a day at the museum

Last weekend my friends and I hit up one of my favorite Philly spots, the art museum. Housed in an iconic structure right on the water's edge and filled with some of the most beautiful artwork in the world, it's such an inspiring and entertaining place to be. Pieces include everything from my favorite Monets to Duchamp and Seurat. I love examining the textures - the skill and utter beauty. As someone who enjoys digital photography, I love thinking about the fact that each work is a realized vision. When I take a photo and then drop it into Photoshop, I can play around with it and let it become whatever strikes me in the moment. The end result isn't always something that springs out of a vision, but rather my current emotions and the way I'm interacting with a photo in that moment. These painters knew exactly what they wanted to paint: the light it would have and emotions it would trigger. It takes a lot of planning, skill, and intention - and that is just something I can't help but respect.

what if money was no object?

Such good advice, so hard to follow...

superfood cereal: hot quinoa, blueberries, maca, and ginger

About a year ago, I used to eat hot quinoa with maca powder for breakfast on the regular. Over the summer I somehow forgot about it, but I'm happy to say that it has recently reappeared on my menu. It all happened because I got these blueberries in my CSA box. I decided to prepare them as filling for homemade poptarts for Kristina's birthday. I am not a baker, though. My wholewheat pie crust failed, and I was left with this jar of awesomely sweet, ginger blueberries. I needed a new purpose for them, and I thought they would go great with breakfast. And so, the hot quinoa cereal popped into my mind, and made its reappearance on the scene... 

Combined with the ginger blueberry mixture, this is probably one of the best things you can eat for breakfast. Quinoa is protein loaded while blueberries give you a kick of antioxidants, ginger balances your digestive track, and maca powder loads you up with vital minerals. Essentially, this cereal will give you energy, keep the toxins out, and make everything run smoothly. It's also warm and comforting, perfect for those winter months. 

Now, what better way to start off the day?

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 Cup Quinoa

2 Cups Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Blueberry Ginger Ingredients (makes 1, 8oz jar):

1.5 Cup Frozen or Fresh Blueberries 

1/2 Cup Cane Sugar

2 Tbsp Agave Nectar

1 Tsp Vanilla

1/2 Inch Ginger, peeled and finely grated

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Directions:

1. At least 2 hours before you want to make your cereal, stir blueberry mixture ingredients together in a jar, and let it sit in the refrigerator to take on flavor.

2. Place quinoa and almond milk into a sauce pan. Over a medium/low flame, simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the quinoa is cooked, but is slightly soupy. Stir it every now and then during the simmering process.

3. Pour quinoa into bowls and then spoon desired amount of blueberry mixture over top.

4. Mix up and eat.