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
Love this!! I usually take close to 10 pictures for each dish, at varying angles and focusing on different elements. Natural light is usually what makes or breaks my pictures, but I find playing around with the aperture on my SLR has made a big difference too. I did a lot of photojournalism in university, but it was all taking pictures of people and events. Food is a much better subject! ;)
the colour of that juice is GORGEOUS!!! And that dip sounds great!
I generally only take 5-10 pictures. But I have a lame little digital camera. If I had a nice camera like you, I’d probably take a ton more and have fun with different angles/lighting etc.
I used to take tons of pictures of my food, but now just one or two will do. I uploads hundreds of my kids every day, and then edit those. So I try to keep it pretty simple when it comes to the blog pics.
I’m a photographer (student..in 2 months!!) and I take a lot of photos to get one good shot! It depends on the shoot though. Sometimes I take 400.. other times 50..so graduating metimes 5. It depends on the subject and how complicated the set is.
If you ever have any questions feel free to ask!
I use Adobe Bridge to edit down my photos.. they have a rating system that’s easy to use. Everyone has a different workflow though!
Supposed to say graduating in 2 months!**
Hey Angela! The fruit dip looks incredible! I think I’ll give it a shot with some homemade raw almond yogurt I just made.
I laughed when I read how many shots you take in prep for a blog post! I just noticed last week that I shot 90 pictures for a post and that ended up having only 3 photos in it!
My editing process is fairly simply. Beside cropping and resizing, I use Levels for contrast and sometimes Hue/Saturation if I want a more unrealistic color touch. Little by little I want to develop more Photoshop skills. I’m really timid at trying new things, tho’, so it may take some time!
I do the same, I take so many pictures of my meals without even noticing! It really makes post processing take awhile but Lightroom is pretty intuitive, and it’s worth it!
I’m a perfectionist so I’m really just going for that one perfect shot. Editing is kept to a minimal as I like to work with what I have. Styling is key but I always visualize what I want to see before I set up or snap the photos.
i am getting more into photography through blogging. getting a better camera was a step in the right direction. i love my small one but i think one with a faster shutter speed and more zoom could be in my future.
thanks for the inside scoop. i find i do a few different angles as well and adjust and crop as needed. i do it all in iphoto, but investing in photoshop could happen at some point too.
I take about 20 pictures – if I made something cold (dessert, salad) I take more but if I want to eat the meal I only take as many pictures as absolutely necessary.
It’s always possible to crop them a little bit and edit them in PS :-)
My bf keeps talking about taking a photography course, he’s REALLY into photography
I don’t really do much with my photos except for rotate them :-) haha….What you see is really what I’m getting
It is fun to take photos! I should take more, like yourself, but to save time I only take a few of each meal. I do take a lot of pictures when I post a recipe for an in the kitchen category though. I have an external flash that I should play around with more, but I don’t have the time!
I always take about 20 additional photos than readers actually see!
WOoooow this dip looks amazing!!
Given how great your pictures are, I am surprised that you are taking a beginners class! The one with the spoon today is really great. Then again, I always say that your spoon shots are beautiful!
I have to try this dip, it sounds yummy! I have a question though, do you think that there is there any other fruit that could be substituted for bananas? I love them and put them in everything, but my husband does not like them in recipes; he only eats them whole. I could get him to eat more fruit if I provided a dip…. if you have suggestions, I would love to hear them. Thanks!
Mmmm, how good that dip/soft serve looks! A must try…
I just wanted to let you know about Color Me Katie (http://colormekatie.blogspot.com/) – a wonderful, positive and fantastic blog on which Katie challenges conventions and brings so much joy into life. Check it out! And check out how I did my very own Katie-inspired door and entryway http://stressstories.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-need-to-have-more-fun.html
Have a wonderful and glowing day :-)
Wow, that DIP!!! That looks totally & utterly amazing. I am definitely making this!
I love Gena’s soft serve, and this kicks it to the next level!
Beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing:-) That dip is gorgeous!
I’m excited for the directory!
That’s a lot of pictures, but they are all beautiful :) I probably take 6-7 and 2-4 make the cut!
P.S. I had the same problem with my workout last night. I generally do the 10-minute rule, but I didn’t even have that in me. Looking forward to a nice run tonight! :)