if I ever become a professional photographer this is the kind of photos I want to take… raw, real, it tells a story of our life and the personalities and routines that make us who we are. Ryan hated this photo when I showed it to him – his hair is standing up, he put on that shirt by accident that morning, there are boxes and clutter all over the room. But I love it. This is life, our life, two of my boys exactly how I see them, I couldn’t change a thing.
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A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to take a workshop from three amazing photographers. By the end of the day I was beyond inspired and ready to start up my own photography business. Then I remembered I’m a wife and mom and have about 13 spare seconds in the day to spend on my own hobbies… so that’s going on the back burner for about fifteen years. 
Photographing portraits at noon in the worst possible lighting…. we got some tips from Stephanie on how to make the best of your lighting, and how to find the perfect spots and angles for your photographs. (Stephanie photographed my wedding six years ago – she is amazing and SO talented!)
Playing around with shutter speed – we got tips from Steve on how to freeze movement, or create movement. I had fun with the shot below…. something I want to try with Lucas on his bike sometime soon.
Playing with aperture settings – Will let me use his super awesome lens to practice… that’s my lens on his camera – too bad I had to trade back.
All these photos are straight out of the camera – no editing. So, nothing fancy, just demonstrating some basic skills. If anyone is interested in a basic photography class to learn how to use their digital SLR camera, I highly recommend this. Although I was already familiar with most of the principals that were taught in the class, I came out of it with so much inspiration. A day among adults with the same passion I have. I hope someday to be able to spend more time on this hobby of mine.
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Three of the best tricks I know for getting young kids to eat healthy are 1) make it finger food, 2) disguise it, and 3) dip it!
I’ve combined those tricks into one amazing breakfast that can be made in advance, frozen, and microwaved in less than a minute on a busy morning.
Who doesn’t love french toast?!
Ingredients:
approx 1 small to medium loaf of bread – I use gluten free multi-grain from trader joes or I make my own
8 eggs
1 cup of pumpkin puree
2 cups coconut milk (or your choice of milk) – I use SoDelicious Coconut milk because it doesn’t have a strong flavor
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp agave or maple syrup (optional) – I leave it out since they are dipping in agave syrup once it is cooked
Directions:
Break eggs into a wide, shallow bowl and beat lightly. Whisk in cinnamon, pumpkin puree, milk, and sweetener (if using).
Over medium-low heat, heat griddle or skillet and coat with a thin layer of oil – I use grapeseed or coconut oil.
Place the bread slices into the bowl, letting them soak up egg mixture for a few seconds. If using gluten free bread, which is denser than wheat bread, you will need to soak a bit longer.
Transfer bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side. Cool on a wire rack and slice into sticks. Serve with agave or maple syrup (my boys like a mix of the two) and freeze the leftovers in meal size portions to pull out when you need breakfast in a hurry.
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One of my favorite breakfast foods right now is millet grits. I buy the Bob’s Red Mill brand – they are very similar to polenta or corn grits, and can be eaten the same way. I love mine hot with raw pecans, coconut milk, frozen organic raspberries, and a little stevia powder. If you want to indulge and a little dairy is not a problem, substitute whole cream for the coconut milk and it will feel like you are eating a rich dessert for breakfast. Yum!
If you want a hot breakfast cereal in the morning but don’t have the time to cook it every day, try cooking large batches and freezing in small portions to microwave on the go. I do this with my grits, and with steel cut oats for the boys. Saves time and still tastes delicious!
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The wildflowers we planted last spring are starting to bloom again, and I just can’t take my eyes off of them. Their colors are so rich and vibrant, a blessing from mother nature for sure. The boys love to pick them and share them with anyone who drops by for a visit. Just another one of many reasons why I LOVE spring!
(these photos were taken last year with my old camera, but I just had to share them. I can’t wait to take new ones this year when the flowers are in full bloom)
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Question of the Day: What do you get when you give a four year old free reign of the kitchen and permission to invent his own recipe??
Answer: A delicious smelling, sort of okay but not really good tasting cookie that is decidedly put in the freezer to “save for Santa”.
Bonus: You also get a more confident, happy kid and a proud mama.
When Lucas told me he wanted to invent his own, better tasting recipe for “balls” (a healthy, raw, nut based, sugar free cookie that I make regularly for myself when chocolate cravings hit) the other day, I figured it would be a fun kitchen experiment so I said sure, why not?!. He knew just what should go in them: peanut butter, jelly, oats, cocoa powder, and honey. It actually sounds good, right?!
Well, we needed a few ingredients, including peanuts to make the peanut butter, so he got all his change and told me he wanted to buy the peanuts himself at Trader Joes. We counted his money and went to the store where he proudly made his own purchase, and received his own bag and receipt. (Cutest thing EVER, LOVE this kid!)
Back at home, we got started. We put the peanuts in the vitamix and made our peanut butter. We mixed in some ground up rolled oats, strawberry jelly, raw honey, and a bit of cocoa powder. We stirred it all up and tasted it. It was delicious, just like eating cookie dough.
We should have stopped there.
But…. he wanted to cook it – so I added an egg and a little coconut oil and with a bit of hesitation I put it in the oven. The house smelled like yummy peanut butter cookies while they were baking. We couldn’t wait to taste them! They came out of the oven looking a little funny, and tasted gummy and pretty flavorless, but they were not terrible. I was impressed for a first time four year old chef! Not what he was hoping for, though! He promised me he liked them after taking just one bite, and then requested that we save the rest for Santa.
I’m so loving this stage of four year old life – the creativity and interest in everything around him. I love that he is interested in the things that I am, and that he wants to help me in the kitchen. I’m a happy, lucky mom and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
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Hi! I'm Suzanne. I'm an unconventional and optimistic mama, learning about life along side my two wild boys and totally awesome husband. I am passionate about whole foods, natural health and holistic nutrition. My kids and I are all gluten free. I also love photography and writing. Someday I would like to make a career out of all those interests, but for now this blog is my creative outlet to share what I learn and do along my way. I hope you enjoy what you see!
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