The sweetest raw diva you’ll ever meet has graced the world with her presence.

Last night during our Body Enlightenment System teleseminar, many of you heard me cursing my telephone as it rang out during the call. It was AMY!! on her way to the hospital.

The princess has arrived and her name is, Leora.

We love you, Leora.

I’d love to give you more details, but the boss is on LOA! She’s not told us how much, how long or how hard. We have no more details other than, the princess has ARRIVED!

Promise to keep you updated as the deliciously diva soap operas continue.

xox

Tera

I had so many emails from people saying how much they appreciated hearing about my New York adventures, and experiences with the Food Network, that I see no reason to stop the soap opera now that I’m back in Montreal.

Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days I’ve had in a long time. It’s funny because I’d actually written a rather moving, melancholy blog post to start the day, but it was gobbled up by the e-critters that roam the web. (They catch the tears that are better spilled in a tissue than online.)

One takes a certain risk putting her heart out on a sleeve in front of thousands of people. Silly girl, you’d think I’d learn to taper my firey self, hold back a bit and keep some mystery, but I’ve just never been good at that. I willingly accept the consequences of living fully. The tears, the pain, the prickly adventures of rumbling through raspberry bushes in a skirt.
*sigh*

When I step back a few feet from my head I see the laundry, the floors, the dusting, the dishes, the unpaid bills, dirty socks, unread books, unfinished projects and infinite possibilities–a constellation of things to do and I wonder some days, “Will ‘balance’ continue to evade me?”

When we look at stars, we’re not trying to identify all of them at the same time. We just sit back and look at the vastness of it all, the complete randomity and chaotic curiosity of it all and we are amazed, impressed, and awed.

“That which is not admired, persists.”

I’ve heard it said differently in the past. That which we resist, persists. But I came across this version recently using the word “admired” and somehow heard it differently–thinking of my laundry, my ex-husband and my stack of unpaid bills.

People have different ways of handling things when the going gets tough. The ones who’ve earned my great respect have always sought to find their personal responsibility in any given situation long before they pointed a finger at someone else to find fault.

Life threw me a few curve balls again recently and I wasn’t wearing my catcher’s mitt.

But yesterday, sporting a bikini, I spent the day admiring a lot of things. I just sat back in the sun to observe the constellation of my life and it WAS beautiful. A few moments of me were all I needed and things just started to slip back into place–the sweet sort of serendipity that makes you feel you’re holding the paintbrush to your own life, again.

After the pool, I slipped  my aqua blue lululemon top  over my bikini, threw a sarong around my waist and made my way to “C’est la Vie” (the healthfood store where I’ll be teaching community classes). How appropriately named, this store was… you ever find that? The little details and words across the page sometimes just feel like important pieces to the puzzle…

Well, I love the owners of this store and so I just walked in and right away was bathed in love and the giggles started to rumble from within and spill all over the place. I just felt “home” again, inside myself–sparkly and bright.

The owner treated me to dinner and Kombucha and got me excited about the projects we’ll be doing there. I’m grinning from ear to ear just thinking about it. I bought three heads of organic lettuce and sauntered home.

As I walked through the park, I just felt “me” again, and suddenly the colors around me were brighter than they had been all week.

As I strolled I nibbled on my lettuce, smiling from ear to ear, and cars would slow down just to look at me. The strangeness of it all, I suppose–a smiling, upright orangutan in a skirt, chewing on lettuce like most chew on a Snickers bar.

I’ve never had so many cute boys turn their heads and it would just make me smile more!

As I looked up the clouds were spectacular and it was a picture perfect image of light streaming up through the clouds–something out of a cheesy angel postcard, but real. I believe life really is what you make it and there are solutions to handle pain, confusion and overwhelm. There’s nothing like a change in perspective, good, honest friends and a head of Romaine lettuce to turn your week around.

I love you, Sunshine, and I’m so glad you stopped by. If you were closer, I’d link arms with you, drag you to the pool and take you out for dilly sushi and lettuce giggles. But since there are so many miles between us, I’ll just send all my sweet smiles and sparkly diva love up to where the sun shines and hope it makes its way to you safely.

Mmmuah! You deserve the very best, you know. You always have.

If you don’t know Keely, she’s our customer service GODDESS and this morning I had read one of the emails that she’d put together for our Body Enlightenment System clients who are kicking off  the BES Summer version.

The message was brilliant–oozing love and diva vibes. So when I wrote to tell her how much I appreciated it, she sent me this response. It was soooo cute, I simply couldn’t resist posting it here to demonstrate all the love, care, inspiration and attention that goes into some of the little things we do around here.

 ”Oh if only you knew what it took to get that message!!!  <G> I was laying on the Migun (her heated massage bed) bed in one of the private rooms at the center when it started to write itself.  It was wonderful … it was perfect … it was like I was channeling a writer!!!  Then I got up, did some grocery shopping with Bob.  Went home and answered e-mails, and then sat down to write the broadcast. 

nothing. 

more nothing. 

I made Bob turn off all noise making appliances and laid on the couch with some very soft music playing and wearing a lavender scented eye mask.  It took almost a half an hour but I finally got a bit of the muse back, and once I was able to start writing, it flowed much better, but I am telling you … it took over two hours to pull that out of my head!!!  <G>

Kiwi Kisses!
Keely

You reallly can’t get cuter than that!

We’re so lucky to have you, Keely! Thanks for who you are and what you do to make our adventures that much more amazing around here.

Looooove and hugs,

Tera and Amy

What a week! I’m glad it’s over. Today I head back to Montreal on a train. I love taking the train because it gives me those rare, undistracted moments to just get stuff done. It’s like an escape–my office on wheels with gorgeous scenery rolling out through the windows.

So, last night we prepared a multiple course meal for millions of people. At least, that’s how it felt knowing that The Food Network will be sharing it with so many people in October this year. Of course, the food preparation started the night before. I was up until a very unfriendly hour grinding and dehydrating all kinds of goodies.

I bought a dehydrator about 4 years ago, but didn’t actually use it until this May! And personally, I don’t like eating this way at all. But I have to admit, at last night’s dinner we had some long time meat eaters and they were MORE than impressed with the spread we had put out. Tim’s best friend, Dave, really enjoyed the meal and asked when he could do it again!

That’s a success. I don’t care how many food combining rules it broke, the people loved it and were inspired to consider a healthIER way of living.

So here’s a peak at the menu we put together:

Dinner started with Strawberry Agave Lemonade. YYummmm!!

The we had two kinds of crackers and 3 dips:

Corn, Pea and Cashew Crackers.

Green Bean Dilly Crackers (sooo good)

And a Guacamole, Bruschetta and Raw “Cheeze” Spread.

Then we followed these appetizers with a gorgeous green salad with fresh greens from the garden. The presentation was exceptional, if I do say so myself. I picked ferns, wild flowers, sliced starfruit and strawberries and made everything look AMAZING! We sprinkled hemp and different grated vegetables over the salads. It was so artfully presented, I gotta pat my back for this one.

After this, we pulled out the Portabello Mushroom Patties (rich, and very satisfying). Amazing flavor with sundried tomatoes and more ingredients than my weary brain can recall right now.

The next course was raw pizza.

Sensational. People loved it and it looked GORGEOUS. I think some days I could just eat the presentation. It’s definitely nourishing in a whole other way.

Dessert.

No meal for millions would be complete without dessert.

We made Oat Cream Cookies and they were a HUGE hit. Then, when we rolled out the fudge balls and a chorus of moaning sang out around the table. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Tim whipped it together in 5 minutes or less. I rolled it, coated it in cocoa powder and piled them in a bed of fresh strawberries from the garden.

WOW! I can’t say much more about it. It was a gorgeous meal, though I personally spent most of it washing a mountain of dishes so people wouldn’t be tempted to help out at the end of the meal. I also had been licking fingers and nibbling since VERY late the night before. I was STUFFED before the meal ever started. (Not too stuffed to sit down at the end and polish off a couple chocolate fudge balls, though! )

So, that is the food adventure with the Food Network, and the film crew left after a couple quick interviews at the end of the meal!

Now…

I know you’re all wondering how Tim did on the mountain.

Athletes, LISTEN UP! This is important!!

Tim started out VERY strong, a great pace head to head with the top finishers. At mile 3 he completely ran out of fuel. He had SERIOUSLY under-eaten for a race this tough, and had treated his meals leading up to this event as he would have the little races he does on the weekends. He was worried about stomach stress and having food in his system for the race, but the truth is, this is one of the most difficult races in the Ccountry, and he was terribly underfed to take it on.

I’ll keep the juicy details out of it, but when he came into the finish line, things were NOT looking good. Of course, when I saw he didn’t come in the top 20 (where he’d slotted himself to come in) my heart started pumping in my throat. I knew something was up. Then, he stumbled in 137th place and two first aid volunteers grabbed him on either side of his body and injected him with some sugar and water FAST! It wasn’t a pretty site.

All that having been said, some lessons we learn the hard way.

He finished. That’s amazing, and even given his condition, he finished in the top 10% of racers. Now he’s created an opportunity for a whole new level of performance to be reached. He’s really wondering what this will mean for his performance. The last big race at Whiteface, his heart rate was soooo much lower than the first and second place winners, but his legs gave out. Sooo, maybe this was another case of not eating enough? Guess we’ll find out.

There’s no question Tim throws the top off what’s possible for the human body and I’m excited to see where he’ll take this.

As for me, I throw the top of what a multitasking woman with a whole lot of love and passion for life and other people can do. I was, as many women are, a brilliant background worker to this whole affair.

We, the women, gracefully glide through the backdrop of life, lifting up the heros that take center stage. And we don’t ask more than to see our loved ones succeed. Every mother knows this. I got more pleasure washing dishes and serving and decorating the food than I could possibly have had seated at the table. It’s not the spotlight that excites me, is the quiet whispers in the ears of the star performers telling them, “You can do it!” that lights my spirit on fire!

So, that’s the show, folks. I’ll be riding a rickety train to my Montreal home and getting ready for the sweetest cuddles I’ve ever known…

I have a little ache in my tummy, because I miss them.

Love and gratitude,

Tera

Well, right now I’m plugging away at my computer at the Swiss Chalet Village Inn in Intervale, NH, where Tim will race against the very best runners in the world, and definitely the country, up the infamous Mt. Washington.

Mt. Washington is the biggest mountain in the North Eastern United States. It’s 6,288ft tall with an average of 11% grade (except for the last part at the finish line which has a 22% grade). At the top of Mt. Washington marks the spot where the highest wind speed ever recorded on Earth has been found!!!

It has the most extreme weather conditions in North America and kills more people every year than any other mountain. It can snow any month of the year there and the fact that it has its own weather systems, means that at the drop of a pin, harsh winds can come ripping through without notice, disorienting people and bringing them to their death.

You can watch a really interesting video of how Tim did last year here!

This year, his ENTIRE race will be filmed by the Food Network. He’ll be wearing a microphone for his entire race. Some of the best runners, not only in the US, but in the world, come here to take on the mountain but many

It’s an invitation only race. Thousands apply and few are chosen to actually compete. Last year Tim placed 52nd, but was only training 20-30 miles a week.

Leading up to this race, he’s been training up to 90 miles.

I know this isn’t really diva talk, but it’s definitely impacting the entire raw food community, what Tim is doing. The Food Network has told Tim, that his story will be the only one from the Raw Food Community that they will take on for this series of stories they’re doing on food and transformation.

Anyway, needless to say, I’m nervous.

When a runner races, ever little thing can make a difference. The sleep, the food, the tightness in his legs, any thing can go wrong, and anything can make it a success, too, I suppose.

It’s race day.

Tim just polished off a smoothie:

1 cup coconut water

2 medjool dates

1 peach

1 banana

Let’s hope it fuels him for a successful day on the deadliest mountain in the United States.

Cross your fingers, send your love, the cameras are on! At 10:00 am EST a cannon will fire and the runners will be on their way!

Love and lots of hugs,

Tera

I’m in New York City, hanging out in my hotel room while the Food Network is filming Tim in Central Park. I’ve got a bit of diva time until things start to get pretty busy.

Last night we went for dinner with the producer and camera guy/director of the show. Pure Food & Wine’s Caesar salad is hands-down the yummiest I’ve ever tasted. I had a gingery green juice, too, and nibbled off everyone’s plates to taste the different dishes!

Sarma, you’re amazing! Thank you so much! We were spoiled a bit, I suspect, because we were there with the “Food Network” so they took very good care of us bringing 2 extra desserts and a gorgeous appetizer.

*sigh*

But, I’m secretly looking forward to nibbling on sweetgrass and fresh clover the next chance I get. Tim’s crazy raw food granola is too good to put down. Tonight we have dinner at Bonobos and then in front of about 1000 people at a Spaghetti dinner before Tim’s big race (The National Mountain Running Championships), Tim will be serving himself up some raw spaghetti while the rest of the participants chow down on noodles. The next night we have a 5 course raw gourmet meal that Tim’s preparing for the camera, some friends and family.

Then I plan to be sipping on coconut water for a couple days and getting back to my sunflower sprouts!

I wanted to bring up something interesting that I heard in conversation last night.

Last night the producer of the show said some surprising things about how people respond to the word “raw” at the Food Network. He said, “‘Raw’ is a four-letter word.” People, including the executives, have a visceral and negative reaction to the whole idea of raw food.

We’re actually very fortunate that when the producers pitched their story about Tim, it was accepted. I’m sure it has a lot to do with the incredible achievements he’s making in the elite athletic community that really got his foot in the door. However, this, and the fact that “raw” is “war” backwards, got me to thinking…

Why is it that the word has created such negativity even within the ranks of one of the greatest media sources we have about food and diet? If it’s supposed to be so great, have all these amazing health benefits, then why are people reacting this way.

I’m not inspired by the idea of converting a few thousand people on to the new raw food religion. I’m inspired by the idea of touching the life of every person I see in the streets and every exhausted body in the subway stations with the possibility that there is a better way to live.

To the degree that we make our message inaccessible to others, we impede our own ability to move forward and create POSITIVE change in the world. I think we’d get a lot farther if people could just keep it simple, accessible and positive.

“Try it! Pick up a fruit and some veggies for 2 meals a day and see how you feel.”

All you have to do, really, is pick up a few apples and get through the day. You’ll see for yourself whether or not raw food works. And as for intellectual arguments, well, what could you eat if left to your own devices in nature?

Pasta? Bacon? Cheese? or Leafy greens and fresh blueberries?

All these “super” foods create for me a super urge to tell someone to pick up a bag of seeds and plant a garden in their window sill. Personal empowerment should not be limited to one’s income. And I don’t believe the answer to making the world a better place lies in the percentage of green algae in the diet.

I think it depends on the degree to which we can free ourselves from ignorance. And I don’t mean to be difficult, here, but as long as the Food Network is getting the heeby geebies off the word “raw” then there’s something we’re not doing right and it deserves being addressed.

Are we, educators in the raw food movement, taking responsibility for creating a comfortable experience for others? Are these choices we make about food and nutrition sustainable and in consideration of all people?

You’ll never hear us make an ultimatum or say one way is the right way to live or eat. We try to promote all paths with the hope that you’ll find the one that fits right for you and we believe that they all lead to truth depending on who you are and what works for you.

When I look around me in the subway stations and on the streets of New York, I am overcome with an urgency to tell the world there’s a better way to live. It’s not about “raw” foods, but freedom from ignorance, common sense and a way of living that will handle some of the very appauling conditions we’ve created on this planet.

If we’re talking about “raw” foods in a way that excludes people on the basis of their spiritual beliefs or their personal wealth, I believe we’re doing the world a disservice.

I hope that this project with Tim and the Food Network can make a difference in the way people view this movement–make it positive, real, and accessible to others. I hope it touches the lives of a lot of people in a positive way.

Back to the adventures! It’s going to be a VERY busy day!

Love and hugs,

Tera

Here’s the scoop about Tim’s Presentation tonight at Bonobo’s Restaurant!

The world is taking notice of Tim VanOrden, elite athlete and creator of the Running Raw Project www.RunningRaw.com. Tim is a raw vegan athlete who has an international reputation for excelling in some of the world’s most grueling sports. His achievements in Stair climbing, or Tower Racing, have just been featured in GQ Magazine and the London Guardian.

He’s recently been crowned the New England Mountain Running Champion in the master’s category. On June 21st Tim will be competing against the best runners in the country in the US Mountain Running Championships. This year’s championship course is up the 7.6 mile toll road on New Hampshire’s infamous Mt. Washington – a 6,288 ft. monster of a climb. The Food Network is sending up a camera crew to film Tim in this epic race as part of a documentary style show that they are doing on Tim and the Running Raw Project.

Tim will be giving a dynamic presentation at Bonobos Restaurant (18 E. 23rd street) at 7PM Thursday June 19th. In this lecture Tim puts forth a new definition of Health; beyond the absence of disease and into the realm of THRIVING. In this discussion he’ll touch upon the power of a raw vegan diet and how transitioning to this lifestyle will open new possibilities for your life. Tim’s talks have touched thousands of people throughout the country and we’re thrilled to have the chance to offer you this presentation.

There is a fee of $15 payable at the door. All proceeds go to supporting the Running Raw project and enabling Tim, as a sponsored athlete to continue to get the message of Raw Foods out to the mainstream population. Doors open at 6:00 with time for a delicious raw vegan meal, and the presentation will begin at 7:00pm sharp. Please contact 514 833 3482 or email info@runningraw.com, if you have any questions.

**IMPORTANT NOTE**
This presentation will be filmed by the Food Network for a special presentation to be broadcast in October of 2008 on the life of Tim VanOrden and how the Raw Food Diet is enabling him to achieve outstanding performance within the elite athletic community.

I didn’t even tell you all about my last trip to New York, and I’m already to take off again. I so enjoyed the last visit that I simply couldn’t resist making a second trip happen quickly. Okay, there’s an ulterior motive, but more on that in a moment.

Before I even dare go out there gobbling up new experiences, I’ve got to tell you why the last trip was so amazing.

I left from Montreal and took a train to some charming little down in… Vermont? (I’m terrible with geography. Sorry. Tim came to pick me up and we met for the first time, but we’ve been working together on projects since about December last year.

Annnyway, he showed me the ropes of an American Health Food store and I was SUCH a tourist–eyes wide and impressed with the selection, colors, and strangeness of things to me. I was particularly impressed with the selection of freeze dried foods. WOW! So pretty and what a texture!

Tim and I made our way through gorgeous scenic routes toward NYC and were racing to get to the Chocolate Rave the Vanessa of Gnosis Chocolate and Dhrumil of We Like It Raw had put together in honor of Tim and Philip. Sorry, Dhru! It’s the only choco shot I have!

It was SUCH a treat to meet amazing people from all over. I was so honored to be in the room with such fiery, bright people. Could have hugged all night! But instead, we danced and ate chocolate, so I’m definitely NOT complaining.

That was a perfect way to spend our first day in NYC.
The next day brought us a presentation with Kris Carr at Bonobo‘s (oh my GAWSH! That was sooo yummy!). Kris is amazing.

Then Tim took the time to show me around the streets of NYC a little bit.

For me everything was pretty new and I was especially impressed with the number of PEOPLE everywhere. I couldn’t believe how many people lined up at the checkouts to buy food. It was just like watching herds of humans everywhere!

We absolutely loved this weird picture that we came across. Soooo cute!

After that, I took off my high heel boots and at this stage, I really had had enough of them, and went into the car and put on my running shoes! It felt GREAT! As much as I love sparkles and stilettos, I’m SUCH a flat shoed princess for getting around.

Sooo, Tim and I went for a run in Central Park together. It was absolutely beautiful. I even got the chance to meet up with one of my coaching clients, Sandra and her son in Central Park before I ran. That was great! I can’t wait until we have our first Diva Retreat so I can meet sooo many amazing women we work with.

I quickly changed into a more respectable outfit in the car, and then we made our way to Pure Food and Wine for a birthday dinner with a whole table full of amazing people. Here are a few:

Gala Darling was there.

Philip McClusky, Dhru, Tim

And, of course, the juiciest, giggliest, squishiest moments of the whole trip were spent in this amazing woman’s arms for some of the best hugs ever.

I loooooooooove you Amy!!

This morning I’m off to Vermont to meet Tim and tomorrow we drive to NYC because we’ll be spending a week with the Food Network who have decided to do a documentary style presentation on him. I’ll post the promo annoucement in another blog entry for anyone who can come and make it there to join us.

It would be wonderful to see you! We’ve got our fingers crossed, but Amy should be able to make it, too!

Anyway, gotta catch my train in an hour and still haven’t packed!!

Silly diva.

Love and early morning hugs,

Tera

And so do her yummy little, Raw Balls Of Love!! Tim just posted his latest Youtube video from the Whiteface Mountain race and yours truly is not only the camera girl, but I make a star studded appearance in this video!

For those who have been wanting to see the REAL little date balls I’ve been making for the kids, affectionately known as “Laraballs,” you’ll see them being gobbled up by star athletes who were also at the race!

Videos like this are an incredible testimony to the power of raw foods. Any of your men out there worrying about their protein consumption should definitely watch a few runningraw videos on Youtube! It’s amazing to watch how interested people are to learn more about what Tim does out there.The thing I like best about it, is that it approaches Raw Food from the angle of taking already exceptionally healthy people and high-performance athletes, and then asks the questions, “How high can we raise the bar?”

Most people coming to raw food are coming to it because they’ve been seriously ill, have some health condition they’d like to handle, or they have a lot of weight to lose. So, it’s wonderful to see raw food hitting a totally different audience! When Tim is running head to head with Olympians, and the guy has only been running for the last 2 years, they can’t help but start asking questions and take notice

I can’t believe it!

My sprouts are so cuuuute. I  have some kind of irrational affinity for these little sunflower babies that are budding in their trays.

I keep checking on them like a nervous, first-time mother–worrying if I’m giving them too much water? not enough? too much dirt? Am I checking on them too often and letting out the humidity? Some of them have fuzzy little roots… is it mold?? Maybe  there’s too much humidity?

Will they find the strength to push those little seeds all the way up and make a real, little crunchy sprout!!

Once they do will I have the heart to eat it?

It’s like I watch them and think to myself,  “You can make it! You can do it, little sprout! Go! Grow! Grow!”

Oooh, the first time is always the worst. I’m sure I’ll get better, but until these little loves start to show a bit of confidence I’m nervous about the whole process.

But I looove it. And  I finally got it, you know, this idea of “living foods”. I mean, the food is still growing. It’s like a little baby teeming with life and energy. And that’s why this idea of eating sprouts and stuff makes so much sense.

It’s REALLY alive. And how totally fascinating to observe the whole process. And to be responsible for the love and energy you put into your food.

*sigh*

Today I bought a case of conventional bananas. (They were only .39/lb!!!) i love freezing them for summer treats. Anyway, I felt like a jerk as I opened the box to find each bundle individually wrapped with plastic.

And then I looked at the big box the bananas  had been shipped in, and it just felt wrong. I love the ethics of eating that comes into play now. In the beginning it was, “don’t kill sentient life to  eat if you can thrive without it.” Now it’s become a challenge to reduce my ecological footprint to a tiny fairy’s tiptoe print. I like the sprouts and growing my own food. I’m excited about winter (not rushed for it to arrive) and the possiblities of what this could mean. I won’t eat chick peas and other beany sprouts. But the greens that taste naturally delicious, I intend to grow A LOT of them and see how I feel.

If you’re new to raw foods,  don’t read this. Concentrate on getting of candy bars and onto my little raw food love balls, first. Just pick up a banana instead of a bagel, and see how you feel.

But those of us who’ve been at this for a while have something more to learn.

I have to admit that the more control I get over our food choices, the more aware and sensitive we become. There was a day when I ate what came in front of me without thinking about it. And now, I feel I make conscious choices. And yes, sometimes I make conscious compromises, too. But they are conscious and I usually consider the benefit to outweight any possible negative consequence.

I’m excited about this adventure. I can’t believe I waited so long to try it.  I wonder where it will take me. I’m not thriving as much as I could, but I won’t pretend that a good night’s sleep wouldn’t make a difference.

Love and sweet kisses to brave sprouts everywhere!

Grow, My Little Sprouts, Grow!!

Tera