a peek inside the fishbowl

Someone asked me if this veg challenge has been hard. The short answer is no: it hasn’t been hard. To be perfectly honest, there’s only been two times I’ve missed meat. (But more on that in a moment.)

One person called me out on eating too much processed food recently. I guess you can say that my All-bran buds, veggie burgers, chips, and PC mini-naan breads are processed, but overall I think I’ve been eating ok over the last two weeks. (I’m tracking it right here.)

Related: one thing that I will never understand is my true weight. Perhaps this is an issue that comes with having a digital scale. When I weigh myself it’s at the same time of day, but I seem to fluctuate five pounds within the span of a day or two: between 140 and 145. I don’t know if it’s me, my scale, or what.

A note about those veggie burgers. I picked up Boca brand burgers recently and I think they’re my new favourite. Someone on twitter asked me where I bought them. I assumed Rainbow Foods – and said so – but then Rainbow Foods replied to say they don’t actually carry Boca burgers. I am having a total brain fail. Where in Ottawa did I buy them?? (Help!) I could have sworn I got them at Rainbow!

It was Father’s Day this weekend and it included two meaty meals. One was on Saturday and it featured BBQ ribs (by special request), the other was breakfast sausages on Sunday. These are both meats that I enjoy.

So on Saturday I made my own veggie kebab in lieu of the ribs: halloumi cheese with red onion and red pepper. I doubled up on the cheese in an effort to overshadow the ribs and it worked. Eating is such a communal activity, isn’t it? One passes heaping plates of food that are thoughtfully prepared: here, take some. Let me feed you. It is a loving act, and to remove yourself from the ritual can be a little sad. (Lesson: it is depressing to feel like you are missing out. So prep something that will make you happy.)

On Sunday we had homemade waffles with sausages, so I just loaded my waffles up with a double helping of fresh fruit salad. The fruit salad was so lovely that it distracted me from the breakfast sausages.

You know what meats I’d miss if I was a strict vegetarian?

• bacon in all forms
• butter chicken
• BBQ’d ribs
• chicken wings
• excellent salami
• turkey, in sandwich format (e.g. post-Thanksgiving)
• saucy meatballs
• pulled pork

The rest I could probably do without. What about you?

British man complains about crooked bread, gets a perfect response https://t.co/T8DyZgqcCx #SocialMedia pic.twitter.com/XuHIhDvOa7

— Adam Houlahan (@AdamHoulahan) June 20, 2015

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On the nightstand: The Good Girl

As part of a work-related thing, I was asked to email a recent photograph of myself. Guess what, I didn’t have any. How can someone who takes photos as part of her living not have any photos of herself?

It is for this reason, and more, that I am very happy to welcome a new patron to the Fishbowl, Sara McConnell Photography. If you’re looking for a baby, maternity, family, or newborn photographer in Ottawa, Sara is it.

What can I say about a person when I’m already such a huge fan of her work?

I’ve actually worked with Sara on a few different projects, most recently through my job as editor of Capital Parent Newspaper. I hired her to do some cover photography and also featured some of her photos in other parts of the paper.

I’ve had the pleasure of watching her career unfold and I’ve always been thrilled with her professionalism, creativity, knowledge, and perhaps most importantly, her good humour as it pertains to the shoot itself. (This is important when dealing with children, right?) There are many fly-by-night amateurs out there but Sara is the real deal: 2015 marks her fifth year in business and she’s photographed over 1700 sessions.

Sara has a background as a grief counsellor. I already knew this but was reminded of it recently. I think that’s why she has such a gentle approach. She has a natural ability to read people. I’ve seen her in action, and she has a very special touch with children. Here she is, with her own brood:

(Photo by Blue Dandelion Photography!)

Sara’s clients come to her from all over Ottawa. (I should point out she has a home studio – a very professional set up – but she will also go on location if that happens to be your preference.) It’s worth noting her clients include children who have special needs or other challenges. Parents appreciate her experience and patience when it comes to getting photos of their kids. She gets through a shoot very quickly – somehow without ever seeming like she’s rushing – and you get photos in hand (or should I say, downloaded) just as efficiently.

Have you ever had a family portrait taken? We have a family session booked with Sara in July and I’m pretty excited about it. As many of you know, our daughters are 14 and 16 now, and lately I’ve felt as though time has been rushing past us too quickly. I take thousands of photos every year, but I’ll finally have a good one of us that has me in it too.

You can read more about Sara right here. She’s also on Facebook, so follow her there for special deals and peeks at some of her amazing photography. Some of my favourites are of her breastfeeding and maternity photos. They represent such a lovely sliver of time. How I wish I had the foresight to capture it forever in a photograph!