleansing with the seasons.  so, this week i will feature 5 different vitamix smoothie recipes – each creation will also feature seasonal blueberries… mmmmm…

so here’s the first one :

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this mix created such a pretty colour!  it’s always a surprise when one experiments with smoothie concoctions in the vitamix… but it’s also {obviously} half the fun! 😉

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– blueberries

– pineapple

– black grapes

– teaspoon local honey

– mango juice

– coconut milk

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{thirsty thursday – new stuff i love : the life factory water bottle and kishu charcoal water filter}

22 Aug

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and here we have ’em in action…

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first : the kishu active charcoal water filter.

have you spotted these anywhere yet?!  they’re somewhat new to the market, but i imagine you’ll start to see them pop up in a lot of places.

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the kishu water filter is just basic active charcoal that’s undergone the carbonization process… making it like a rock.

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and this filter helps rid basic tap water of any lead, mercury, and chlorine… to name a few.

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second : this super cool glass water bottle from life factory. Continue reading

{righteous rambutan}

20 Aug

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have you ever seen this crazy interesting fruit?!

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it’s called rambutan.  and it is by far the most bizarre-looking food i’ve eaten so far. Continue reading

{stunning and scrumptious squash blossoms}

19 Aug

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i mean, these are just gorgeous… right?!

i’ve always wanted to make something with squash blossoms, but due to the fact that they are hard to find and have a small window of availability, i often miss my opportunity…

…but not this time 🙂

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goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms… stunning and scrumptious.

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i could’ve had full-on foto shoot with them, but i got hungry… so this will have to suffice…

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…for now 😉 Continue reading

Voice Tunnel by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

17 Aug

I SO WISH I WAS DOING THIS RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!

{beautiful bouquet of herbs}

16 Aug

i’m thankful i have a dear friend who has a lovely garden in her back yard…

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she occasionally gives me bunches of beautiful herbs, among other things like fresh farm eggs and summer squash… delicious!

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and chives, parsley, cilantro, mint…

and lavender…

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mmm, can you just smell it…?! !!

{thirsty thursday : tunacado toasts w/ a little good karma!}

8 Aug

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i’ve written about this combination before…

it seems to be a big hit!  i mixed it up a little this time, but as usual, simple ingredients here : Continue reading

{specialty produce – passionfruit}

6 Aug

definitely one of the more interesting and bizarre-looking fruits i’ve eaten…

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have you ever had a passionfruit?!  i bet you’ve had something with the flavour of passionfruit in it, like a drink or something… they are an interesting fruit. as they ripen, they begin to look like this foto – kind of wrinkly and you may even think it’s gone bad… but no no no! it’s just right…

when you first cut into a passionfruit, you may take a look inside and be like, “what in the world…?!”

passionfruit-2 Continue reading

{meatless mondays : my very first “official” product review : hilary’s eat well veggie burgers

5 Aug

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hey gang, i hope you enjoyed the weekend.

lots of fun things happening around here at food and foto!  for starters, i gained my 600th {+} follower last week!  i am always so humbled and grateful when anyone subscribes to the blog.  please allow me to take this moment to thank those of you who take time to read and follow and comment and engage… i just really appreciate it!  this blog wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for you!

also, i received an email from a lovely rep at Hilary’s Eat Well a few weeks ago, asking if i would be interested in trying and giving feedback on some of their products.  i was familiar with hilary’s eat well, but had never actually had the pleasure of eating any of their products… so i was super excited for the opportunity to not only try them, but to write about it on my blog!  my first official review 😀

once i read up on the company, i was even more excited for the experience. Continue reading

{sometimes ya just want comfort food…}

3 Aug

i love to embrace my southern side with some good ‘ol down-home comfort food cookin’…

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like smoked chicken drumsticks, mac and cheese, a brownie, and the best rootbeer ever.

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or a big bowl of chili and side of cornbread with some ginger ale…

what are some of your favourite go-to comfort foods?!

{thirsty thursday – the everything vitamix smoothie}

1 Aug

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there’s a lot going on in this smoothie i’ve been having in the mornings lately :

– frozen blueberries

– frozen bananas

– frozen pineapple

– frozen grapes

– frozen cherries

– frozen strawberries {they are hiding! :)}

– carrots

– celery

– spinach

– dates Continue reading

{whatever wednesday – some delicious sandwiches i’ve eaten recently}

31 Jul

so, right now i’m cleansing… and all i want to do today {my day “3”} is eat a friggin sandwich!  i’m craving carbs and dairy most, which is usually how it goes in the beginning.

it’s all good.

so since i’m not eating them right now, i figured i’d virtually live through eating them again… since lately i fotograph everything before i eat it… even if i’m not intending to use it for the blog.

😉

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buffalo chicken, blue cheese, red leaf lettuce, and some kind of amazing dressing on a ciabatta roll… from whole foods market.

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beef baloney, havarti cheese, spring mix, and mustard between french boule slices… from yours truly.

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you may recognize this one… grilled cheese, tomato, and ramps on a whole wheat boule…. by yours truly. Continue reading

{meatless mondays : rainbow quinoa w/ volcanic garlic and heirloom tomatoes}

29 Jul

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quinoa dishes are great for many reasons.  one thing i love about them is they are great served hot or cold.  quinoa is a wonderful source of protein and it is even a complete protein which means it contains all 9 essential amino acids.  this makes it particularly good for vegans or vegetarians.  i also love quinoa because i find it sustains my active body for a good while.

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i whipped up a quick batch to take to lunch for a few days using my amazing volcanic garlic, 1/2 a sweet onion, and 1 medium beautiful heirloom tomato.   Continue reading

{cherryfest!}

24 Jul

this foto is from the archives…

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circa 2003 – captured at a farmers market in san jose, california.

{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