{artisan salts : black lava}

22 Aug

perhaps you may know by now, that i have a major affinity for salt.  himalayan pink salt being my top pick… in fact, i love salt so much that sometimes people buy it for me or bring it back from france as a gift… {how lucky am i!?}

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this beautiful salt is called “black lava” and i recently discovered the most interesting thing about it. apparently, it is simply salt from the hawaiian shore that has been “infused” with activated charcoal… typically from coconuts. WHAT!  did you know that??!!  crazy!  therefore, this awesome salt is also very detoxifying and has been used in spas across the country.  furthermore, i discovered that it is considered a “finishing salt”… which i must’ve known instinctively {thanks to my intuitive-eating lifestyle}, because i totally just put some on this delicious tomato the other day and devoured it…

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it has a slight smokey flavour and i just love the colour!

definitely nab some up if you find it in your specialty department or store. it’s worth the extra expense, and the trace mineral content is also very high in this salt, which just adds to its awesomeness.

{the reason…}

17 Aug

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{thirsty thursday : it’s a southwest theme with colourful, delicious, and simple buffalo lettuce-wrap tacos}

14 Aug

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i literally ate these for like an entire week for lunch/dinner. this easy-to-make meal totally fits all of the food and foto requirements : healthy, simple, colourful, and delicious!

i chose buffalo meat for these taco boats for a few reasons. i’ve been eating more buffalo meat over beef in general, lately.  for one, i am grateful that i can find it in the frozen section where i shop.  also, i watched a short documentary on two different buffalo meat companies and it was just so interesting to listen to their commentary.  these people really really respect the buffalo and what the animal does for our land, soil, and as a food.  the animals graze on huge pastures/grasslands and are even “harvested” on their own land, as to show respect and pride.  no confinement lots here!

as you may know, i’m a huge advocate for choosing local, organic, naturally and humanely raised and treated animal products for consuming. if you aren’t yet convinced, i recommend watching the movie “food inc.” or any other documentary in its category. do your own research and decide for yourself. if you live in an area with access to grass-fed beef or buffalo, i highly suggest you make the switch. do a little research on the benefits of eating grass-fed and pasture-based animal products.  i suspect a lot more information will arise as time goes on.  i don’t pretend to be an expert on these subjects, i just speak from personal experience when it comes to food.  it’s something i will always be passionate about.  as a woman, as a foodie, as a photographer, and as someone with over a decade of experience in the organic food industry.

and now that i’m done with that rant – here’s the recipe! 😉

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– 1 pound grass-fed ground beef or buffalo

– taco seasoning of choice

– tomatoes

– avocado

– red onion

– black olives

– shredded cheese

– romaine lettuce

– corn chips

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a sad day came, recently… the day i decided to give up my favourite corn chips.  i hardly ever eat corn-based food, but sometimes you just need a good corn chip!  i loved this brand because of two simple facts : 1. they have had the same packaging and marketing for over 10 years.  2. they’re a family-owned company with simple ingredients and they don’t want publicity.  however, when trying to do some research online, i couldn’t find anything regarding the use of GMOs in their products. since corn is one of the top 5 GMO crops out there, i tend to be pretty picky about what i eat with corn in it.  that also applies to canola, wheat, soy, and sugar beets.  most of which i tend to just avoid entirely.

anyway, i decided to stop buying and supporting these chips {after i ate them with this yummy meal!} until they switch to non-gmo corn or at least have some transparency on either their packaging or their website… it was hard, but there are some things i just stand firm on.

{end of second rant}

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begin by browning your meat in a large skillet under medium to high heat and add in your seasoning about 2-3 minutes prior to finishing. while your meat is cooking, you can chop up your veggies… i decided to use the lettuce leaves as my “shell” and make little boats out of them…

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all the fixins’… Continue reading

{beautiful and colourful cherry tomatoes}

13 Aug

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i can’t seem to get enough of these gorgeous locally-grown organic and adorable cherry tomatoes, lately…

i fotograph and write about these amazing little gems all the time… i just think they are so beautiful!  and they are so incredibly delicious! so flavourful and juicy! i just pop ’em in my mouth like candy… nature’s candy!

nom nom…

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and i put them in everything – my salads, my risotto, my frittatas, my sauces, my {awesome} zucchini strips

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these little red ones look kinda like strawberries… teehehe

FOOD IS SO COOL!!!!! 😀

 

{super moon, tiny house}

9 Aug
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{super moon, tiny house}

{the beach…}

9 Aug

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oh how i wish i could dig my toes in the warm sand right now… inhale the ocean air and feel the breezy salty mist on my face… listen to the crash of the ocean waves and the peaceful sound of the ebb and flow of the water… i’m desperately seeking a rendezvous with the big blue! ❤

 

what have you been daydreaming about?!  have an awesome weekend!

{whatever wednesday : wild wild raspberries from the wild wild west}

6 Aug

i think it’s so cool that so many things grow wild up here… asparagus, morel mushrooms…

…and raspberries!

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{divided}

4 Aug

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sometimes i feel like these mushrooms… totally divided.

{once upon a time, last week…}

3 Aug

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… i took this kickass foto…. that i just love. ❤

{oh – and it rained like, a ton!}

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… i was housesitting, and this awesome little chicken was one of eleven that i had the fortune of feeding and watching while the owners were away… they are so cool!

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… i had this for breakfast : a sausage & cheese croissant roll, two flax seed chocolate brownie muffins, and my trusty half caff americano {with a little cream}…

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… i totally saw this dead snake in the road……….   oddly, the first one i’ve seen at all since moving here.

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… i made my famous morning smoothie…………   a few times 😉

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… i looked up at the sky.

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… i took a silly selfie on the bus and tried to be all discreet but made myself look even sillier… 😛

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… i harvested these absolutely beautiful organic cherry tomatoes and some mixed baby greens from the garden outside of the house i was sitting…

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{so grateful!}

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… and i added in shredded chicken, olives, cucumbers, sharp cheddar, red onion, and dressed it in a french vinaigrette… YUM!

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… i saw like, four billion ants…………   i wonder what they were all working on…

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… i saw these carrot-tops poking through a cute little community garden…

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… i ordered and devoured an entire 12 inch pizza called the “BLT” from my favourite local spot… it’s seriously like eating a blt on a round pizza pie : “crispy bacon, smoked provolone, garlic, onion & house-made sundried tomato pesto topped with shredded leaf lettuce tossed in our famous house-made ranch”  it’s one unique and delicious pizza. they serve the lettuce and fixins’ on the side so you can dress it by adding the lettuce topping at the end. it is AHH-MAZING! one of my favourite pizzas, for sure!!!!

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happy sunday!

and, always be sure to eat a lot of {healthy, colourful} food and take a lot of {awesome} fotos!! 😉 ❤

{exploring new produce : temple oranges}

24 Jul

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when out at the market, i always browse the organic produce for anything new and exciting to blog about and eat. this brightly coloured citrus caught my eye and so i nabbed them up to try…

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i’m a poet and didn’t know it! 😉 Continue reading

{purist}

22 Jul

me

AKA superhero.

😉

{it’s another “my week in fotos” update}

19 Jul

hey gang, how’s your week been?!

people kind of freak out when they find out i’m not on instagram. part of me feels like i should be, since i’m a fotographer and all… but honestly, just keeping up with my blog is time-consuming enough. i left facebook over a year ago, and i don’t plan to go back or add in any new social media to my life. i started this blog so i could keep all the happenings of my life in one place online.  thank you to each one of you who follow, read my posts, comment, engage, and make it all worthwhile! 🙂

here are a few pics from my week… i hope yours was great and your weekend is even better!

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i had a “moment” with my favourite coffee barista this week – i walked in to get my half-caff americano on ice and he greets me with a smile and says, “the usual?!”  i giggled and said, “awww, i have a usual – and you remembered it!”  hehehehee

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i’ve been eating these yummy buffalo taco boats – and i can’t wait to share the recipe!

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double rainbow over mount sopris…

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i’m so jealous of my cat… who sleeps {sometimes in awkward positions} 80% of the day…

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these have been breakfast all week…

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love this snowmass sticker i saw on the bus – 81615.

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i’m constantly reminded of my former coworker and friend, yarrow… it grows pretty wild here!

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selfie in the sun… it’s finally feeling like summer!!!

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this is what i see on a typical monday night…

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i met this adorable tabby at the bus stop one evening… i named him “gary” – he was so sweet!

 

 

{“i can make that!” – coconut flax granola}

17 Jul

i get on these kicks where i think i have all the free time in the world to constantly be making my own food… particularly, easy snacks.  i’m such a label-reader, that i’ll look at the ingredients and be like, “i can make that!” 😛

this time, it was granola.

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i had a gigantic container of organic rolled oats sitting around, waiting to be turned into breakfast vitamix cookies, but i kept forgetting to buy jelly!  so as i was grocery shopping the other day, it came to me.  “dude, audrey – you should totally make your own granola!” what inspired this was my other new favourite obsession right now – yoghurt.  i know it’s nothing new to a lot of you, but i never much cared for yoghurt and suddenly – just like sauerkraut, and eggs – i can’t seem to get enough yoghurt. so – i was completely stoked when i saw my favourite brand, noosa had introduced a coconut flavour!!! holy smokes dude.  AHH–MAZING! and i love noosa because they use milk from pasture-based cows.  LOVE THAT!

anyway, to bring it all full circle, i was like, “self, you should just buy some coconut flakes {super cheap} and use some pantry items to create your own granola to compliment this amazing yoghurt discovery!” {sometimes i do talk to myself like that} and so i did it – i bought some organic coconut flakes for about $2.00 and had the rest of the ingredients at home.  as per usual, i didn’t exactly measure – so i don’t have an actual recipe for you, but if i can wing it, you can wing it! 😉

ORGANIC HOMEMADE COCONUT FLAX GRANOLA :

– rolled oats

– maple syrup

– vanilla extract

– coconut oil

– flax seeds 

– coconut flakes Continue reading

{tiny tuesday : TH2 update – days 11 & 12}

15 Jul

so, the tiny house movement is picking up some steam… and attention!  i just discovered {thanks, marylala!} that the FYI channel {which i also just found out existed} recently introduced a new television show called “tiny house nation.” i hope i can find a way to stream it, since i don’t have TV.

we are going to try to convince them to come to the western slope 😉

here is an update on the tiny house project happening next door to me… see the complete foto-story here.

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TH2 – tiny house project by legacy homes

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making progress…

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holy smokes – check out this awesome dual shower with all kinds of fancy looking features!

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i can see my {tiny} house from here!

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{the dichotomy of audrey michelle}

14 Jul

first of all, i just want to send a quick shout-out to all the newcomers… i’m always humbled whenever a new follower joins the fun!  welcome to food and foto and thank you for your support! ❤

audrey michelle photography

i just love this shot from the archives, taken by my friend michele when i first moved back to colorado in 2011… it’s been 3 years, almost to date.  i do love parts of this great state – especially the mountains, the peaceful sound of the nothingness in the air, and the sunsets.  however, there is such a dichotomy to my personality.  i miss the city – the hustle and bustle, the lights, the diversity, the people.

i miss new york more than i ever thought i would. it’s kind of funny how i always say i went there to pick up a piece of me…. and yet – i feel like when i moved, i left a piece of me there…

{colorado professional headshot photography : writer, john lilley}

13 Jul

hey gang!

i just wanted to share a few headshots from a recent session with my new client, john.  we met somewhat serendipitously when i was working for aspen ski resort last winter. john was going for a laid-back “brooklyn vibe” in his headshot session with me, and i think he embodied that quite well!

john is a talented freelance consultant, writer, and blogger.  check him out here.  we wandered the little town of carbondale, chasing light and looking for the perfect “new york city” type background.  i’m grateful john was up for the adventure – sometimes it can be hilarious to tag along with me on a shoot…

here are a few of my favourite shots :

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johnlilleyheadshots-web-107 Continue reading

{“i wanna take a picture of that!”}

12 Jul

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grazing cattle at sunset…

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my beautiful edible-flower mixed-green salad…

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this sweet red tabby kitty i met on my walk home…

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this yummy wild rice dish i whipped up – with onions, tomatoes, and fresh english peas….

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a penny i found between my feet…

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this amazing bag of chocolate peanut butter cups that a coworker so kindly bought for me…

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this beautiful… whatever it is…

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me…

 

have a great weekend, gang!! ❤

{awesome artichokes}

9 Jul

i just find artichokes to be fascinating and beautiful…

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{how to save the world – step one}

6 Jul

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{a holiday throwback}

3 Jul

a little recipe from the archives – and a totally delicious way to celebrate the holiday!

enjoy the weekend, friends! 😎

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happy independence day!

july 4th-themed red-white-and-blue sugar cookies 

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independence day sugar cookies