Archive | the foto RSS feed for this section

{volcanic garlic – beautiful, incredible, delicious, nutritious…}

19 Jul

…shall i continue?!

volcanicgarlic-1

i first discovered this beautiful goodness from mudd’s harvest at the arvada farmers market

volcanicgarlic-3

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…

goodjuju-1

good juju is brewed with ginger – a unique one for sure!  it compliments spicy snacks rather well…

colette-1

colette is a wonderfully bright and bubbly farmhouse ale that finishes like champagne, with a high alcohol content…

firerockpaleale-1

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!

newbelgiumloft-1

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.

{some rainy-day pics}

16 Jul

just celebrating the rain we’ve been getting this week with a few fotos :

leafdrops-1

mdcows-1 mountainclouds-1 rain-1 Matt and Emily's Wedding

{healthy snack options – quick and easy kale chips}

15 Jul

easykalechips-1

one of my favourite snacks – grab a head of kale and break up into “chip” size pieces… then rinse, sprinkle on oil of your choice {i stick with EVOO, but coconut oil is great, too!} and then smother in nutritional yeast.  i use a bag and shake it up really well, then add more on top just before baking in the oven @ 350 degrees until crisp…

easykalechips-2

they don’t last long… and they are great on top of salads, soups, or just as they are!

 

{foto friday : more kitty yoga}

12 Jul

the first time i captured callee on my yoga mat, she kinda posed for me

calleeyoga-2

this time she was extra wiggly… movin’ all around on that thing, and bustin’ out poses i’ve never seen before… 😉

calleeyoga-1

she’s all like, “namaste – mrrreow” … seriously though, she is sooooooo beyond chatty!  the most talkative cat you’ll ever meet. one day i’ll get a good video of her talking and post it for you…

{thirsty thursday – aloe juice}

11 Jul

aloejuice-1

do you know how amazing aloe vera is?! do a little research and find out for yourself how many benefits there are from drinking this incredible stuff!

i’ve been drinking it to help with hydration and skin ailments.  i just mix mine with some apple juice since it’s a little bitter on its own.  it was suggested to me to buy the “inner fillet” part of the aloe – for a few reasons including the fact that it is easier to digest.

aloejuice-2

i drink 2 ounces in juice twice a day and it just makes me feel good knowing i’m drinking something so good for my body.  here are a few key benefits from drinking aloe {which by the way, you can also totally throw in your smoothies, dan! – you’re welcome ;)} :

– supports digestion

– anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal

– helps reduce inflammation

– natural weight loss aid

– great for the skin!

{whatever wednesday : what i did on my summer vacation}

10 Jul

just some fotos from my little stay-cation last week.

🙂

coolwallandchairs-1

…i know, right?!

believeinlove-1

always.

melatte-1

oh, hi.  just enjoying a macchiato on the porch… Continue reading

{meatless mondays : vegfest colorado!}

8 Jul

heyyyy, hope you enjoyed the weekend and had a nice holiday!

my vacation isn’t quite over yet, but i wanted to share these fotos from vegfest this weekend…

vegfestdenver2013-17

…it totally poured like, 4 minutes after i got there.  hence, the super curly puff-ball of a fro on top of my head.  i kinda love it, though… i miss the humidity in a way, mostly because of how well my hair behaves with it – how silly is that. 😛

vegfestdenver2013-2

not as silly as this cool car i saw when i first walked in… Continue reading

{red, white and – blue potatoes?!}

4 Jul

july4thpotatoes-6

i guess they’re actually purple potatoes – but, i sort of enhanced the colour just a tad to represent july 4th a little more 😉 Continue reading

{enjoy the holiday week! – and eat some cookies!}

1 Jul

hey gang.

i’m taking vacation this week – beginning wednesday. i am beyond ready for some time off, i just really hope i can easily make it through the next two days at work…

i wanted to share this recipe from last year, it was such a hit! it’s just a basic sugar cookie with a basic frosting and some fruit.  super festive though… and yummmmmmy!  i think i’m going to take the week off from blogging, as well… i just need to disconnect and get out in nature and rest and relax… i’ll be back next week.  i hope you enjoy the holiday and these cookies!! 🙂

———

{from the archives}

this is not exactly up my typical healthy recipe alley – but if you’re going to go for it, GO FOR IT!

festive holiday sugar cookies…

i think they turned out pretty cute… oh, and delicious. Continue reading

{foto friday – i miss this hair, this moment, and this part of lower manhattan}

28 Jun

missing new york and hair long-enough to pull in a ponytail…

menyc-16

i’ll get there soon… it’s growing sort of fast{ish}… okay not really at all.  and i hate to blame it on colorado but i do… my hair always behaves funny here and it’s nothing like my east-coast hair…

whatever… sigh.

and on that note, have a great weekend!  mercury is retrograde, in case you didn’t know… there is lots of information out there for those of you interested in reading more… just do a search.  and be patient as you may encounter delays as per the very essence of MR.  even as i typed this blog, my keyboard kept freezing up.  and my music was skipping… haha.

one day i’ll talk about how i was born under MR.  it’s rare, as am i… and usually i can articulate myself a little more effectively when mercury is slowing down for those few weeks every 4 months…

aaannnyway, enjoy the weekend!! 🙂

{thirsty thursday – peach chia lemonade}

27 Jun

peachchialemonade-4

this may look a little bizarre to you if you’ve never heard of chia drinks… but it seems to me like they are all the rage these days…

peachchiadrink-1

you remember chia seeds?! “the pottery that grows” — ch-ch-ch-chia! haha – anyway, this is the same stuff.

peachchiadrink-2

it’s good on salads, in smoothies, etc.

chia seeds congeal when mixed with liquid, so they create this interesting and fun texture that i just love – but i admit not everyone does 🙂  the best part is chia seeds are loaded with fiber and protein as well as naturally-occuring good-for-you-in-so-many-ways omegas 3 and 6.  they’re kind of a wonderfood – the aztecs just loved chia seeds!

and i do too! 🙂 Continue reading

{english peas}

26 Jun

englishpeas-1

their season is ending soon… so grab ’em while you still can!

englishpeas-2

i look forward to them every year!  i just love love love ’em!  and i love how they keep for a good long time in the fridge!

englishpeas-3

i do lots of things with english peas

englishpeas-4

 

i haven’t yet tried to pulverize them in a vitamix smoothie, though… but oh boy i just thought of this – i bet it would make a great spread with some garlic and hummus… mm mm, i may have to try that!

what do you like to do with your english peas?

{“fancy” french salt}

25 Jun

i love specialty foods, in case you haven’t yet discovered that about me…

frenchsaltandavocado-1

and i happen to LOVE salt – in all its varieties.

frenchsaltandavocado-2

so when a friend brought me this adorable jar of salt back from her trip to france, i was totally excited!!

frenchsaltandavocado-3

when i said to her, “ohhh i’m so excited to blog about this fancy french salt…” she was like, “wellllll – it’s just salt.  the only thing fancy about it is that i carried it all the way back home in my backpack… just for you.”

i fancy that, i say. Continue reading

{meatless mondays – farmers market pasta!}

24 Jun

oh my goodness was this a lovely meal. the whole day was lovely yesterday : there was such amazing energy in the air!  that supermoon energy was flowing all around me and through me, it was awesome!!!!  did any of you get a chance to see the super moon?  it was too cloudy here, so i will have to camp out next year 🙂  but i definitely still felt the energy this weekend!!!!

i took a little trip to a farmers market a little north of me in search of some kirby cucumbers to make pickles with.  no luck in that department, unfortunately… however i did discover some amazing things while there! and with most of the ingredients i purchased yesterday, i made this incredible pasta dish!

farmersmarketpasta-12

farmers market pasta.

farmersmarketpasta-3

most everything in this dish was purchased fresh from the market yesterday…

– garlic chive pasta from pappardelle’s {amazing!!  family-owned company and they have over 100 kinds of pasta!}

– organic heirloom tomatoes

– garlic scapes

– volcanic garlic {i can’t wait to blog about this!}

– fresh chives from my friend’s yard

– basil dressing, cream cheese, tomato paste, and a little parmesan {not from the market, but perfect to have in the fridge for this dish :)) Continue reading

{foto friday – makes me think of summer romance}

21 Jun

i’ve been feelin’ the heat of the summer, the passion of the sun, and just a little extra frisky lately…

makes me think of summer romance… since it is the summer solstice and all 😉

nyccslewis-8

this was one romantic night in ol’ nyc…

nyccslewis-9

i remember it clearly…

have a great {romantic} weekend, xxoo

{fair trade & organic – ice box watermelon}

19 Jun

do you know how to pick out a good watermelon?!  … one that’s guaranteed to be ripe, juicy, and flavourful?!

watermelon-15

well, for one thing – to guarantee the flavour and ripeness, it’s important to begin with quality.

watermelon-16

i always opt for organic food {especially produce} when i can… organic produce is grown with more care, handled with more care, and therefore just plain tastes better… in my humble {and generally RIGHT} opinion 🙂

this sticker tells us that not only is this watermelon organic, but it’s fair trade. which {happily} means the farmers that grew this watermelon are paid a FAIR WAGE for their product and services.  this is extremely important to me also because i’m a collective thinker – i am grateful for that farmer who took time to grow this beautiful fruit for me to enjoy.  and i want him/her to get paid what they are worth for doing that service. fair trade kind of cuts out the middle man, if you will.  you can read more about fair trade products here. Continue reading

{hooray for cherry season!}

18 Jun

nom nom, don’t you just love cherries?!

they are so fabulous for so many reasons!! …

cherries-3

good for your heart… {among other things like gout and blood clots}

cherries-1

loaded with antioxidants… Continue reading

{meatless mondays : quinoa pasta w/ sauteed ramps, simmered pear tomatoes, & fresh english peas}

17 Jun

that’s a mouthful, and a really long title for a blog…but that is essentially what is in this dish, and to leave out any part just seamed wrong.  those are all amazing and wonderful things and when you put them all together you get this incredible dish :

peartomatoesquinoapasta-24

super healthy, keeps well in the fridge, easy to make, delicious… cute. 🙂

peartomatoesquinoapasta-29

i mean, seriously though – it’s cute… sure – it’s pasta, but it’s cute. 😛

peartomatoesquinoapasta-14

i’ve mentioned this pasta before – i love it for a bunch of reasons, including the fact that it is non-gmo, organic, and gluten-free. Continue reading

{“sui generis” in produce : the cherimoya}

12 Jun

in case you’re wondering : sui generis 

cherimoya-3-2

have you ever seen or even better, eaten one of these beauties?!  this is the lovely cherimoya {pronounced “cher-uh-moi-uh”}…

i love how she is shaped like a heart… and yes, i totally think this particular fruit is a “she” – i don’t always feel that way, but i did about the cherimoya… what a unique and interesting and wonderful treat this was!  and she was definitely a lady!

when one first brings a cherimoya home, it’s a totally different colour than in this foto… that is to say, if it hasn’t ripened yet.  this particular fruit in the above foto is fully ripe.  typically when you buy them from the store, they are more on the green side… it takes 2 or 3 days to have it ripen up at home… it almost becomes like an avocado when ready to eat.

beauty comes in all colours, shapes, and sizes…

cherimoya-4

they aren’t exactly cheap, weighing in at easily $5-$6 for one fruit… but my goodness, is it worth it! Continue reading