Vegetable Stir-fry alla Autism

You will need:

A wok

A wooden spoon

A strainer

1 vegetable bullion cube

A pinch of salt

Grape seed oil or extra virgin olive oil

Instant egg noodles (stir-fry style)

Frozen mixed vegetables (large sized)

Frozen broccoli

Teriyaki sauce

Sesame oil

Sesame seeds (black are good but use what you have)

Time: About 30 minutes

Eating healthy is hard enough, but feeding my kids can be almost impossible. I’m diabetic and both my wife and I are lactose intolerant. These are just set backs in cooking for us. It’s one of the reasons we eat as gluten free and we can afford and mostly vegetarian. We cut carbs where we can, but there are times when we just give in and indulge. I pay for it later, but it’s usually not too bad. When I write about the food I talk about what’s worked for me. I’m pushing 80 pounds I’ve lost. The combination of exercise, vitamins, and eating right has helped. Don’t follow any my advice blindly. See a doctor, dietitian, or almost anyone other than a fat guy on the internet who loves to cook.

If you read my blog you know I do what I can to keep my kids eating healthy. This was a tight month and like most people in this economy it’s hard to eat well and keep money in your pocket. I buy bulk when I can. Stuff I know we’ll eat. Pasta, rice, dried beans, lentils, etc. You can find almost anything in bulk if you want, just make sure it’s something that’s not going to waste. (Like the 50 pack of plain yogurt, what WAS I thinking?) We also buy a lot of frozen vegetables. All sorts, mixed peppers, peas and carrots, name it and we most likely buy it frozen. These frozen vegetables will be the base of this whole meal.

I use a wok, a wooden spoon, and strainer to prepare this entire meal. I start by boiling the noodles. I buy a dried egg noodle. Medallion makes my favorite. The have an instant egg noodle that’s perfect. I toss in a vegetable bouillon cube, a pinch of salt, and let it come to a boil. Then drop in the noodles and let them cook until al dente. Then we strain them, keeping about a t-spoon, and set them aside. I then walk over to the freezer. I grab a few different veggies. I usually buy the vegetables that are a little bigger, for stewing. This is only because this is what my boys like. Plus it has quite a few different veggies in it. I also grab a bag of broccoli. Add as much as you think you’ll need/eat. I usually add a cup and a half of the mixed, and ¾ cup of broccoli. I use grape seed oil, but extra virgin olive oil will work as well. I normally toss the veggies in the t-spoon of water, and then add the oil. I’ve been burned in the past… but that’s a different story. Mix the vegetables with your wooden spoon. Add some teriyaki (to taste). The sugar free stuff seems a little sweet, which helps with the kids eating vegetables. Add a very small amount of sesame oil (add it to taste but too much is, in Ian’s words, kinda icky). Cook these guys for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in your noodles and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Top it with some black sesame seeds and you’re done. We buy fortune cookies (or save them on those rare times we eat out) just to serve for fun to the boys. They love the noodles, and can pick the vegetables they want to eat out as we serve it (another reason to choose the larger veggies).

The best part is it takes about 30 minutes and it’s healthy. (healthier than a burger and fries maybe) I don’t like to spend a lot of time cooking when I could be playing with the boys or out shooting photos.

Thanks for reading…

My Lowepro and my life...

 

As a photographer I’m very lucky. Life is created moment by moment. Behind the camera I get to see that people really live their lives by the things that take their breath away. I get to be there when they say I do, sing happy birthday, or celebrate a life well spent. I’ve photographed babies being born, A Korean boy’s first birthday, a sweet sixteen, a twenty first kegger,, and the funeral of a decorated war vet.

There is a down side. I spend time with other families more than my own. Sometimes, even when I’m home I am editing or cleaning equipment. I still think I get to see my family more than other people. I try to have coffee ready for my wife in the morning; I get my kids dressed and ready for school. I make everyone breakfast. Then as soon as I’m finished I grab my backpack and head out the door. Some days I shoot a lot, some days nothing worth keeping.

I’ve won awards, been published, and got to travel to some really incredible places. Things and places other photographers only dream about. I often get to take my family. I don’t get to spend a lot of time with them, but they get to enjoy the trip with them, but it’s a comfort knowing they’re close. There are the other trips though, the ones where I’m alone. Sometimes it’s good, 20 miles from people, days without talking or noise. I realize then how lucky I am. I get to see things most people don’t. Go places where most people can’t, just me and my gear.

I chase light and capture moments. I live my life out of a Lowepro backpack…

Where have you been Tanis?

I would like to apologize to everyone, the emails, phone calls, and Facebook messages have been wonderful and encouraging.

So where have I been? As many of you know I got pretty sick in January. That went in to February but finally let go of me. Never under estimate soup and vitamins.  A special thanks to my family for putting up with me during that time and my friend Jeni W. for the chicken soup idea. I also turned... 40. W0w, 40... Anyway, shortly after my birthday I lost my mother. She had been sick for many years. We lost her on February, 14, 2011. It broke my heart, but it was fitting that the sweetest woman I knew died on Valentines Day. I talked to my Mom almost every week (if not every day some months) and I honestly didn't know how much I would miss her. I have tried to call her several times since. I then fall into feeling horrible because I forget she's gone. I went through all sorts of family drama while in Ohio. It followed me home and still seems to be ugly. The Ohio trip is something I'll blog about later. I did get to take Ian, and I really need to thank a lot of my friends who donated money, and transportation, food, places to stay etc etc while we were there. I'll talk about this more later when I blog about that trip. I really missed my wife and youngest son, Logan. To my surprise I missed Washington and Oregon more than I thought. To top off all of this I got a sinus infection while I was in Ohio, and it went on for four days after my return only to lead to... dum dum dum... Pink eye, yeah... Yay me!!! So now that I'm all healed and feeling better I'm back to work doing what I do...

I'll have a new food blog coming tomorrow and I'll post photos from Ohio later this week. Keep posted and tank you everyone...

Food for other people?

I enjoy cooking for others too. This is a plate I put together for a friend who visited. (She brought the meat lol)

It's a lean cut of pork with green beans and balsamic coleslaw. It's served with a spoon full of horseradish sauce.

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You can follow us on Twitter. ( http://twitter.com/studioaphoto )
Our website is under construction but please feel free to visit. Inmylight.com ( www.inmylight.com ).

Gluten Free Pizza - and Calzones

Welcome back everyone. This has been an interesting week. We have all been sick on one day or another. We set out to make easy foods this week. Most of the week I ate on a pot of vegetable soup with vermicelles/soup noodles. (email me for the recipe). However, there was one night when we all felt well enough to cook together. The easy answer for our kids is fresh pizza, but how do we make pizza healthy?


What will you need?
Bob's Read Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust
2% mozzarella cheese
Low sodium pizza sauce
Peperoni or  Yves meatless peperoni slices
Your favorite veggies
A little extra flour (gluten free if you have it)
Rolling pin
Aluminum foil
375 degrees for 25 min or golden brown.
Total time is a little over an hour.



We start off with Bob's Read Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust. Just follow the direction on the package. It's pretty simple and the boys can mix it, so we give it 5 stars. There are other GF products you can use. There are also pre-made crusts, and pre-made dough so feel free to use those if it's easier. We like to get the kids involved as much as possible. From there it's like any other pizza. Get the toppings you want and add them. Easy enough, right? We use a low sodium sauce, and 2% cheese. They even get real peperoni. We buy everything as lean and low sodium or sodium free as we can afford. Which is what it comes down to. Its one of the reasons we use Bob's Red Mill.

The boys are happy, but what about Mom and Dad? We get tired of pizza so we go for a calzone. We use the same dough as the pizza. Sprinkle some of the extra flour on your cutting board and roll out the dough (and you can also use the pre-made dough here) and spread on your sauce. I actually used the 2% cheese here. There are some places where soy cheese just doesn't cut it. (for me anyway) I did  use soy peperoni (Yves meatless peperoni slices). I also used some green bell pepper, mushrooms, and green onions. I'll even sub some green olives when Sarah isn't eating it. Add anything that makes you smile. Remember to only add the cheese and veggies on one side, you'll be folding it over. After it's ready to fold turn your cutting board where you'll be folding the crust away from you That's what works easiest for me. Fold the crust over until it makes that half moon shape we're looking for. Use your thumbs to pinch and slightly fold it end to end. It doesn't have to be perfect, ours never are. Cut three or four slits on top so it can vent. Otherwise it might puff up a lot larger than you want. We also like to sprinkle a little cheese and Italian herbs on top. It's a matter of taste. After it's ready I like to wrap it up in aluminum foil. Why? Does it make it taste better? Maybe, for me it takes me back to that place when I was a kid and my folks would take me to a pizza place that always cooked everything in foil. Let's face it kids, sometimes eating is all about memory. We often eat things that take us back to when we were kids, and this does it for me. Now, cook it on 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. There you go. It isn't the healthiest meal we made, but it was the best and when you feel bad you want comfort food. Thanks for reading and see you next week.

Questions or comments? Feel free. .

Please become a fan on Facebook.  ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-A-Photography/81472792848 )
You can follow us on Twitter. ( http://twitter.com/studioaphoto )
Our website is under construction but please feel free to visit. Inmylight.com ( www.inmylight.com ).

Work Stuff

I have received a few emails asking us to display a little more of our work. After pestering you with a few links I'll post a few.  Just remember that all the photos and text are OUR property. Please do not use them with out our permission.

Please become a fan on Facebook.  ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-A-Photography/81472792848 )
You can follow us on Twitter. ( http://twitter.com/studioaphoto )
Our website is under construction but please feel free to visit. Inmylight.com ( www.inmylight.com )

Ok, now for the photos. Please feel free to comment or send emails asking questions. tanis (at) inmylight.com

So, I hope that gives you a little taste of some of the work we do. I'll post some photos of people the next time I don't write about food. Thank for the interest everyone. It really means a lot,

My kitchen helpers

I wanted to add a photo of my two kitchen helpers

Special needs and food...

One of the challenges I face daily is balancing my diet with what my boys will eat. My sons are autistic, and anyone with any special needs child will tell you that finding food they like AND having them eat healthy can be a task. Now if you're anything like me and you have special needs kids you read everything you can get your hands on about their gift. We try to eat as gluten free as possible (I know, no sugar, no gluten, no fun? HA) so we look for snacks they'll eat. We found that they like Fritos and it's something we can give them in small amounts and they seem to satisfy them. Our oldest son really likes something he can hold onto while he eats.
        He likes hard shell tacos, but I forgot to pick them up while I was at the store. I use the gluten free soft tortillas. (La Tortilla Factory has my favorite) (I don't get any endorsement for any product I name btw...). So as a family who has gone pretty green do I drive back to the store or can I get him to eat these soft shells? Let me tell you, I would be able to pick a portion of the Great Wall of China and throw it into space before I could talk him into anything. So I waste $15 in gas and drive back, right? Wrong! I tell him that I got the soft shells so he can eat his favorite snack inside the shell to add flavor. This actually got him interested. So we created our gluten free vegetarian tacos and here's what we did:

Prep and cooking time, about 30 minutes
1 bag of veggie crumbles (I use Morning Star, but use what you want. You could also just use the meat of your choice)
1/2 can of drained and rinsed black beans (We actually use dried beans to cut back on sodium)
1 cup of cheese  (In our case it has to be yellow cheese, sharp cheddar, and I try to buy a nice soy cheese)
1 small onion
Taco seasoning (try to find something low sodium McCormick makes a good one)
1/2 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
A little chopped cilantro
1 handful of Fritos
6-8 gluten free shells
1 tsp of oil (I use grape seed oil, but you can use extra virgin olive oil)
Sour cream


Use just a little bit of extra virgin olive oil or grape seed oil on medium heat
Finely chop the onion and add it to the oil.Cook it until it just starts to come clear.
Add your veggie crumbles and black beans. Heat this until it's almost completely cooked.
Add your taco seasoning following the directions (usually the packet and a cup of water)
***If you decide to use meat strain it before you add the water and sauce***
While this cooks cut your red and green peppers into strips, then chop the cilantro. You can add the peppers into the mix and cook them if you wish. We like them raw.
Once the taco mixture has cooked down take it off the heat and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
Lay out your shells, fill with the taco mixture. Throw on some cheese, to taste and throw on the amount of Fritos that makes them smile. Then you can use your peppers, cilantro, (even a chopped jalapeno, I love to add them) Then you eat it. Simple enough. If you really want to punch it up and add some heat I use Secret Aardvark sauce. It's a local product here in the Portland/Vancouver area but you can order it online. I love spicy food and sauces. This is THE BEST I have ever had. All the spice with all the flavor.

Anyway, nowthat it's done it should look a little like this:

 Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please feel free to ask...

New year, new stuff

I've been saying for a very long time that I wanted to start a food blog. As a diabetic person it's important that I keep an eye on my blood sugar, my A1C, triglycerides, blood pressure, etc etc etc... For a really long time I didn't care. Then I had kids. I was still pretty over weight, so about a year ago I decided enough was enough. I lost 65 pounds, and lowered my blood sugar. I did this with a few methods (please keep in mind that I'm not an MD and you should consult your Dr. before starting any diet plan or following some idiot, like me, on the internet). I turned to eating mostly vegetarian, only rarely eating some fish and even more rare eating poultry. (I do sneak a hotdog on occasion, it's fat guy kryptonite). I stopped eating so much bread, and wheat. I gave up eating most of my dairy. I started taking vitamins, and added a little exercise (and by a little that's what I mean). I also stopped drinking diet soda, which I love. So why am I telling you this? I would like to start sharing the recipes I created to make my food life bearable. You won't see much meat at all. The food is really good though, for that you'll have to take my word unless you get lucky enough to come to one of our dinner parties.

I'll also use this space to add photos of the food, and photos of the places I visit and/or things I shoot during the week. I'll try to post every Sunday, with the menus from the previous week. I'll also add stuff during the week when I work on different projects. For fun I'll add a few photos from a trip I took last week.

Thanks for reading, even though I know no one is there right now...