Can we discuss the fact that I have partnered with a raw, cold-pressed juice company called O2living that also has a WELLNESS CENTER in the suburbs of NY?

Westchester to be exact… one of my favorite, super charming little towns — on a street called YELLOW MONKEY. So freakin’ cute.

Even though I’m back to livin’ on the west coast now, I do get to enjoy a little slice of what O2living has to offer, because they sent me their yummy juices so I could experience how they taste and what they are all about!

First of all — you know my stance on full juice cleanses: not my thing.

I mean, if you scroll way back in my blog, you’ll find months and months and months worth of posts where I was on full juice cleanses. This was back in the day when I was raw vegan & had some serious weird things going on with food. (You can read more about all of that in my book, Breaking Vegan, if you have no idea what I am talking about!)

So anyway, I don’t like to do full juice cleanses anymore. If I am going to do any sort of detox, it’s going to be a balanced approach… and will probably include a juice or two a day (low-glycemic, so low on the fruit) along with some healthy, balanced plant-based meals.

I do this sometimes after I go through a “bender” of a weekend (read: lots of alcohol + late nights), after a long vacation full of indulgences, or even if my stomach problems are acting up (which is very often) and I have to go back to the basics.

Also, my Panchakarma really taught me the importance & essence of going back to the basics with kitchari and lots of rest and self-care… so I have a lot of go-to’s in my repertoire when it comes to relaxing + taking a little mini-detox from life!

So, Let’s Get to the Juice //

I know a lot of you are always looking for good juices that you haven’t heard of before and also looking for ways to incorporate “mini detoxes” into your busy schedules. This is definitely an option for you, because these O2living juices are full of nutrients, bursting with goodness, and are obviously made with love and care from the facility!

Oh, and they hit all my staples… raw, cold-pressed, organic, and full of vitamins, nutrients, enzymes and minerals.

My fave of the juices is the Fresh Start — can you be surprised? I love all things lemon + ginger — which is their pH balancer made of lemon, organic apple and organic ginger. I LOVE to add a bit of this to hot water in the morning to start my day with a nice alkalizing tonic that is great for digestion and also for kickstarting metabolism in the morning.

I usually do a lemon tonic like that in the morning, some Bulletproof coffee, a late breakfast, and then if I am doing a “mini detox” sort of day — I will have an afternoon green juice with a salad, and then a light, plant-based dinner.

Delicious, right? I’m not into depriving myself, and I don’t want you guys to be either! Their Green Vitality is a delicious green juice full of so many antioxidants, veggies and goodness.

And with their red beet juice, I like to add this to smoothies and/or oatmeal to give them a gorgeous color and add a yummy, added burst of nutrients & antioxidants! FUN FACT: beets are really, really good for deoxidizing heavy metals out of our system… so if you’re anything like me and have eaten a little too much mercury (TUNA) in your day, then adding beets into your life at least every few days is not a bad idea.

YUM! Thoughts? I am all about this stuff, and couldn’t want to share with you guys. Have you tried it?! Have you BEEN to their amazing wellness center in NY?! If so, do tell! XO 

* Also, a bit more about the wellness center because I am obsessed: it’s full of every single thing that I love and adore. Yoga studios, a day spa, a whole and live food cafe with raw, vegan foods and cold-pressed juice (and cleanses, if you wanted to go that route!) AND an eco-friendly boutique with so many yoga clothes and awesome skincare.

Sorry, just had to rave for a sec. I almost couldn’t believe this oasis was true until I heard more about it! But good thing is — you can try their juices regardless of where you live!

Two FABULOUS examples of people who have followed their hearts to make their dreams come true are the owners of The Springs LA, Kimberly Helms and Jared Stein. Where do I even start when it comes to The Springs? The best way I can put it is that it’s a wellness oasis smack dab in the middle of the Arts District in Downtown LA (which you know I have mentioned before is a neighborhood that I have recently fallen head over heels in love with). The Springs is more or less my dream come true. It is a raw vegan restaurant, juice and smoothie bar, a hub for creative beings to come + hang out + play music + host and attend events, a YOGA STUDIO, and wellness center with massage, an infrared sauna, colonics, the works. I have always envisioned one day opening a beautiful space that combines healthy, nutrient-dense and delicious food with the beauty and zen of yoga and wellness (my vision also included yoga therapy + healing center to recover from eating disorders and addictions)– but Kimberly and Jared beat me to it which is definitely a good thing because I think I should stick to the blogging world for now.

I was lucky enough to get a personal tour of the space by Kimberly, Jared and their wonderful head of the Wellness Center, Joyce Rockwood– three amazing souls transplanted from NYC (woo!!) to manifest their dream and their vision for The Springs in Downtown LA. And to top it all off I then got to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by their incredible chef Michael Falso who used to work at Pure Food & Wine (my all time fav) in NYC and M.A.K.E in Santa Monica.

I loved hanging out with them and hearing all about how they brought The Springs to life. I think I told each of them at least ten times that I would be back ALL the time to eat, write, hang out, do yoga, indulge in wellness treatments, and show off the art of delicious raw food to my friends and family.

There are almost no words to describe how gorgeous The Springs is and how phenomenal their food, juices and smoothies taste, so I will have to let the photos speak for themselves. I also did a brief Q&A with Jared about the space, which I have interspersed among the photos below! LA peeps, this is a MUST!!!

I started my visit with an AMAZING green juice titled Evergreen, and snapped a photo of it next to these amazingly delish raw chocolate chip cookies.

Q: Jared! I know that The Springs was a vision and dream of yours for many years, so you took the steps to make it come to life. Any advice to aspiring entrepreneurs as far as making your dreams come true?

A: Well, it’s not easy! We’d say make a solid business plan, and put the plan into action. You will run into many road blocks and speed bumps along the way, but if the dream is worth pursuing, you have to press forward and do whatever it takes to make it a reality.

Q: Give us the down low on how you came up with the name The Springs for the space?

A: We took a while brainstorming names before we landed on The Springs.  We had our sites set on the Arts District as the location, and because this area is such an industrial/urban setting, we felt The Springs really evoked a sense of respite, life, and rejuvenation, in an otherwise health-desert.  The Springs is an urban oasis, and we think the name reflects that.

Above is the Matcha Milk (you know I am a matcha freak!!!) and my slowly dwindling Evergreen…

Q: How would you describe the aesthetic of the restaurant? It’s so wonderfully perfect I don’t want to butcher it by trying to put my own words to it.

A: It’s definitely hard to put a typical term on it.  We wanted to stay true to the industrial nature of the neighborhood, while adding in refreshing green space and making it feel warm.

Sooo this Caeser salad was the best salad I think I have ever tasted… raw vegan, not raw, not vegan, all of the above! The. Best. The flavors are unreal.

Q: Your favorite menu items?

A: SO hard to pick favorites!  But, if we had to….We both LOVE the Caesar Salad. The Spaghetti Alla Carbonara has definitely been a crowd favorite, and ALL the desserts are absolutely ridiculous! 

This lemon bar to go was the best idea ever.

Q: Future plans for The Springs?

A: We hope to establish ourselves as a bit of a community center where the neighborhood feels comfortable gathering and hanging out. The food will be changing seasonally as produce availably shifts, and the chefs continue to explore. For the long term, we hope The Springs can find home(s) in other cities.  We feel everyone can benefit by having our offerings all in one place. Stay tuned!

Do you have a restaurant in your city that you absolutely adore? Has anyone tried The Springs yet?! I hope to host some fun events there in the near future… book signing 2015, anyone?!