haha! I attempted to correct the white balance...

I got a Canon Rebel XSi this week and I’m still figuring it out, but whoa is it an improvement over my little point and shoot (not that this photo is an example, I just like the macro effect on it). I took about 50 shots of this frozen pizza, fiddling awkwardly with all the knobs and buttons like a high school boy making out with a girl for the first time. I was probably just as giddy and excited.

Hence forth, I promise to provide you with marginally superior photography from previous posts. No more half-assed photography here, no siree.

Other changes are afoot in Miggy Country. I am hoping to launch a new site design early next week. Those cheesy header photos will be a thing of the past, too.

The pumpkin bread, also from The Joy of Vegan Baking, was such a miserable failure that I threw the entire loaf out. I underestimated the cooking time and over mixed the batter, resulting in a super dense and chewy brick. I learned from it, though, and I think the next time I attempt the recipe the bread will come out better.

Earlier this week I had the Tofu Quiche Salad from Field of Greens, and ever since I’ve been hankering for mini tofu quiches. I quick google search pointed me to The Fat Free Vegan Kitchen’s version. Off I went to Whole Foods in search of nutritional yeast and tahini. Exotic ingredients be damned, I had to have those quiches.

When life gives you failed quiches, make scrambled eggs

The coolest thing about this recipe is that it actually tastes like egg, and the texture is spot on. I think most folks would be surprised, and many would ask for seconds.

When I first started shooting pro, I was told “get down close and shoot it like porn”…and natural light is best.

Check out Laura’s tasty food photos here.

She was right. Is this too much? It is, isn’t it.

Figs are said to be an aphrodisiac

Fig and Chile Pasta

Adapted from this recipe on Culinate.com. You should check out Culinate, it’s all about being healthy and conscientious while not totally depriving yourself.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

12 dried figs
2 lemons
1- 6 oz container plain fat-free yogurt
12 oz whole-wheat fettuccine
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 fresh chile, seeded and finely chopped (don’t do what I did and dose yourself with too much chile. Ouch!)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
2. Cut figs in halves or quarters and place cut-side up on a plate. I chose to use dried figs because the fresh ones at Whole Foods looked manky that day.
3. Grate the zest from the lemons and squeeze the juice of one lemon into the yogurt. Stir in the lemon zest.
4. Once you have achieved a righteous boil on the water, add the pasta and cook according to the package.
5. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. I cut the amount from the original recipe in half, just cuz. Add the figs and chile and cook for a couple of minutes. When the mixture looks softened remove it from the heat.
6. Drain the fettuccine, return it to the pot and stir in the lemon yogurt, the Parmesan and the fig and chile mixture. Serve immediately.

Plain yogurt makes a quick and healthy pasta sauce a la alfredo…stop laughing. OK, it’s not exactly alfredo, but it IS tasty. Is there anything yogurt can’t do? The final product is pictured below, next to the Heirloom Tomato Salad I wrote about on Houstonist.

If you go to my shelfari virtual bookshelf, you’ll see what I’m up to. Nevermind “Walter the Farting Dog”, I want you to focus on the last four books I added. See? I’m going to read all of that info and distill it into domestic/scientific geekery the likes of which the internet has never seen!

Photo credit hellochris

Depending on a number of factors, on any given day I will find myself obsessing over some body part in a most unconstructive way. You guys know what I’m talking about. I’ll stand in front of the mirror and poke at the fupa, turn to the side and cringe at the saddle bags, wave my arms around to watch the upper arm jiggle. I spend a lot of time engaging in this behavior, which got me to thinking…why the hell do I do that?

The crap I say to myself I would never say to anyone else, it does little to motivate me to change the “problem areas” and it sure as shit doesn’t make me feel too good. My body image issues may not be serious enough to make me sick, but I feel like I gotta stop this nonsense. I’ve come up with a few ideas to help me develop a more realistic body image:

• Make a cartoon drawing of myself as I see myself on my worst day and share it with my girlfriends. I know this sounds nutz, but hear me out. When I was in grad school one of my best friends and I had a conversation about the body parts we hate. As I listened to her describe her “moon face” I thought how funny it would be to actually draw out our bad body images and share them with each other. You see, I never thought of her as having a moon face, in fact I find her quite lovely. We said we would do it one day, but we never did. I’m totally going to force my friends to do this with me, just to prove how ridiculous our body obsessions are. It may require a few bottles of wine, but be forewarned, I’m coming after you with crayons in hand…you know who you are…
• For every insult I hurl at the mirror, I will also force out one compliment. This one is a little easier. Take the picture above, for example. My biggest complaints are the fupa and jiggly thighs, but dang I got some great cleavage and a super-cute booty. This little exercise is my way of finding some positive motivation within to get my butt to the yoga studio or to give me the will power to stick to my healthy diet.
• When I find myself being overly critical, I will think of one small thing I can do that day to “fix” the “problem”. Tacking on a few extra sit-ups (fupa), taking the stairs instead of the elevator (saddle bags) and avoiding the M&M jar (all of it) are examples a small things I can do that may or may not “fix” the “problem”. At least I’ll feel like I’m doing something about it.

Do you think any of these ideas would work for you? Better yet, will you share your ridiculous body image drawings with me? I can always use a good laugh

I started jumping rope and using resistance bands the past two weeks in preparation for all the traveling I’m doing this summer. Check out my gear:

I know this will fit in your suitcase

That’s a light resistance band, a jump rope with a built-in counter, and medium resistance band. All three weigh less than a pound total and I can fit them easily into the front pocket of my carry-on roller bag. I’ve been working on a routine where I start off jumping rope for a minute, then I do three sets of resistance training, another round of jumping rope, another 3 sets of resistance exercises and so on. I repeat the intervals until I’ve gotten to each major muscle group (legs, biceps/triceps, back, chest, shoulders). I finish off with 150 crunches in five different flavors (30 reps of each). This routine takes me about 40 minutes to complete.

With so many distractions in Chicago, it will be difficult to stay on my routine. I’m gonna try my best and let you know how I fare. Wish me luck!

Invest your bling in your health savings

I don’t mean to be all Debbie Downer. What I want to say in this post is that, given the odds of finding a cure, to me it makes a lot of sense to try my best to avoid cancer altogether. I know it’s not a sure bet, but living a healthy lifestyle is the best way to do it. I got to thinking: Why don’t I approach my health like I do my retirement fund? I sock away a portion of my paycheck every month in the hopes that there will be enough to support me when I decide to quit working for good. What if for every vegetable I eat, for every glass of water I drink instead of a soda, for every minute of exercise I endure, I think of it as dropping a few bucks into a health fund? It’s the same principle: take an action today that is intended to pay off in the future. With a health fund, I am “investing” in my golden years, in the quality of life I want to have. When I retire, I want to travel the world and volunteer and garden and write a novel…I better start aggressively investing in MY health fund if I’m going to do all of that.

Photo credit Brooks Elliott

Hey, how'd they get their cameras in my bedroom?

Let me explain how it’s gone for me: you ever try to nail jello to a wall?

Some nights I stay up too late goofing off online doing research for this blog. Despite my best intentions, other nights I toss and turn for a while before drifting off. I averaged around 6.5-7 hours a night last week, but I’d wager my norm is closer to 5.5-6 hours a night.

Apparently, this is not good for me. The long term effects of sleep deprivation are linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and traffic accidents. Plus is makes you irritable, anxious, and not able to concentrate. Dang. Not getting enough sleep can make you a fat ball of nerves on the verge of a heart attack? I joke here, but it looks like this is a serious problem for affluent countries, and is a culprit of many of our most pressing health issues like diabetes and obesity.

So what can I do to improve this situation?

I have a few ideas that I’m going to try out this week. I will turn off the computer an hour before I need to be asleep in order to get 7.5 hours. I will read some fiction for the next half hour and then turn out the lights and settle in 30 minutes before I need to be asleep. This is not going to be easy for me, as I do love to goof off at night, but I’m curious to see if my concentration and overall health and well being improve noticeably.

If you have any tips on how to get enough sleep then do your thang in the comments. I’d love the advice!

Photo credit: riot jane