The Wigmore Institute … once again!

I’m back in Wiggie Land and loving every moment of it.  It’s been far too long (4 years) since I’ve last been here! I used to visit annually, but recently began exploring other health institutes including Hippocrates, Optimum Health, and Gerson. Although they all have their strengths, I keep coming back to Ann Wigmore’s simple yet transformative Puerto Rican center. Plus it’s located on the beach which is an added bonus — especially for us Canadians!

Life here is as usual: laid back, quirky, a little bit disorganized, sunny, and very green. Needless to say, I’m feeling right at home. If you wish to learn more about the Ann Wigmore Institute, read past blogs here & here.

As many of my friends already know, the past 8 months have been intensely busy for Mark & I having recently launched  SimplyRaw Express juice bar & takeaway. As you can imagine, running a restaurant (no matter what size) keeps you running around the clock 24/7.  And as if that isn’t enough, with Mark’s encouragement and support, I signed on with Arsenal Pulp Press for another book — this one is recipe book, with lots of delicious pictures.  The SimplyRaw Kitchen will debut in September, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I’m kicking back with friends, enjoying Dr Ann’s energy soup, Rejuvelac, and wheatgrass juice. I am so grateful to Mark for holding down the forts!

The (very) green house

Queuing up for wheatgrass juice

It sure is popular around here!

So is Energy Soup:

a complete balanced meal made from sunflower & buckwheat greens, sprouts, dulse,  and Rejuvelac

which I have been eating (& chewing very thoroughly) three times a day.

The weather is beautiful

 and I’m really getting good at

 balancing work with play.

I’ve been exploring local places like this swimming hole (warning: very cold water!)

picking mangos from the tree

discovering cacao at the farmer’s market

(the fruit is sweet & delicious, nibs are not!)

visiting fruit stands with my beautiful Russian friend, Elena

who is an amazing massage therapist and healer.

(that’s a jack fruit by the way)

and drinking my favorite thing in the world:

fresh young coconut water

with plenty of time for beach play, naturally.

This week I made my debut making energy soup in Ann Wigmore’s simple kitchen

(the students loved it)

with my lovely friend Debra Secunda, from Raw Food DVD

and Omar, who works here.

We shared many giggles as we washed, chopped and blended

in our dainty dresses

with some nibbling too.

Even sweeping was a blast!

Come & get it ….(Energy) soup is on!

today’s food log:

• water
• 8 ozs wheatgrass juice
• energy soup with sauerkraut, papaya and flax cream
• cabbage rejuvelac
• energy soup with seed cheeze, sauerkraut and dulse
• coconut water (lots)
• 8 wheatgrass juice
• energy soup with avocado, sauerkraut and dulse
• cabbage rejuvelac

Chocoholic

Who wants some chocolate?  ME!  Chocolate smoothie?  Sure.  Chocolate bar, chocolate macaroon, chocolate covered almonds?  Absolutely.  What flavor soup do I want?  Do you have chocolate flavored?  Raw salad… Does it come with chocolate flavored dressing?  Tea?  Hmmm, how about mint chocolate?

Yes, I love chocolate.  But it is a problem.  I have an addiction to chocolate.  I’m pretty good with most ‘potential’ addictions.  I don’t drink, and even when I have the odd drink (twice a year), I don’t want more. Never done drugs, and wouldn’t be interested.  Don’t smoke – tried it and thought it was gross.  I can’t think of any other addictions that would tempt me.

But chocolate I just never get sick of.  I’m realizing though that it is making me sick.  Although most people who know me might not see it, I am feeling fat and out of shape, and I know chocolate plays a big role in this.  For some reason with chocolate the word moderation escapes my dictionary.

It’s not like I’m tempted each and every day though at SimplyRaw Express:

Goji Chocolate.  Have you tried this stuff?  It is rich, decadent, smooth, delicious!

Chocolate Macaroons – crunchy on the outside, chewy inside; dehydrated raw vegan ingredients that are even good for you!

Rawtella.  Seriously, a jar of deep rich smooth chocolate sauce that you can eat with a spoon.  Mercy!

Now I’m certainly not knocking the wonderful desserts we make at SimplyRaw Express!  They are much healthier than typical desserts, using high quality organic ingredients – in fact with the ingredients we use, they are good for you… IN MODERATION!

This is where I fall flat on my face.  I have no self control with chocolate.

I do love the taste of chocolate, but it’s also an emotional food for me.  Never thought I’d say that, as again, I’m not akin to addictions, and I have really good self control with a lot of things in my life.

But I am faced with a lot of stress, negativity and depression.  Life has been an emotional roller coaster for many years now, and during the low times in particular I struggle more with chocolate as a temporary fix or band aid.

I know how good I can feel without chocolate though.  In October I spent a week in Honduras scuba diving with my good buddy Nick.  Leading up to the trip I kicked the habit for a week, and while I felt like crap for the first few days, after a week I felt amazing.  Then I returned to an even more stressful environment, and bam – chocolate was there waiting for me.

I’ve never made a new year’s resolution.  I don’t believe that you need to wait for the start of a new calendar year to make changes in your life.  So, I’m resolving to beat my addiction starting right here and now – Saturday Dec 29, 7pm.  (I just downed my last bag of chocolate covered walnuts).

I know that kicking a lifelong addiction is not as easy as just saying go.  This is part of the reason for my post – to share my struggles, my challenge, and my resolve.

I’m also planning to shift my attention to other areas of focus – improving SimplyRaw Express, which I am very proud of, and want to see continue to evolve and grow with greater advocacy and support for a plant-based diet – my most passionate belief.  It’s also a great time to get outside and enjoy some crisp winter air… I plan to spend time unwinding by snowshoeing and cross country skiing whenever I can.  I need it, badly!

Any advice you’d like to offer?  Are you facing or have you faced a similar challenge?

Thanks for reading.

Mark

 

 

 

Work-Life Balance

To say that summer flew by is an understatement. These past beautiful sunny months, we’ve been incredibly wrapped up with SimplyRaw Express so we haven’t been spending as much time doing our regular thing outdoors. In case you haven’t heard, Mark & I took the leap and opened SimplyRaw Express - Ottawa’s only 100 % plant-based AND gluten-free  restaurant back  in May. And boy oh boy, have we come a long way!

Our unique, mostly raw menu is full of fresh flavor, with rave reviews.

From our popular raw Taco Fiesta Salads

Canneloni

Portabello Steaks with Cauliflower Mash

and naturally, desserts

including the best dehydrated Lemon Pie Macaroons

our famous line of SimplyRaw Cheezecakes

and yes, raw vegan cupcakes too.

We have been blessed with fabulous regulars who light up our days

day after day -

many whom are known figures (and dear friends)  in the community;

and some who bring special treats of fresh, home-grown goji berries.

Our staff has grown to 6 outstanding fresh darlings;

and we have been gifted with the most extraordinary Kitchen Angels

including my incredibly energetic 85 year young mother, Ilse

loved by all.

And though we’ve been pulling in 16 hour+ work days these past 4 months

we’re starting to find more downtime

for outdoor activity and  fun

with a bit of rest & relaxation

tossed in

here & there.

It is, after all,

just a matter of balance.

Yesterday’s food log:

• 4 ozs e3live
• firewater
• teecino tea
• bio superfood algae
• 2 peaches
• watermelon (lots!)
• nori with avocado
• blended gazpacho soup

I recently came off a fast and am still taking my time easing back into solids. Loving the tomatoes this time of year!

The Vegans are Coming!

The doors at SimplyRaw Express have been open for just over a month now.  So early into this new venture, and I feel like we have come a long way already, learned a lot; and also realize that we have a lot more to learn!  Neither Natasha or myself have ever owned or managed a restaurant, cafe, juice bar, or anything other than a home-based business.  I worked in a restaurant when I was 16 (a few years ago now), as a dishwasher.  So, I for one, am remarkably impressed with how well we’ve managed the business so far; and incredibly impressed with the support and dedication of our staff members – Monica, Amanda, and Anne; and the many people from our community who have come out to volunteer in our kitchen to help us get up and running.

I’ve been reflecting on this venture and journey, and have (out of necessity) focused heavily on the operational restaurant aspects of the business.  But, SimplyRaw Express is not just a business or a restaurant.  It’s a mission.  And the mission is pretty clear – to help empower people to take control of their own health, to learn more about healthier living, and preventative health care, and to help people change and improve their lives.  A big part of this is education, awareness and a self-reflexive realization of the impact and effect of our choices in life – that we have the we have the power to affect change in ourselves, in others, and our world.

For Natasha this journey spans most of her life, as she talks about in her TedX talk.  For me it largely started when Natasha and I met, and I realized how little fresh fruits and vegetables I was eating (despite already being vegan, and eco-conscious).  From there SimplyRaw came to life, and since then we’ve worked together on this mission to reach out to the Ottawa community: organizing a monthly community potluck in the heart of the Glebe for over 7 years to give people first-hand opportunities to experience a wonderful variety of raw vegan foods.  The largest potluck brought together over 100 people; and we were privileged to host some amazing speakers over the years!   We organized a non-profit community festival for 4 years that started out with the idea of a raw food pie contest to showcase the beauty, simplicity, and exquisite flavor of raw foods.  The festival evolved into a multi-day event that brought together thousands of people from the community; dozens of local organizations; and a host of world-renowned preventative health care speakers like Dr. Brian Clement from the Hippocrates Health Institute.  To bring together more people around this common goal I founded the National Capital Vegetarian Association as a non-profit organization to promote the health benefits of a plant-based diet.  And after dozens of talks, seminars, and community events, we are now delighted to continue bringing this powerful, life transforming knowledge of healthier living to Ottawa in a new, more directly accessible way.

Over the years I’ve witnessed first hand through Natasha’s detox program the incredible transformations that are possible in people’s lives when they make simple changes to incorporate more fresh plant-based foods into their lifestyle.  Eliminating foods laden with chemicals, dyes, preservatives, artificial colors, etc – all the crap listed on the side of most boxes, bags or jars that most ‘food’ comes in – and replacing them with foods that nourish, cleanse and replenish the body, can have some absolutely incredible impacts on improving your health.

In one short month I’ve already had lots of people thank us for opening SimplyRaw Express, for bringing the knowledge and resources to help empower them to make healthier choices.  I’ve had people tell me that we saved their lives – from a sick society obsessed and ignorant from the trappings of mass-produced petro-chemical food products that destroy the life in your cells; and the pharmaceuticals prescribed to cover the symptoms of illness while further destroying any life remaining in our cells.

This is real food!  

Made from fresh, whole ingredients, with no chemical dyes, preservatives, additives, etc.  Everything here was grown in a field and prepared fresh in our kitchen. Plain, simple; nutritious & delicious!

I am vegan and will be for the rest of my life, and for the health of my life.  Would I like for everyone who comes through the doors of SimplyRaw Express to leave a vegan?  Hell yes.  But, I’ll be happy if we make even a slight difference in people’s lives by exposing them to another way of living, a healthier alternative, and a more enlightened life.  Even if we just make someone feel better after drinking a bottle of our juice, or snacking on a delicious dehydrated macaroon!

Maybe our choices and approach are not for everyone.  But as I started out saying, we have a mission, and the business is only here to fuel that mission.  We want to make a difference in the lives of others, to help people make a difference in their own lives – for their health, and the health of our community & planet.

Mark

Our gem in Hintonburg

As you can imagine, Mark & I are very busy nurturing our latest family project, SimplyRaw Express. And things are starting to sprout!

When we first saw the 989 Wellington St. W. location, it was so jammed with antiques, furniture,  junk and robots (don’t ask) that we could barely even walk around inside.  However, amidst all the clutter, soiled carpets and dust,  we saw the potential and truly got a good feel about the space. We also loved the location location location, especially with Prana Shanti directly behind us. And with the little sunflowers on the window, it felt like it was meant to be.

So, we took the leap and together with our landlord, have been dusting it off and fixing ‘er up.

It was a little daunting at first, with so much to do.

(and the fun is just beginning!)

But with a  lot of dedication  and a very energetic husband

we now have new floors, a splash of color on our walls, and even a few coolers

soon to be filled with raw goodness.

We’ve also acquired  a couple of blenders ,

(with a silencer even)

and a shiny new Hydraulic Press to gently and completely extract the nutrients to be able to offer you all the very finest juice.

Our unique cold press juicer minimizes oxidation, retaining its integrity for 3 days. It is unequaled by any other method of juice extraction.

I’ve been wanting one for 26 years.

Isn’t he a beaut?

today’s food log:

• 2 ozs e3live
• biosuperfood algae
• water
• green juice (green apples, kale, celery, spinach)
• My Thai green smoothie (on the menu soon, YUM!)
• avocado with sauerkraut, microgreens and nori
• green juice (cucumber, ginger, jerusalem artichoke, broccoli, cabbage, lemon)
• tomato basil soup with romaine lettuce
• a few macaroons — yowza!

yesterday’s log:

• 3 ozs e3live
• biosuperfood algae
• water (lots of it)
• Refresh juice (soon to be on the menu…mmm)
• romaine salad with avo & dulse
• Performance smoothie (coming soon!)
• nori
• sweet miso kale
• a couple of macaroons (taste testing in the kitchen)

Mark & I envisioned SimplyRaw Express for many years. Decades (for me), actually. We’ll be offering the highest quality raw juices, smoothies, salads, entrees (including a few cooked quinoa bowls), and of course SimplyRaw desserts. We’ll also be selling specialty kitchen products (blenders, juicers, etc) supplies, health coaching, culinary workshops, SimplyRaw’s life-changing detox program, The Lighten Up Cleanse and some new & exciting nutritional plans, challenges, certification courses — and juice cleansing packages. All your health needs under one roof!  Not much longer now! 

SimplyRaw Express

Well if you haven’t heard the news yet, Natasha & I are thrilled to be opening a new juice bar & takeaway this spring in downtown Ottawa, at 989 Wellington St W.

We’ll be in there during the month of April getting set up, making lots of delicious freshly pressed juices, smoothies, entrees, and of course Natasha’s divine desserts!  We’ll also have a great selection of unique home kitchen supplies and equipment, like juicers, blenders, nut milk bags etc – everything to make your life easier and healthier!

Finally, all the nutritional programs – the SimplyRaw Detox, Lighten Up Cleanse, and juice fasting program – personal coaching, and culinary workshop will be run from our new location.

Bringing it all together into a single location to make it easier for you to get delicious (and nutritious!) foods & drinks, awesome products, and experienced guidance, advice and support.

We look forward to sharing this adventure with all of you.

Be sure to check out the Facebook Page and Twitter feed for all the latest updates.

Cheers

Mark & Natasha

www.simplyraw.ca

Optimum Health Institute

I arrived at the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego a few weeks ago for some much appreciated  r & r. Formerly known as Hippocrates West, OHI is an Ann Wigmore-based health ministry of the Free Sacred Trinity Church. The program is not religious but spiritual, promoting holistic health through detoxifying and rebuilding the body with living foods. OHI also offers a full schedule of classes on various topics including digestive health, nutrition, emotional/mental cleansing, self-reflection, breathing exercises, meditation, self esteem, and even group therapy. There are daily exercise classes, sprouting/dehydrating workshops, hands-on fermenting instruction, and many other relative topics.

However, the main topic at OHI, is grass — wheatgrass — and there is plenty of it available.  In case you don’t already know, wheatgrass is perhaps the most nutritious plant there is. Aside from being rich in minerals, powerful trace nutrients (calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc), vitamins (A, B, C and E) and amino acids, wheatgrass is an excellent source of chlorophyll — also known as the blood of plants – which helps increase red blood cell count, providing the body with more oxygen. Additionally, wheatgrass is only one molecule away from human blood, hemoglobin. So when we put wheatgrass into our body, we are pretty close to a getting a blood transfusion.

OHI recommends drinking 2 ounces twice daily (plus another 8 oz in implants) and includes a strong emphasis on colon cleansing using enemas, colonics, and wheatgrass implants at  specific intervals. As a raw foodist of 20+ years, I took full advantage of this magnificent green liquid, saturating my cells with up to 52 ounces daily. And that’s just orally, hehe. (Please note that I was experimenting with my body and do not recommend this) As you can imagine, I racked up quite a few hours at the wheatgrass juicer during my stay. ;) And, surprisingly, other than a coated tongue, I didn’t experience one detox symptom.  I even slept like a baby!

wheatgrass in the morning

wheatgrass in the afternoon

wheatgrass with friends

wheatgrass facials

crossing the tracks with a supply of wheatgrass juice  (it’s a long story…)

wheatgrass implants

deep breathing in the wheatgrass  greenhouse

Here is a sample of my day:

• 6:20 am  arise & shine/meditation/24 ozs of water
• 6:40 am   wheatgrass juice (12-16 ozs oral plus 8 ounces implant)
• 7:00 am   enema (or colonic) followed by 2 wheatgrass implants/shower
• 7:30  am   exercise class
• 8:30  am  breakfast. (I requested most of my meals to be blended) sprouts w/a bit of avocado)
• 10  am      quinoa rejuvelac & water until noon
• 11:30 am   wheatgrass juice
• 12:30pm   lunch (blended sunflower, pea, fenugreek, alfalfa sprouts with avocado & seasoning)
• 2:30  am    more grass. (12-14 ozs)
• 4:30   am    stretching class/water
• 6:00 dinner (blended sprouts, greens, bell pepper, avocado, dulse)
• 8:00 enema & implants (4 oz x 2)

yesterday’s food log:

• water
• 12 ozs wheatgrass juice
• blended sprouts, bell pepper, greens, avocado
• 1 quart rejuvelac
• blended sprouts, collard, avocado, dulse
• 12 ozs wheatgrass juice
• coconut water
• more wheatgrass juice (12 ozs)
• blended sprouts, mixed greens, cilantro, garlic, dulse, flax)
• rejuvelac

Aside from wheatgrass, I made many new friends from all over the world.  Some who already had my book!