Quick Start: Going Raw & Taking Pictures

I’ve already started treating myself. Actually I’ve gone a little overboard. I’m usually pretty thrifty. As a minimalist, I don’t spend a lot of money on spontaneous buys. I do a lot of research and weigh the pros and cons before I put down some hard cash.

My first big buy was a new camera. I bought the newly released Canon EOS 7D Mark II. This may surprise you because I have always been a Nikon gal. Because we use Canon at work, I thought I should get with the program. Besides every photographer should know his or her way around multiple camera brands. (Added bonus: I can borrow camera lenses from work!)

 

Next up … I bought an Excalibur Food Dehydrator. Simply put a dehydrator is a oven that uses a fan to dry food at low temperatures. It removes the water while keeping all the good enzymes that are generally removed when cooked. Many people use it to make jerky and stuff for camping. (No jerky for me!)

I bought a white nine-tray dehydrator from Community Natural Foods in Calgary. A store in Red Deer sells them for $100 more. No thank you!

Many raw foodist swear by a food dehydrator because it does not actually cook the food but allows for recipes that offer the same texture as common foods. In case you were wondering, raw food doesn’t necessarily mean cold food. Rather it means the temperature of the food is kept below 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Most regular ovens do not have such a low setting.

I’ve been toying with the idea of going raw – adding more raw foods to my plant-based diet. Several years ago I went to an awesome raw food festival in Ottawa. I loved it and always knew that one day I would incorporate more raw in my lifestyle. (I really should have delved into this during the summer months when produce is more readily available and cheaper.) In a future post I will write about the benefits of a raw food diet.

   

Apple chips were my first test. They turned out brilliantly! So easy. I’m super excited about my new tool. (Move over Vitamix). I’ll write more in the coming days and weeks as I experiment with making my own recipes including flatbreads, protein bars and pizza bases! 

And finally on the low scale of things, I bought a seed germinator. In the past I used to sprout seeds and nuts using a mason jar but I never got the results I wanted. This three-tray seed thingy is awesome. You just have to water the top tray and it trickles down to the other two trays and finally to the catch basin. Love it. 

             

Happy Saturday.