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{natural insomnia aid : audrey michelle’s tart cherry tonic}

a little secret about me : i have battled with insomnia for about half my life.

i’ve gone back and forth in my head — “claiming it” by owning it and being honest {as i’ve done here}, invoking the law of attraction by saying “i sleep great!” – both seem to have the same effect… i’ve tried melatonin, valerian root and other random herbs, about 5 different kinds of mattresses, yoga, prayer, meditation, sleepy tea, alcohol, and a variety of other remedies to help in my battle. i even tried some feng shui to encourage the right energy during bedtime… i tried one or two prescription drugs but absolutely hated the side-effects and the dopey feeling the next day… one of them even gave me wacky lucid dreams, almost nightmares… i once tried to “donate my body to science” by participating in an insomnia-related study, but i didn’t qualify because i hadn’t tried enough prescription drugs… over-the-counter remedies help in the short-term, but that stuff is so bad for your liver and i also worried about dependency… i have to board up my windows and sleep with a mask usually, and that is in part due to my late work hours… i know i’m reasonably young but i’m not getting any younger and i’m at that age where this kind of crap is super important to me now. i don’t need to get 8-10 hours every night, but what i do need is to STAY asleep during the night.

enter the title of this blog… Continue reading →

Tags: audrey michelle, bedtime drinks, cherries, DIY, drink the rainbow, drinks, food, home remedies, insomnia, natural, natural cures, natural medicine, product reviews, recipes, sleep, sleep aides, tart cherries

Comments 18 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{pretty purple artichokes}

6 Jun

why are artichokes so amazing?!?!?!?!!!!!!

and beautiful?!?!?!?!!!!!!

i bought a handful of these little purple ones the other day… Continue reading →

Tags: artichokes, audrey michelle, beautiful food, cooking, eating, food, food is cool, food photography, photography, produce, purple artichokes, seasonal, seasonal produce

Comments 2 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{meatless mondays – pretty rainbow chard}

3 Jun

prior to sauteing up a healthy batch of beautiful rainbow chard {i make mine with a little EVOO and diced shallots}, i like to sit back and admire the colours and patterns this wonderful vegetable creates…

puts a whole new meaning to “eat the rainbow” eh?!

😉 Continue reading →

Tags: chard, color, colour, colourful, cooking, eat the rainbow, eating, food, health, healthy, healthy eating, meatless monday, rainbow chard, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 2 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{vitamix juice w/ dates, pears, green lettuce}

31 May

i threw a lot of random stuff in this one…. {choosing organic where possible}

– 1 small clementine, peeled

– 1/2 pear, stems and seeds included

– 2 pitted dates

– a few banana slices

– handful of romain lettuce

– orange juice

– almond milk

– some raw protein powder

you just never know what colour to expect… but the taste is always amazing!

i’m a huge fan of using dates for sweetening. usually all you need is one or two per 12 oz. serving. they are inexpensive and the vitamix can handle it! just make sure to buy pitted dates! the lettuce flavour was a little stronger in this compared to good ol’ spinach, but i had run out so i had to replace *something* green… 😉

have a great weekend!

Tags: blenders, blending, cleansing, drinks, fasting, food, healthy, juice, juicing, organic, organics, recipes, vegan, vegetarian, vitamix

Comments 2 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie

{balsamic bellavitano cheese}

30 May

sooooo – my stats have suddenly started dropping lately. i don’t really want to focus on it too much, but i find it odd that out of nowhere, i’m getting less and less “likes” when for a good while there i was getting more and more and people were finding and following my blog… i just find it odd… any insight you all may have is appreciated.

meanwhile, i’m going to keep writing amazing blogs. i love doing it for me, but i also do this as i hope to inspire others to try new foods and recipes and to create their own! food is fun.

this blog is about another specialty cheese that i discovered at whole foods market a couple weeks ago called balsamic bellavitano. it is one of the most delicious cheeses i’ve ever had – and i’ve tried a lot of cheeses! this is a reserve cheese with a little nuttiness and hints of fruit in the flavour. i love how they wrap it in special paper…

… just makes it so fun to open up 🙂 Continue reading →

Tags: audrey michelle, cheese, eating, food, food and foto, food photography, photography, Specialty Cheese, specialty foods

Comments 7 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{ways artichokes are like humans}

14 May

it’s artichoke season!!!

and thank goodness for that!!!! i wrote a blog or two about them last spring… i just love these beautiful babies. although they do take an awful lot of work to prepare for such a little amount of actual flesh… it’s SO worth it – the scrumptiousness waiting inside doesn’t quite compare to any other…

it got me thinking about how artichokes are kind of like us, like humans…

i know you may be chuckling thinking how the heck can i be like a green pokey vegetable?! well… the way i see it –

an artichoke looks like a flower.

just like us 🙂 Continue reading →

Tags: artichokes, audrey michelle, blogging, cooking, eating, food, food is cool, food photography, life, love, organics, photography, photos, produce, seasonal eating, seasonal produce, thoughts, universe, words, writing

Comments 3 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{grilled cheese and tomato sammy featuring sauteed spring ramps}

13 May

hey – how was your weekend?

i feel like mine was full of epiphanies. i feel like i turned over a new leaf. maybe it’s because i really feel like spring has ACTUALLY finally sprung here in colorado. we had snow to kick off the month of may, and last week was our “spring” full of rain – now we are in the 80s. so typical.

i feel like new life is here and with it, new ways of looking at it. i’ll dive into that more later… for now, let’s talk about baby leeks – AKA “ramps”…

when i see ramps showing up in the produce section, i know spring is here! Continue reading →

Tags: baby leeks, cooking, easy, eating, food, food is cool, produce, ramps, recipes, sammys, sandwiches, seasonal, seasonal produce, simple, specialty produce, spring, vegetarian

Comments 5 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{super cool sea beans}

8 May

i’m going to bet not many of you have seen these little guys. in all my 9 years of being around specialty produce, this was a first for me. i like to look over the produce section this time of year and see “what’s new.” that’s how i discovered kohlrabi…

Continue reading →

Tags: colorful, cooking, cool, eating, food, food is cool, fun with food, produce, recipes, sea asparagus, sea beans, seasonal produce, specialty produce, unique food, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Comments 4 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{fabulous flax seeds}

7 May

once upon a time not long ago – for like four months, i was a pretty strict vegan. i just wanted to try it out… see how i felt. i will do it again, for sure – but for the most part, i just eat what my body tells me to and sometimes that includes organic, humane animal products.

when i was eating vegan i wondered how to get my omegas in my diet because i noticed when i took fish oil it gave me heartburn and i didn’t like the way it tasted. i haven’t gone back to fish oil since discovering flax oil. now – it’s not anything new to me, i’ve always known about flax… i just didn’t supplement with it until recently when it was suggested to me that i take it versus the fish oil.

omegas are good for our hair, skin, nails, heart, blood, and brain… among many other things. they help us stay “lubricated” and give our skin a lovely glow. i take flax oil by the capsule daily, but i love being able to buy the whole seeds in bulk such as this…. Continue reading →

Tags: cleansing, colorful, drink the rainbow, drinks, easy, flax seeds, food, health, healthy, heart-healthy, juice, juicing, omegas, recipes, simple, vegan, vegetarian, vitamix

Comments 10 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{meatless mondays : seasonal english peas simmered in a san marzano sauce}

6 May

a co-worker suggested i try this recipe when i said, “what should i do with the delicious english peas i bought today?”

it’s a pretty basic recipe – with a special ingredient of cinnamon… which i must admit, i don’t really ever use in my cooking – unless a recipe specifically calls for it. i don’t keep in the pantry or anything… although, i am really wanting an organic spice rack – should anyone be wondering what to randomly gift me 🙂

what i love about this recipe is the simplicity – and i was surprised at how nicely the cinnamon complimented the overall dish. the key is always adding a little at a time… the rice also brought the dish together – i used simple jasmine rice for this dish. i like the texture and flavour.

ingredients :

– organic authentic san marzano tomatoes {canned}

– fresh garlic

– olive oil

– ground cinnamon

– basmati or jasmine rice Continue reading →

Tags: colorful cooking, cooking, easy, eating, english peas, food, food photography, healthy, healthy eating, light, meatless monday, recipes, san marzano tomatoes, seasonal produce, simple, vegan, vegetarian

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{heart-shaped world volume 3}

3 May

if i stop and pay attention – i notice that love follows me everywhere i go.

the most interesting things seem to form themselves into a heart…

like chipped paint on a wall…

lots of heart-shaped rocks… Continue reading →

Tags: audrey michelle, blogging, cool, foto friday, fotography, fotos, heart-shaped world, hearts, iphone photography, iphoneography, life, love, photography, photos, pictures, shake-it app

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Categories the food

{drink the rainbow! – chartreuse vitamix smoothie}

30 Apr

this one is SUPER yum and i just love the colour!!! another great post-workout drink!

– frozen mangos {about 1/4 cup}

– frozen pineapple {about 1/4 cup}

– frozen bananas {about 1/4 cup}

– coconut milk {about 1 cup}

– splash of orange juice

– handful of fresh spinach

– a couple pitted dates

– sprinkle in some golden flax seeds

i’ve somehow almost got it down to a magical science now- that whatever i put in my vitamix makes *just enough* for this glass jar i drink out of {which i believe is about 12 ounces}:

isn’t that colour awesome?!?!

Tags: blending, chartreuse, cleansing, color, colorful, colour, drink, drink the rainbow, easy, food, health, healthy, juice, juicing, recipes, simple, smoothie, vegan, vegetarian, vitamix

Comments 3 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{miss L’s farm fresh eggs}

29 Apr

nothing says “spring” quite like fresh eggs.

i feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have eggs “gifted” to me from time to time…

one of my co-workers has chickens… and she shares her eggs with some of us when she has a bounty…

she’s given them to me several times now… Continue reading →

Tags: classic recipes, comfort food, cooking, easy, eating, eggs, farm eggs, farm-fresh, farming, food, fresh, recipes, simple, spring, vegetarian

Comments 5 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{missing NYC – cherry blossoms, the perfect portrait accessory}

26 Apr

i’m reminiscing about brisk spring foto shoots in central park like the one with this beautiful couple from singapore…

cherry blossoms just reek of spring – quite literally! 😉

and i think we are finally entering spring here in colorado – even though it’s doubtful i’ll see any of these here! warmer temps are expected for our weekend, though – and i look forward to going for a walk by the lake, working in the garden, and having a smoothie outside on the patio. i hope yours is filled with warmer temps also – among other delicious things!

Tags: audrey michelle, central park, cherry blossoms, fotos, love, manhattan, new york, new york city, nyc, photography, photos, portraits, portraiture, pretty, spring

Comments 1 Comment
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{i heart the vitamix!}

25 Apr

this post is probably going to sound like a sales pitch or something – whatever! i love love love my vitamix!

a hefty pricetag, i agree – but oh oh OH so worth it!!

i use mine every day, and i find new ways to use it and it never gets old… Continue reading →

Tags: blenders, blending, cooking, eating, food, food photography, juicing, kitchen, kitchen appliances, vitamix

Comments 16 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{kohlrabi is cool!}

24 Apr

meet kohlrabi. i tried this yummy vegetable about a year ago when it first showed up in the produce department. it’s super-cool-looking for one, and it turns out it’s rather delicious and good for you! kohlrabi contains loads of vitamin c as well as some fiber and potassium. mostly i love the fun texture and the leaves are actually really good as well, so i saute them as a side… Continue reading →

Tags: cooking, easy, eating, food, healthy, healthy eating, kohlrabi, recipes, simple, specialty produce, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 4 Comments
Categories the food

{drink the rainbow! – clementine creamsicle vitamix juice}

23 Apr

this is super delicious, as you can imagine!!

my only issue with this drink right now is that i want one, and yet it’s snowing outside, so it’s just kinda weird… have i mentioned how i’m so beyond ready for spring?!? – even though technically it ought to be here by now…! sigh…

for this creation, i used some clementines i bought in a bag and just pre-peeled some for smoothies and snacking…

– clementines {about 3/4 cup}
– coconut milk {about 3/4 cup}
– ice

blend on high until desired consistency is reached and ENJOY!
coconut milk is wonderfully creamy and makes drinks like this extra delicious and frothy.

Tags: blending, color, colourful, creamsicle, drink the rainbow, drinking, drinks, easy, food, health, healthy, in the kitchen, juice, juicing, simple, simple recipes, smoothies, vegan, vegetarian, vitamix

Comments 13 Comments
Categories the food

{parsnip lovers}

18 Apr

i *just had to* snap a foto of these two parsnips that grew together like this…

they came apart, but went right back together.

one of the coolest things i’ve seen produce do, yet!!!!

LOVE!

Tags: blogging, cool, food, food photography, fun, iphone photography, iphoneography, life, love, nature, Nature is cool, Parsnips, photography, produce, shake-it app, Soul-mates

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{not the prettiest vitamix juice on the planet…}

17 Apr

but a damn good-tasting one! and good for you, too!

the recipe is something like…

– frozen mixed berries {1/4 cup}

– frozen mango {1/4 cup}

– frozen pineapple {1/4 cup or less}

– frozen banana {a few cut pieces}

– a few dates {pitted}

– 1/4 apple of choice

– fresh kale {about 1/4 cup}

– orange juice {about a 1/2 cup}

– almond milk {about a 1/2 cup}

– ground flax seeds

…or just wing it like i do and get a different creation each time! 😉

Tags: cleansing, colorful, detoxing, drink the rainbow, drinks, eating, food, health, healthy, healthy drinks, juice, juicing, recipes, vitamix

Comments 1 Comment
Categories the food

{meatless mondays – kaniwa endive “boats” featuring spring-welcoming english peas}

15 Apr

happy {meatless} monday everyone!

these are SO SO SO SO SO GOOD! i planned on just eating a few and saving some for lunch the next day, but i ended up devouring the whole batch in under 5 minutes! so delicious!

i’ve introduced you to kaniwa a few times now… and this is one of my new favourite things to do with it!

i am all about texture – i love it in both food and foto. kaniwa has plenty of texture and the most fun little crunch. you know how quinoa has that little “pop” kind of crunch going on?! – well kaniwa is like that but it’s much smaller and it’s just so fun to eat! i also love belgian endive for that reason – fun to eat and TEXTURE! so, when i combined the two in this recipe, my taste buds and senses were dancing because it was just so completely delicious and enjoyable! and healthy and simple and easy and all of those things i like to promote here at food and foto dot com!

so without further ado, here is a recipe that’s great as an hors d’oeuvres, snack, light dinner, fun brunch… or blog-worthy dish 😉

another amazing item i will have to blog about again soon – english peas. there are only a few other produce items that make me think of spring like english peas do. i’m trying to encourage it to hurry and get here – we are due for more snow this week, blast! i know we need the moisture, but i just wanna wear flip flops and t-shirts already!

i digress –

ingredients {makes about 8-10 “boats”}:

– 1 medium-sized belgian endive

– 1/4 cup tomato, chopped

– handful of fresh english peas, shelled

– 1 cup kaniwa {you do not need to rinse it}

– about 2 tablespoons honey {preferably local}

– pat of your favourite butter {or substitute} Continue reading →