As my baby's birthday was approaching, I've been an emotional wreck for the last month. Anyone else know what I mean?

My little big girl turned Two, just yesterday.

It's weird because when she turned One, I felt nothing.

Everyone was congratulating me on this huge milestone, saying what a big deal it is and how it must feel so incredible to celebrate. 

It didn't.

I know how that sounds. The truth is- I was obsessed with my little girl, but I was still healing from the trauma of birth and the challenges of breast feeding. On top of that, I was still learning how to juggle work and motherhood. I didn't feel in control of anything any more and as all Lake wanted to do was crawl, I was regretting booking a busy crowded restaurant for her 1st birthday celebrations.

This year couldn't have felt any more different.

 

So different in fact, that for a solid month leading up to her birthday on 13th January, I only had to think of my baby turning 2 and tears would well up in my eyes. 

My grateful heart would feel so full, it hurt physically.

Then on her birthday eve, as I reminisced exactly what I was doing to prepare for her birth two years earlier, I was in bits. 

It was as if I was suddenly feeling the collective love of every parent of this world. The love that I never knew existed, so pure, so intense, and so unbelievably unexplainably unquestionably unconditional.

I posted some highlights of her first two years earth-side on social media that night. Have a browse here if you like>>

 

Guys, thank you so much for being here and for letting me share my joy with you.

It literally feels like it is you that I blog for every week (well almost every week) and it means so much knowing that you're reading.

This Raspberry & Coconut cake I made yesterday was of course for my beautiful angel but it was also for you too...

I knew I'd be sharing the recipe with you ASAP, so just know that it was made with EVEN more love, because you were on my mind.

 

Oh and BTW, the cake is vegan, so no dairy or animal products of any kind, but it's also gluten free. Also, I would never use refined sugars, so it feels good to feed it to my child and her little friends till their tummies and hearts are full.

And adults LOVE it too! It's still as moist and sweet and creamy and spongy as your favourite naughty cake. Definitely one to try!

 

 

 

 

 

PLANT BASED RASPBERRY & COCONUT CAKE

 

For the baked cakes

• 1.5 cups extra virgin olive oil (360ml)
• 3 cups coconut palm sugar (375g)
• 1 can coconut milk (400ml)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups gluten free flour (I used 2 cups rice flour, 1 cup buckwheat flour, 1/2 cup coconut flour and 1/2 cup desiccated coconut)
• 2 teaspoons bakin powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the raw icing

• 2 cups cashews, soaked 3-8 hours
• 1 can coconut milk (400ml)
• 1 cup xylitol or erythritol 
• 1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1-2 cups desiccated coconut
• 3 punnets fresh raspberries (450g)
• 300g frozen raspberries

Baking Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C. Grease three 7.5 inch (19cm) removable base cake tins with some olive oil.
2. Pour olive oil, sugar, coconut milk, cider vinegar and vanilla extract into a high speed blender and pulse till well combined.
3. Sieve the flours, baking powder and soda into the same blender jug and blend on low till fully mixed. I used a heavy duty Dynapro jug from Tribest>> (Alternatively, beat everything in a large bowl using an electric mixer)
4. Divide the batter equally among 3 greased tins. Bake for 30 minutes or until the knife slides out clean when cake is pricked. Cool the cakes completely in their tins (I baked them the night before Lake's party).

 

Icing Method

Rinse the soaked cashews in warm water and transfer to a blender jug (cashews must be warm, otherwise the coconut oil will solidify too fast). Also add the coconut milk, xylitol, lemon juice and melted coconut oil to the jug and blend until runny and smooth.
Pour out about 1/2 cup of the mixture for use later and add 1 cup of desiccated coconut to the blender jug. Blend using a tamper rod. If this mixture is still runny, add more desiccated coconut and continue to add then blend, till the mixture becomes easy to scoop and spread.
Remove all three cakes from their tins and place one onto the cake stand or plate which you'll be using to display the finished masterpiece. Spread the thick icing like pancake batter in the middle of the cake, leaving approximated 1 inch around the perimeter clean. 
Take fresh raspberries, one at a time, use the point of each to slide from edge of the cake towards the icing, until it sticks. Place raspberries side by side, always having the round opening facing out. You should have an assemble resembling a flower.
Take little spoonfuls of the smooth runny cream and carefully pour it on top of the raspberries. Some cream will naturally drip between the berries, but don't overdo it. Sprinkle some frozen raspberries all over the thick icing and gently press on each one until it touches the cake. Spread a little more of the thick icing on top to create an even surface.
Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the steps above.
Place the third cake layer on top and now spread more of the thick icing but in a much smaller circle. Create another raspberry flower and continue to create another flower within it, until you reach the middle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

January has just begun but the Alkaline Cleanse packages which we send all across the UK are selling out. There are only 3 delivery dates left for this whole month. Take a look...

Hi guys,

I'm writing this to you from beautiful Innsbruck in Austria.

It's past midnight here. 

Lake and Elliot are sleeping 1 whole metre away from the computer desk where I've set myself up, trying my hardest to type quietly.

I'm a fast typist, not a quiet one, so this is taking me a looooong time...

And just as well- I've no choice but to keep this important post as brief as possible... only the good stuff for you to read :)

 

It’s that time of the year between Christmas and New Year when nothing is certain, except that most things don’t fit.

This doesn’t just mean your jeans either.

It’s the time of the year when we must recognise which of our previous decisions didn’t fit our values, lifestyle, dreams, relationships and our bodies.

It's the time to let go of some ‘stuff’ and make room for all the wonderful new things that can’t enter your world because of all that clutter.

Look towards the new year not to diet, but to give your digestion a break and to flood your precious body with so much nutrition that the toxins won’t stand a chance.

There is nothing wrong with overindulging over the holidays. Actually, I believe it's important to do that. How else will you get fired up and serious about making changes?

So, when you're ready (and ONLY when you're ready), refer to my below ideas on how to do a DIY detox at home.

They are all pretty different, so choose the one that sings to you or try them all.

And remember- THIS IS NOT A DIET. Diets are awful and make you miserable. This is a break for your digestion system, a release of toxic build up and a celebration of getting back to being YOU gain, just a happier lighter cleaner version.

 

IDEA 1- Go raw for a week.

 

It's only one week!

One week of eating lots and lots (I promise you won't be starving).

One week of flooding your cells with life and energy-giving enzymes.

One week of learning amazing new recipes and falling in love with being in your kitchen again. 

One week of letting go of the bloat, the mucous, the discomforts, the laziness-syndrome and a crap-load of toxins (pun intended).

Many of you already own 'Purified- Your Complete 7 Day Detox Program' already, so all you need to do is dig it out and go shopping. It includes a grocery shopping list already, so just turn up at the supermarket.

If you're not in the know- this is my first and best selling eBook. There's nothing fancy about it, it doesn't even have pictures except my mug over the entire front cover (really selling it, aren't I?).

It's just good and simple information with 30 minute recipes, that work. No frills, just loads of testimonials. 

Download 'Purified' in seconds>>

IDEA 2 - Do a digital detox.

Again, not really rocket science (or even diet related, I repeat- none of this is diet related), but disconnecting is the only thing that will make you feel connected once again.

I recommend a weekend. A week if you can get it off work. 

And if you still have no idea how one can survive without Facebook, a phone, a tablet, a computer or a television even for a single day, may I suggest... a magazine? 

Oh and scissors and some glue.

Dig out that beautiful Home & Garden mag, an outdoor adventure mag, a tourism pamphlet, anything with inspiring photography and words that make you really really happy and daydreamy. 

If you've been reading my emails for some time, you know that I always use this week to put together my Vision Board for the year ahead.

It's the one self-care tradition I'm not about to break. 

Join me!

See this post on how to put together your very own vision board and check out when I revealed mine for the very first time>>

IDEA 3 - Do a kidney and liver flush.

There is an incredible deeeeep cleanse recipe formula, but I don't recommend you do this unless you're a seasoned detoxer and/or unless you've been on a very filling raw food diet for a minimum of three days prior.

1g castor oil for every kg of your weight, mixed with 2g lemon juice for every 1g of oil. 

So if you weigh 100kg, you would require a 300g drink each day (100g oil+ 200g juice).  

The benefits are truly endless.

It'll be a hard slow couple of weeks, so take your time and be gentle on yourself.

I've had many clients, including world class athletes take on this challenge and they swear by it.

Aside from epic weightloss for those that seek it, this flush works on a cellular level, strengthens your immune system, resets your digestive system and scrapes out any blocks, toxins, yeast and disease causing formations within your liver and kidneys, which are the hardest to purify.

Here is what a two day castor oil detox might look like over a period of 14 days:

Days 1-3: vegan diet, cooked and raw
Day 4-6: filling raw food diet, like a plan in Purified
Day 7: castor oil with lemon
Day 8-10: filling raw food diet, like a plan in Purified
Day 11: castor oil with lemon
Day 12-13: majority juice/ smoothie and one solid meal
Day 14+: vegan diet, cooked and raw, before returning to usual diet

The number of days for the cleanse will depend on the person and the only thing you should eat through the 'castor oil and lemon' day is a maximum of 20 dates (yes seems a lot, but trust me you'll want them) with detoxifying herbal tea.

This is recommended by a Russian doctor Alfei Budilov and is available in more detail in this article: Deep cleanse of the organism>> 
[Note the article is written in Russian, so pop it into a google translator if you're interested in knowing more.]

IDEA 4 - Do an Alkaline Cleanse!

Have you ever tried peeing on some litmus paper to check where you are on the pH scale?

Most people are shocked by the result!

Everything in the universe is about creating balance, your body included. 

The balance I go on about is called Acid-Alkaline, otherwise known as the pH balance.

It might ring a bell if you pay any attention to shampoo ads. The beauty industry loves to point out, that their product is ‘pH balanced’.

It works just as your own body temperature, where too much variance on either side of the normal 98.6F / 37C is very dangerous to your health.

PH Balance also has a scale, which measures how acidic or alkaline any environment or substance is on a scale of 1-14.

Seven is Neutral. Anything below it - is acidic; anything above it- is alkaline. A slightly alkaline body (at 7.36) is crucial for good health, but unfortunately the majority of our human race is no where near it.

It is when your pH levels are low, that your body becomes acid and vulnerable to germs, creating an environment for bacteria to thrive and for yeast to throw an ultimate party.

Disease (including cancer) cannot live in a slightly alkaline, oxygenated environment! Free radicals don't stand a chance of survival.

I've worked hard to construct the exact plan to help you go from acid to alkaline in the shortest possible time.

We offer a limited number of 1, 2 and 3 day packages just twice a year and post them all across the UK.

Obviously I would LOVE for everyone to purchase a package because I know exactly how incredible you will feel for a long long time afterwards, but I also know that this is simply not possible. Many of you live outside of the UK, some can't afford this done-for-you kit and all of you want to be able to try it for yourselves, so what I've done is document what a day on my Alkaline Cleanse looks like. 

I've recorded the exact time and order I take every juice and snack, plus listed out the exact ingredients that go into each 'meal' and given you links to any ingredients that you might not find in a supermarket.

You can replicate the cleanse that made Tanya's in Chelsea famous and reap all the benefits by making it all yourself. Yay!

Here's the link to order a readily packaged Alkaline Cleanse>>

And here's the link to seeing what a day on this cleanse looks like>>

Oh and here's the link to a 10% off code, only good till 2nd Jan>>

Well now it's reeeally late and I'm too pumped to sleep.

Can't wait to get back to London and get onto all of the above myself.

Please please join me! I'd love to know what detox spoke to you and how you got on, please leave me a comment below!

Happy New Year, my friend.
I wish for 2018 to be your year!

 

UPDATE: This competition is now closed.

 

My book has gone into yet another printing (YAY!) but the price of the book will increase to £25. 

The price has already gone up at all the shops and online, buuuuut guess what!...

I bought out the remaining stock (don't worry the book is identical) of the last print run which means that Tanya's at My Chelsea is the only place you can still grab a copy for £16.99 (MORE YAY!)

Not only can you still get the same beautiful book at the old price (till stocks last), I will sign it for you and even address it to any name you wish. The perfect Christmas gift.

I will also enter you into the draw to win £200+ worth of some of my very favourite healthy cook books written by my friends and heros.

UPDATE: This competition is now closed.

CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY

£200+ worth of amazing books to be won! How to enter:

1. Buy a copy of The Uncook Book here>>

2. Inside box 'Special Instructions for seller' (you'll see it at checkout), write a name of person (totally get yourself a copy too!) you'd like me to address the book to.

I will write this default message inside the cover: "Dear Nancy, Be Rawsome! xTanya'. If you prefer a different short message like "Dear Nancy, Merry Christmas, xTanya' please write the exact wording into the box. If you prefer no name mentioned, simply write 'no name'. If buying multiple gifts, please list a new name in each line.

3. Check your inbox on Christmas Day to see if you're a winner!

 

THE AMAZING PRIZE - CLOSE UP

 

Small print: You are able to purchase a signed copy of my book no matter where you live in the world, but please note the postage rates vary. The book weighs 900g and postage pricing is based on standard Royal Mail shipping. The competition is open to UK residents only. There will be only one winner, randomly drawn, and the winner will be notified by email on 25th December 2017. Tanya's Living will not be held responsible for any purchases arriving before Christmas. The last purchase before Christmas will be posted on Thursday 21st December and the following dispatch date won't be until Friday 29th December. Stocks are limited.

THIS raw creamy decadent cheesecake truly came out special beyond words. The flavours had it all- zesty, punchy, salty, sweet, vanillary, gooey caramelly, chocolatey, refreshing, nutty and fruity- and together they just worked.

Read more