This past week has been quite the whirlwind and the action hasn’t stopped since arriving! Until yesterday, I was staying with Patti, creator of Essene bread and organizer of the North York Region raw meetup group. Patti is also my dear, energetic friend and gracious host who not only drove me to my signings but juiced and blended greens for us every day. Being on crutches, I couldn’t have done this tour without her assistance, and I’m very grateful for all her help and company. By the way, Patti (in picture below with Francesco) will be joining us at our July potluck with her famous sprouted bread and other prepared raw snack foods (croutons, kale chips, crackers, banana brittle!) so don’t miss this one. If you wish to order her hand-crafted Essene loaves, please contact her at rawfood@rogers.com.
The best part of doing a book tour is truly meeting all the wonderful people along the way. Since being in the Toronto area, I’ve made some lovely new friends including Wendy from Wendy’s Organic Wheatgrass, Connie of SecondNatureNutrition (see pic below), the hipsters from Rawlicious, Master Sprouter Elizabeth (check out her beautiful sprouts at the Saturday Waldorf Market), and the dashing Francesco – raw chef extraordinaire and owner of MakeItRaw. Franceso makes stellar pies, crackers, cookies and a raw burger that comes complete with lettuce and tomato in a dehydrated bun – just like the cooked version – only so much better!
I did a signing at Live Cafe the other night and it was such a treat to share a fabulous meal with new and old friends. As always, the conversation was lively and inspiring, and the food stimulating to the senses. Everything on the menu was incredibly tempting (it’s been so long!) and I had a difficult time deciding what to order, so Patti & I shared a dish of “spaghetti with neat balls” and “pizza” – both incredibly flavorful. I also had a green juice (very pricey for such a tiny glass!) and ordered take-out: a delectable, creamy piece of tiramisu to indulge in later on at my hotel. Wow. If you haven’t yet tried Live, please do so – the culinary experience is totally worth the drive to Toronto. 
Although it’s nice to indulge once in awhile — my body always feels best when eating a simple diet of oxygen-rich living foods. Sprouts, wheatgrass juice, algaes, fermented foods and greens are my staples and the longer I live this way, the less I am inclined to compromise even if traveling or inconvenienced by crutches. In fact, since staying at the hotel, I’ve been taking the subway up to Noah’s on Bloor St. for my daily liter of fresh green juice which certainly hasn’t been easy to access while on crutches. Getting around the big city with a broken leg has been an exhausting, eye-opening experience and my burning palms and throbbing leg can attest to that!
today’s food log:
- 6 ozs E3live
- 1 liter green juice (cucumber, kale, celery)
- chlorella
- 2 TBSP bee pollen
- Bio Superfood Micro Algae, X-cell-R8
- dark cherries
- smoothie (fresh orange juice, banana & Quantum Superfood)
- chicory salad with hijike, alfalfa, sunflower greens, azuki and mung sprouts
- raw coconut banana pie
yesterday’s log:
- 4 ozs E3live
- 2 TBSP bee pollen
- chlorella tablets
- green smoothie (mango, sunflower greens, bok choi, chia)
- bowl of cherries
- Bio Superfood Micro Algae
- green juice (kale, dandelion, cucumber))
- Live Spaghetti with neat balls/Raw Pizza
- piece of tiramisu
So, tonight was the final part of my tour: a talk and signing at McNally Robinson, the lovely new book store located at Lawrence and Don Mills. The group was very receptive, with lots of questions and keen interest in detoxification & the living foods lifestyle. Thanks to Indra for hosting the event, and to Peter who was kind enough to go out of his way – driving me all the way there and back!
Cheers!
(Who needs room service? )
Many of you know by now that I recently broke my leg. It happened on a kid’s scooter – of all things – coming home from a family gathering late one night with my son. No, I wasn’t drunk but high (a natural one), having just launched my book and all pumped up for a tour across Canada and the U.S. To this day I’m unsure exactly what transpired that night except that I was babbling away when the scooter hit the curb.
Landing in the hospital was a new experience for me and to be honest, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Not to say that the hospital was incompetent, it just doesn’t feel empowering being confined to a bed in the orthopedic ward with dozens of other patients suffering from traumatic bone fractures. Sadly, most of them elderly, in pain and very vocal. (Another reason to take control of our health while we still can!) Fortunately, the staff warmed up to me after the initial shock about my diet, lifestyle and stance on things such as hospital food (jello!), meat, blood thinners and enemas - a whole new blog post altogether…Because I only drank the green juices and smoothies that Mark brought to me every day, this raised a lot of attention and before I knew it, a very concerned dietitian dropped by to discuss calories and nutrition with me. Yes, she got an earful 
Barely out of anesthesia and unable to stand, I nonetheless clarified what does and doesn’t constitute a “balanced diet”, and within no time at all, simple raw meals of fruits and vegetable crudites were served to me in bed. Wow. Talk about trailblazing. (video soon to come)
Being out of commission can be isolating and quite humbling. Basic things we take for granted such as getting out of bed, going to the bathroom, bathing, answering the phone or making a simple smoothie (let alone fetching a glass of water!) suddenly becomes the impossible without the helping hand of a loved one. And it’s not easy having to ask for everything – especially for someone who’s independent and enjoys doing things their way! Nor is it easy to be sedentary, cooped up indoors day in, day out, alone with a hot water bottle and bed sores just as hiking season is at its peak. Or, for that matter, to be able to understand the lessons in such a difficult challenge. But really, there’s no choice but to accept the situation as it is, surrender and see this experience as an opportunity to learn and grow. Of course, some days are easier than others.
I’m grateful to my boys Mischa & Mark for both being there and goofing off (see photo) during this time, as well as my loving 81 year young mother who insisted on moving in with us that first month, and who gave everything that special, female touch. I’m also blessed to have a few dear friends check in on me regularly to refill my hot water bottle, make green juice, chat, listen, and bring endless bouquets of fresh cut lilacs to my bed. Many thanks and blessings, I so appreciate it!
