Live Well Photoshoots Week #6
By the sixth week, we started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Even though we were beginning to feel exhausted, we wrapped up the salads and soups chapter, started the comfort chapter, and made the first attempt at the book's cover shot.
If you remember from the previous weeks, we went on a cottage getaway together. On our last day at the cottage, we had a huge "leftover" salad, made with all the produce we didn't use the previous days. Shauna started with spinach, strawberries and red onions, served a bowl for each of us and headed outside. We remembered the loads of greens, carrots, fruit and oats still unused inside, so I continued building this farewell salad while it was simultaneously being eaten. Next, I added mangoes, blackberries, oat granola, carrots and nearly everything I could find. Finally, we finished our lunch while making launch plans for our cookbook, packed our bags, and headed home.
That ever-evolving improvised salad was never intended to be part of this book, nor expected to be. But the moment was so funny, unique and memorable that stayed in our minds. While brainstorming ideas for our cover photo, we remembered that taste of freedom and friendship, so nothing else would make more sense than this perfect salad, made by Shauna and me and eaten together with our families!
During this week, our designated morning nanny/neighbour took a few days off, so we asked the family for a little extra help! So on Monday, we had Dan's cousin Ana keeping the kids entertained in the backyard. That day we photographed a watermelon salad, Brussels sprouts and charred corn.
On Wednesday, we had Shauna's aunt Shelly taking the kids to the park and watching movies so that we could focus on the photoshoot! We photographed a tomato bisque, lentil soup and Italian-inspired power bowl.
Lastly, Dan's Opa and Oma took Tenley and Tyden for an afternoon of fun on Friday, so we had Myla as our Sous Chef all day! She was a sweetheart and our cute little model for Shauna's "global power bowl."
We confirmed our theory about working with the kids at home. It is more challenging and exhausting, but somehow we are more productive when they're around. It must be the rush of adrenaline of doing a million things simultaneously. We have to be working and playing while paying attention that the kids don't break anything or hurt themselves, cooking, triple-checking the recipe measurements, styling the food, gathering props, cleaning and capturing behind-the-scenes footage, then cleaning and planning for the following day. Now that's a wrap; we are one more week closer to the finish line!
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