It really hasn’t been that long since I started blogging Almost Raw Vegan – well it will be 2 years in May 2013 since I created AlmostRawVegan.com and I then joined Facebook a year ago in November 2011 – so I guess it has been a while.  Time sure does fly, doesn’t it?

When I first started, my intent was simply to give myself a creative outlet for my passions.  I love photography, I love website design, I love creating plant-based eats and finding the right-foods-for-me that allow me to feel my best, mind, body & soul.  Blogging was a way to combine all my passions into one and at the same time feed my creative soul.  It’s true, I chose to post to the world, but I really didn’t expect anyone to follow me – well, maybe a few friends and family – but I didn’t expect much more than that.

Was I wrong!!

As of today I’ve had over 64,000 visits at AlmostRawVegan.com and over 7300 followers on Facebook.   I can’t tell you how incredibly surprised and grateful I am with all the love and support I have received for you, my followers.  So many like-minded souls, who knew?.  It’s all your notes, support, likes, comments and feedback that continue to inspire me day after day to continue with my blogging and to follow my passion.  I feel so incredibly blessed.  So, from the bottom of my heart… I thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Here are the TOP 10 of 2012 as selected by all of YOU!! xox

1. Almost Raw Vegan Food Pyramid

ARVs Food Pyramid

2. Typical Meals

Shepard’s Pie

3. My Smoothy Approach

Blueberry Clementine Smoothy

4. Herbed Cashew Cheese Spread

Herbed Cashew Cheese Spread & Flaxseed Crackers

5. Kris Carr’s Buddha Bowl

Buddha Bowl (shown here before the rice is added)

6. Raw Vegan Chewy Brownie Balls

Brownie Chewy Balls

7. My Reasons for Eating Almost Raw Vegan

8. Layered Vegetable Bake

Layered Vegetable Bake

9. Vegan Pizza or Pizza Salad Option

Plant-based Pizza

10. Vegetable Stir-fry

Melody of Vegetables Stirfry

Deb Gleason

Well, I had the pleasure of meeting Deb Gleason, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and Vegan Lifestyle Coach this week and I must say she is an amazing person with lots of positive energy, insights and most of all she has a prospering business called Wellness Warrior Coaching.

Click to see CBC News segment

For those in the Ottawa are you may recall that she was featured on CBC when Lucy van Oldenbarneveld tried a Vegan diet for 30 days.  This was my first introduction to Deb and I have since learned that she offers many amazing services.

Let’s see if I can provide some insight into her serivces. Oh but first you can signup for her FREE video cooking classes, nutrition tips, delicious and easy recipes and special offers.  What a great Bonus!!

30-Day Health Tune Up

You can visit Deb’s Website for the skinny on her 30-Day Health Tune Up.  This is a great program for those living in the Ottawa area. I just love how this program ends with a visit to Zen Kitchen which in my opinion, is one of the better Vegan restaurants in the region.  If you are looking to learn more about plant-based eating you’ll get all the goodies, eBook, videos, support and so much more that will help you integrate healthier foods into your life.

Vegan Shift

And for those who prefer online, whether local to the area or not local, Deb offers an amazing program online that is available to anyone no matter where you are in the world!!  The Vegan Shift will give you everything you need to transition to a plant-based diet.  You’ll get a 30 Day menu plan, all the recipes for each meal, grocery lists, video cooking classes and more.  The best part is you can signup for a FREE 4 part video training serious to get more insights from Deb before you signup for the program.  How great is that!?

Vegan Fueling for Athletes Workshop

She also offers a 3-hour workshop where she shares all you need to know to reduce recovery times and increased athletic performance.  Deb herself has completed a number of triathlons and knows all about vegan fueling, so you will be learning from a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and an athlete!!  Participants will bring their blenders and prepare smoothies, energy bars and performance gels.  And what a great venue – it’s at La Belle Verte yet another fantastic Vegan restaurant in the Ottawa/Gatineau area.

So, lots of options!!  Be sure to check out Wellness Warrior Coaching for more information about Deb Gleason and all of her awesome services!!  I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed meeting her, she will without a doubt bring you great inspiration and a wealth of insight and knowledge as you transition your diet and your life.

Wellness Warrior Coaching

The Wellington Gastropub

Ok, some of you may know – February is a special month for us – we have two big celebrations.   And we love to celebrate with a special dinner.

There are several vegan restaurants in town, but in my opinion there is really only one true vegan restaurant in town where you would want to enjoy a special evening and that’s Zen Kitchen.  And there’s no denying Zen Kitchen is a really great vegan restaurant and they also have raw vegan options on the menu which is an added bonus – we recently enjoyed their Valentine’s-in-a-box, (although we enjoyed it the weekend before Valentine’s Day) it was really fun and delicious, thanks to Caroline Ishii & David Loan’s creativity!!  But it’s also nice to have variety and try different places, different atmosphere and still enjoy something vegan. Granted there are many restaurants that include a vegetarian option on the menu, it’s rare you find vegan options on the menu (at least we have yet to find any, if there are any please let me know!!).   I do believe that we will soon see a change, and I’m sure more restaurants will start to include vegan options, especially with all the health benefits of the vegan diet that are so prominent in the news these days.  But we don’t seem to be at that place yet here in Ottawa.  But I remain hopeful that as more folks like ourselves ask for vegan dishes (or as in our case, almost raw vegan with a twist ) that the restaurants will start to adjust to meet the demand.

But for now, most times when we go out for dinner, I will ask them to create a big green salad with whatever fresh veggies they may have on hand, perhaps a side of cooked veggies, or mixing/matching existing menu options and that has always worked well for me.  At times I can select the vegetarian option but without the cheese, or other non-vegan additions.  And sometimes we will call in advance.  And although most restaurants are happy to make accommodations, we really wanted something extra special for our February celebrations this year.

I remembered we had tried The Wellington Gastropub for dinner in January and I absolutely loved the experience.  The service was impeccable, the atmosphere was relaxing and comfortable with a flare of upscale, the food was delicious and the waitress said the chef would gladly adjust any menu item to meet our dietary needs.  In fact, she mentioned it was very easy for them to accommodate as they feature a new menu every day. Every day!!  How many restaurants do that?  I love that – to me that means the ingredients, the ideas & the chef’s creations are fresh and exciting with each and every day!!  How great is that?  It’s no wonder The Wellington Gastropub is considered one of the best restaurants in the city!!  The result, my NEW favourite restaurant!!!

So when it came time to plan for our special event in February we contacted Chef Chris Deraiche, oh my goodness he was amazing!!   He was so accommodating and so willing to create something special for us – we could tell that the art of cooking really was his passion!!  For our first celebration he emailed us his menu ideas in advance and we loved (LOVED) his creativity.  Here is the amazing menu he prepared for us – Yum!!

winter squash & chipotle soup
vanilla oil
~~~
baby eggplant stuffed with ratatouille,
served with quinoa and basil sauce
~~~
lentil & mushroom fritters
w/ stewed eggplant & tomatoes, sesame seed & basil pistou
~~~
vanilla poached pear w/ cranberry-orange sorbet

When we arrived we were promptly taken to the best seat in the house!!  We had the window seat – what a great treat!!  We ordered a nice bottle of wine, and the meal extravaganza began…. all four courses were yummy!!  Chris visited us during the meal (it’s those little things that make a difference and show that they care) and it was great to meet the creator of our oh-so-great meal.  All-in-all an amazing evening, great food, great service and the best celebration ever.

Then, two weeks later we had our 2nd celebration.  We talked about returning to The Wellington Gastropub, but we thought perhaps we should try something different.  We called a couple of the other “top” restaurants in town but they weren’t that interested in accommodating our dietary needs.  In fact, one of the restaurants first asked us to give them menu ideas and/or they would gladly make a reservation for us at the top vegan restaurant in town!!  I found that very odd, sending us to another restaurant vs. letting us enjoy a new ambiance?  To me the message was pretty clear that they weren’t interested.  While I’m sure there are some (that we didn’t yet contact) that would be willing to accommodate us, it became pretty clear to us that many restaurants in town are not yet in a place where they are able (or willing) to accommodate for certain dietary needs.

This only reinforced my thoughts even more about The Wellington Gastropub!!  Without a doubt the wonderful creativity and accommodating nature of Chris Deraiche and the staff stands out from the rest within the city.  So once again we touched base with Chris and he was more than willing to welcome us with another special menu, in fact he said we are welcome to let him know any time we wish to visit the restaurant and he will gladly accommodate us.  Now that’s service!!!.

This time, we had so much trust in Chris’ creation that there was no need to see the menu in advance – it was a surprise, how I loved that. Again we arrived, Chris surprised us by giving us our “regular” table by the window (don’t you think it’s things like that that differentiate the ok restaurants from the amazingly superior restaurants?).  We were presented with our  personalized menu and once again the evening proceeded without a glitch!!  Everything was perfect.  The service was stellar.  I find the staff to be very attentive yet at the same time they don’t hover, I love that!  The meal, ambiance and service were once again excellent.   All in all an amazing celebration.

Without a doubt The Wellington Gastropub is my most favourite restaurant in the city.  If you are looking to enjoy an evening where the menu ideas are fresh and creative, the service is impeccable and the ambiance is warm and cozy without being pretentious, then The Wellington Gastropub is the place to visit.

From us, a special thank you to Chris & everyone who made our February 2012 celebrations so memorable.  We will be back!!