Onwards, with Gratitude...

Ooooo, here we go then…out with the old, in with the new…I hope you’ve had a great year so far and that the closing moments of 2007 find you in loving company, with joyful thoughts and a blissful vision for our next…13 moons :)
We’d still love to hear your raw reflections from 2007 if you’d care to share :) The current RawReform Giveaway prize is a pair of our uber-popular exercise toy – POI – and to be in with a chance of winning, just email in YOUR answer to the following question:

‘What have been your top THREE raw food highlights of 2007?’

…what in the world of raw food has inspired or uplifted you this year? What stands out in your memory? Who did you love sharing recipes with? What helped you to stay motivated? Which recipe made a difference in your enjoyment? Send your answers in to angela@rawreform.com. We look forward to reading and sharing your responses :) The winner will be picked at random and with joy in a few days… :)

on December the 29th I had:

2 cups water
3 cups watermelon/orange juice
big chunk of watermelon
big handful of cherries
2.5 cups green smoothie: mango/banana/red dandelion/romaine/tatsoi swirled with goji berries and incan berries
3 cups water
1 pint tatsoi/fennel/cucumber/bok choi/red dandelion/radish/red pepper/random greens/mizuna/carrot/apple juice
little bowl of soaked dried prunes blended with hemp seeds
3 cups water

Are you looking for a yummy raw place to hang out next year? Here’s a little site that you might find useful: http://www.rawcommunities.com. This has a list of – you guessed it – raw communities, worldwide…PLUS, remember to check out the Raw Permaculture Course in Hawaii in February if that appeals to you: www.livingmandala.com aaaaaaaaaaaand – guess what? There’s ANOTHER Permaculture Design Course coming up soon at another raw-friendly place: Punta Mona Community in Costa Rica. Their course runs from Jan 28th – Feb 10th at their eco-community on the east coast. I didn’t actually tread on Punta Mona ground when I was in Costa Rica this time last year – came VERY close though and I’ve been in contact with some of the lovely people there, who grow muchos amazing greens and rare plants…it’s an incredible community by all accounts – check it out at www.puntamona.org for more info :)

on December the 30th I had:

3 cups water
slice of watermelon
1 pint tatsoi/fennel/cucumber/bok choi/red dandelion/radish/red pepper/random greens/mizuna/carrot/apple juice
big handful of cherries
1 cup water
½ an avo mashed with 2 tbsp raw pesto, mixed with diced tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts and a pinch of Himalayan salt, served with romaine leaves and flax crackers
1 quart water
1 pint green lettuce/fennel/cucumber/mizuna/ginger/apple/celery juice
little bowl of soaked dried apricots blended with hemp seed, swirled with slices of fresh banana and cherries
2 cups water

Tomorrow – January the 1st 2008 – the RawReform website is 4 years old. WOW :) Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to yoooooouuuuuuuu…what an extraordinary four years it has been…if you’ve ever wondered how the site started, here’s a little insight from a piece I wrote recently:

“British health magazine Zest wanted to run a piece on my story for their January 2004 ‘new year, new you’ edition. I was thrilled. My partner at that time was an extremely talented web designer and began to suggest we put up a website about my transformation too, to share this message. I laughed at first. At that point, the internet did not play much of a role in my life, other than reading about raw foods and emailing friends. I had certainly never considered having my own website. The more we talked about it though, the more I came to like the idea. It was in Greece in the summer of 2003 that the name ‘RawReform’ was given to me, as I wandered the sandy beaches, pondering which name would suit this venture. I began writing out the content for the website that autumn, which was a hugely cathartic experience for me. It helped me so much to see clearly the patterns I had lived out with food. I was also terrified. I had never spoken honestly with many of the people in my life and now I was about to bare my soul to the world. How would my family and old school friends react when they read my truth?
It took my partner just a few days to put the first website together. Then on January the 1st, 2004, the day my article was published in Zest magazine, RawReform.com went live…I was thrilled…and terrified ;) In the end, the reactions of my family and friends were mainly filled with love, appreciation and kindness. Mostly, people said they felt sad to read how miserable I had really been all that time, underneath the façade. Some seemed surprised that I was sharing so much personal information with the world. Others were silent. The whole experience left me with a huge sense of relief and fulfillment. I had shared my truth with the world and it did not seem to have back-lashed on me ;) I felt encouraged and supported to go on sharing my truth. People seemed to respond with great enthusiasm to my before/after pictures. After all, as the saying goes ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’ and many people seemed to draw inspiration from my photographs.
The journey of RawReform has continued to expand exponentially since those simple beginnings…and I had no idea at that point of what would unfold over the coming years via this website, my little portal to the world… ;)”

…and who knows what 2008 will hold for all of our ext-RAW-dinary adventures…I wish you yummy goal setting and even more delicious fulfillment of your deepest desires in the coming months… :)
Thanks for all your messages, comments and support this year – it is all greatly appreciated…

One love,
Angela (and Mr Monarch ;). xxx