Yukiko Photography

03/28/2023

Hi guys! The month of March is particularly memorable in Japan. Part of the reason is that our academic year ends in March and starts again in April. Yes, it's graduation season. Departing from where we belonged yet excited about a new beginning leaves us with a bittersweet feeling.

On top of that, like a piece of background music, cherry trees will begin blossoming in late March, adding more atmosphere. Cherry blossom season usually starts in late March in the southern part of Japan, flows north, and ends at the beginning of May in Hokkaido (except this year, it began one week early).

I could catch cherry blossoms in my hometown if I left today, but instead, I made a spring-filled dessert. Enjoy the season. ( I will upload this recipe on my website this week. )

Have a great day.
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🎓

02/04/2023

Good evening!

I want to talk about ginger today. Ginger, often used for cooking and baking in the states, also contains fantastic health benefits. My mom used ginger a lot in our household all year round when I grew up in Japan. I am trying to remember everything she made or did with ginger, but she often made ginger pork, pickled ginger, ginger baths, and ginger tea for her family. 

A few health benefits of ginger are easing nausea and motion sickness, reducing inflammation and bad cholesterol, helping the body to be insulin sensitive and digest in the intestines, increasing serotonin and dopamine levels, and fighting infection. Also, it helps increase blood flow and keep the body warm. My mom believes in keeping the body warm at all costs. She used to put ginger powder in our bath on a cold winter day. 

I made a mango ginger protein shake for my afternoon snack the other day. 
 
Ingredients:
2 mangos
2 small organic ginger root ( 2 inches long )
1 organic lime
1 cup of pea milk
1 scoop of Whey protein powder with vanilla flavor or any other type of protein powder
10 ice cubes
1 tsp of monk alcohol sugar


How to make :

1. Peel the mangoes, separate them from the seeds, and put them in a blender.
2. Peel the ginger and cut into 1/8in thick slices. Peel the lime and save about 1/8 of the lime skin for garnish.
3. Prepare garnish: cut the small lime skin into 1/16in strips and set aside. Take 5 of the ginger slices and cut into 1/16in strips. Brown the ginger in a pan with the monk sugar until crisp and set aside.
4.  Add ice cubes, pea milk, peeled lime, raw ginger slices, and protein powder to the blender and mix until smooth.
5. Pour shake into a glass and embellish the top with lime skins and browned ginger.


Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Reference: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger #11.-Can-help-fight-infections
https://www.yomeishu.co.jp/health/3741/
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#写真家

02/02/2023

Happy February to everyone!


I want to talk about ginger today. Ginger, often used for cooking and baking in the states, also contains fantastic health benefits. My mom used ginger a lot in our household all year round when I grew up in Japan. I am trying to remember everything she made or did with ginger, but she often made ginger pork, pickled ginger, ginger baths, and ginger tea for her family. 


A few health benefits of ginger are easing nausea and motion sickness, reducing inflammation and bad cholesterol, helping the body to be insulin sensitive and digest in the intestines, increasing serotonin and dopamine levels, and fighting infection. Also, it helps increase blood flow and keep the body warm. My mom believes in keeping the body warm at all costs. She used to put ginger powder in our bath on a cold winter day. 


I made a mango ginger protein shake for my afternoon snack the other day. 
 
Ingredients:
2 mangos
2 small organic ginger root ( 2 inches long )
1 organic lime
1 cup of pea milk
1 scoop of Whey protein powder with vanilla flavor or any other type of protein powder
10 ice cubes
1 tsp of monk alcohol sugar


How to make :


1. Peel the mangoes, separate them from the seeds, and put them in a blender.
2. Peel the ginger and cut into 1/8in thick slices. Peel the lime and save about 1/8 of the lime skin for garnish.
3. Prepare garnish: cut the small lime skin into 1/16in strips and set aside. Take 5 of the ginger slices and cut into 1/16in strips. Brown the ginger in a pan with the monk sugar until crisp and set aside.
4.  Add ice cubes, pea milk, peeled lime, raw ginger slices, and protein powder to the blender and mix until smooth.
5. Pour shake into a glass and embellish the top with lime skins and browned ginger.


Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Reference: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger #11.-Can-help-fight-infections
https://www.yomeishu.co.jp/health/3741/
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#写真家

02/02/2023

Happy February to everyone!

I want to talk about ginger today. Ginger, often used for cooking and baking in the states, also contains fantastic health benefits. My mom used ginger a lot in our household all year round when I grew up in Japan. I am trying to remember everything she made or did with ginger, but she often made ginger pork, pickled ginger, ginger baths, and ginger tea for her family. 


A few health benefits of ginger are easing nausea and motion sickness, reducing inflammation and bad cholesterol, helping the body to be insulin sensitive and digest in the intestines, increasing serotonin and dopamine levels, and fighting infection. Also, it helps increase blood flow and keep the body warm. My mom believes in keeping the body warm at all costs. She used to put ginger powder in our bath on a cold winter day. 


I made a mango ginger protein shake for my afternoon snack the other day. 
 
Ingredients:
2 mangos
2 small organic ginger root ( 2 inches long )
1 organic lime
1 cup of pea milk
1 scoop of Whey protein powder with vanilla flavor or any other type of protein powder
10 ice cubes
1 tsp of monk alcohol sugar


How to make :


1. Peel the mangoes, separate them from the seeds, and put them in a blender.
2. Peel the ginger and cut into 1/8in thick slices. Peel the lime and save about 1/8 of the lime skin for garnish.
3. Prepare garnish: cut the small lime skin into 1/16in strips and set aside. Take 5 of the ginger slices and cut into 1/16in strips. Brown the ginger in a pan with the monk sugar until crisp and set aside.
4.  Add ice cubes, pea milk, peeled lime, raw ginger slices, and protein powder to the blender and mix until smooth.
5. Pour shake into a glass and embellish the top with lime skins and browned ginger.


Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Reference: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger #11.-Can-help-fight-infections
https://www.yomeishu.co.jp/health/3741/
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#写真家

01/05/2022

11/11/2021

Today, I want to talk about the importance of mentoring. The youth mentoring program was inaugurated in 2002 in America, and 25,000 organizations have participated in this program.

Certain people (events) helped me become who I am today, and I want to thank them this month.
Here it goes:
In Japan, I used to commute to the adjacent state for my dental appointment since I was 7 years old. My mom accompanied me at first, but by the time I was 9, I hopped on a train by myself, saw my uncle and came home by Sunday evening.

One day, I met a guy on a train ride on my way home. I think he was in his fifties and traveling with his co-workers from Kyushu, which is 900 miles away from my hometown. He was a JH teacher and happened to sit next to me!

I tried my hardest to put on my best behavior possible, but he must have seen right through me: He was cracking up whenever we had conversations.

The only thing I remembered was to dashing out from the train when it came to a brief stop because I saw my mom at a platform. I left my bag in my seat, so he had to come out to hand it to me and greet my mom. We ended up exchanging addresses so we could become pen pals.

This mentor had a mission, and he was very consistent about it: changing my horizon to shift for the world. I received his letter every month: this sensei must have spent hours creating these visually packed letters for me. He even told me that he would take me to Brazil, the furthest country from Japan if accepted to any universities where he lived. He even begged my parents to send me to a university. Who's my parent here?!?!? After that, every summer, I received a bunch of textbooks from him hinting that I needed to study diligently. Great.

He gave me many gifts, but this tea bowl and its tea container were the last gifts he gave me when I visited his house in Kyusyu, and sadly it was the last time I saw him and his wife. I wasn't sure about the color at first, but now I understand why he said to me, "I got these for you because I thought they would look good on you, Yuki-san. " I'm forever thankful for him.

I still haven't visited Brazil yet, but it's one of my bucket lists.

11/03/2021

Happy November to you all! As crazy as it sounds, two more months are left before the new year rolls around! Anyway, when I researched intermittent fasting, I found other natural ways to increase insulin sensitivity besides fasting. Here they are:

Ample Rest (7-9 hours )-studies showed reduced sleep linked with insulin sensitivity.
Regular exercising- is one of the best ways to increase insulin sensitivity. It seems like the most effective way to improve insulin sensitivity is to have a workout that combines cardio and weight training.
Reduce stress
Lose weight
Eat More Soluble Fiber
Eat colorful vegetables and fruit.
Cut Down Carbs
Less intake of fewer refined and added sugars
Use herbs-Fenugreek seeds, Turmeric, Ginger, Cinnamon.
Apple Cider Vinegar-it's recommended to drink it the first thing in the morning.

Green Apple morning Juice

Ingredients:
2 green apples
1 cup of organic cilantro
1 cup water
1 tbsp of honey
2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

Just put all ingredients into a food processor and mix them until they are incorporated. Then, pour through a fine-mesh into an ice-filled glass. Enjoy it.

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-aging #筋トレ #写真家 #おうち時間 #フィットネス女子 #かりふぉるにあ＃一日一汗

10/29/2021

Hi everyone. I want to introduce you to my new recipe, Zucchini Prosciutto Salad with cilantro pear dressing. Cilantro goes well with almost anything, but the sweetness of the pear enhances the expansion of flavors together and compliments the sweet-salty taste of prosciutto, I think. It makes me keep eating because it tastes SO GOOD, haha! Here is my recipe, and hopefully, you can try it.

Ingredients: two plates

Dressing:
2/3 cup organic cilantro including stems
2 medium organic green pears
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
Fresh black pepper

Salad:
1 organic zucchini peeled
1 cup organic blackberries
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup organic greens
3 oz of prosciutto
1/8 cup micro greens

Instructions:
Please put all ingredients in a food processor and mix them until you reach your desired consistency. Add more liquid if you like the sauce to be more running. Serve all of the salad ingredients on plates and pour the dressing over it and enjoy!
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#18:6 #お家時間　 ＃写真家＃フィットネス女子＃フィットママ＃カリフォルニア生活＃筋トレ #筋トレ女子 #フード写真