Part of the rebranding/clean slate process includes asking you to venture over to the new site: www.christinereidphotography.com for updates as this will be the last blog post I will share here.  All my stories, photo updates, new pricing, and regular shinanigans will continue over there.  So update your bookmarks and make a mental note because 2013 is going to be a fun ride and I’m sure you’ll want to read all about it!

Shaun and I would like to take this time wish you all a safe and happy new year!

In the spirit of everyone’s healthy New Year’s Resolutions and such, I thought I’d share this super easy and healthy dinner recipe with you folks!  I found the broccoli recipe on Pintrest and the baked chicken wrap?…. well… I used to bake enchiladas in a delicious (aka – fatty) creamy mushroom sauce mixed with sour cream, but I removed all the bad stuff from the recipe in an attempt to be healthy.  What was left was something just as delicious and SUPER easy to make!  Everything took me about 45 minutes.  Yep… that’s it!  Better yet: my grocery bill came to $25 and change, so that’s always a win!

This recipe will easily feed a family of 4 and you could have it on the table before 7pm – assuming you pulled the chicken to thaw. (note: pull chicken now!)

First, you gotta cook the chicken.  (FYI: I use this method of baking chicken every time I want to cook indoors and it always works out! No matter the seasoning).

You’ll Need:

Baking/Cooking Tray
Tin Foil
1 Lime Sliced (at least 6 slices)
Unsalted Montreal Chicken Spice (Looooove this stuff!)
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Directions:

Set oven temperature at 350.  Line the baking tray with the tin foil (you’ll thank me later), then place the lime slices down one the tray in a row of 3.  Season the chicken with the Montreal Chicken Spice and place each chicken breast on a row of limes.  This will add a little flavour and a little moisture to the chicken.  Every time I bake chicken this way, I bake it for 8 minutes on one side, flip it and bake for another 8 minutes on the other side.  You want it just cooked, because you’re going to bake your wraps later, so you don’t want dry chicken.

Citrus Broccoli

You’ll need:

Broccoli (I used one head, but there’s only two of us.)
1 Orange
(1 tsp of zest & 1 tsp of juice)
1 Lemon
(1 tsp of zest & 1 tsp. of juice)
2 tbsp Olive Oil Divided
Black Pepper

Directions:

While the chicken is baking, you can chop your broccoli and toss it in 1 tbsp of olive oil (reserve the second tsp. for the dressing) and some pepper.  In a small dish, mix the lemon and orange zest, juice, black pepper and 1. tbsp of oil as a dressing.  Set aside.  Bake the tossed broccoli for approx. 15-20 min at 350.

While the broccoli bakes, slice the chicken and prep a wrap station.

What You’ll Need:

1 Tomato
1 Small Diced Onion
Hummus
Spinach
Spinach Tortillas
Grated Cheese for Sprinkling on Top (whatever you have on hand)
Baking Dish
Also, I had parmesan on hand so I used it, but it’s not necessary.

This is completely up to you how you want to wrap it up.  I have a thing with sandwiches & rules (ie: mustard only touches the meat, etc.) so you may not want to listen to my craziness.  If you agree that sandwiches have rules, then you’re awesome! and my notes are posted below in the photos.

Anyway, just build your wrap how you want and set it in the baking dish with the opening faced down.  This way it’ll get sealed shut while baking (win!).  Once the dish is full, just sprinkle with a little grated cheese on it and voila! Cook it for about 10 – 15 min – enough to seal it up, melt the spinach and melt the cheese.

There you have it!  A dinner that’s healthy and quick!  I promise it took longer for me to write this blog post than it did to make it.  Hopefully, the photos simplify it for you.  If not, just shoot me an email.

We all met at Schneider Park in Kitchener and had a lovely time keeping the kids happy with marshmellows and songs – two things that would make anyone smile, not just the kids!  I loved hanging out with this close knit family for the afternoon and these photos are some of favourite from the day.

Thanks so much to the Bast Family for sharing these moments with me and letting me capture them as a gift for their parents.  It was a pleasure to meet you all and I hope our paths cross again the next time you get your bi-annual photos done!

Thanks 1980 – 2012 unoriginal portrait photographers.

When Brianne and Conall suggested a bike ride through High Park I was excited because for 1) I have never done this kind of session before and 2) it’s something they love to do together and what better way to get to know them!

On my way to High Park I pulled into a grocery store and noticed these cute little pie pumpkins for .99 cents. Being inspired I picked up a couple and asked Brianne to bring some Sharpies to the park for something a little different and fun.  I find that props and activities make the best photos because they create natural fun moments to capture and get people used to being in front of the camera, so if we have an engagement session planned start brainstorming so we can have as much fun as these two fun kids who are getting married in February 2013.

You see, I’m allergic to horses, but I love everything them at the same time.  They’re such amazing animals!  I mean, what other kind of animal can you care for that has tons of personality and you can ride around on?  I’ve tried riding a Great Dane once and it’s really not the same.

When Tara asked me to take photos of her and her beloved Romeo, I warned her about my allergies and she was super careful to accommodate them.  Together, we created some amazing moments and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shoot!  It was worth the risk and I would do it again in a heartbeat!  I really tried to capture the relationship between these two because they’ve been best buds for 12 years.  When someone has been in your life for 12 years you’re not always on your best behavior *coughRomeocough*, but that doesn’t matter because at the end of the day you can tell that they mean the world to each other and these photos pull that all together by capturing the quirky, the stubborn and the fun moments they’ve shared over the years.

Special GREAT BIG THANKS to Tara for asking me to meet her and Romeo at Hopewell Creek Stables.  It was a perfect afternoon! (thanks to Benedryl too!)

Today’s post is about Gladys and Danny, a super fun and cute couple I met while second shooting for Ian Liwanag a few weeks ago.  We started our day at the One King West Hotel and ended up at the amazing Eglinton Grand.  If you’ve never heard of the Eglinton Grand, you should read up on it’s history because it’s really one of a kind!  I’m a sucker for old architecture and lots of character when it comes to venues and this 1930′s theatre was perfect for their movie themed wedding.

Enjoy the show!

I Love This Time Of Year.

Along with the fall weather and fashions, it’s time for family photo sessions and that also means it’s time to gamble on the weather.  Since I don’t have a studio and prefer natural light, I’m often at the mercy of mother nature and this fall is no exception!  However, working indoors isn’t an issue for me.  Often folks forget just how lovely their own home can be with some strategy and a photog who knows good light from a mile away

The Van de Ven Family is the perfect example.  We used their front porch for most of these moments and their 6 month old Milo was thrilled with the idea!

I took this at One King West a couple of weeks ago while the bride anxiously waits for the limo to pull up in the rain so we can get to ceremony on time.  Typically, I enjoy a simple photo, but there’s something about the rush in the photo that I love.

This first shoot with Brendan & Sara is the first of many for their albums and I’m so excited for our next photo-visit at their wedding next year at Hockley Valley.

Their photo journey started with a stop at Beauty Marked and the lovely and talented Carrie Tibbs did Sara’s makeup.  Then we met up and decided to go play with some balloons at an old barn near Guelph.  After a quick wardrobe change, we headed to a park in Cambridge for some fun by the water in the long grass.  It was a full afternoon, but I love working with these guys and I can’t wait to see them again!

First things first, I cannot take all the credit for today’s story as I wouldn’t have been able to share this if it weren’t for Ian Liwanag asking me to come along and assist / second shoot this fantastic day.  Ian even made a really cute slide-show/video of the day you can check out HERE.  I’ve worked with Ian a few times now and I have to say that working with him is as fun as it looks in his photos, there’s never a dull moment and we have way too much fun!  We have another wedding to do next weekend, and I’m already pumped!

Also, thanks to Ian I’ve apparently become an honorary Filipino at this wedding.  I ate chicken, took photos of the chicken, wished I brought tupperware to take the left over chicken home in and even danced with a man in a chicken suit.  It’s official and I couldn’t be happier about it because these weddings are crazy fun!

Another new thing I got to experience at this wedding was the Chinese Dragon Dance and I can now honestly relate to every child who has cried at the sight of man in a mascot suit.  When eyes that big are staring at you and actually blink, it’s quite terrifying!  Ian warned me that there would be a Dragon Dance at this wedding and I was stoked when he told me!  But when I heard the drums and turned the corner to come face to face with a GIANT pair of blinking eyes, I nearly peed myself.  They’re so life-like and it took me a good 3 minutes and a couple of slaps to shake off this childish fear.  It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend checking it out sometime!

Another part of the day that I loved, was taking wedding photos at the Chinguacousy Park’s Greenhouse.  This green house was the perfect retreat from the rain and the filtered light allowed us to get some amazing shots of everyone!  Once we finished there, we headed off to the Paradise Banquet and Convention Centre for the reception.  This place is gorgeous, the staff is friendly and the food was fantastic!  The cocktail hour spread was quite elaborate with delicately carved veggies as decor and the biggest shrimp tower I’ve ever seen! Such an awesome place!

Okay, enough with the details here’s what you came here for:

and lastly, a quick behind the scenes with Ian:

I know it’s a long blog post, but it was such a great day and I had a hard time narrowing down the moments!  Thanks to Arlene, Tim and Ian for such a great day!