it’s been a while since i wrote a vitamix post!! green smoothies are always fun, and this is fitting for the holiday. this week i decided to do a short cleanse. partially in honour of the moon, partially in honour of the upcoming solstice, and partially because i have been eating donuts almost every day for breakfast for about 2 months… not even kidding. *ahem* anyway, i was super excited to bust out my vitamix again! Continue reading
after many years working in the organic food industry, i learned a lot about picking good produce. it’s hilarious to watch me at the market – i take my time when picking out my fruit and vegetables, mostly because i know i’ll be fotographing them. and hey – aesthetics matter! plus, food is outrageously expensive these days and i’ll be damned if i’m going to spend five dollars for a pineapple and not have it be incredible!
therefore, i browse the produce stands carefully when choosing what to buy. have you ever purchased something and it spoiled two days later or when you cut into it, the flesh was rotting or brown? not everything you pick up at the market is necessarily fresh and/or tasty at any given time – it’s another reason i prefer to buy and eat with the seasons… stuff just tastes better when it’s in season! i mean, wouldn’t you like to be picked during your prime?! 😉
speaking of which, do you know how to pick a good pineapple? the beginning of their season is just around the corner… and i’m already salivating thinking about them.
one thing to look for when picking out a pineapple – is how the leaves feel when pulled out from the top. if they remove easily with little force, it’s a pretty sure sign your pineapple is ripe. you also want to pay attention to the scent. i often sniff the bottom of the fruit, looking for a fresh scent that is strong enough to seep through. and finally, you want to look for a pineapple that is a little darker in colour… not quite brown, but just golden… Continue reading
i heart coconut water… and not just after a good workout or to help cure a hangover {yep, it’s good for that!} although, coconut water will replenish you better than 10 gatorades {i don’t drink that stuff, but it’s fun to exaggerate sometimes} or a gallon of water alone. seriously this stuff is amazing! it’s almost identical to human plasma, and is extremely high in potassium and antioxidants.
there are lots of different coconut water brands out there… and many of them are good.
this one is THE BEST.
i mean, really… it’s THE best coconut water on the planet. harmless harvest coconut water has figured out the best formula {and philosophy}… and can you just guess what it is?! KEEP IT SIMPLE 🙂 i dig these guys and their minimalist approach to things.
it’s like sticking a straw straight into a coconut that has been gathered in southeast asia. Continue reading
as i mentioned saturday, i harvested my first tomato from my early girl tomato plant… it was so exciting!
i used it in this quinoa dish with some chopped zucchini and sauteed sweet onion…
i ate two slices just to savour the flavour of hard work and dedication… plus, it’s the only one i’ve had all season so far!! sigh… patience. Continue reading
it’s magenta!
this one should be like, the official “food and foto” smoothie… right?! 😉
– fresh strawberries
– frozen blueberries
– frozen mango
– apple juice
– splash of grape juice
– squeeze of honey
– vanilla {coconut} ice cream
i decided to try the ice cream since it was in my freezer anyway, and i had run out of regular coconut milk. i try to limit my dairy intake overall… i admit it’s tough because i LOVE cheese!!!!! so i substitute where i can in other ways. like with this smoothie, i used coconut milk ice cream 🙂
this was SUPER good… and was more rich than other smoothies i’ve made, probably because of the ice cream. it’s good to mix it up sometimes, yanno?! variety is the spice of life, right?!
drink the rainbow!
😉
this one was definitely green… albeit an odd shade…
tasted great, though!
– frozen blueberries
– frozen raspberries
– fresh spinach
– 2 pitted dates {could substitute honey or agave}
– lots of orange juice
– few splashes almond milk
i usually use more “milk” than juice, but i wanted to switch it up this time….
i bought a TON of blueberries on a one-day sale and froze them. when they are in season, they still taste great, but the freezing process zaps some of the sweetness. the dates really help sweeten without overpowering.
drink the rainbow! 😀
yep…
– frozen blueberries
– frozen banana chunks
– flax seeds
– coconut milk
– 1 pitted date or teaspoon honey to sweeten {optional}
…that’s it.
kept this one SUPER SIMPLE.
and what a lovely colour, i must say!
drink the rainbow! 😀
yet another colourful creation… and although this one is definitely “green”… it’s not at all green.
– frozen blueberries
– fresh spinach
– 2 pitted dates
– whole flax seeds
– apple juice
– almond milk
as i’ve mentioned before, i’m not big on measuring – i just ‘eyeball it’ usually… i’d say the basic ratio is roughly 1 cup solids to 1 cup liquids, generally speaking…
adjust consistency to your liking, adding more liquid or fruit as necessary… easy peasy.
DRINK THE RAINBOW!
😀
the kids are up early and back in school, the leaves are slowly beginning to change their colours, the air just smells different, and the produce section is starting to feature those fall harvests we look forward to…
—
and i figured since the seasons are about to change, i would honour the idea of cleansing with the seasons. so, this week i will feature 5 different vitamix smoothie recipes – each creation will also feature seasonal blueberries… mmmmm…
so here’s the first one :
this mix created such a pretty colour! it’s always a surprise when one experiments with smoothie concoctions in the vitamix… but it’s also {obviously} half the fun! 😉
– blueberries
– pineapple
– black grapes
– teaspoon local honey
– mango juice
– coconut milk
hey gang, i hope you enjoyed the weekend.
lots of fun things happening around here at food and foto! for starters, i gained my 600th {+} follower last week! i am always so humbled and grateful when anyone subscribes to the blog. please allow me to take this moment to thank those of you who take time to read and follow and comment and engage… i just really appreciate it! this blog wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for you!
also, i received an email from a lovely rep at Hilary’s Eat Well a few weeks ago, asking if i would be interested in trying and giving feedback on some of their products. i was familiar with hilary’s eat well, but had never actually had the pleasure of eating any of their products… so i was super excited for the opportunity to not only try them, but to write about it on my blog! my first official review 😀
once i read up on the company, i was even more excited for the experience. Continue reading
there’s a lot going on in this smoothie i’ve been having in the mornings lately :
– frozen blueberries
– frozen bananas
– frozen pineapple
– frozen grapes
– frozen cherries
– frozen strawberries {they are hiding! :)}
– carrots
– celery
– spinach
– dates Continue reading
quinoa dishes are great for many reasons. one thing i love about them is they are great served hot or cold. quinoa is a wonderful source of protein and it is even a complete protein which means it contains all 9 essential amino acids. this makes it particularly good for vegans or vegetarians. i also love quinoa because i find it sustains my active body for a good while.
i whipped up a quick batch to take to lunch for a few days using my amazing volcanic garlic, 1/2 a sweet onion, and 1 medium beautiful heirloom tomato. Continue reading
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…
they don’t last long… and they are great on top of salads, soups, or just as they are!
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.
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!
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…
you remember chia seeds?! “the pottery that grows” — ch-ch-ch-chia! haha – anyway, this is the same stuff.
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
i read somewhere online that cabbage was a good “blending” type of veggie in that the flavour didn’t take over when combined in a smoothie, much like spinach. i was excited about this because of the colour!
so i mixed mine with some watermelon, frozen strawberries, frozen banana, frozen mango, coconut milk, and flax seeds…
made a lovely shade of… something. it’s not quite plum, not quite magenta, not exactly pink…
what would you call this colour?! other than delicious 🙂 ?!
do you know how to pick out a good watermelon?! … one that’s guaranteed to be ripe, juicy, and flavourful?!
well, for one thing – to guarantee the flavour and ripeness, it’s important to begin with quality.
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
nom nom, don’t you just love cherries?!
they are so fabulous for so many reasons!! …
good for your heart… {among other things like gout and blood clots}
loaded with antioxidants… Continue reading
prior to sauteing up a healthy batch of beautiful rainbow chard {i make mine with a little EVOO and diced shallots}, i like to sit back and admire the colours and patterns this wonderful vegetable creates…
puts a whole new meaning to “eat the rainbow” eh?!
once upon a time not long ago – for like four months, i was a pretty strict vegan. i just wanted to try it out… see how i felt. i will do it again, for sure – but for the most part, i just eat what my body tells me to and sometimes that includes organic, humane animal products.
when i was eating vegan i wondered how to get my omegas in my diet because i noticed when i took fish oil it gave me heartburn and i didn’t like the way it tasted. i haven’t gone back to fish oil since discovering flax oil. now – it’s not anything new to me, i’ve always known about flax… i just didn’t supplement with it until recently when it was suggested to me that i take it versus the fish oil.
omegas are good for our hair, skin, nails, heart, blood, and brain… among many other things. they help us stay “lubricated” and give our skin a lovely glow. i take flax oil by the capsule daily, but i love being able to buy the whole seeds in bulk such as this…. Continue reading
food & foto 