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{try-me tuesday} — a seckel pear

4 Dec

the truth is, i like to switch it up a little.  if you were looking forward to a “travel tuesday” post, fret not – for there will be plenty others to come. i just have a good backlog of food fotos at this point and i want to share some of these before their season is over 🙂

i love trying new foods and whenever i’m in the produce department and i spot something new, i grab it up.  the beautiful seckel pear was my latest first.

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i love the colour!  they are smaller than a normal pear and tend to blossom into this burgundy colour as they ripen… Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} — creamy mashed “yamtatoes”

3 Dec

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who says you can only have ONE kind of mashed potato at once?!  well, maybe nobody said that, but i’m breaking that rule anyway.  sometimes my mashed potatoes just aren’t sweet enough, i need something else in them. well wait a minute… this other potato over here is even named “sweet” – why can’t i mix the two together?!  well, you CAN audrey, you so can.

plus you know me, i love my dishes to have lots of colour! Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday} — “vitamix breakfast cookies” and another vitamix smoothie

29 Nov

these are always always always a hit.  i’m not much of a baker, but when i find something that is easy to make and that people like, i try to create it into my own.  i have yet to quite create the perfect consistency for these {i’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to anything i make or do}, but i do think i found the right name for them.  the ingredients are so simple and healthy that you could literally eat them for breakfast – and not feel at all guilty about it!! they are also great for holiday parties or after school snacks. a good source of dietary fiber and protein as well as healthy fats. Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} — meet the latest in supergrains : kaniwa

26 Nov

i discovered this grain in the bulk section.  i’m always looking for new grains to try… i’m not much on rice, i’m kind of burnt out on cous cous, and quinoa can be expensive and a pain to have to rinse every time.  kaniwa is fairly new to the united states, and therefore not a lot of nutritional information is yet available on it.  however, according to this site, it is high in protein much like its quinoa cousin.  kaniwa does not contain saponins like quinoa does, and therefore it does not have to be soaked or rinsed prior to cooking.

kaniwa is so itsy bitsy – a tiny little grain with a big earthy taste.  according to what i’ve read, kaniwa is best served as a porridge, with butter and maple syrup.  so that’s exactly how i prepared it. Continue reading →

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{foto friday} — a single gal’s thanksgiving dinner

23 Nov

as i mentioned yesterday, it was my birthday.  which means today i am officially 33 years old.

woot.

i was a slug all day, it was beautiful.  i did all the things on my list and even got to take a soothing hot bath last night.  i swear – some epsom salts and running hot water will cure what ails ya!  not that i was ailed, but i did work 7 days straight and sometimes it just feels amazing to soak your muscles and warm your bones… you know?!

anyway, my brother came over for dinner and all i did was heat it up – thanks to whole foods market and their pre-made thanksgiving platter for one. i grabbed two of them and put it all in a baking dish :

all the fixins’ were there.  i made the yam myself, i have to have them included in my spread.

WFM also provided the delicious pumpkin pie, but i was too dazed at that point to mess with any foto equipment.  just know that every morsel was scrumptious!  every bite was divine. and since neither of us finished our plates, i have unexpected leftovers!

i’m so thankful for all the delicious food i get to experience every day.  i’m beyond thankful for that, actually.  i feel so connected to the food i eat, i just feel so blessed to have access to it.  i’m thankful for a kind heart, a sound mind, good judgement, a healthy body, a handful of loving friends and family, sweet cats, a caring roommate, and “enough” to get by…

and last night, for my first order of 33-year old business, i meditated under the stars and sent some more healing love to the planet… ’cause we need it!

let the holidays officially begin!

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{thirsty thursday} — happy thanksbirthday, to me!

22 Nov

it’s thanksgiving.  but more importantly, it’s on my birthday this year.

i have so much to be thankful for.  this has been an unbelievably transforming year for me, and i have much to reflect on and celebrate! i plan to take it easy and do whatever i want… and you can guarantee i’ll be EATING today!

here’s the menu : Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday} — mini-eggs florentine w/ a twist and my first vitamix smoothie!!

15 Nov

i’m really pleased with how cute and delicious these little treats turned out.

half the time i plan my meals and half the time i wing it with stuff i have around the kitchen.  only on occasion has that not worked out for me.  my roommate usually eats whatever i make anyway because he’s a wonderful guy, but there have been some creations even i had to pass up because it just didn’t turn out good.  haha – but i grab a spatula, put the apron back on anyway and try again 🙂

this time, it turned out brilliant.  didn’t see how it wouldn’t, either.  when you start with a basic classically good recipe, you can pretty much bet it’ll taste terrific.  these were no exception.

Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday} — batch cooking

14 Nov

okay…

this week has been epic for me.  why? you ask… well, i’ll sum it up in my usual cryptic style :

i’m transforming and it’s really kind of kicking my ass. and as some of you may know, i’m a huge astrology buff, and boy is there some major stuff going on up in those beautiful stars… and it’s totally changing my life!  good stuff, but also a lot of purging.  i’ve been meditating longer than normal, and it actually takes a lot out of me, physically.  which is fine because i’m manifesting some BIG changes that need to occur.  i started to blog about it and realized it was a little heavy for some… so maybe i’ll open those doors again later, but for now we’ll stick to the basics – food and fotos. meanwhile, i’ll continue to lovingly work on this planet from behind the scenes…

you’re welcome.

so, having said all that – i bought a car recently and that means reconfiguring my food budget a little.  it’s a good thing, because it kind of forces me to do what i always said i liked doing anyway… batch cooking ahead of time and packing my lunch for work 4-5 days a week.  it’s so easy to spend 5, 10, 15 dollars a day at work just buying food on-the-go and i’ve found i spend half my breaks just buying food.  so, why not plan ahead, save some money, AND save time in the long run… you know how we roll here at food and foto, we KISS – Keep It Seriously Simple.

i’ll just give myself 3-4 hours on my day off in the kitchen and just work my pots and pans out!  i throw on some music or some bad TV in the background, pour a mimosa, and plan my meals for the week.

Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday} – homemade roasted pumpkin seeds w/ a belgian tripel

1 Nov

hope you all had a safe and happy halloween!  i just LOVE this time of year, don’t you?!  i love being in the kitchen more than normal… and i love busting out my crockpot… and i’m even more eager to bust out my vitamix!!  i will be doing that this weekend when i am basically a personal chef for my best friends in the rockies 🙂

i also love making my own pumpkin seeds.  they are one of my favourite snacks, and when pumpkins are on sale –  so what better time to make some?!  i paid 2 bucks for my pumpkins on a one-day sale.  i would say these average sized pumpkins yield about 2-3 cups of seeds – that’s a decent value! Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} – another spaghetti squash meal

29 Oct

look at that colourful plate!

i heart vegetables.  i especially heart spaghetti squash, it’s seriously one of my favourites!  and it’s hard to get it all year round, but i try anyway.  right now is the best time to buy it – totally in season, and they are HUGE.  i like that there is usually a variety in size with spaghetti squash… i typically buy a smaller one just for myself and my roommate, although it is still very good as leftovers, so make extra if you want!

i also realized, when browsing through previous posts to make sure i wasn’t duplicating this one, that i eat a lot of tomatoes.  i mean, A LOT!  i cook them, which i’ve read is actually better than eating them raw because they are more bioavailable that way. in other words, your body uses the nutrients more effectively because they are cooked… i don’t fully understand it all, but this fact i found online was interesting :

Lycopene, the antioxidant found in tomatoes in large quantities, is located in cell walls. Cooking tomatoes releases lycopene to do its work. A combined analysis of 21 studies published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention showed that men who ate the highest amounts of raw tomatoes had an 11% reduction in risk for prostate cancer. Those eating the most cooked tomato products fared even better: their prostate cancer risk was reduced by 19%.

so – hooray for cooked tomatoes! Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday} — an update.

24 Oct

hello you wonderful faithful readers, you!

I MISS YOU!  i missed blogging.  i was away for the weekend, and although i had created some drafts of blogs to post, my internet connection wasn’t as reliable as i would’ve preferred, so i didn’t even write a {meatless monday} this week and i feel like i have so much to share with you all!

well, not really.  i mean, kind of.  i just missed blogging.

i’m sick – i almost always manage to get some kind of head cold or sinus infection pretty much every time i travel. i’m used to it, i always got sinus infections when i was younger.  whatever, it’s not a big deal – the word “infection” kind of freaks people out, i think. but it’s really something i’m kind of used to when i fly… i can avoid it if i’m proactive, but these past couple of weeks were like a whirlwind!  anyway, it’s just that i don’t always do my neti-pot lately and i’m sure that would’ve helped prevent this icky feeling. but i will kick its ass, don’t worry. Continue reading →

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{travel tuesday} — ttfn, NYC

23 Oct

see you later, new york… you sexy little crazy wild and hardcore vixen, you.

until next time… xxoo

 

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{thirsty thursday} — pasta primavera w/ a local oktoberfest lager

18 Oct

if you’ve been a reader for a bit, you probably know by now that i do not often cook pasta.  i am getting better, but for the longest time it just seemed like i couldn’t make a decent pasta dish to save my life.

mostly, i just throw together stuff in my fridge and call it a “primavera” — and i’ve been on this kick where i just make my own sauce fresh every time i make a pasta dish or spaghetti squash dish.  i’m all about things in one pan… make it easy! Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday} — a gentle reminder…

17 Oct

a sweet message from my morning yogi tea – “let your heart guide you”  — and this is why i drink yogi tea… it tastes amazing, they use organic ingredients, AND – they leave you little reminders for your spirit.

i am especially grateful for my morning tea today… and for all the love the universe showers me with.  sometimes it’s hard to hear/feel your heart clearly speak to you amidst all the noise of every day life.  but if you quiet the mind, and {as my spiritual guru would say} crack that chest open and inhale – it’s amazing how much love will flow right through you.  i’m not saying it’s easy, i’m saying it takes lots of practice.  the heart is the 4th chakra, right smack in the middle.  it is the most neutral of our chakras.  it is neutral because it has no opinion, it just is.  the heart is the center, and it only knows love – and love has no opposite, it just IS.  it accepts, it forgives, it doesn’t hold on, and it is free. so be good to you heart, and listen to it more – tell the brain to take the backseat… your heart got this!

and i – i believe in the power of love.

and ya’ll should, too! because… we ARE love.

oNeLoVe

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{meatless monday} – cheesy polenta w/ homemade tomato sauce

15 Oct

i made this dish weeks ago, and have had this blog in queue for a while now… i had quite a collection of blogs to  keep me updating regularly, but i haven’t been cooking much this week and so my recipe backups are all gone now yikes! — see, i had a rather busy week, and another one ahead.  i’m using up what’s in my kitchen to rid my fridge because i leave for a trip to NEW YORK CITY this week!

woo!

but today – today will be spent in front of my computer with WORDPRESS CLOSED so i can focus — i’ll be editing a wedding i had the privilege of fotographing this past weekend amidst the fall foliage and log-cabin backdrop.  it was gorgeous and i can’t wait to share some of the fotos!

in the meantime, here is a simple recipe for a simple side dish… Continue reading →

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{foto friday – seven different kinds of squash}

12 Oct

it’s that time of year.

my goodness do i love autumn!  the leaves, the brisk air, the campfire nights, the comfort foods… i mean, i guess most people don’t consider squash a “comfort food” – but isn’t it, though?!  i mean… in my opinion, if you put something in the oven, it’s comfort food.  haha!  mostly i just mean i think of the aroma that roasting squash in the oven creates in your home… it just screams AUTUMN and COMFORT!

anyway, squash was on sale and i bought all kinds of it.  i wanted to try some varieties i had never tried before.  a few of my favs were in the mix, but i also came out with some i never tasted and i am excited to! Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday} — smashed fingerling potatoes

11 Oct

i have been craving mashed potatoes ever since long before our first frost on october 5th – {what the heck?!} — and i finally made some at home.  you wouldn’t think mashed potoatoes would be a “seasonal” food, but apparently according to some, they are. i tend to think of them as a seasonal-transcendant food, but i also tend to think against the grain – whatever.

typically i use creamer potatoes for my mashed taters, and i use a special kind of butter that leaves every guest asking, “what did you put in those mashed potatoes?!?!?!!!”  i take a lot of pride in making some mean mashed potatoes.  it’s one of my few specialties.  not a super difficult dish by any means, but i do think that i was a potato farmer in a previous life, no doubt… so i pour a lot of my soul into my mashed potatoes.  and as we all know, my soul tastes like butter… 🙂

this time i opted to try something new.  i decided to make “smashed fingerling potatoes” instead.  a slightly different potato, but still a creamier texture.  and i used a different butter.  no matter, it still turned out amazing. Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday} – it’s a new dawn…

10 Oct

it’s a new day… it’s a new life…

colorado has THE BEST sunrises this time of year!!!!!  stay tuned for more…

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{meatless monday} — buttercorn squash soup

8 Oct

i am fully aware that “buttercorn” is not  a word… remember how i like to make up names for my dishes?!  well, this was no exception.

and i’m so fully in autumn mode it’s not even right.  and it’s not just because we got hit with some snow this week.  i’ve been ready now for weeks.  i thrive in the fall, i love this time of year!!  and yes, part of it is because i have a birthday approaching! 🙂  but i just love the food autumn brings.  i’m finally ready to put away the salad fork and bust out the soup spoon more often… i’m ready for root vegetables, squashes, potatoes, yams, and soups!!!!

squash was on sale a couple weeks ago – 10 pounds for 10 dollars.  so i snagged up 3 different kinds – spaghetti, acorn, and butternut.  i always use my spaghetti squash as pasta, so i knew what to do with that… and i was going to try to make the butternut squash as soup anyway – then i thought, well why can’t i just use BOTH kinds of squash in the soup?!

and so i did. Continue reading →

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{foto friday} — three nails photography

5 Oct

the truth is : i’ve been a semi-stalker/fan-extraordinaire of this guy’s work for only a few months since i randomly found this image on pinterest :

i dare to say it’s one of the most stunning portrait images i have EVER seen in my life!  i wouldn’t change a thing about it.  every little detail is perfect. his stance, the basket, her grip on it, her 2 creeping visible fingers caressing his neck, THE LIGHT!, the obviously amazing wind in her cape, the composition…  just beautiful.

here are a few more samples of the uber-talented hunter’s work… Continue reading →

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