It’s Monday and there is a lot to conquer for work this week… But I just had to share my little experience from yesterday!

I met Jamie Oliver! Okay, it was online, and the conversation was very much directed, but still! 

As part of  Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution 4 luckly people from around the globe were selected to join Jamie for a hangout on Google+ for half an hour to chat about the Food Revolution. It was scheduled for Sunday at 10am, but was only confirmed the night before – in fact as I was rushing out the door to attend a Food Revolution dinner party! I was a super happy chicky!

I’m not a fan of very many famous people. I’m just not into it – the gossip, the clothes, the intrusive photos. (I had no idea who the Kardashians were until one of them got divorced and it was on the news.) But, I am a big fan of Jamie! I know this might sound weird as I’m a vegetarian, and he cooks with meat. But aside from the recipes and his awesome cooking style, this guy is a trooper for an awesome cause.

If you can’t really relate to what I just wrote, you must watch this TED speech by Jamie. 

Here is the link to see the hangout in case you missed it. It’s so hard to look at myself on screen!! You know when you hear your voice differently when it’s played back? Well, add that and looking at yourself!.. So weird and foreign! I was cringing watching myself the whole time. Arg!

Anyways, I do hope in the near future to  post my views on whole foods, the foods we eat as a society, and how to move forward. I do hope with all my heart that what we see happening around the world isn’t a fad, but a movement where generations to come will be wide-eyed and wonder why, when they hear about the kinds of diet and diet related diseases/deaths our world is experiencing.

Until then, check out the Food Revolution movement and make everyday a day to celebrate real food!

p.s. After all that I know I didn’t really talk about my experience, but I must get back to work!

There’s not much to say except the left over pumpkin (aka: squash) made a lovely spread on my toast this morning. I added fresh basil from the garden, freshly ground sea salt and some sesame seeds to keep the goodness flowing.

Do you like to eat leftovers for breakfast? What’s your fave? I’ll admit that I love leftover pizza from the fridge – don’t get me wrong, straight out of the oven is even better!

Me: Happy seven year anniversary!

Hubby: Seven years?

Me: Oh, happy three year anniversary! Hehehe.

Hubby: LOL.

Although it hasn’t been seven years, the last three have gone so quickly! On days like today I like to look through our wedding photos and reminisce on one of my favourite days!

I thought it might be a bit overkill to show you through my whole day! To see more, check back in one years time. x

A few years ago I did a post on how to make edible spoons and bowls from dough. I thought it was a great idea, but just not with my method and recipe. I searched online to see if anyone else had done something similar and stumbled across a small handful of ideas, but then found this little gem… Roy, the inventor of the Edible Spoon Making Kit has indeed thought of a really simple and clever way to make edible spoons. Roy kindly sent me a kit to try (and will be giving one lucky reader a free kit!). Since receiving the kit, I’ve made well over 100 spoons (maybe 200 by now) and have enjoyed sitting around a spread of dips and toppings munching away on the spoons.

To make the spoons, simply roll flat a piece of bread, punch out the spoon shape, press the cutout into the spoon and bake (more detailed instructions supplied with the kit).

While I was making a batch of spoons and some home made pasta, a time saving idea popped into my head. Watch the video below to see how I used a pasta machine to make dozens of spoons in a few minutes!

Topping suggestions:

Cob-style guacamole: Avocado, corn kernals, red pepper, purple cabbage, extra virgin olive oil, salt and lemon

Grilled Thai Mushroom Salsa. Place a small leafy green on the spoon first to prevent the spoon going soggy if not eating immediately.

Roy, from the Edible Spoon Company is giving one lucky SPW reader the chance to win a spoon making kit! To enter, just leave a comment here with what toppings you would love to put on the spoons (the winner will be randomly chosen).

Giveaway is open worldwide. Closes 6th May 2012. T&Cs here. Giveaway now closed.

Don’t fancy your chances of winning? Kits can be bought from Roy’s site here, for £17.99 £19.99 including shipping worldwide!

Hi everyone! Well, it’s my first day back into the land-of-the-eating! I have enjoyed every mouthful since my 7-day-juice-fast, especially one of my favourite meals that I just devoured - som tam with sticky rice!

I have minus 29 minutes before I was meant to leave for a camping trip, but work, this post, and my unfortunate delay of packing means I’m still at home.

My most popular post on SPW is my tutorial showing how to make clothing buttons using shrink paper/plastic. Something that I always meant to get around to doing was to show how to shrink the buttons using a craft embellishment heat gun – which I have finally done! Check it out below:

Tips:

• See my other tutorial here for more info on how to make the buttons, and what material I used.
• Please be careful! You could hurt yourself if you decide to burn yourself (don’t aim the heat gun at any body parts).
• I am using a craft embellishment gun, like this one. Not an industrial heat gun, like this one. Big hot difference!
• If you’re going to shrink a lot of buttons all at once, the plate will become warm. The shrink plastic is likely to stick to this, so rotate plates between each one to keep them from getting warm, or use a different area of the plate.
• If you want to do this, but don’t have a heat gun, you can use an oven. See original post here.

If you have any questions, I’ll update this list here! Have fun!  

Since I purchased my first SLR I’ve come to love taking photos. I love the ability to use the manual setting, edit RAW images, and generally love that the quality of the photos which are so much better than a point-and-shot. Something I appreciated before I bought my first SLR camera was being able to have a nosey at what other bloggers had in their tool kit – so I thought I would return the favour and share mine! I’ve listed the exact equipment that I use, and some really useful sites and resources that helped me understand how to use my camera properly.

Please keep in mind that my choice of equipment reflects my interest in food/craft photography.

Previous to purchasing my Canon 60D, I used a Canon 20D. The 20D produced great photos, and as someone just starting out, it was all I needed to get my head around the manual settings. However, the 20D has its limitations. One of the notable features I really wanted was the ability to film with a fully articulated screen. The articulated screen is important so that I can shoot overhead shots and still see what’s being shot (instead of tethering or taking blind shots over my head). Secondly, I can film and take photos of myself demonstrating a technique for one my my tutorials or recipes that I wasn’t able to do before without guessing what was being taken – or just not have it. Not to mention the general camera specs have improved tremendously between the two models.

It’s been said that the lens makes the shot – not the camera. I would to a large extent agree with this. At the moment I use a Canon EF 50, f/1.8 II. I chose this lens because it is a great lens for the price. It is a fixed lens which means you have to work a little more for your shot (no zooming), but it has a low f-stop which means you get the fabulous blurry background effect. Being able to use a low f-stop means you can be more creative with what’s in focus, creating a clear focal point for the viewer. (Here is my current dream lens! ~sigh~)

Before I got my Manfrotto tripod I was using a cheap basic tripod that could go up, down, and swivel around a bit. Now that I have this Manfrotto, I can’t believe what I was putting up with! I have to first mention that I was shocked as to how expensive tripods are. I was looking for quality and usability at the best price, and the Manfrotto tripod legs and ball head is what I came up with. I chose this mainly because of the centre arm that is able to go to a horizontal position making overhead shots an absolute breeze. Before then, I would try my best to stand over my setup, with my arms over my head and click hoping everything was in the frame – so glad those days are over.

Now, as I had to explain to my husband when he saw the price of this tripod setup, when you start looking beyond cheap and nasty, you have to buy both the tripod legs as well as a head. I bought the ball head because it gives me a lot of freedom to manoeuvre my camera to whichever angle I desire. For me, as someone that doesn’t make a living from photography this setup was a little pricey, but now that I have it, I could never go back to mr. cheap tripod! (Not knocking it, but you do get what you pay for).

As well as all the pricey gear, there are some things that you need to get great shots as well. These include props, backgrounds, something to diffuse light, and something to reflect/bounce light.

If you’re interested in food photography I highly recommend you make a small investment and read Plate to Pixel: Digital Food Photography and Styling by Helene Dujardin. Without this book I know I would be having a frustrating experience getting to grips with food photography. Helen’s book is technical, yet personal and easy to follow. Her book is not just theory, it’s full of beautiful pictures and examples! (Again, I highly recommend!)

Links:

This Flickr Group. This is a great place to find inspiration for composition, colours, and props. You can also check out my Food Photography Pinterest board for more gawk-worthy photos.

These tutorials by Canon. Hat tip to the team behind these. They are clear, concise, and exactly what a beginner needs to know.

This video showing off the Canon 60D. I included this link so you can gawk a little at the Canon 60D. This promo video was shot at Sapa, Vietnam. I have fond memories of visiting Sapa with my mum and a friend. It was freezing, but the people and colours made for an amazing experience. (If only I had an SLR back then!!)

Here’s a clip for a little inspiration to push your camera and creative eye a little further. Canon hosted a competition in the search for creative entries using simple props they provided. This video shows the spectacular results.  (It’s an oldie, but a goodie)

Some advice for newbies: For anyone just starting out – take photos! Play around with the settings and watch online tutorials. I went for a while just not “getting it”… then one day “it” clicked. I’m talking about using the manual settings on your camera. There’s a delicate relationship between the light, the speed of the photo, the sensitivity of your sensor and a few other bits that make up a great shot which requires no, or very little post-production. Once you get “there”, you’ll know it!

P.S. I’ve added a page to my blog with this post here. I’ll be updating it along the way with new resources and links that I find useful!

• Day 1 was fine. There was the novelty of using the juicer and cutting up lots of fruit and veg which kept my mind of eating.
• Day 2 wasn’t too bad either. Saturday filled up quickly with a sleep in, church, a walk with family to Roma St Parklands, an impromptu visit from good friends then an early night. I did realise on Day 2 as I went to bed with a headache that I neglected to drink enough water.
• Day 3. I woke up grumpy. I kept thinking about food. I started to dislike the juices! I told myself that the plan was to never do 7 days (it was to do 3 days), it was because my mum wanted to do 7 days  - and she’s already piked out! Today has been a mental game!
• I think if I can make it through tomorrow I can make it to the end. Just one day at a time. It also helps that hubby is doing it, and he is like a rock. You could slap a fresh baguette across his head and he wouldn’t budge.

See why I’m on a juice fast here. 

I’m not really hungry, but I am thinking about food – the texture, the smell, the satisfaction. Last night I had a vegetable thai green curry, it was so good, and was also my last meal for 7 days.

I’ve been inspired to undertake this fast after watching the award winning documentary by Joe Cross, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Not that I’m fat, sick or nearly dead; I just want to do something good for my body. I believe that my body is a sacred vessel which I am completely responsible for. I have the choice to pollute it with garbage that some people brand as “food”, or, I can be more intentional about taking care of what’s mine.

I’m just pressing the “reset” button, doing a little body spring cleaning, that’s all.

During the documentary, one of the things that grabbed my attention was the how the people who went on the fast seemed to have more energy. I’m curious to see how my body will respond to an overdose of micro nutrients.

The plan is this:

• The first 3 days will apparently be very miserable. I’ll be doing this fast with my hubby and mum, so we’ll entertain each other when we’re feeling grumpy and hungry.
• On the fourth day, I plan to feel amazing, happy and OK about the fact that I’m not eating food. (Still trying to convince myself of this)
• By the end of the fast, I will feel still feel like the above. I will eat wonderfully healthy food and maintain drinking a super juice every day or so.

I don’t think what I eat on a whole is necessarily bad. But I know my body is ready and willing to take on some more goodness. 

I highly recommend  Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Joe went on a 60-days fast. He lost weight, was able to stop taking medication, and has more energy and “life” to live the way he wants with a positive outlook. During the film, Joe met Phil.  Phil was extremely overweight, depressed, and had the same skin condition as Joe. I won’t spoil the story, but I did have a few teary moments.

 ◲ Helpful Links ◰

Official Website: www.fatsickandnearlydead.com 

Reboot Program: www.jointhereboot.com

Are you in Australia? For those in Australia I have GREAT news for you! To get a FREE DVD of Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, just purchase the May edition of Woman’s Weekly. (I might just buy myself a few copies just for the DVD!)

Are you in America? If you’re a Prime Instant Video member, then you can watch this for free! (Actually, I believe it’s on Netflix as well). If you don’t have either of those accounts, you can rent it from Amazon for a sweet little $2.99 (well-spent I might add!).

When I saw olives at my local fruit and veg store, I knew I just had try preserving them myself!

I’ve never done this before. And I’m not strictly following a recipe. I’m due to head overseas in a few weeks, and I’d be really disappointed if the olives aren’t ready. After reading through a few explanations online, I’ve decided to cut through the olives and soak them in salty water from the start. Hopefully they don’t get too salty by the time all the bitterness is drawn out. I did read that I could soak it in spring water (I hope by “spring water” they mean “filtered water”) to get excess salt out after this. Here’s hoping you’ll hear from a happy olive lover (that’s me) in a month or so!

I should mention that if this works it will work out a lot cheaper! Also the water needs to be changed once a day. If you’re wondering what articles I read, don’t be lazy now, just Google.