Hi my friends,

Whoa what a week it's been.

I don't remember the last time I felt this busy, excited, energised, exhausted, emotional, productive, behind, overwhelmed and calm all at the same time. Actually, I've never had a week this full on before.

To sum up just a portion of events that occurred in this short space of time, I had a birthday and my huge annual birthday sale which is always exciting and mega busy, my bestie threw us the most incredible and emotional gender reveal party (more on this next time), I took Tanya’s Cafe and book signing on the road for the first time ever, our dear friends and travel buddies got engaged, my first published book was officially released all over the UK, the massive competition with an insane amount of entries came to an end, prep for The Uncook Book launch was in full swing, followed by the exhilarating launch party itself and ending with travel outside of London for uncooking demonstrations and book signings.

Sounds super fun (and it really really was), but during all the celebrations, my inbox nearly exploded and I’m now weeks behind replying to everyone (if it’s you, now you know why, love you!), my sister’s flight was so delayed that she missed the gender reveal party which she was looking forward to since the moment she learned she was going to be an aunty, the wheels on my giant suitcase broke off on the way to the Birmingham demo which made the 30kg of equipment not only too heavy for helpful strangers to drag, but especially for me with a growing baby bump, which brought on a meltdown even I didn’t anticipate, and meanwhile ‘interesting’ events kept occurring at our cafes which needed my immediate attention.

The last thing I wanted to do is to write a post full of what sounds like complaints, but I hope you can see that I am just like everyone else 

I cry, I get tired, I experience stress, I forget to drink water, I worry, I think too much and I take off my cape when it needs a good clean.

Amazing how just one day, sometimes even one moment, can remind you that you do live the best life ever and that there’s nothing in the world which would have you trading it for another.

For me that moment was last Thursday…

The Uncook Book launch party with some of my favourite people in the world, at my very own happy place, with my dream publisher, blessing my pride and joy into the world, may have just topped all the best nights of all time!

Aaaand finding out that during the first week of its release, The Uncook Book has already gone into its SECOND printing. Just wow.

Thank you so so much, it's all because of YOU!

Here are some of the pictorial highlights from my best night ever...

The Uncook Book ready to party

Peanut Butter Cups from the Kid's Section (really, Adult's section, but it was going to sound strange if I had an 'Adult's Section' in the book)

Prep in full swing. Vodka Lavendade (less the vodka for a non-alcoholic version) and Pina Colada (scroll down for recipe), both from the Party Section

Here I am with my book baby and a 5 months baby bump

See? There really is a bump. I love it!

The adorable Hay House team, from left: Jo, Alexandra, Jessica, Julie (the incredible and talented editor), Karen and Ruth (the hard working cutie responsible for this awesome night). But where's Amy?

Here she is! My sweet editor Amy and her bright smile as always. Fab and Lauren in deep convo

No uncooking party without a cold-pressed organic green juice

And another super adorable Amy. I've come to a conclusion that the best and cutest humans are named Amy

Sister Party! From left: my soul sister (and the one responsible for introducing me to Hay House) Michelle, my sissy-in-law Saskia and my own sister-face Alissa

The stunning Nikki Salamony, PR for Tanya's Cafe

Serious chocolate talk with Kris from The Raw Chocolate Company and Richi Qi from The Wellbeing Now Conference

The always gorgeous Christy, American Girl in Chelsea

Food glorious raw food from various sections in the book

Alkalising Cucumber Rolls from the Party Section

My sis of Universe + Chorus , a Pina Colada (scroll down for recipe) and a summer roll

Luigi and my Goji Berry Trifles from the Party Section of the book

A few words turned into such a long gratitude list, you couldn't stop me talking

That little muffin inside was all blissed out and still with so much gratitude pouring though my body

The love squad. Thank you all so so much for your support

Happy times with the lovely Maxine there in the back ground and Bronwen from NZ Biz Women's Network here to support too

A tad proud of my cake, made using a combination of recipes from the book, especially having had my sister rolling the cute energy balls, my chef Eddie decorating the cake and Rebecca Campbell blessing it

The amazing Linda Barker of BBC's Changing Rooms

The Uncook Book launch

Blogger and co-creator of Plant-based Picnic, Natasha Lipman

The Uncook Book launch

My favourite human, personal recipe taster and loving husband, Elliot

And the prize for THE BEST goodie bag goes to... Can you believe how much goodness is in here? And all in support of the book launch! Thank you so much for such generous gifts: Superfoodies, Dr. Organic, Hay House UK, Neal's Yard Remedies, Udo's Choice, The Raw Chocolate Company, Planet Organic and Seasoul & Snow

 

 

And because I believe that every successful party post deserves a recipe, here is one you will LOVE...

It was a hit and a half at The Uncook Book launch (above), it's the first recipe of the Party Section in the book and it includes my favourite ingredient combination EVER. Introducing...

 

Pina Colada

(serves 1)

45ml (1.5fl oz) light rum

120g (4.25 oz) ripe pineapple, peeled and chopped, reserving leaves from the crown to garnish

90ml (3.25fl oz) fresh apple or pineapple juice (6 apples or 1 pineapple will usually produce enough juice for 4-6 servings)

2 tbsp coconut butter

2 tbsp manuka honey

handful of ice

 

-Blend all the ingredients, except the ice and garnish, in a blender until creamy, then add the ice and blend again.

-Pour into a chilled highball glass or a goblet, garnish with the pineapple leaves and serve with a pretty straw.

Have you seen the Get Fresh! Winter 2014 issue yet?

It’s my favourite read at any time of the year, but Christmas in particular, so needless to say, I was over the moon to be interviewed for this issue. It was an even bigger treat to see the interview turn into a SIX page spread!!

Do take a read below or get your own copy (believe me, you want this!) online to discover how I celebrate Christmas and why I’m giving you (and me!) permission to indulge and give in to the Festivities for a day.

And if you already saw even the cover of this mag, you might’ve noticed something else…

Something I am finding difficult to get the words out for. Something that is um kind of a big deal. BIG deal. BOOK deal.

Yeeeeey, I’ve said it!

I just signed a contract with my dream publisher and I don’t name them so, lightly. Hay House were on my vision board for this year (look out for a blog post coming soon where I reveal my vision board publicly for the very first time), so it really is a dream come true for me.

You must’ve heard of names such as Louise Hay, Dr. Masaru Emoto, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Esther Hicks, Miranda Kerr, Doreen Virtue, Robert Holden, Brendon Burchard, Kris Carr, Tara Stiles or Gabrielle Bernstein. Surely?

Well, in 2015, you will see Tanya Maher next to these guys! Holy moly I can hardly believe it still!

This will be a raw food recipe book (of course), but not your standard get-well-guide-through-food… THIS book is called ‘The Uncook Book’ and it is THE-go-to-guide for the healthiest and tastiest food on earth, a book about celebrating life through food, no detoxing or dieting, no hours of kitchen slavery, no crazy-hard-to-find ingredients, no animal products, nothing processed.

You will have all of your questions answered about getting started on raw and keeping it in your life, your questions about what equipment to have in the kitchen, what juicer is best, why you can (and should) have dessert first, how to host raw dinner parties and make them memorable and what ingredients have an acidic or alkaline effect on the body.

But more importantly- the recipes within ‘The Uncook Book’ are going to be YOUR favourites.

Speaking of which- what are they?

I want to make sure I include my best version of your favourite dish. Please leave your answer in the comments section below, so I can start perfecting it immediately>>

 

With love and Sunday Funday spirit,

x Tanya

 

P.S. Stuck on Christmas shopping for a health-nut? We just got a bunch of £20 Gift Certificates to Tanya’s Cafe. Make someone’s entire year with this present>> 

P.P.S. Want to study at world’s biggest nutrition school and get your health coach certification in only one year? Join a Live info session on Tuesday 16th at 3PM EST or 8PM GMT here>>  to learn more and get a seriously special discount available on the call!

P.P.P.S. What recipe would you like to see in The Uncook Book? I’m listening! Tell me in the comment below…

 

I can hardly believe it, but the dream I’ve been busy building since for ever and working on tirelessly with the best team in the world for the last five months, has just been realised.

I have a cafe! With my own fricken name on it!!!

It’s been so full on that I don’t remember the last time I sat down or even slept for more than 5 hours, but today… today is different.

I finally got a chance to sit on our comfy cafe banquettes, looked around at all the beautiful natural walls full of living plants, observed the hardworking team happily chatting away and then overheard a customer on the phone:

‘I found the perfect new spot for us! Meet me in Chelsea, at Tanya’s.’Then suddenly, it sunk in.
This is the real deal.
These are real customers.
These are real people who really love raw food. My raw food!
These are real chefs who can make my recipes to my standards and perfect them to theirs.
These are real mixologists, who are as passionate about incredible cocktails as I am about quality, superfoods and life.
This is my new family. And they love coming to work and promoting the healthiest lifestyle ever.
This is my new home, my new office, my new happy place.

One day I will figure out how to put so much gratitude, joy and emotions into words, but for now I am happy sitting here breathing in what love created. 

It was built for you, so I invite you to do the same. If you are anywhere near London, stop by and say hello. We are open 7 days a week 7am-11pm (apart from Sunday and Monday when we close at 4pm). 

Our menu offers a variety of breakfast items, including rawtella un-toast and dehydrated fruit crepe, pour over coffee, cold-pressed juices, smoothies and liver flush shooters. Our lunch menu has an even bigger selection and includes multi-layered lasagne, detox salad, soft shell tacos with marinated oyster mushroom meat, pad thai and organic natural wine. Then come four- you can enjoy a shared platter of nachos or cheesecakes and chocolates, as well as our superfood cocktails made only with the top quality, vegan and organic spirits mixed with cold-pressed juices and superfoods.

Here’s more: www.TanyasCafe.com

I can’t wait to see you! Now we have a meeting spot 

With Love,

x Tanya

 

Wowee we finally did it!

I say ‘we’, because you guys were the driving force behind every little decision to do with the site, the new free guide, the navigation experience, what I post about and even what I name stuff.

I’m honestly so excited about such a beautiful resource available to you and am over joyed that this new look belongs to Better Raw.

 

I don’t even know where to begin with what has changed about the website (because we changed the lot), so here are my top 5 faves:

1. THE NEW FREE GIFT!

‘One Day Raw- A beginner’s guide to living foods‘ includes everything I ever wanted to know when I first got started with raw foods, a 24 hour menu plan for both blender and juicer users, a heap of tips to keep you going and a menu planner that I use myself.

2. THE NEW LOGO.

I wanted a logo which reflected everything I love about living a healthy lifestyle and eating in a clean way – fresh, fun, vibrant, welcoming, free spirited, loving and wholesome. My friend and an epic graphic designer, Nikki Alice, simply nailed it! The logo is written in free hand to reflect the free spirited attitude to life, it is inside a flower-like circle to reflect the wholesomeness and a natural touch to eating living foods and the last letter flows into an infinity sign to reflect our consciousness and spiritual awakening possibilities when we transition to a more natural way of eating and thinking.

3. THE REVOLVING BANNER.

Now all the top things you search my website for are easier (and prettier) to get to.

4. THE NEW SHOP.

Even though all those kitchen must-haves, which I have been raving about and recommending, are still my favourites- I have categorised them for you (based on your level of experience with raw food) to better find what you are looking for. Here are the categories:
Tanya’s products
Where Tanya shops
Newbie must-haves
Advanced level must-haves
Pro Chef must-haves
Tanya’s favourite extras
Travel essentials
Other great reads, inspirational people and places to eat

5. EASIER-TO-GET-TO POSTS.

The home page now includes a summary of all posts, so you can scroll your way through the latest articles, recipes and updates super fast. Also on the left hand side, you’ll see a list of all those links which you search BetterRaw.com for most of all. And if you still can’t find something, just enter a keyword of a recipe name or an ingredient into the search box and we’ll scan over 200 free recipes currently available to you to find the one you are after.

 

WANNA SEE HOW BETTERRAW.COM HAS EVOLVED OVER FOUR BEAUTIFUL YEARS?

I joined Blogger on April 16th 2010 and nearly peed myself posting for the very first time, because I was so nervous. I originally started the blog as an addition to my company Corporate Creme, which was a corporate wellness program and the Better Raw logo was in the same font as CC:

Then the following year in 2011, as my little blog began to get more traction and enjoy many more visitors than just Elliot and my parents, I devoted more time to prettying it up. I got a new logo (which remained the same for three years and I loved, as it reminded me of grass) and a new template (even though it was a Blogger standard and I soon discovered hundreds more people using the same one in my industry): When I got good at using Blogger, taught myself some coding, discovered all the widgets available for my use and got some professional photography, I hired a designer to make me a beautiful website: Then at the end of 2013, when my business has far outgrown all the possibilities a Blogger blog could offer, it was time to move to the great big unknown and equally exciting world of Wordpress. It was only supposed to be a temporary template, while my current new site got built: And finally... so fresh and so clean, clean! I'm ecstatic to reveal the brand new Better Raw look to you:

I’ve been super lucky to work with the very best team on this project, so I absolutely must tell you about them:

PHOTOGRAPHY

Apart from the foodie shots that you see on all the revolving banners and all page banners (which were taken by me), all other images are either by Samjhana Moon or Tristan Glinski. Tristan is a talented wedding photographer and attended one of our raw food and yoga retreats, where he captured the magic in action. Samjhana is a dear friend and goddess portraiture wizard, whose work we appreciate so much, that we invited her to be the official photographer of my and Elliot’s wedding in New Zealand. I highly recommend these two conscious and kind beings to do any of your photography.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

I’m seriously lucky to be able to work not only with talented people, but also amazing friends. Nikki Alice and I have been buddies ever since uni, because her fiancé and I studied together and worked as commercial property agents at Jones Lang Lasalle. We’ve shared some of our best London memories with them, including our engagement party, and some of our best NZ memories, including our wedding! Working with Nikki on this website (and my next venture, which is in the following announcement!) has been the greatest joy and privilege. She is responsible for the logo, the branding, the website aesthetics, all the social network banners and the whole design of One Day Raw eBook. I wouldn’t go updating anything now without Nikki’s input and her vision.

WEB DEVELOPMENT

My word, I do not envy the tremendous work which website developers do, however I do so admire the amount of patience and devotion they put into their work. The superwoman mama, blogger and developer, Faye Kent, was responsible for moving my whole site from Blogger to WordPress and the entire configurations and coding of BetterRaw.com’s new design. The incredible and speedy, Ansley Fones, whom I met through IIN, was responsible for configuring the entire Shop and Events page on the site. That’s a whole lot of code and tenacity. These ladies are my number-one-go-to’s for anything to do with site configuration, plugin and widget advice.

 

So what do YOU think of the new site? You did help me design it after all 

Leave a comment below, I’d so love to hear from you and no doubt the team involved would too! They worked so hard.

It feels like a whole lifetime has passed since I last wrote to you, but the irony of it is that there has been a passing of someone in my life.

The death of my young, sweet, brave and beautiful friend, Polly Noble, has affected me in more ways that I could've ever imagined...

From connecting with her in my meditation the day after and her guiding me to write this post, to resetting her passwords for the many groups and memberships, which we were both part of, to preparing raw foods in her own kitchen, with her own Superfoods, using her own recipes... for her own funeral, I spent the past two weeks in a blurry cloud of deep sadness and in total awe of her family's strength.
And what's the book, that's helping me through this weird and emotionally draining time?

It just so happens to be Polly's very own book 'The Cancer Journey- Positive steps to help yourself heal'. I really recommend it to anyone not only with a cancer diagnosis, but to their friends and relatives also- it's gentle, comforting, hopeful and full of interesting tips, healing techniques and delicious recipes.

She also left a little bit of a debt behind, so by purchasing this book, you'll be helping not only yourself, but also Polly's family to recover.

Here's the link again for the book, but the same goes for all of her shop items from juicers to crystals to the super awesome glass straws!

The day I learned about Polly's passing was the day I was gearing up to release my brand new website and show off what's been going on behind the scenes over the past couple of months. This didn't happen for obvious reasons, as all of my priorities shifted. I also no longer had the energy, nor the enthusiasm or any interest for that matter. And that's just not the right attitude for something which required as much love and energy as it did to produce. So I stepped away. Trusting that everything happens in its divine time, I will start making updates to my website slowly (rather than all at once) and the first stage is to share the gorgeous new eBook...  
'One Day Raw- A beginner's guide to living foods' is designed by my super clever friend, Nikki Alice and written for you, by me, in a way I wished was available to me, when I first got started with raw foods. 

I did my best to write it in the most concise fashion, because a beginner's guide should be far from overwhelming.

Depending on the equipment you have handy, I've included 2 x menu plans, one for a blender and the other for a juicer, a shopping list for each, plus some of my favourite snack ideas.

I've also included a menu planning guide, eight reasons why I choose raw food, what to do after your mini cleanse and in the last paragraph of 'About Tanya' page, I've revealed something coming to London, that no one even knows of ... except you now! 

I hope you find it valuable x

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