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{wild rice with lemon chicken, shallots, and tomatoes}

it’s a little sad for me to admit that i just haven’t been cooking as much lately. i lovelovelovelovelove my tiny home, don’t get me wrong… but it has been a bit of a challenge to fotograph my recipes in action within 180 square feet.

so, i’ve just had to change the way i do things a little. and that’s okay. i’m super forever inspired by one of my favourite bloggers – i mean she’s cute as a button, and she is into the same stuff i’m into regarding eating healthy and with the seasons. i love her style of fotography as well; so simple and elegant and she’s such a new yorker – so classy.

i’m still working out the kinks to finding the perfect way to fotograph inside the tiny home – but for now, here’s a simple recipe i made up this weekend that turned out delicious! Continue reading →

Tags: cooking, eating, food, food and foto, food photography, foodography, healthy, light, recipes, seasonal, simple, wild rice

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Categories the food

{organic beef roast}

8 Jan

i don’t eat a ton of red meat. however when i do, i prefer it be as local, organic, and grass-fed as possible.

have you ever had grass-fed beef? you may think to yourself, “what do you mean, don’t all cows eat grass?” when you think of a cow, you picture a field or pasture and you see them eating grass, right?! well, you may be surprised to know that most cows are actually fed a grain or corn-based diet – that stuff is in everything!… again, i encourage you to do your own research.

there is lots of fresh, organic, local, grass-fed beef where i live. and that makes me so happy! i have mentioned before that i don’t really subscribe to any “diet” per se – but if i had to pick a category to fall into, i would say my diet is totally intuitive and mostly organic. and it varies all along that spectrum. this time last year, i was totally vegan and coming off a major 2-week cleanse of only veggies, fruit, kombucha, and water. i remember around christmas, trying some of the ham at whole foods one day and i actually spit it out. and now, i can’t seem to eat enough meat! so i’m just listening to my body and rolling with it.

i recently bought this adorable little crock-pot, which is perfect for the tiny home, and it fits about a 2-pound roast just perfectly! it only has one setting – ON. but it totally does the trick!

Continue reading →

Tags: beef, beef roast, comfort food, cooking, crock-pot meals, eating, food, food and foto, healthy, hearty, local, organic, quality ingredients, simple, thoughts on food, winter

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Categories the food

{the final meatless monday of 2013! – artisan lettuce wraps featuring organic polenta and a homemade red sauce}

30 Dec

i like food you can consume without utensils 🙂

and there’s something about the word “artisan” that makes things more fun and enjoyable to eat 🙂

when i spotted this bag on sale at the market, i nabbed it up. it looked super fresh and crisp and i had some leftover polenta at home that i just knew would go great with it.

so i made a simple red sauce with the remains of a jar of marina i had in the fridge. then i tossed in some extra garlic, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and a little cheese, and boom! – i had a simple and delicious red sauce to pour over my polenta.

foodie side note : i only use organic corn products – corn is THE MOST genetically modified plant out there. and it’s in everything. do your own research, i highly encourage it 🙂 Continue reading →

Tags: artisan foods, audrey michelle, cooking, eating, food, food and foto, healthy, healthy eating, lettuce wraps, meatless monday, recipes, simple, vegetarian

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Categories the food

{product review : hilary’s eat well veggie bites – and my first giveaway!}

19 Nov

hey friends! a while back i wrote about hilary’s eat well veggie burgers… they have quickly become a staple in my tiny home. i love the burgers, but i must admit that after trying the bites, they are definitely my favourite. i like “bite-sized” things anyway and hilary’s doesn’t disappoint.

you can read all about the company in my last blogpost – here. hilary’s eat well foods is a transparent company that is locally-owned and operated and they are also part of the non-gmo project – those are two of my favourite things about them. i’m such a fan and supporter and since i’ve collaborated with hilary’s eat well, i now have the fun opportunity of offering a giveaway!

all you have to do is go to hilary’s eat well facebook page and “like” them. then comment below telling me you did so, and i’ll enter your name in the drawing! Continue reading →

Tags: blogging, cooking, eating, eating local, food, food and foto, food photography, freebies, giveaways, healthy, healthy eating, high-protein, hilary's eat well, local, non-gmo, non-gmo project, photography, product reviews, recipes, simple, vegan, vegetarian

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{meatless mondays – roasted spaghetti squash with fresh parmigiano reggiano}

28 Oct

it’s a meatless monday recipe!

spaghetti squash {and all squash} is totally in peak season right now… and it’s one of my absolute favs! i typically make it just like a pasta and serve it primavera-style with a fresh red sauce… but this time, i wanted to use up my freshly-cut parmigiano reggiano… there is just nothing like it.

simple stuff :

– olive oil, grass-fed butter, lemon, parmigiano reggiano… Continue reading →

Tags: audrey michelle, cooking, easy, eating, food, food and foto, food photography, foodography, healthy, meatless monday, parmigiano reggiano, photography, recipes, seasonal cooking, seasonal eating, simple, spaghetti squash, vegetarian

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{whatever wednesday – dehydrated kale chips}

16 Oct

so, i bought a dehydrator... it’s amazing and it’s already changing my life.

i know that may sound drastic, but at this stage in the game – pretty much everything in my life is drastically changing…. so – this is no exception. owning a dehydrator has totally changed the way i shop, too. if i have an over-ripe fruit or veggie, but i’m not sure i’ll eat it right away – I CAN DEHYDRATE IT! if there is a one-day sale on fresh fruit and i want to stock up but it won’t fit in my freezer – I CAN DEHYDRATE IT! i can make my own fruit-rollups, trailmix, and even dehydrate herbs like sage or rosemary.

my favourite thing to make lately is kale chips. i wish i would’ve had this thing in the summer – totally could’ve kept the house cooler than making kale chips in the oven! Continue reading →

Tags: cooking, dehydrated food, dehydrating, dehydrator, DIY, easy, eating, food, food and foto, food photography, foodography, good investments, healthy, kale, kale chips, photography, recipes, saving money, simple

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{meatless mondays : rainbow quinoa featuring my homegrown tomato!}

9 Sep

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 →

Tags: batch-cooking, cooking, easy, eating, food, food and foto, food photography, foodography, gluten-free, health, healthy, high-protein, meatless mondays, photography, quinoa, recipes, simple, vegan, vegetarian

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{a week of vitamix smoothies – day five : strawberries, blueberries, mangos, vanilla ice cream}

30 Aug

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!

😉

Tags: color, colourful, drink the rainbow, drinking, drinks, easy, food and foto, health, healthy, juice, juicing, recipes, simple, smoothies, vitamix

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{a week of vitamix smoothies – day four : blueberries, spinach, dates, orange juice}

29 Aug

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! 😀

Tags: color, colourful, drink the rainbow, drinking, drinks, food, food and foto, food photography, health, healthy, juice, juicing, recipes, smoothies, vitamix

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{a week of vitamix smoothies – day three : bananas, blueberries, flax seeds, coconut milk}

28 Aug

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! 😀

Tags: cleansing, colorful, colour, drink the rainbow, drinking, drinks, food and foto, food photography, health, healthy, juice, juicing, smoothies, vitamix

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{a week of vitamix smoothies – day two : mangos, blueberries, spinach, flaxseeds, almond milk}

27 Aug

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!

😀

Tags: drink the rainbow, drinking, drinks, easy, food, health, healthy, juice, juicing, recipes, simple, smoothies, vitamix

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{a week of vitamix smoothies — day one : blueberries, pineapple, coconut milk}

26 Aug

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

Tags: color, colour, colourful, drink the rainbow, drinking, drinks, food photography, health, healthy, healthy eating, juice, juicing, raw, smoothies, vegan, vegetarian, vitamix

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{meatless mondays : my very first “official” product review : hilary’s eat well veggie burgers

5 Aug

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 →

Tags: audrey michelle, blogging, cooking, easy, eating, food, food and foto, food photography, gluten-free, health, healthy, healthy eating, hilary's eat well, lawrence kansas, local, non-gmo, opinions, photography, product reviews, reviews, simple, thoughts, vegan, vegetarian, veggie burgers

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{thirsty thursday – the everything vitamix smoothie}

1 Aug

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 →

Tags: cleansing, colour, colourful, drink the rainbow, drinks, food and foto, health, healthy, juice, juicing, smoothies, thirsty thursday, vitamix

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{healthy snack options – quick and easy kale chips}

15 Jul

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!

Tags: audrey michelle, cooking, easy, eating, food, food and foto, food photography, health, healthy, healthy snacks, kale, kale chips, meatless mondays, produce, recipes, simple, snacks

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{thirsty thursday – aloe juice}

11 Jul

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!

Tags: aloe juice, aloe vera, alternative medicine, drinks, food, health, healthy, natural cures, natural medicine

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Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{thirsty thursday – peach chia lemonade}

27 Jun

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 →

Tags: chia, chia seeds, drinks, health, healthy, recipes, simple, thirsty thursday

Comments 8 Comments
Categories the food, the foodie, the foto

{purple cabbage smoothie}

20 Jun

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 🙂 ?!

Tags: colourful, drink the rainbow, drinks, health, healthy, juice, juicing, smoothies, vitamix

Comments 7 Comments
Categories the food

{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?!

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 →