Searching For Springs

Most recently I've been in research mode, as I am committed to the completion of the book on which I've been working. This week my focus has been on the subject of hydration, and more specifically, the importance of hydration by means of drinking amazing water. I certainly don't profess to be an authority on drinking water, however, I have been doing a good deal of study on the subject for a few years now and what I've learned has changed my thinking, making me more conscious about from where my drinking water comes.My friend Dhrumil of We Like It Raw has joined forces with Elixir Craft's, Daniel Vitalis, to put together a new website called Find A Spring. Daniel and Dhru believe that it's time that we reclaim our water by finding and utilizing naturally occurring springs in our area. There are so many benefits of drinking real, fresh spring water. When you find the time, go listen to or download this great interview on the topic here. Much is covered including the why and how of finding a natural spring and how you can make sure the water you find is safe to drink.

So...I am on a mission. I've written a few letter and made a few phone calls this morning to the US Geological Survey Board and to Oklahoma National Parks & Recreation asking this question: Do you have a list of parks or other public areas where natural spring water is available in my area? Now I'm asking you the same question....do YOU know of any natural sources of spring water in your area that could available to the public? If you have some inside scoop, please write to me (realfood.tulsa@yahoo.com) or leave a comment at the bottom of this post. I'd love to help Dhrumil and Daniel in the compilation of a more thorough listing of natural springs and we could use any tips you may have. I'm planning to ask older relatives and other long time residents in my area if they can give us the hook up to this kind of water source.

I'm looking forward to making 2009 a year of reconnection to the beauty of nature in my area, which will include hiking, searching for spring water and artisan wells, foraging for edible wild greens and other delicious gifts from nature's garden.

Andre's Revenge!

Join the Next Raw Fu Challenge

You know I love the Bunny.....and she's BACK! It's time to ring in the New Year with a New 100 Day Challenge. Take the plunge with 100 days of support, love, and lots of leafy greens. Bunny will be at it again with daily videos, vision boards, special Raw Fu celebrity guest stars, Breakfast with Bunny calls, and more Cutting Board Cam!

Join Bunny & I for the Next Raw Fu Challenge NOW!

All you have to do is Join the Raw Fu Community to be in for another 100 days of raw food fun. If you are already a member of the community, you're automatically in for the next challenge. Just jump into the forums, start vlogging, and post your pictures! I'd be thrilled to have you join me for this Raw Fu Challenge!

Go Ahead! Take the Plunge!

Resting Comfortably at Ruby's Raw Rehab

green juice - brooklyn art project

The day after Christmas has been a really positive day. Around 20 raw foodies and I met up at our local Whole Foods to hang out, drink juice or have a salad and share stories about diet, life and what's coming up in 2009. We had a number of first time attendees and a couple of groovy cool out-of-towners who had made connection via the internet: Stephen from Seattle and Alissa from Minneapolis were in town visiting family for the holidays. It was an honor to have them with us.

Also I started a modified juice fast today. I had decided a week or so ago that it was time to revisit the beautiful world of juicing, but my projection was to begin on or around the first of January 2009. After finding myself lured back into a cook food cocoon (more like a fetal position) last night from holiday dining debauchery, I decided today would be as good of a day as any to get my system back to a alkalized, harmonized, hydrated, and regenerated state. I've had some great juices so far today and a blended smoothie with avocado just now. I won't be following the juice feasting protocol to the letter as I did earlier this year when I completed my 92 days. This time I am doing a personal experiment to see if I can add in just a bit more fats and fiber while still reaping many of the same benefits I did while I was adhering to a much more rigid program. Bottom line....I'd like to get things fine tuned as well as dropping any extra accumulated weight, but with a little liquid variety. (And no, I don't mean vodka.)

While I was collecting my thoughts and preparing to create a video explaining a bit more on juice feasting and why one would want to engage in such a practice, I found this informative snippet from the handsome Burke Bryant:

Find more videos like this on Give it to me Raw - Raw Food Community

Raw Food Rehab.....Step Away From the Cake

Like many of you who are reading this, I've sampled some really tasty cooked foods over this past month. I have this amazing family of gourmetesque cooks who love to bring out their blue ribbon dishes for holidays. The way I handle it is this.....I eat a reasonable portion of the dishes I really love, I take digestive enzymes and I put myself into raw food rehab when I've had enough.

I generally like to make a fresh start on January 2nd....not the first since my annual New Year's Day tradition is to toast to new beginnings with a sip of champagne first thing in the morning and eat my black-eyed peas at some point in the day. But this year, I am feeling "the call" early, so I'm starting off my New Year today, on December 26th. As I shared with my friends on Raw Fu, here is the list of my goals/resolutions/intentions for the rest of 2008 and into 2009:


1. Get Juicy! - Juice Feast 2.0 - starting now, through the end of January. This will be my very own program of fresh juices, smoothies, soups, teas, smart cocktails and elixirs for 40 days. 100% raw, no booze, liquid diet for the next 40 days.

2. Cardio Workout and Yoga classes at the gym. I WILL walk through those gym doors 4 days a week, minimum.

3. Finish my book.

4. Stay plugged in spiritually. Listen more, read my bible, pray, meditate and journal.

5. Look for ways to love my family & friends in even more meaningful ways.

I'd love to hear what your thoughts, resolutions or goals are for starting your New Year off on a positive note. Please share with me a few of your plans in the comments below. There is just something powerful about putting it out there, in writing. If you need some food for thought, go check out this great, inspiring article on How to Press the Reset Button On Your Life. (thanks RebeccaJ!)

Christmas 2008

These videos and pictures say a mouth full.....you can come visit me in Raw Food Rehab tomorrow. I hope you had a blessed and beautiful holiday!!

Woody Gets Raw in Esquire

Esquire Magazine just released an interview with Woody Harrelson. The environmentally conscious actor, raw food advocate and co-star of the new movie, Seven Pounds, shares a number of things he's learned, including lots of edgy tidbits. I like what he had to say about raw food.....

Woody: "The whole concept of the raw-food thing is, any food you heat over 118 degrees, you kill all the enzymes and most of the nutritional value of the food. The enzymes are as much or more important than the various nutritional things that are always getting all the good PR. But to eat only raw food, you've got to love a salad. You've got to just love a salad. Here you go, try this. It's Ice cream. Mint chip. Good, right? It's raw. No dairy."

Way to represent, Woody! You can read the entire article here. Now I'm off to go whip up some mint chip ice cream!

Real Juicy News......

Real Food Tulsa is hosting the 13th Day of Christmas, a post holiday support meetup on Friday - December 26th at 2 pm. If you're going to be in Tulsa and need an escape from the temptations of rich, cooked holiday foods & desserts, come join me for a green juice or salad at Whole Foods at 41st & Peoria. This will be a totally laid back, casual meetup, so just come say hi and hang out for a bit.

I have been asked to do a couple of lectures at Whole Foods in January and I am totally stoked. If you're near me, mark your calendar and please try to attend as I'd love to have a little support in the audience from my raw food homies! The lectures are as follows:

Saturday - January 10th at 10 am - Post Holiday Detox....Feeling like it's time for a fresh start after the holiday indulgences? Come explore effective ways to lose unwanted holiday pounds while positively impacting your overall health through creative detoxing.

Wednesday - January 21st - 7 pm - Juicing For Fun & Health...This won't be your granola grandma's boring carrot juice class! Come learn easy ways to make gourmet, highly nutritious juices, shakes, and elixirs at home in your own blender or juicer. Taste & Enjoy!

This is hot off the press today....Real Food Tulsa now has a Myspace! Thank to one of our lovely members, Erin, we are socially connected and ready for new friends! Stop by and check out our new site here and drop us a friend request!

From Real Juice Daily's Section - Smart Cocktails: The Chocotini

Last, but certainly not least, I am in the fine tuning stages of a book that has been over a year in the making, Real Juice Daily. It has been a labor of love and it will contain my entire collection of recipes for getting unstuck and getting into the flow! It will include sections on juicing, shakes, smart cocktails, enchanting elixirs, photographs and stories for modern day superheros that want to stay juicy in an uptight, backed up world! Look for Real Juice Daily's release in mid January 2009.