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{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…

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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!

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{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!

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

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

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{parsnip lovers}

18 Apr

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

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they came apart, but went right back together.

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

LOVE!

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

15 Apr

happy {meatless} monday everyone!

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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 😉

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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 →

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{homemade applesauce – vitamix style!}

12 Apr

as we know, i’m all about DIY in the kitchen.

between skyrocketing food prices and the need for healthy, organic, fresh food – i have to find a balance so that i can still continue eating well, but also still afford to pay rent 😉 – and honestly, owning a vitamix has helped tremendously in that arena.  even though it was a steep investment initially – it’s actually helping me save money by making a lot of things at home!

for example, this homemade applesauce.  i did make some once a while back with my potato latkes.  but i hadn’t tried it with the vitamix, yet.

applesauce isn’t something i just go out and buy.  in fact, i’m not actually much of a fan of apples. i love the flavour and i love apple juice, but i just have never been one to eat handheld fruits.  i’m more apt to eat grapes, mangos, berries, and bite-size typed fruits.  it’s just one of those idiosyncrasies of mine… i’ll eat apple slices with some nut butter, that’s more my style 😉 oorrrrr, this delicious applesauce…

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and whoa – was it easy to make!

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step 1.  buy some apples.

i opted for honeycrisp because they were on sale and approaching the end of their season… plus, these were super cute and smaller than most.  have you noticed how BIG apples are getting lately?!  it’s just not natural… i’m like “i can’t eat that in one sitting!” haha.  these honeycrisps were perfectly-sized and came in a 3-pound bag. Continue reading →

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{champagne mangos — it’s like making-out with a piece of fruit!}

11 Apr

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have you ever had a champagne mango?

not quite the same as your common mango, which are typically more oval-shaped with green and red hues to the skin.  champagne mangos start off green, but are yellow when ripe…

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the champagne mango is shaped almost like a tear-drop or in some ways to me it is shaped more like a nut…

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fun with shapes… 😉

champagne mangos originate from mexico… and they are just heavenly. Continue reading →

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{drink the rainbow! – “pineapple island dream” vitamix juice}

10 Apr

another good one… i’m hoping all of these tropical-type drinks will convince nicer weather to stick around, instead of more snow!  {we got another 6 inches or so here in colorado – boo!}

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– frozen pineapple

– fresh mango

– fresh kiwi

– coconut milk

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and if you want, throw in a little frozen banana…

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this one is a nice balance of sweet and tart, it’s very refreshing, and makes me want to be on the beach!!

and it also needs a little umbrella…

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{drink the rainbow! – “strawberry sunrise” vitamix juice}

8 Apr

i LOVE this one!

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– fresh strawberries

– frozen pineapple

– 1/4 frozen banana

– coconut water

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*glug glug* – what a pretty colour! cheers!

side-note : i use frozen bananas because i believe it takes over the flavour too much when using fresh, plus it’s a cheap way to save overripe bananas.  just chop ’em up and freeze ’em. then you can use a little at a time.  some things are just better fresh, and others work fine frozen – like berries or pineapple.  last week i just happen to catch fresh strawberries on sale, so i hooked it up!  plus, mixing it up with frozen and fresh helps the smoothie stay cold.  if you want to use only fresh ingredients, just make sure to throw in a little ice 🙂

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{the perfect garlic and a pretty heirloom tomato}

3 Apr

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just perfect.

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so pretty.

cook ’em up …and put ’em on something… and eat ’em…  a lot!

because this is one kickass combo for health! and tomatoes are more bioavailable when cooked – did you know that? so what that means is your body absorbs more of the nutrients when cooked versus raw.  lycopene is a big one we know of with tomatoes, but this also applies for foods that are in that same colour family {oranges, yellows}… like red peppers, carrots, corn, etc… there is actually way more lycopene in tomato paste than a raw tomato.  fact check me, it’s amazingly true! 🙂

and this is totally why i want a tomato plant of my own very very soon!!!!

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nom nom.

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{homemade dehydrated fruit}

1 Apr

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i need a dehydrator. it just feels like a really good investment to make, and you know me i’m all about DIY in the kitchen! my former roommate let me borrow hers when i was living there, and i became an insta-fan! there’s something about dehydrated fruit – particularly apples – that i just love!

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and these little honeycrisps steal the show, no doubt. Continue reading →

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{sumo citrus!}

28 Mar

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i just love seasonal produce.  i love looking forward to something…

we are so spoiled – especially in the US – to get food whenever we want it… including produce.  and it baffles me when people complain about the taste of blueberries in january.

anyway – this is one piece of amazing produce that you can only get your hands on at select markets for about a month or so out of the year, usually beginning mid to late february.  they are called sumo citrus.  and they are completely out of this world!!

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i know what you’re thinking… “that looks kind of like a clementine, i’ve had clementines… i love them!”  well, i love them, too.  but this is not a clementine or a cutie or a tangerine or anything you’ve ever had that’s orange… unless, of course… you HAVE had one… 😉 {have you?!}

it’s the most amazing piece of citrus i have ever eaten.  for real. Continue reading →

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{what is that?! – romanesco}

26 Mar

have you ever seen this amazing vegetable?!?!

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if you have spotted it before in the produce department, you may not have even known it was edible…

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it kind of looks like something that grows on mars, right?! 😉

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considered part of the broccoli family, romanesco is somewhat of a misnomer, because it’s actually part of the cauliflower family and should be cooked as such… Continue reading →

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{fantastic freshly-cracked parmigiano reggiano}

25 Mar

i’m starting a cleanse this week.  i’ll write about it next week so stay tuned! for this week, i thought i’d feature a few things that i super enjoy on a special level. i eat about 80-90% vegan.  i’m not strict about it, but i just try to eat as healthy, local, raw, organic, and seasonal as i possibly can…

but, every now and again, i just love to indulge.

i eat really really good food pretty much all the time, and i am grateful for that.  once in a while there are those things i just really look forward to… a fresh-cracked wedge of official parmigiano reggiano is one of those things for me.  i’m not talking the parm you sprinkle on your pizza from the bottle or tub, i’m talking this thing has only been in contact with open air for less than 24 hours.  i’m talking about a piece of cheese that is so unbelievably FRESH, flavours linger from it that absolutely blow your mind.

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i’m talking about this specialty item from whole foods market.

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i’m talking about parmigiano reggiano.

Continue reading →

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{light and fresh quinoa pasta}

21 Mar

happy first day of spring!  i got the fever, do you?!

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it seems like everywhere i look, i read and hear more about gluten-free products.  i have opinions about wheat and gluten and the heightened sensitivity sweeping our nation, but i’ll save them for a day when i decide to get on my soapbox again…

while i am not aware of any sensitivity to gluten personally, i have to admit i like eating gluten-free pasta a lot these days.  it’s much lighter compared to regular pasta and i just find it to be a great any-time food because of that. excellent for the spring season, as it’s waist-line approved!

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i am in love with this pasta from ancient harvest.  it’s made mostly from quinoa and corn.  i love their products – i also buy their polenta.  they use non-gmo corn and it’s also organic… and as i mentioned, gluten-free!  those are three big pluses in a packaged product for me! Continue reading →

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{ugli fruit AKA “uniq fruit”}

19 Mar

have you ever seen or heard of an ugli fruit?!

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this is an ugli fruit.  also known as “uinq” fruit, because apparently the name “ugli” wasn’t very PC.

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i mean, either way i think it’s beautiful. look at that colour!

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ugli {uniq} fruit is from jamaica and is similar to a grapefruit.  it’s more like a pomelo but the skin isn’t quite as thick.  the flesh of an ugly fruit is super sweet and juicy.  i add mine in smoothies as well as eat them as a snack. when throwing it into my vitamix, i keep the white part included – it’s loaded with extra fiber.  or just juice it – yummy!

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the tree that produces this fruit has been around since the early 1900s!  their season is just about over, so grab yours today!  you can find ugli fruit at many health food stores like whole foods market nationwide.

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{post-st. paddy’s day green health tonic}

18 Mar

this juice may help with any post-st-paddys-day feelings of lethargy… hey – no judgement, but if you had maybe one too many green beers to celebrate, this drink will help you recover and feel replenished! 🙂

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– 1/2 apple

– 1/2 pear

– 1/2 frozen banana

– few frozen pineapple chunks

– one or two dates to sweeten {or honey}

– almond milk

– orange juice

– LOADS of spinach – gives it that pretty colour, but you can hardly taste it.

i also put a smidgen of my green powder mix in to boost the nutrients…

throw in the blender {vitamix is my bff} for a minute or so and chug it down!

and it feels so good to be back! taking even a week or two off from blogging felt so weird. but it gave me time to adjust to my new apartment and learn my way around my new kitchen.  i can’t wait to show you guys my new stove/oven… it’s so retro!  i’m switching things up a bit too – no more rigid monday through friday titled posts – just blogs about things i love to eat, things i see, and things i feel.  i will still share recipes and photos, but the format will be different.  i found myself getting a little too obsessed with coming up with new recipes all the time… food and foto will be more like a diary of some of my favourite things – to include recipes, photos, and life experiences.  PLUS – i’m going to have a small garden this year – so watch for info on that! i also want to talk about astrology and energy.  things are changing, a shift is happening and i believe it’s vital to talk about what we are experiencing, as it continues to unfold rapidly!

thank you as always for reading and for your dedication and support!

have a wonderful day!

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happy birthday, food and foto!

11 Mar

today is food and foto dot com’s first birthday!  woohoo!  i’m making my favourite snack, amazeballs, in celebration and instead of cake. 🙂

on this day in 2012, i created a wordpress website and turned it into a dot com.  food and foto was created with the idea of educating readers on healthy eating options as well as sharing my passion for fotography.  it has since molded into a collaboration of recipes, ramblings, and images from my canon.  with over 220 posts, i must say this blog has transformed into such a fun and healthy outlet for me to share the things i love most.  i am humbled by the amount of support from the wordpress community, and i am honoured to have as many followers as i do. my dream is to see this blog transform into a lifestyle blog that inspires people to create.  i enjoy cooking and sharing recipes, but i also enjoy sharing information about overall health and wellness… and living a simple life.  and since i’ve become rather good at manifesting, i’ll just throw this out there –

my dream is to make this my FULL TIME JOB!  and it can happen!

and so, now i am brainstorming new ways to tailor this blog into something slightly different.  i like consistency, but i am also a huge proponent for change and i think it’s important to keep things fresh.  so i’m working behind the scenes over the next few days, coming up with new ideas for this ever-growing blog, food and foto dot com.

let’s reflect for a moment, shall we?

i believe i’ve come a long way since my first post…

and in case you missed it, here’s my first recipe blogpost…

one of the most delicious recipes i created was this…

although – it has a very close tie with this…

okay, you may want to try this, and this, and this, too…

alright – and no doubt, you may want to throw a party just to make these…

one of my favourite blogs i’ve ever written is right here…

and speaking of cleansing, people always ask about my 5-day DIY version…

but don’t get me wrong, i’ll put away about a dozen of these, as well…

it’s all about balance, really. balance, and this…

i also sometimes get all philosophical and talk about stuff like this…

and don’t forget – i do a lot of other things with my camera – see?!

i want to thank you ALL from the depths of my soul for being an avid reader, for following and taking time to comment, and for making me really feel like part of a community!  you are my muse, the reason{s} i keep this up, the fire i need to stay inspired.  YOU, my faithful readers — you know i do this for you, right?!  i do it for me because i love it, but i do it for you because you appreciate it.

so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOOD AND FOTO!

here’s to many many more years of health, food, and fotos!  xxoo

 

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{whatever wednesday} — pause.

6 Mar

even though i REALLY don’t want to, i’m taking a little time off from blogging to get acquainted with my new kitchen and attached apartment 😉

also doing a lot of self-reflecting and working on a way to celebrate foodandfoto.com’s first birthday this month!  i am considering making a few changes around here as well, so stay tuned.

wishing you all a wonderful day, week, and weekend!  xxoo

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{thirsty thursday} — vitamix juice w/ grapefruit, spinach, and apples

28 Feb

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super healthy drink with fiber, vitamin c, iron, calcium, antioxidants, and loads of other goodness!

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– frozen mixed berries

– whole apple {honeycrisp is my pick, seeds and stems included}

– baby spinach

– grapefruit

– grape juice

– orange juice

– almond milk

and i always add in a little protein powder and ground flax seeds.

then let the amazing vitamix do its thing – amaze.

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{meatless monday} — a very delicious repost

25 Feb

i was super lazy this weekend – we got about 14 inches of snow here in colorado.  all i have been doing is eating comfort food and watching a felicity marathon.  so i admit i didn’t prepare a meatless monday recipe for today… though, i really want to make some of these soon…

i’ve posted about these yummy zucchini pizza strips before… but i’ve been craving them, so i wanted to {re}share… they are SO GOOD!

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Continue reading →

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