My secret plan: Raw Veganism in the Workplace

Everyday I bring my green power smoothie to work and I would sometimes bring some for my co-workers. It's becoming a big hit at the office. I have some regulars looking forward to getting their mason jar of thick green deliciousness. There is a growing demand of my smoothie that I may have to start charging to cover the costs of the ingredients. I'm going to bring it up with my regulars and see what they think. What I may do is charge between $2.50-3.00 for the 500ml jar and $4.50-5.00 for the 1 litre jar. I will also consider using a portion of the money for charity. It's important to give back.

They mock me at work about being the vegan, health freak (which I embrace!). Yet, slowly but surely, I'm encouraging people to eat more fruits and vegetables. I once brought a huge bowl of fruit, I shared it with my co-workers and they practically ate it off. Hahaha. I love that.

Running my 10km race today!!

Today is the day I run the Mississauga Marathon. I'm doing the 10km. It's my first time and I'm very excited. It's something I've been planning since last year. It's been hard training with my work schedule and children but I know I'm going to have a blast and finish anyway. I so love the running community. There is such warmth and camaraderie. There is no competition between runners; you are always competing with yourself, which I love. I constantly want to improve myself and get better, even if it is just 5 seconds better. 

The weather is horrible. It's been raining with hail! I hope it stops by tonight. I know they won't cancel unless it is really bad....it's really bad. Crossing my fingers.

At the Mississauga Marathon expo, I went crazy shopping. I bought 2 running shirts. One says "Who moved the finish line", the other says "If found on ground, please drag to the finish line". Hahaha. Hilarious. 

I signed up for a 15km run in August 2009 called A Midsummer Night's Run (a take on the Shakespeare play). I'm also going to sign up to the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and do the half marathon. 

I am obsessed with running. I love this sport and I enjoy the 'me' time quality I get from running.

Update: The race was beautiful but tough. I struggled. I blame it on the fact that I didn't train enough outside and often. I finished in 1:24. That's not good. I'll do better next time. The good thing is that I finished!

Stress and Raw Veganism

I've been so stressed out the last couple of weeks that I've realized that stress makes me miserable and it makes me want to turn to cooked albeit vegan foods. I don't want to go down that path but I just don't know how to handle my stress sometimes. My job is very stressful (that's problem #1), my work schedule is stressful (problem #2), and balancing my work, my pleasures and my family can be stressful (problem #3). That leaves me with sleep and that has been stressful. I'm trying to find solutions to these problems. I need solutions to these problems.

Spring means Detox!

I love spring because it means that summer is coming. Winter is sometimes hard for me as a raw vegan. I tend to supplement my diet with steamed vegetables such as asparagus and other greens. Sometimes I treat myself to sauteed mushrooms. I know, I know, very baaaad. Hahaha. It's still my favourite cooked item. I'm not going to make a big deal about it. Once in a blue moon....or two. ;P

I've fallen in love with salads again. Yay! For the longest time, I was sick of eating salads because that was all I was eating. I try to stay away from the rich raw vegan dishes that are nut-heavy. The secret of loving salads again has been found in the dressings that are put on the salads. I've been experimenting and I'm on a kick with "Asian" flavours, meaning the taste of sesame and ginger. It's driving me crazy. I love it. I would like to use tahini but I find it too heavy. I'm starting use citrus and pineapple juices as a base. However, the only problem is that I get sooo hungry a couple hours later. Now that I've been preparing for the 10km race coming up May 9, I get extremely hungry. The 811 high fruit diet does satisfy the hunger. Fruit is filling and low-fat (with the exception of Durian). I can't do all fruit all of the time, I do enjoy my greens. I'll find a healthy balance.

So, I will be detoxing this spring so I can have a fantastic summer.

Lonely sometimes

As much I as love the raw vegan lifestyle, lately I've been quite lonely and frustrated. I consider myself a strong person and I have a great support system; however, I feel lonely as a raw vegan and not being able to share my ups and downs with someone in my city. It's been troubling me for awhile. Today I decided to go to Rawlicious and it was great. I ordered some food to go and I got to see my raw friend, Robin. It was such a nice pick me up that I got out of my funk. That's when I realized that I needed to hang around more raw foodists. I need to be surrounded by that wonderful, healthy vibe. For those brief 10 minutes, I just felt great being in that environment. I so loved it. In order for me to stay on my path, I need to hang out with raw vegans more often.

I'm still here

It's been about 4 months since I've written. I've been so busy but things are working out. I've had many challenges and am going through a difficult period that will make me become a stronger and healthier person. I'm working on my website and I'm very excited about it. I'll keep you posted. Hugs.

Happy Birthday to Me!

YAAY!!!!!!!!!  It's my birthday. Feliz Cumpleaños, bonita! I think I'm the only loca who loves her birthday too much. Today I might make a snow angel. I haven't done that since I was a kid. I wanna dance and play the piano. I also want a slice of raw carrot ginger cake, maybe a smoothie of guanabana and pineapple and lots of love from my family and friends.

Thank you God for creating me and loving me. Thank you!!!

I'm having fun with my Macbook. I love Mac.

Here is your opportunity!!

Some of you raw foodists and vegans may have heard of Frederic Patenaude. He is a successful entrepreneur in the natural health movement. I would like to share with you some of his excellent programs. I have participated in them also. Just click on the links on the sidebar of m blog and enjoy.

It's my birthmonth

It's my birthmonth. Yes, I am a January baby and I don't just celebrate my birthday (the 10th) but the whole month from the 1st to the 31st.  I try to do something different each year. I'm not sure what I'd like to do this time...maybe archery. I did archery in highschool and loved it. I'd like to do it again.

My sweety wants to take me to my favourite raw restaurant. That would be nice....maybe just for dessert. The restaurant makes an awesome carrot ginger cake to die for!

I am really looking forward to 2009. In spite of the economy, civil unrest around the world and other problems that are happening, I am really thankful for living another day, for sharing more moments with my sons and the man I love. I have wonderful friends and a great family. My heart still melts when my oldest child tells me at least once a day, "Mami, sabes que te quiero?" (Mommy, do you know that I love you?) It can't get better than that.

Bye Bye 2008

I can't believe I didn't even write one post in December. Well, it's been pretty hectic month. So much has been going on. The good news is that I've finally finished writing my Masters research paper and now it is in the hands of my professor to enjoy or destroy.  It took me four years to complete it. So exhausted. There has been some drama in my life and I'm not inviting drama this year. 

I had a great vegan/raw vegan Christmas. There was too much food. I'm working on my New Year's Goals. I don't want to say resolutions because resolutions are made to be broken. 

I'm getting a secondhand apartment-sized piano for my home and I'm sooo excited about it. It has been so long since I've played. I need to play. It's like breathing for me. 

New Year's will be quiet, just movies. I'm hoping that I'll be awake by midnight.

Rough Week

Woo! It has been a rough week. My little Tiago was sick with Gastroenteritis. He was coming out at both ends. We went to two different hospitals and a walk-in clinic. The cure was time and giving him fluids such as Pedialyte, which is Gatorade for babies. Deep down I didn't want to give it to him but I didn't have time to find natural alternatives that his stomach could handle. I did ask around but I decided in the end to stick with the pedialyte. Tiago managed not to vomit the stuff. My poor pumpkin lost some weight and was so weak. I'm glad he is now back to his old self and hungrier than ever.

To top off my week, Ernesto decided to plug the toilet and we've been without a functioning toilet for almost 5 days! Ugh. There is a quote that made me laugh when I read it the first time and now it rings so true. "The difference between 1st world nations and 3rd world nations is plumbing." I can't believe how expensive plumbers can be! I got quoted from $60/hr with a $50 transporte fee to $275. Ridiculous. I found reasonable plumber (we'll see when he gets to my house) who also has a side business in the juicing industry. Hahaha, how weird is that? This is his website and real passion, Mangosteen fruit. The company is called Xango. If the plumber fixes my toilet quickly, I may buy one bottle.

Running Raw: My time was 38:15 for the 5km

The Toronto Marathon was a blast!! I had such a rockin' time. The vibe was great and the atmosphere was wonderful. I ran without stopping and enjoyed the weather. I kept repeating that I was running for me and for the Lord, who has blessed my life so much. I'm able to walk--wait, RUN! There were djs along the route playing music to keep you pumping and people I didn't even know encouraged me. My hubs and children were there. It's great to see your family cheer you on. Running raw...I love it. I'm planning on the Mississauga marathon. I may do the 2km family run. My son loves to run and my hubs would like to participate. I'd like to do another 5km and then build up to a 10km. Eventually, the Boston Marathon. Fi Real!!


I'm the one in red (hahaha).



Dora the Explorer needed to get out of the way ASAP.



Keeping my eyes on the prize....free bananas and oranges for the raw vegan.



Crossed the finish line in 38:15. Next time will be under 30 minutes.



Check out my gold-ish medal.



Running raw!!

Running Raw

I have exactly one more week before the 5km race and today was the first day I ran my 5km outside. I was quite nervous and didn't think I could do it. I've been so used to the gym/treadmil that it almost because a hinderance when I started to run outside. I need to run at least 2-3 more times outside before the race. It has made a great difference and I love the feel of the wind and my foot hitting the ground. It truly is a different kind of energy. 

There were moments I wanted to give up but people waiting at bus stops encouraged me. I heard a few whistles and sweet catcalls like "Bless, Empress" (Cuz of my dreadlocks, other rastas think I am a rasta *smile*). 

When I finally reached home, I was so elated and collapsed on a rock. It was such a beautiful and wonderful feeling to have completed my run. What a natural high!!

Training for a 5 km running race

I used to run a lot and then when I became pregnant with my first son, my running was sporadic (even though I had bought a running stroller). Now that I feel I am fully recovered from my post-pregnancy injury, I am training for the October 19 Toronto Marathon. I won't be doing the marathon but the 5km race. I'm looking forward to it and I am using Runner's World magazine issues to help me train. I have no time to learn from a running club. 

Unfortunately I have to do most of my training indoors. It's better than nothing. I don't have a double stroller to push my 2 sons and my husband is taking night courses. This leaves me no other option but to go to a gym and train on the treadmills and my sons are having fun in the daycare centre there.

This will be my first time training on a 100% raw diet. Even when I was dabbling in raw in the past, I still ate oatmeal for my runs, thinking that fruits and vegetables would not be sufficient for me. Now, I know differently and it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be; I've been eating well. I just haven't been getting enough sleep in order to recover. 

I'm running raw!! Woo-hoo.

Simply Raw Festival Pics!!

Me (if you can see me) with Shantree and Lorenna.


I used to know John in Toronto. He now lives in a paradise in Nelson, British Columbia. I'm going to visit Nelson maybe next year. Apparently it is a raw vegan haven.



Paul Nison and me.


Natasha's husband introducing Paul Nison.



Paul got the crowd hooting and a hollering.



I like the sunflowers.



Angela speaks. Can you believe she was over 200lbs?



Me and Philip. Such a sweet guy. I was soaked and my shirt hung like a moomoo on me. Ugh!


Montreal raw food seller. Delicious pizza.


Kombucha seller from Montreal. Good stuff.



Karla (who was giving Matt a hard time), Matt Monarch and his fiancee, Angela.


The kiosks


Philip McClusky speaking. He was great.



Lalita Salas of the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico.



Natasha Kyssa of Simply Raw (on the left) and her friend.


Angela Stokes taking shelter from the rain.

I'm here in Ottawa!!

I like the city of Ottawa. The hotel is very family friendly. I'm staying at the Best Western. The weather is crap!! When we arrived Friday, it was hot and sunny. We took it easy and decided to go to a vegetarian/raw vegan cafe. They only had one raw vegan meal option: a delicious but greasy raw vegan pizza and some desserts. My hubs wasn't impressed with the cafe and I don't blame him. They mainly served omelettes on one side of the restaurant (he doesn't eat eggs) and the other side had a serve-yourself take out meal, which was empty and they weren't going to fill it up. It was only 6pm!

We ended up walking around trying to find a pizzeria for the kids and hubby. I ordered my raw pizza to go. My husband ordered a Mexican meal made by non-Mexicans who probably have never been to Mexico or know what true Mexican food is like. Then we found a pizzeria that seemed quite authentic and bought a small pizza for my son and hubby, in case the Mexican food was a failure. BTW, the burrito according to my husband was awful.

I wanted to see the Raw Film Festival but I was so tired from the train trip. It's a four hour trip from Toronto. That's pretty quick but we just wanted to relax.

Saturday. It was pouring rain and I didn't bring enough umbrellas. Luckily my son had his own and my hubby used the other one for himself and Santiago. I thought the rain wouldn't be so bad. I was drenched and I ran into a Shoppers to buy another umbrella. The festival still went on as planned and there was quite a few people. I got to see Philip McCluskey, yeah!!! He spoke on his raw transformation from 400lbs to half his weight. I liked his sincerity and I think he is really nice. He is inspiring and seems like he would be a cool friend.

I saw Angela Stokes and she is soooo beautiful. I don't know if she had a tan from a previous trip but her skin was flawless and golden. I'm looking forward to hearing her speak tomorrow. I also got to see Paul Nison. He is a Christian raw vegan and it's great to meet another Christian raw foodist. There is not a lot of us out there. When he spoke, he got the crowd laughing, clapping as if it were a church camp meeting. He is hilarious.

There were a lot of great kiosks. I enjoyed this couple Shantree and Lorenna. They are from London, Ontario and they spoke about eating locally, which is what I want to do. I don't want to depend too much on imported Durian and Jackfruit. Ontario has an abundance of fruit and vegetables. I should enjoy them more. I would like to go to there retreat one day. It's not too far from Toronto.

I am so inspired to maintain my raw path and to create a career out of it. I love it. I'm so glad I came to Ottawa. I found what I needed to hear to help me stay 100% raw at the festival and it is as if I've lost all cooked food cravings and desires that seemed to have plagued me before. It's amazing.

Speaking of Ottawa, Ottawans seem to be more healthy than Torontonians. There are a lot of people who ride bicycles and walk. There are no side-by-side restaurants and there is a lot of art. I'd like to come back another time to know more of the city. However, this weekend is for the festival.


The train station in my city.



Did you know a lot of Hollywood movies use this train station?


My son, Ernesto wearing the barf bag on his head.



My other son, Santiago is a big boy and wanted his own seat.



The bed in the hotel room was sooooo comfortable. My sons ended up sleeping with me and my hubby was relegated to the sofa. Hahaha.



Santiago's crib. He hated it. It was like a jail cell.



Downtown Ottawa.



Ottawa's Rideau Canal



Parliament Hill



As usual, I'm washing dishes even on vacation.



The attack of the gigantic spider at the National Gallery. We had to rush through the exposition because we didn't realize our train was going to leave in one hour. We were speedwalking through the gallery. When I asked my hubby what he liked about the exposition, he smiled and said, "I don't know, it was all a blur."

I'm going to the Simply Raw Festival in Ottawa!!

I can't wait to go to Ottawa and attend the festival. I'm sooo excited. My family and I will be taking the train and my son is sooo excited. I'm looking forward to meeting Angela Stokes, Paul Nilson, Philip McClusky and many other people. I will take lots of pics. The weather is not supposed to be that great on Saturday but I'm crossing my fingers. This will be my first time to Ottawa. Shame on me, I should be a better Canadian. Hahaha. I don't even know my nation's capital!

Gotta pack and wrap things up. Sooo excited.

Since when are fruits so bad?

I'm getting tired of people knocking down fruits as if there was something wrong with a banana or an apple. I just don't get it. I notice this more from people who are struggling with their diet or trying to lose weight. I hear things like "Oh, I can't eat fruits, I'll gain weight". What?! You don't have a problem with fat-free processed cheese or drinking cow's breastmilk or eating a "light" meal at McD's but heaven-forbid you eat a mango or a banana. Luscious fruits and vegetables have existed before mankind, before the invention of sliced bread and fat-free this and that. Why is there something unnatural about natural foods and something natural about processed, naturally unnatural food (usually with ingredients you can't even pronounce let alone understand)? Eat your fruits separately and alone (unless with other fruits or certain greens). Eat them in abundance and ease up on the processed crap or better yet, eliminate it. You will start to understand that fruits are best for your body.

The next time someone tells me, "Ooh, I can't eat this apple or grapes. It'll make me gain weight. Fruits aren't good me", I'll just turn to him/her and say, "So what you're telling me is that God made a mistake when creating fruits and veggies? Instead, Kraft and Maple Leaf foods got it right?"

This is my short rant.

No bones, No blood Inna Mi Kitchen

I stumbled upon this video and the singer makes a small reference to raw vegans! It is sung in Jamaican patois (a dialect). It's an ode to vegetarianism. The song is called "No bones, No blood" by Jah Sun feat. Ras Attitude and Lutan Fyah. Enjoy!



Here are the lyrics! Thanks to Loan.

No bones no blood inna mi kitchen
We nah go mix up in a dem vampire livin'
No bones no blood inna mi kitchen
I say Rastafari you're my greatest ambition
No bones no blood inna mi kitchen
Me synchronized with the most high's vision
No bones no blood inna mi kitchen
Please let the animal keep livin'

Mi see sey nuff a dem
No show no respect for life
Run! Here comes the butcher man
And he coming with his knife
More pain and more death
A pure murder
Life dem take fi dem steak and hamburger
Mi rather plant some seed in a di mud
Than to tear thru some flesh and go guzzle blood
Carnivore, stop fighting it, stop fighting it
Eh, give ital life a try
You just might gain some enlightenment
A this the one for love all of my vegetarians
Raw fooders and vegans and all the breathetarians
Yo, cuz I n I nah put no dead in a we temple
True humbleness we have fi live simple
To put some food upon the plate
Mi no need no hook, mi nah need no bait
I n I the roots mi food me nah fi shoot
A give me vegetable and some fruits, mi go so..

Chorus~

Dem a wonder why the rasta never age
Dem no stop from look up in a dem health book page
Vegetarians will aways live
Cuz everything we eat always positive
And everything we drink it never yet negative
You are what you eat
That's why you walk like pig
You are what you eat that's why you [snort] like a pig
You treat your body wrong your own a grave you dig
Yo don't panic, cuz i'm organic
Pure soy soup in a mi kitchen, yes mi got it
Yo don't panic, cuz i'm organic
Lentil peas in a mi soup, mi got it
Yo don't panic, cuz i'm organic
Vegan life mi live and nun a dem can stop it
Calabash, okra and squash yes mi got it
Ready fi go boil it and stop it!

Chorus~

Tell 'em natural herbs have fi we dinner
Ital is vital in a di pot dat we cookin'
Natural herbs have fi we dinner
Tell 'em no bones, no flesh
Yes, natural herbs have fi we dinner
Ital is vital in a di pot dat we cookin'
Natural herbs have fi we dinner
We gots some man a lutan Fyah
Tell 'em roots, strongback and sarsaparilla
Fruit, orange, mango and guava
Vegetable salad with peanut and cashew
With some clean drinking water
I got a bucket full of herbs
And some strong marijuana
Yes, you know that i'm a farmer
Eh, the food that i eat is my medicine
Tell you man, a real bush doctor
Cleanse dem wit garlic and bitters
I nah go jump pon rome filthy lickers
Go till the marijuana, mek mi slippers
No pork chops in a mi fritters

Chorus~

I Heart Music

I am obsessed with music. I studied classical piano for over 20 years and I play other instruments as well. When I was younger I wanted to be a concert pianist but then changed my mind for reasons too long to explain. Lately I've been missing my piano. It's at my mother's house and I have no room for it in my small apartment. I only go there to play when I teach piano lessons. When I lived at home, I used to wake up in the middle of the night and compose songs. It was wonderful. It didn't bother my parents but it drove my younger sister crazy. I could write 3 songs a week. Now, pfft!

I have a guitar and some drums at home but it doesn't compare to my first instrument, the piano. I'm considering renting a keyboard for a couple of months. I think it will help me bring back my creativity again. Music helped me with my depression when I was younger. The piano especially. Last year I stopped playing the piano at my church (for personal reasons) and I still haven't gotten over it. It makes me very sad. I need music. It's my drug of choice (smile). I love all genres (classical, rock, reggae, heavy metal, jazz, blues, world music, techno, rap, pop, contemporary, zouk, soukouss, etc..with the exception of country but it is slowly growing on me thanks to the Dixie Chicks :).

I love it when groups from one genre create a unique version of a cover song like Alien Ant Farm's version of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal or this one, The Final Countdown covered by Melo-M. It rocks. I love how the young men just rock out on the cello. I want to teach my son to have that kind of passion, to not worry about others around him. To respond with gusto. What a way to love life. Hey, it's never too late for me. Hahaha. Man, I miss my piano.

There is just something sexy about the cello. I love the low, seductive sound. It's a little melancholic but beautiful.