Good afternoon!
I made a game time decision last night not to workout. I just was not feeling it and I felt pretty worn out from my work day. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between feeling lazy and feeling burned out or tired so I decided to do the ‘10 minute rule’. For the 10 minute rule I say that all I have to do is 10 minutes, if I want to stop I can.
I decided to do some Booty Camp while I watched 24. My body felt so weak and I immediately knew that I was not going to have a good workout and I needed rest. I did about 8 minutes of abs and called it quits! That was that. ;)
And because listening to the body is always a good thing, I had a killer workout this morning.
I don’t know why I hum and haw over skipping a workout because the next day I always end up having such a great workout and I totally forget about it. I felt rested and full of energy this morning when I got up.
Before my workout I had a delicious juice:
1 beet, handful spinach, lemon, lime, 2 carrots, 1/2 cuke. For lunch, I used the leftover pulp in my Amy’s split pea soup and it wasn’t the best decision I have ever made. Much too lemony! Oh well.
The Workout:
Today I decided to do another strength session before my run. I really enjoyed doing this last week and I think it makes for a more challenging run.
Strength: Booty Camp Fitness DVD- Intermediate level (43 mins) Total body workout.
Run: An easy 3 mile outdoor run. I stopped to smell the roses snow melting. It was not very warm out yet since it was just 7am, but it still was nice to be out and I was warm after 10 minutes. Duration of run = 29 mins.
I came home and stretched. My body was begging for FOOD, food, food!
Energize Me Creamy Fruit Dip
This was inspired by Gena’s Banana Soft Serve.
Ingredients:
- 2 frozen bananas (if serving immediately, if not, use room temp)
- 3-4 tablespoons of milk (I used almond milk)
- 1 heaping tablespoon nut butter (I used cashew butter)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Directions: Throw ingredients into a food processor (or blender?) and process until smooth. I had to stop several times and stir. Makes about 3/4 of a cup.
Notes: I put leftover dip in the fridge and checked it a few hours later. The dip got really thick thanks to the chia seeds and it was very pudding like and thick. I almost liked it better after a few hours in the fridge! Also note that the dip changed colour a bit in the fridge (slightly brownish grey). I assume this is from the bananas and chia seeds. You might be able to add a tiny bit of lemon juice to prevent this from occurring. Let me know if you try it!
Wherever I end up when I die, I hope this is served 3 times a day. :mrgreen:
The cashew butter made it down right decadent, but still very light.
I had my dip with an apple. It was out of this world!
This would be a fabulous dip to make for a party too!! It took just 3 minutes to make.
Next time I am going to experiment by making it with cocoa and/or carob powder for a chocolate fruit dip. Mmmmmm.
It was such a great post-workout snack! The chia seeds add antioxidants, protein, fibre, healthy fats, etc. and the cashew butter made it luxurious without being over-powering.
The Photography Process and Blogging:
Last week, I was asked how many photos I usually take for each post. I had to giggle because I take A LOT. For example, in today’s post I took about 40-45 photos (juice + dip shots) but only 5-6 shots made the cut!
I currently use Eric’s Canon 30D SLR in addition to a 50 mm lens and an external flash. I also use my Canon Powershot 800IS point and shoot when I go to restaurants or places I don’t want to lug the SLR.
Here are some of the thumbnails from today’s shots (you can click to enlarge):
I take the shots from different angles and using different settings. I play around with the external flash too. I LOVE photography. It is my favourite thing about composing each post! Eric and I are going to take an introductory photography class sometime this year.
As for editing my shots, I generally don’t do much, but sometimes I like to crop them to bring something into focus. For example, that last picture of the dip was cropped.
Here is the original vs. the cropped version:
Also, if the photo is too dark, I will adjust the exposure in Photoshop to brighten it up.
Here is the original vs. the one that I adjusted the exposure:
And that is as far as my editing skills go!
For all of you photography buffs or bloggers out there- tell me what your photography process is like. How many pictures do you take and what is your editing process like?
Updates:
- The huge blog directory I am working on will be available in April. I hope to finish it while on the plane…it looks like I will have over 300 blogs on it!
- Thank you for your FL shopping suggestions the other day. :)
- If you contacted me about a FL meet-up, I will be sending an email out to you in the next few days.
GIDDY UP!
“Unless you’re willing to have a go, fail miserably, and have another go, success won’t happen.” ~Phillip Adams
I take about 10-20 per subject which can lead to 50+ per post if it’s a long-winded one ;-)
I usually upload using ‘shop elements 7 and go from there. If I’m uploading directly to my flickr, I’ll use their online editing-picnik–and I ADORE that editing site. I use a Canon Rebel Xsi and for food pics, my 50 f1/4 is always on. I mostly crop and adjust white balance since I do not have great light in my kitchen. Occasionally I will use my external flash and bounce, but I love using the super-fast lens to save time.
Love the looks of that dip!
I love photography, I have never taken a course aside from a basic one in high school but would love to learn! I take at least 5 pictures per picture I want to use for my blog… I want the best shot possible!
xo
K
Your pictures are always so beautiful! I can tell you put a lot of time into it. I usually take 2-3 shots of each thing and then pick the best one. I’m still learning to photo shop images!
I also wanted to say how grateful I am to see that you also struggled with working-out yesterday. I had the same dilemma and have been beating myself up over it. I read your blog almost every day, and I am so inspired by your healthy lifestyle. It’s refreshing to see that even someone as health conscious as you also has a difficult time staying 100% on top of things all the time! Thanks for being such an inspiration!
One of my friends is a freelance photog and she said that it’s one in every 50 photos that’s the perfect (or near perfect) shot. It makes me feel better about the ones I mess up! But that’s the advantage of digital, right? :) I don’t blog (yet), so don’t take a lot of food pics. I love photographing people and some scenics. My friend also reminded me that some of the best photos in the world have been taken with a point and shoot and so, while there’s definitely a technical aspect to it all, a lot of it comes down to composition, patience, and an eye for a unique photo.
I am drooling over your latest recipe. This will make up for my 18 years of hating bananas! :) My husband is still loving the chocolate pudding from 2 weeks ago. I’m so excited to have something that tastes decadent, but that’s made with natural ingredients and has health benefits! You should either be doing a cooking show or writing a book . .. seriously!
As always this looks fantastic! :)
A must try!! :)
I take about 20+ pictures per post… and then do the same as you (cropped and brighten)
I would also like to take some better pictures, I have a friend that is a photographer, I keep meaning to pester her to come over and give me a lesson!! :)
I usually take about 10-15 photos, and post the best 2 or 3. I get impatient! Unless it is something like cookies, in which case I take more time to compose. But when I am hungry and the steam is coming off the food, I click fast!
I don’t take that many photos, but I do edit them on iphoto before I post. Unless I post at work, then its just the crappy shots straight from the camera ;-)
it’s definitely hard to get just the right shot a lot of times. i use either a Nikon D200 or D300 with a 50mm lens most of the time, and i love the way the pictures turn out. I’m still working on my editing skills, but lightroom and photoshop are saviors when it comes to adjusting that not-quite-perfect shot! i would say i usually only take around 10-15 pictures per dish, and usually one of those turns out well enough to use!
I’m the same way as you with skipping a workout, or cutting one short…I tend to feel guilty about it, even though I know it’s what’s best for my body! I actually recently blogged about this topic, if you want to check it out!
http://www.healthforthewholeself.com/2010/02/skipping-a-workout/
I take a ton of photos as well! Gotta get the money shot. haha
I take close to 30 pics of each item. I LOVE editing the pics! It really makes a not so good picture look great!
YUMMO! That dip looks delicious.
I take between 10-15 and while I love photography I feel like I don’t know much about it and really want to learn more.
Thanks for sharing your photography process- I love hearing about “behind the scenes” stuff. I love photography too- blogging has definitely gotten me more interested in it as well! I’m saving up for super cool camera so I can play even more (I have a cheapo point & shoot haha). I take a TON every time because I love it so much, and I’m always sad I can’t post them all ;)
I do the same thing! Maybe not 75 for 5 pictures but I’ll definitely take up to 5 pictures per what I’m trying to shoot to play with lighting, backgrounds and angles. Unfortunately I can’t always do it, but it’s so fun! I liked the one of the fruit/veggies and your drink. Lots of fun colors.
That dip looks AWESOME! As you used frozen bananas, does the dip keep well? Or would it lose its consistency (like a banana soft serve?)
I agree that it would loose it consistency over time at a room temperature… I guess you must keep it in the freezer until it is time to serve!
I usually have around 50-100 photos per day to go through. I need to work on using the camera on its manual setting so I start to learn more. I have a canon rebel XTi and usually use the 50mm fixed f1.8 or a f2.8 28-75mm. I shoot as much as possible in daylight but for dinner obviously it’s a no-go. Can’t wait til I can get a flash! I shoot in RAW, usually on the Av setting and then import all the photos into lightroom. I make a few adjustments like temperature, exposure, fill light, sharpness, saturation, etc. I definitely use crop a lot! My daytime photos need much less work than the nighttime shots. And there you go ;)
Oh good! I’m glad I’m not the only one who takes a TON of pictures!! I figure it’s good practice. :)
Your new dip looks delish! I love cashew butter– it makes everything creamier and more decadent! YUM.
Yesterday I made myself a soft serve using : 1 frozen banana, 2-3 spoon of soy milk and a full tablespoon of raw organic cacao… AWESOME!! Tasted like chocolate ice cream only better since I know how better it is for me :) Next time I will try adding some almond essence. I am sure it would be divine. :)
I actually made a new year’s resolution to take fewer pictures for my posts. I used to take maybe 25 or so. But now I limit myself to 10. I just make sure that conditions are ideal — good lighting, and then spend most of my time really composing the shot so I won’t have to spend more time wading through all the images later.
It’s worked REALLY well for me. So has learning more about aperture, shutter speeds, and ISO. I’m shooting on all manual now, and I feel like a rock star. But — truth be told — I do sometimes enhance my shots (mostly just contrast) in Photoshop :)