{first asparagus of the season}

9 Mar

asparagus

fresh from the farmer’s market! 🙂

looking at the different shapes of this asparagus, had me thinking similar to when i looked at all those cool seashells…

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i love asparagus so much and i only eat it when it’s in season.

did you know that asparagus is loaded with fiber and actually aids in cleansing our gut and also offers awesome detoxifying benefits? i think that’s so cool, considering it is in season in spring and that is a perfect time to prep our bodies for cleansing and switching gears to lighter foods. furthermore, asparagus is a natural diuretic… which may be TMI, but hey, it’s just a fact.

on a different note – i’m so ready for the time change and gaining more evening light! i am so super excited to start a garden this year!!

 

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{dehydrated baby bananas}

2 Mar

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whenever i notice any kind of produce is starting to lose its freshness, such as these adorable baby bananas, i know it’s time to bust out the dehydrator.

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banana faces 🙂

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banana chips make for some great snacks!!

i also love to throw them in smoothies, as an alternative to frozen or fresh ones.

do you use a dehydrator? what are some of your favourite things to dehydrate? 

 

 

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{happy valentine’s day!}

14 Feb

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“the best thing in life to hold on to is each other.”

~audrey hepburn

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{pan-seared wild-caught salmon}

13 Feb

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i love salmon! and although it’s not in season just yet, i try to eat it at least twice a month, but ideally i would like to get back to consuming it once a week or more. it’s full of omega 3 fatty acids and healthy lean protein. this particular wild-caught salmon filet was hand-delivered to me by an alaskan fisherman! 🙂

my favourite way to prepare salmon is to pan-sear it. don’t be intimidated, it’s a very easy method.

i simply sprinkle my salmon filet{s} with a little S&P and squeeze a little lemon juice over it, as well.

then, start with a medium-high heat skillet coated with a little olive oil, and place salmon filet in skin-side up. cook for 4-5 minutes, then flip over and finish with skin-side down, another 4-5 minutes. cooking it this way usually allows for the filet to come up easily off the skin when serving. i like to serve mine over a bed of greens or a simple couscous recipe.

bon appetite! 

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{social media and stuff}

7 Feb

hey gang.

after a nice long hiatus, i have decided to rejoin the social media world.

call me old-school, but i believe we are living in interesting times, in having these social media worlds to get lost in. and i mean just that; we can truly lose ourselves in them. both in an imaginative sense, by finding inspiration or muse in a foto or post… and also in a literal sense, by convincing ourselves that these filtered-versions of life are a substitute for an innate desire to offer and receive a genuine connection with others.

for me, nothing is more worthwhile than sitting face to face with another human being and connecting… reveling in all the energies that swirl around by being present and honest, and sharing a meaningful interaction. however, it is also enjoyable to have a medium like this in which to connect and relate to others.

i guess, for me, the most crucial thing is finding and maintaining the balance.

as a reminder, you can follow me on social media at these accounts :

instagram – @foodnfoto

facebook – @foodnfoto

pinterest – @foodnfoto

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thank you to those of you who have continued to engage and inspire me. i don’t know if i can properly convey to you all how thankful i am to have this outlet to express myself and my passions in. i don’t know if i can properly convey to you all how thankful i am to have you as followers, readers, commenters, and friends. from the bottom of my heart, please know that i am thankful for each one of you… sincerely.

 

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{foto friday : a fantastic foggy morning}

3 Feb

there’s just something about the fog that i seem to easily become enamored by… the quietness behind it, the mysterious energy it brings, the coolness in the air that it creates…

a few weeks ago, i woke up early and took a stroll around a nearby lake to snap some fotos of the ambiance from the morning fog. i stood still in awe, and drank up all the delicious energy i felt while enjoying the peaceful and inspiring views.

i hope you all enjoy these images and feel the same sense of peace i experienced during these moments.

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{how seashells are like humans… or is it the other way around?!}

20 Jan

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i love the ocean. i love everything about it – the movement, the sounds, the life that’s in it, the deep mystery of it… my soul resonates so intimately with all things ocean-related.

one of the things i love most about living in north carolina is the fact that i can go to the ocean in december! last month, just after the holidays, we took a drive to the shore and spent some time with big blue. i love to beach-comb and i have been gathering quite a collection of shells lately.

as i was laying all my seashells out the other day, i was admiring the variety of what was in front of me, and i got to thinking about how similar seashells and humans are. we are all so uniquely different, and yet we all come from the same place, essentially. maybe not the same exact place, as we are all born into different families and have different backgrounds and stories, but we are all born the same way and created the same way, just like seashells.

seashells all come from the ocean, a vast sea of wonder. we, as humans, all come from the same wondrous creative process. we all look different and have different shapes and colours and sizes – just as seashells do. some of us are not fully developed or some of us are broken – just like seashells. some of us have lots of stripes and stories to tell, and some of us do not – just like seashells. some of us are a little more ‘clean cut’ and some of us are a little ‘rough around the edges’ – just like seashells. some of us get tossed around by life, just as seashells get tossed around by the ocean waves. some of us leave the ‘ocean’ a lot sooner than others. we are very similar – humans and seashells.

at the end of the day, we all come from the same ‘ocean.’ we all are born human, and that is what connects us. our differences are what make us unique and give us unique perceptions and views of the world. those differences are what allow us to be able to learn from each other. in an ideal world, we would all appreciate our differences and recognize that those differences are what makes us all able to truly work together, and to formulate this big ol’ puzzle called life into a clearer picture.

my wish for the world is that we truly start to see each other.

 

 

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{farmers market turmeric root}

6 Jan

 

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have you ever seen turmeric root like this before?

i was fascinated when i spotted this at my local farmer’s market. when i go to visit, there is one stand in particular that i like to frequent. the lady who owns it is so sweet and always has a ton of good information on her products and she is always willing to answer my and all of my questions. it seems that the prices for produce at farmers’ markets are sometimes half the price of grocery stores or health food markets, which is just another reason why i love to support the farmers!!!

a few other reasons i choose to put my money into farmers markets are as follows : accessibility, freshness, availability, integrity, seasonality, friendliness, knowledge, willingness, and as i mentioned, affordability.

i had never seen turmeric root in this form, and i couldn’t wait to pick some up to take fotos of. sometimes i’ve seen parts of it broken off into larger and smaller pieces, but not in a huge chunk like this. i have been wanting to incorporate turmeric into my diet more frequently, particularly because i have been experiencing some pain in my elbow lately. and as you may know, turmeric is known for having anti-inflammatory properties. i am hoping that by consuming turmeric regularly, the pain in my elbow will substantially subside.

i thought it would be fun to share these fotos of turmeric, since it is so intriguing to look at! check out all the ‘knobs’ and ‘nodules’ and the funny/fascinating shapes it takes on and how it forms that way. i love all root vegetables, and when i find something in its natural state, i get even more excited about it. did you catch that cool post about ginger-root? i just love going to the farmer’s market and i one day hope to have a nice big garden in my backyard, as to grow lots of wonderful food. i basically want to be a farmer.

one of the things i’ve been doing with turmeric lately is making tea, which i am just loving! have you ever tried turmeric tea? i have been wanting to try it for so long now, but as with anything “new,” i tend to get intimidated until i actually just go for it! and i’m so glad i finally did! i made some tea with this beautiful chunk of turmeric, and i loved it so much that i wanted to share the recipe.

you can usually find fresh turmeric at health food stores. or if you have access to one, check at your local farmers market, as well. some of my research has discovered that you can also use the ground spice to make turmeric tea, however i prefer the fresh stuff. it’s definitely more time-consuming, but for me, it’s so worth it. plus, i just love the creative process. having said that, to be even more economical, you could make it with a mix of fresh and dried root.

super simple health-boosting turmeric tea :

turmerictea Continue reading →

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{happy new year!}

3 Jan

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i hope you all rang in 2017 with peace and love.

i think it’s pretty cool that the new year fell in line with a new moon… great time for reflecting, releasing, and  focusing on things we want to let go of, as well as things we want to invite in.

sending all the best to you and yours as we march boldly into a new year full of new possibilities. to celebrate, i made a vision board, which is kind of a tradition of mine. i don’t like to get too crazy with resolutions, but a few of my “goals” this year include learning to sew, practicing my piano every day, buying a new camera, and keeping a daily journal.

what were some of your resolutions?

 

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{happy holidays from food & foto}

24 Dec

xmas

wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday season.

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{senior portraits | meet mister M}

14 Dec

i had a truly wonderful time working with mister M and his family last month.

senior portraits are by far my most favourite images to capture. there’s something about working with a graduating teen who is just full of hope and promise and excitement. i love talking with them about their experiences, goals, and ambitions. it make me both nostalgic and inspired.

during this shoot, i also had the opportunity to fotograph the entire family, which was fun. but my main focus was on mister M and he was such a natural! as it turns out, his aunt is also a fotographer and so he was used to having a camera in his face… which made it so effortless for me.

here are a few of my favourite shots from the session.

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good luck, mister M! and if you ever need a custom trumpet made, i’ll direct you to the perfect person! 🙂

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{farmers market ginger root}

12 Dec

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i love finding produce in its most natural state – like this cool ginger root with the actual root still attached. the shape looks like some kind of animal or something, no?! i found it at the farmer’s market {of course} and i bought it mostly because it looked cool, but also because i just like to keep ginger around to nibble on. a lot of times i’ll make it into a tea with some lemon or just shave off a little bit and eat it after meals to accompany the digestion process.

ginger nutritional fun facts : 

ginger is great for stomach ailments such as nausea or diarrhea and can be great for helping keep motion sickness at bay. boiled as a tea, it has tremendous healing properties for common cold symptoms. ginger is also {surprisingly} high in b-vitamins. furthermore, ginger has wonderful anti-inflammatory properties, making it a fantastic support for healthy joints. 

 

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{homemade cherry-vanilla granola with chia seeds}

9 Dec

i made some super yummy granola recently. i just kind of threw it together with some stuff i had in the kitchen. it turned out pretty delicious, so i thought i would share the recipe. i like to buy things like granola in bulk, and make different things like vegan thumbprint cookies or sweet and savory oatmeal. this was the first time i tried making my own granola.

homemade cherry-almond granola with chia seeds : 

•gluten-free oats

•dehydrated apples

•dried tart cherries

•chopped almonds

•chia seeds

•madagascar vanilla

•coconut oil {liquified}

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simply combine all ingredients. i like to toss mine in a bag to ensure the oil gets evenly distributed.

toast in a 300 degree oven for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until oats are desired golden colour. remove and let cool. add to yogurt {i used vanilla flavour} and mix in fresh fruit – like cherries or strawberries.

{what real strawberries look like}

6 Dec

something i need to write about is how i spent my summer vacation… even though it’s long passed now.

one of the things that took up the majority of my free time this summer was participating in a community garden. it was basically one of the best things i’ve ever done for myself. growing your own food is truly one of the most rewarding things one can do! i would constantly remark, “all i did was put a seed in the ground – and this happened!” because i was constantly blown away at how cool nature is! my cucumber plants literally took over and my neighbours were calling it “the cucumber farm” 😉

the reason i bring this up is because i inherited a small strawberry plant in my summer garden plot. many of my neighbours had strawberry plants and i was fortunate to have one reseed itself in my plot. i didn’t get a lot of strawberries from it, but the few i did harvest looked like these strawberries. they were more cone-shaped than heart-shaped. and i’m telling you – the flavour in these things is just out of this world! SO sweet and SO juicy and SO delicious! better than any store-bought strawberry i’ve ever had!

do you ever compare conventional produce to farmer’s market produce?! the differences kind of blow my mind! the last time i was at the grocery store looking at apples, they were bigger than a softball! that’s just not normal. or fruit so waxy i could use it as a candle?! yikes.

for me, i like things to be as close to their natural state as possible. food, soil, water, me, and everything in between.

and that got me thinking about these strawberries i picked up at the farmer’s market last week. i was looking at them and decided to snap a couple fotos because i was thinking to myself, “i bet there are lots of people out there who don’t even know what REAL strawberries look like.” 

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these strawberries were SO full of flavour, too! something else that lacks in conventional produce. maybe it’s got something to do with mass producing them and lack of nutrient-rich soil.

anyway, i love that i can still find strawberries this time of year – as north carolina has a year-round farmer’s market and excellent long growing season. i hope to find some more when i go back this week!

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{baby pineapple!}

30 Nov

check out this cute tiny little pineapple i dropped a whopping five bucks on! haha

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i have to say, i think i’ve decided that pineapple might be my favourite fruit.

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this one was so adorably cute, i just had to have it!

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i obviously ate the whole thing in one sitting 🙂

pineapple nutrition fun facts :

pineapples are totally loaded with vitamin c – tons of it! they are also high in manganese and fiber. furthermore, they help support a healthy digestive track. pineapples are, somewhat surprisingly, a good source of b-vitamins, as well. and don’t throw out that core! – it’s full of fiber and can be tossed into your blender to make an awesome smoothie!

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{new client, miss R!}

28 Nov

i am so happy to be working behind the camera again!

i met this lovely lady just three short weeks after moving to north carolina. she reached out regarding corporate headshots, and i was honoured to play the roll of fotographer 😉

i love her classic look and fiery red hair! miss R was a true pleasure to work with, and i hope to see more of her in the future!

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{happy birthday to me!}

22 Nov

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looking forward to a healthy year… mind, body, and spirit.

i want to take a moment to sincerely thank you all for being a part of my life. for taking the time to read what i write, for enjoying my fotos, for your emails, your comments, your jokes, and your love. i appreciate every word and interaction and cherish each one dearly. some of you have been along for the ride since the very beginning… and it just means so much to me to have you here! ❤

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{follow me on instagram!}

21 Nov

hey friends!

i finally signed up for instagram!  {@foodnfoto}

click here to follow me and we can share even more of the nom-ing and click-ing… and hashtag-ing. 😉

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{details matter}

18 Nov

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images from historic yates mill park – north carolina.

 

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{pink limes!}

15 Nov

i’m always super excited when i find a new fruit or vegetable to try. i found these pink limes at a natural food market over this past summer. so naturally, i couldn’t resist tasting and taking fotos of them!

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on the outside, they are slightly different-looking than other limes…

they have some cool stripes going on a slight pink hue to them…

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and on the inside… a DEFINITE pink hue!  so pretty! the flesh almost resembles a grapefruit!

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of course, i added them to some sparkling water… which is so refreshing and delicious!

*nom nom, sip sip*

have you ever tried pink limes?!

food fun facts :

limes are full of vitamin c and can help support healthy cells and tissue. furthermore, these particular “pink” limes are sweeter than your average lime and look great in a spread or as a garnish… also, they would work fantastically as a zest!

 

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