Murphy’s Law: You will have troubles with your Furnace during a cold-snap.
Thank goodness for space heaters!
Our heat has been wonky last night and this morning and the house feels like an icy igloo. I woke up this morning feeling like I’m coming down with a cold too. My poor body is just trying to stay alive!
Right now, I have my space heater so close to me, I could melt, but I am willing to take that risk. Hopefully the technician will be able to make it today.
Of course, all I could think about this morning was getting WARM and it was the perfect morning for a hot bowl of oats that would warm me from the inside out.
Aside from making Rustic Banana Cake, another easy way to use up black bananas is by mashing them into oatmeal for a lovely Banana Bread effect. A really ripe banana makes for a sweet bowl of oats too, so I didn’t need any additional sweetener in this bowl which is always nice!
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Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Oats
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup regular oats
- 1 cup Almond Milk, or adjust to preference
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 ripe banana, mashed into oats
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp PB2 Peanut butter OR 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Toppings: 1/2 cup sliced strawberries + 2 tbsp chopped walnuts + sweetener if preferred
Directions: Whisk all ingredients except strawberries and walnut in a pot over medium heat. Whisk well until combined. Stir every minute or two for about 10 minutes until thickened. Before serving, stir in the strawberries and nuts. Makes 1 delicious serving.
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A reader sent me some PB2 to try out a while ago so I thought I would try stirring some into my oatmeal this morning. PB2 is basically powdered, defatted peanut butter with 85% less fat than traditional peanut butter. They also add in some sugar and salt to pump up the flavour. I have to admit, it does taste better than I thought it would, though, I still prefer using real peanut butter in moderation, extra calories and all. 
Eric surprised me with some organic strawberries the other day. We normally don’t buy the non-local berries in the Winter, but once and a while they are a nice treat. This pint was really flavourful for some reason.
After cooking the oats, stir in the toppings of your choice…
Oh, and try to avoid doing this…
[I blame my frozen, lifeless fingers…]
I added a splash of Almond Milk to my bowl. I really enjoy a bit of milk poured on top of my oats lately.
How To Make A Light Reflector In 1 Minute Flat
The main way I have learned more about food photography is by using online tutorials and then practicing these tips in my shoots. I thought it would be fun to occasionally share with you the tips and tricks that I learn along the way.
The other day I came across this easy tip on how to build a light reflector. Light reflectors are often used in photography to bounce the light and brighten up your shot. I’ll show you a before and after below.
Step 1) Grab a Binder
Step 2: Cover it with tin foil.
Step 3) Secure with tape.
A benefit of using a binder is that you can bend it forwards and backwards.
Before (not using light reflector)
After (using light reflector)
The difference is very subtle, but you can see how it brightens up and fills out some of the dark areas in the after shot!
Just try not to get the binder in your shot… ;)
My next tip has to do with using props in a photo. I have some fun progress pictures to show you from my first experiment.
You might also want to check out my ‘how to make a light box’ post from the other week.
I think more hot tea is in order. :)
great tip! someone actually told me to do that recently, but didn’t explain how! i can use all the tips i can get, workin hard on improving my photos!
That oatmeal looks delishhh! I saw on Katheats she put cottage cheese as an add in for one of her oatmeals and it looked amazing since i love it…. i was just curious, whats your take on cottage cheese in general??
What a great idea!! BRILLIANT! Must try this next time. My kitchen is SO dark (no windows – BOO). Will have to see if that helps my ‘in kitchen shots’.
Hi Angela, Came to your blog through Foodbuzz..ur blog is so amazing, esp the way you promote vegan healthy food. I am already subscribing you.
Nice talk about those reflectors and am also looking forward to the prop talk. I am quite new to blogging and these photography tips will definitely help me a lot.
Those oats look ammazzzing!! You always have such treats for breakfast. :)
That’s a great light tip! I’ll totally give that a try, thanks Angela!
hooray for NON-defatted peanut butter!
nutt’n butter then the real thing!
YUM!!!
; )
What a great tip!! I’m totally going to try it. I made a light box and it made a world of difference!
I have to admit, sometimes I like some PB2!
I just want to say I think you are absolutely gorgeous! My sister found you on here and she told me how great of an inspiration you are to her. I just had to see for myself! I’m still at the beginning stages of my blog and I’m predicting it will be of a vent/self discovery/happiness/inspirational type nature hahaha. =) I can’t wait to read more of your stuff!
<3 Lauren
Those strawberries must have been such a nice treat! I still buy non-local berries throughout the winter, but they never taste as good as the local ones! I can’t wait for berry season again!
aluminum foil is one of the best inventions ever. I never tire of finding new uses for it. Also, did you know that clean foil is recyclable?!?! wahoooo!
Woww great technique of “light reflecting”! Is that something that one could do even with a point and shoot? :)
thanks so much for this! i have this and the “how to make a light box” bookmarked :)
Thinking about trying to create a healthful version of Starbucks’ maple nut scone – wheat and dairy free, healthier oils and sweeteners. Interested in what your take on it might be! :)
Thanks…this may help my crappy photos look only semi-crappy.
Is this light reflector something you have to use *with* the light box, or is it an extra trick on its own? I haven’t been able to make a light box yet, but I could definitely make this tonight :)
Girrrl, that is one great reflector tip :) Seriously, I’m about to take my tent light cube and toss it straight out the window… No joke, I dislike it that much. It’s so damn big that the light isn’t flooding the space. So, I’m going to make one of these and see if it doesn’t help. Thanks!
I just made this…super good. Added in some maca powder because it arrived in the mail with the chia seeds. Thanks for the recipe!
I love this tip! Keep them coming!
Thanks for posting this great and easy tip! Photography is an area that is lacking on my blog. I post pictures, but I don’t have a “big girl” camera yet, so it is hard to get pretty pictures. I will try this for sure!