Tag Archives: organics

{a community post : who is my “health hero” – and please don’t think i’m egotistical}

24 Mar

how is everyone doing?  i hope your week is off to a beautiful start.  i have been feeling SO GOOD with the change in seasons rapidly approaching, and the evening light sticking around longer.  i just feel so much better when spring gets here.  i do believe i sometimes feel “SAD” – you know, “Seasonal Affective Disorder” – that is a definite real thing.  it was so dark and cold this winter {especially for colorado} and i struggled on some days to even get out of bed.

i received an email recently, asking if i wanted to participate in a new campaign on a new site that is dedicated to offering simple information regarding all things health-related. i tend to be a little hesitant with stuff like that, but after researching the company, i realized that it falls in line with my own values and so i was happy to connect with them.

american recall center is running a campaign titled “who is your health hero?” and i’ve been asked to write a post about just that. so, here we go…

———

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this is where the second part of my blogpost title comes in – i am my own health hero.

Continue reading →

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{meatless mondays : colourful roasted mushrooms w/ veggie ribbons}

24 Mar

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i noticed a few new followers have joined the fun – thank you and welcome!

in case you don’t know this about me, i love to eat anything with colour. i believe in living by the motto… well, a lot of “mottos” really – but one of them is “eat the rainbow.”  if your food has colour naturally, it is good for you!  this dish definitely meshes with that motto.  i whipped it up last week when i was doing a short veggie cleanse.  i just love mushrooms – do you?!

this is a great vegan dish, or a healthy random way to get in a ton of veggies all at once.  sometimes i’ll construct meals entirely of vegetables… this one i just made up on the spot, when inspired by the fresh-looking produce in the market.

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simple ingredients : portabella mushrooms, zucchini, purple cabbage, shredded carrots.

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i’m fascinated by the intricate insides of certain vegetables – like cabbage. Continue reading →

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{foto friday – local love}

7 Mar

how happy am i to have recently been made aware of an amazing little local/organic store within biking distance of where i live!!?!??!!!?!?!?!

SO!!!!!! 😀

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beautiful cherry tomatoes grown within 60 miles of my home…

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exploding with flavour!!  i’m guessing they are hydroponically grown… which in my opinion, seems to be the most tasty way to grow tomatoes – just from personal experience, having eaten a bajillion of them over the last few years. 😉  hello, remember my san marzano obsession!?  cuz i do… Continue reading →

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{nom nom, fresh pineapple}

22 Feb

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?! 😉

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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 →

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{organic golden kiwi}

22 Jul

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golden kiwis are not the same as regular green kiwis you see in the stores….. i mean, of course they aren’t, right?! – they’re being featured on food & foto 😉

originating in china, golden kiwis are now mostly from new zealand, and they blow regular kiwi out of the water!  {sorry, kiwi}

their thin skin is different from the regular kiwi – smooth and hairless with little freckles throughout.  they ripen just like regular kiwi, so look for one that slightly gives to the tender touch…

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the flavour is similar, but the golden kiwi boasts a less-acidic quality and taste. they have almost a pineapple flavour… and i just LOVE THEM!!! Continue reading →

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{vitamix juice w/ dates, pears, green lettuce}

31 May

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i threw a lot of random stuff in this one…. {choosing organic where possible}

– 1 small clementine, peeled

– 1/2 pear, stems and seeds included

– 2 pitted dates

– a few banana slices

– handful of romain lettuce

– orange juice

– almond milk

– some raw protein powder

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you just never know what colour to expect… but the taste is always amazing!

i’m a huge fan of using dates for sweetening.  usually all you need is one or two per 12 oz. serving.  they are inexpensive and the vitamix can handle it! just make sure to buy pitted dates!  the lettuce flavour was a little stronger in this compared to good ol’ spinach, but i had run out so i had to replace *something* green… 😉

have a great weekend!

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{ways artichokes are like humans}

14 May

it’s artichoke season!!!

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and thank goodness for that!!!!  i wrote a blog or two about them last spring… i just love these beautiful babies. although they do take an awful lot of work to prepare for such a little amount of actual flesh… it’s SO worth it – the scrumptiousness waiting inside doesn’t quite compare to any other…

it got me thinking about how artichokes are kind of like us, like humans…

i know you may be chuckling thinking how the heck can i be like a green pokey vegetable?!  well… the way i see it –

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an artichoke looks like a flower.

just like us 🙂 Continue reading →

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{homemade dehydrated fruit}

1 Apr

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i need a dehydrator. it just feels like a really good investment to make, and you know me i’m all about DIY in the kitchen! my former roommate let me borrow hers when i was living there, and i became an insta-fan! there’s something about dehydrated fruit – particularly apples – that i just love!

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and these little honeycrisps steal the show, no doubt. Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} – cheesy polenta w/ homemade tomato sauce

15 Oct

i made this dish weeks ago, and have had this blog in queue for a while now… i had quite a collection of blogs to  keep me updating regularly, but i haven’t been cooking much this week and so my recipe backups are all gone now yikes! — see, i had a rather busy week, and another one ahead.  i’m using up what’s in my kitchen to rid my fridge because i leave for a trip to NEW YORK CITY this week!

woo!

but today – today will be spent in front of my computer with WORDPRESS CLOSED so i can focus — i’ll be editing a wedding i had the privilege of fotographing this past weekend amidst the fall foliage and log-cabin backdrop.  it was gorgeous and i can’t wait to share some of the fotos!

in the meantime, here is a simple recipe for a simple side dish… Continue reading →

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black bean quinoa w/ heirloom tomatoes and pale lager

23 Jul

yep, that says pale lager.  i had beer, too!!  🙂

so, this was my first “solid” meal after my cleanse.  this was the first grain and/or legume i had in 7 days!  so weird. hard to believe i made it through that cleanse.  the middle ground was definitely the hardest, but today i feel great!  i also did a ton of “other” cleansing last night to include a calcium bentonite clay mask, mustard seed bath, sage-smudging, and meditation by candlelight and incense.  i literally feel anew today.  it’s a weird space to be in, actually. i’m not entirely sure what the next step is.  kind of a void, if you will.  but it’s not a negative thing. it’s just that i feel so fresh and new and it’s like i want to reinvent myself and the world around me… i can’t help but think of one of my favourite bloggers when i say that – it’s like i want to create a new mantra for my life… and so i will.

today it started with gratitude, snuggles from my kitty, yoga {this video is similar to my morning practice – also what got me started doing yoga!}, and a detox tea.

last night for dinner, this is what went down : Continue reading →

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“i see you” {AKA audrey michelle’s very emotional, real, and cathartic DIY cleanse update}

21 Jul

well, here it is – the official “end” i suppose.

{oh and by the way, this is one LONG AND WORDY POST!  be forewarned.}

i made it 5 whole days {entering my 6th now} eating only raw or steamed organic fruits and vegetables, juice, water and kombucha.  funny thing is, i don’t think i’m going to stop.  i had absolutely no idea how this cleanse would effect me – i certainly didn’t fathom it effecting me more on an emotional level than physical.  and i dare say – spiritual.  it almost brings tears to my eyes {again} as i write this.

yesterday was rough.  the worst day to date.  so why the hell would i want to keep putting myself through this?! good question… Continue reading →

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audrey michelle’s colourful DIY cleanse – DAY #4

19 Jul

today was rough, i will admit that. and i think this photo shows it  – maybe i should’ve photoshopped the bags from under my eyes – hA!  oh well, i’m an honest person – this is how i look and feel on a 5-day DIY cleanse i randomly decided to do and invent 😉

today was harder than yesterday.  but it makes sense now – after i did a ton of research on cleansing and symptoms.  see, this is how i roll – i just wing it… whatever “it” is.  sometimes it works out, sometimes i learn a valuable lesson the hard way, meh.  anyway – i was super nervous about how i was feeling today… mostly because i was unsure if it was “normal,” if you will. and plus, i was abruptly awoken this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, so i knew i’d be a little irritable, but i worried i was doing more damage than good with this cleanse…

until google clarified it all… Continue reading →

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audrey michelle’s colourful DIY cleanse – DAY #3

18 Jul

today was different.

i definitely felt the cleanse, or my body detoxing slightly, or the odd sleeping, or something.  something was different.  i don’t feel bad per se, i just feel different.  my head is much more clear, as in not cluttered with stupid thoughts or particularly, anxious ones.  which is good!  mostly i feel a little sluggish, surprisingly, and my head {although clear} feels kind of weird. maybe it’s because it’s clearer, don’t know – but i feel different.

i have been dreaming of food, however.  hAhA! i think last night i dreamt of pizza – no joke. i was browsing the food section on WP late at night, i’m sure that didn’t help – hA.  a reader asked me if was craving anything in particular, and i will say that today i did notice i was missing carbs, starch, etc.  so i made potatoes with dinner, which seemed to scratch that itch – for now.

here’s how the menu went today : Continue reading →

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audrey michelle’s colourful DIY cleanse – DAY #2

17 Jul

alright.  here we are.  my roommate and his friend are drinking a nice cold hefeweizen in the room downstairs, and i’m sitting here next to my homemade soda water.  *ahem*  and i’m okay with that… actually, i really am. as much as i love my brewskies, i realize that the ones i like to enjoy would and do keep me pretty much couch-bound for the remainder of the evening. mmmm, la fin du monde…

it’s odd how my energy levels have shifted.  i’m definitely having a harder time in the morning “waking up” and i tend to get my energy after around 2 p.m., where i’d normally be tired.  it’s interesting.  i kind of like it.  especially since i work at night, or will be again once my vacation is over.

okay, so here’s how day 2 went : Continue reading →

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audrey michelle’s colourful DIY cleanse – DAY #1

16 Jul

welp, so far so good.  18 hours into my cleanse and i actually feel pretty decent… sleepy, but decent.

here are the colourful things i came home with today :

a few organic produce items for the cleanse :

– cabbage

– peppers

– celery

– carrots

– peaches

– avocados

– strawberries

– sunchokes

– english peas

– black plums

– kiwi

and the list goes on…

i had no anticipations of feeling lousy, as i do typically eat this kind of food anyway.  the real key for me was avoiding the coffee, alcohol, and that occasional entire bag of late july dude ranch tortilla chips.  oh man, those sound good right now… Continue reading →

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