You ARE What You Eat

Do you know what you are eating?  

Sure, you know it's a cheeseburger and fries, but do you know how it was made and what is really in it?  Do you know how the animals were treated?  Well, that's another story... don't get me started :)  I think that there is an immense amount of truth in the statement you are what you eat.  What you eat is one of the few choices in life that you have complete control over on a daily basis.  Most people in America don't take advantage of this choice- I know that I don't! 

Stephen and I just recently signed up for Netflix and there are tons of documentaries and I have found that I absolutely love documentaries.  I have been watching all of their awesome food related movies- Food Inc., Food Matters, Forks Over Knives.  These documentaries have vastly changed the way that I look at the food that eat, where my food comes from, how it's made and the nutritional value of the food I choose to put in my body.  The power of nutrition is amazing if you utilize it.  If you visit Kroger, Walmart, Food Lion or any major food store you will see overwhelming choices of food.  I mean, if you want to buy something simple like cereal you have so many choices you can hardly look at them all!  Fruity pebbles, Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, Rice Crispies, Kashi and the list could go on for another 10 pages and this is just for cereal.

One of the most important take away messages I got was that processed food is generally almost always not good for you.  What counts as a processed food?  In my research I have come across many definitions and descriptions of what a processed food actually is but I am going to define processed food as anything that can be bought in the store that doesn't look like its' origin.  If it doesn't look like it was grown in the field then it has been processed in some manner.

My husband and I are embarking on a 2 week journey where we will be cutting out all processed food in our diet starting Monday. This is going to be tough for both of us!  Do I think we will continue to eat this way after the 2 weeks are up?  Probably not completely.  But I know that we will learn a lot and take away valuable lessons about our personal food consumption and I am almost absolutely certain that we will physically feel better.

We sat down and made a list of things we can and can not eat over the next 2 weeks with very few exceptions.  Feel free to join in on our adventure and I will keep you updated on how our 2 week journey is going!  I have listed below our "Can" and "Can Not" eat list below for your enjoyment/sympathy!!    

Can Eat

Fresh fruits and vegables

Eggs

Dry beans

Rice

Deli meat or whole (turkey)

Can Not Eat

Anything packaged/boxed

Anything canned

Pasta

Bread/flour

Anything frozen

Chocolate/refined sugar

Restaurant food

Notable Exceptions

Cheese

Almond Milk

John and Blair Married! l Roanoke VA Wedding Photography

 

 

  

Onyx and Baxter Pet Photography l Roanoke VA Pet Photographer Schaffer Photography

Christina was a single dog owner for many years.  She was perfectly content just owning Onyx (seen below) and wasn't really looking for another dog.  Then Onyx met Baxter.  Christina was fostering Baxter for just a few weeks from the Roanoke Valley SPCA until they could find him a forever home.  After the few weeks foster time was up, Christina took Baxter back to the SPCA as planned.  She expected that she would miss Baxter a little since she had grown attached to the little guy, but what she wasn't expecting was for Onyx to miss him too.  Onyx stopped eating well and became slightly nervous and Christina realized what was wrong- he missed Baxter.  So, what was Christina to do but adopt the cute puppy and give Onyx back his little friend!  I met both Onyx and Baxter at Hollins University to take photos of both for the SPCA Pet Project, a photography project I created to benefit the Roanoke Valley SPCA.  I was greeted with a warm stream of pee from little Baxter that landed right on my foot.  Definitely part of the hazards of the job with pet photography!!  I had a great time and the photos came out great!!  I hope you enjoy :)

Jennifer and Lonie Engaged! l Roanoke VA Wedding Photographer Schaffer Photography

Jennifer and Lonie are eloping in May to Hawaii to get married, but wanted to have their engagement photos taken during the fall when the leaves were changing colors.  After patiently and carefully observing the leaves start to change colors, we scheduled the engagement session for this past weekend at Natural Bridge when we thought the leaf colors would be at their best.  Natural Bridge was Jennifer's suggestion and she couldn't have picked a better place.  I could see that Jennifer and Lonie were a perfect match for each other- she is outgoing, he is much more quiet but both of them were equally kind.  It was a real pleasure to spend the afternoon at the beautiful Natural Bridge with them.  Have a great wedding and honeymoon in sunny Hawaii!!  Eat some Lau-Lau, Loco Moco and, if you are feeling adventurous, Pipi Kaula for me :)

Emily and Tim Married! l Roanoke VA Photographer, Schaffer Photography

Emily and Tim Married!
1 October 2011

Emily and Tim met several years ago and it wasn't love at first site.  But after getting to know each other by playing on the same softball team, they couldn't deny that they were meant to be with each other.  Tim and Emily were both lighthearted and fun loving.  You could really see how much they cared and loved one another by the way that they looked at each other.

Emily and Tim are both huge sports fans, so it was only natural that they have a sports themed wedding!  They incorporated pinwheels with the sports theme and blended it all with a constant color palate of blues and lavenders.  It was so windy on their wedding day that they didn't get to use a lot of the pinwheels during the ceremony because they might have blown away, but it was still a touching ceremony with more than a few tears shed. 

Tim and Emily both loved photos which I was so excited about :)  They were willing to brave the very cold October weather to have their dream outdoor wedding overlooking the beautiful Virginia mountains and to take lots of fun photos before the ceremony for their "first look" and after with the wedding party.  Despite the frigid weather, everyone had a great time and danced the night away which you will see in the photos (Emily and Tim LOVE to dance!). 

Thank you Emily and Tim for letting me capture one of the most important days in your life!  The night ended with a feet off the ground hug by Tim as he asked me to hug it out.  It was great to meet both of you and I wish you only the very best in your marriage!!

Emily and Tim opted for a first look on their wedding day and I think you can see by the expression on Tim's face he was very excited to see his beautiful bride!



 
They had several family members each as a series of questions and then tie their hands together during their ceremony.  This is thought to be where the phrase "Tying the knot" comes from!