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[everythingsproutingnew]

Day 2/3 of my Journey

Yesterday, I started my day with a 32oz lemon water. It seems like this should be a non-negotiable because otherwise, I feel thirsty, or even dehydrated when I don't. I drank 1L of Green Machine, a smoothie from one of my fave smoothie places... though I did notice that after that I started to bloat and fart a lot! They mixrd bananas and pineapples into it, and based on proper food combo, that's not ideal. I had a bowl of pineapples for breakfast and didn't get any better. (Though I just want to add, those are very yummy pineapples!)

For my mid-morning snack, I had an 8oz cacao nice cream- made from frozen bananas, raw cacao, pure vanilla extract and a little mappe syrup, topped off with chia seeds, strawberries and kiwi! Yum! That was pretty delish-- I made for my daughter and my husband, and they loved it lot!

However, i noticed that i was seriously craving for something savory/ salty. I didn't know what to eat so I chose to order falafel pita wraps!😬😬😬😬

I know that this was one of my decisions: not to buy, and to be 100% raw this holy week, but lo & behold, I gave in to my craving!!!!

This thing about craving, how do I master this Lord??

Anyway, I told myself that I wouldn't eat cooked food after that...

But I crashed in the afternoon and felt extremely sleepy! I chose to drink iced coffee to perk me up! After that, I worked out and felt super tired. Probably dehydrated....

After I've meal prepped for my family, I had to try the organic chicken curry that smelled so tasty! I couldn't eat the chicken and ended up eating adlai with curry sauce and salad. It didn't stop there, though! Nearing midnight, I decided to eat my 2nd raw falafel!!!!!! Ay tush tush!

Day 3

Today will not be a long post.

To keep it short, my kids and I went to my parents's house because my 1st denture will be attached to my mouth! Needless to say, I had to eat what they prepared! I brought my coldpressed carrot-ginger-lemon juice, but my dad said they had the sweet chicken tocino cooked for me, so I ate it all, with dilis and brown rice. 😭 lunch was supposed to be salad, but they had prepared eggplant omelet and sauteed pechay for me! I had hoped that dinner will be raw, but lo and behold, my brother prepared spinach pesto pasta for me!!!! Who can reject all these preparations??? On top of that, Ate Pina, our ever-loyal cook/helper/yaya/launderer, cooked her famous biko!!!!! I had eaten 1.5 slices! Wow. Wow. Triple Wow.

That's not the clincher though... I had consumed a whole stale-tasting potao fries with artificial BBQ powder, along with a 100%-laden with white sugar milk tea with fake milk, and lots of sweet toppings! Oh caramia! My daughter had asked if we could order these, for our spending time, and I chosr to give in. Not that we shouldn't spend time... but... BIG BUT. Read below👇

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Okay, now to apply compassion...

Since I refuse to beat myself up:

1st off, because of all these things, I was reflecting on keeping my diet 50% raw and 50% cooked. Why? Because I am a social being. I can't let me relationships suffer just because I want to be stickler to my raw vegan diet. Being Filipino means knowing how to relate with others, esp family! And our culture is HUGE on eating! Fiestas, celebrations!! How can I possibly be an extremist while I still live in this human body?!

Second, the main reason why I easily gave in, was lack of planning and preparation. I simply did not plan what to eat today, so I was left with the options in front of me, prepared by someone else.

Third, habit. Breaking a habit takes time, self-control, patience, perseverance. Humans are creatures of habit. And my default choice is what I've gotten used to, the past 34 years! If I am really going to switch to this lifestyle, gradually doing so is a must.

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This leads me back to the question, why raw vegan?

I had to think about this really hard. It seems so extreme, so out of this world! Yet thr benefits are undeniable! Making the switch during the pandemic seems the most viable thing to do! The energy I crave, thr mental clarity I so desire, the amazing variety of fruits I have yet to discover, and the immense creativity I can do in the kitchen! Most of all, to honor this body, this sacred temple of the Spirit of God, means to take care of it. To nurture it, to feed it only the best.

So now what? Where do I go from here?

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Bottom line of my reflections today is all about CHOICES. to be an adult, to evolve, to fulfill my Godgiven mission, I need to make a choice, regardless of how I feel.

[everythingsproutingnew]

My Raw Vegan Journey

So today was supposed to be the first day of being raw vegan.

I chose today because it is the start of Holy Week, and for Catholic Christians, this is the holiest week of the year. So it is the best time to sacrifice something for the sake of Someone we love the most -- Jesus <3 so it makes it easier for me to sacrifice something I really have so much affection for -- good food!

I've been studying, reflecting, observing, learning what I can in the last 3 months... Actually, I've been exploring this lifestyle since 2015, when my daughter turned two, and in the course of teaching Investigative Journalism to 8th graders, I came across pertinent information about health, food, nutrition, conventional medicine, etc ... which led to my quest to know and understand how to eat well. Things started falling into place-- or rather, information about healthy eating fell into my lap when Food Matters TV sponsored a free wellness summit online. Of course I had to attend! I devoured the info I got from them, and the rest was, I can say, history.

I want to give credit to Ty Bollinger, for being the Catalyst of this Quest, Food Matters, which opened a whole new world to me, where I "met" other passionate, rebellious faddists and nutritionist -- and at that time it resonated deeply within me. I also "met" Fully Raw Kristina on YouTube, and tried her wonderful recipes, and everything else I learned and got came right into my kitchen. I was on a quest to find all things organic, to meet with farmers or owners of organic farms, and eventually I met my "suki" from the Farmer's Market near our home. Wow--- in hindsight, I can clearly see God's loving hands on me and my family, on the road to wellness!

We've become vegan, for most of our days, but we still had our occasional organic meat. One of the things that made me veer away from this type of lifestyle is this pandemic -- we all had to move to my parents' place, and lasted there for almost a year! 10 months, to be exact. Within those 10 months, I started to eat conventional foods, since I had no control over the kitchen and only ate what they prepared. My childhood favorites have been served constantly, and I can't help but enjoy the emotional comfort it brought to me.

Fast forward a little -- and now I am back at my home. During the pandemic, I've been an avid follower of RwandaRadiant, (Ashley Chong) and every night I would look at her IG stories and be inspired by how she lives. She's 9 years raw on April 1st, and she if just full of life and vitality! And the more I saw her posts, the more I craved her lifestyle! I want that energy, the strength, the inner beauty and vitality, her peace, her calm, her parenting Lilah, her devotion to family, and to her health -- all the while keeping it low. Her total humility and encouragement made me subscribe to her membership page. And every week, we do Lives with her and I get to read all her written articles on her website. I can say that she really has inspired me to go all the way!

This is what this post is really about -- my 1st day! So let's get right into it....

I had a watermelon smoothie for breakfast, then half of a guyabano. I noticed I got so hungry around 11am, the time I was supposed to be consuming bread and some savory type of breakfast. I would look forward to this since I always loved having my lungo along with my mid-morning meal. But I pushed on, and had a hearty coconut-banana-peanut butter smoothie (with our almond extract and organic almond milk) It was so good!

At one point, while my family was enjoying their savory meal for lunch, I was so tempted to eat with them. But I pushed on and ate my salad.... However, I wasn't satisfied, so I made another smoothie to go with it: banana-coconut matcha! It was so so good, and made me really full, I wasn't able to finish my lunch in one sitting!

Around 5:00pm, I conditioned myself that I would eat cooked vegan/ vegetarian because I couldn't shock my body into fully raw right away. I ate veggie pizza and some popcorn, but man, I shouldn't have! It made me feel dizzy and nauseous after I finished the 2nd piece! And to be honest, I didn't even enjoy it. My dinner with my family involved fried Adlai rice with veggies, a piece of small beef in beef/veggie broth called Nilaga, I capped off the night with a few spoons of vegan ice cream. So much for a raw day, huh?

Well I realized I shouldn't be hard on myself because most raw foodists I've been following, self-compassion is key to success. That if I fail, I cannot beat myself up. I will just consider this a mistake, since I feel that I could have pushed further for a raw dinner, but didn't.

Sigh. Tomorrow is a new day. I think I will push for 100% raw tomorrow. Until then!

[everythingsproutingnew]

It's been a while.

I am back!

And this time, with a vengeance! Mwahahaha! (Notorious laughter)

I'm going to start blogging again, well, because next week will be the first day of the rest of my life.... hopefully!

I am transitioning to a raw vegan lifestyle and the best time to go for it is NOW! Stay tuned!

[everythingsproutingnew]

[everythingsproutingnew]

Here we go again...

I have been officially on summer break since the 2nd of June... but for some reason I don't feel accomplished, or productive, or well-rested. A bulk of my holiday was spent on shopping for clothes I could not afford, and spending cash I still have to earn. We went on a family trip to Taiwan, however, that did not turn out too well either. The burden of being stuck in between my husband and my father was too heavy a burden to bear! I also wanted to be fit and healthy when the new schoolyear begins, but I have roughly a week left before that and have NOT SHED A SINGLE POUND!

This leads me to a vicious cycle of counterproductivity. I also said I would teach my toddler daughter or spend time with her, but I ended up having my nose stuck on my phone for facebook posts and messages. Gosh what is wrong with me? My default is useless. I feel useless. Unmotivated, not even looking forward to teaching again!

I do not know what to do. I have lost my passion for teaching! I have lost my passion for anything for that matter! 🙁

[everythingsproutingnew]

How I Will Remember...

It’s always interesting to conduct an informal retrospective.  By cataloguing my life over the past few months, I realize how much my heart is blind to blessings and the collision of God in my daily life.  Equally as important, I am able to identify the moments in which God’s presence was fiercely apparent.  Over and over again, I find myself dumbfounded at the grace of Christ that permeates my life.

There have been challenges.  I’ve seen loved ones slip away.  I’ve found myself accidentally mention a name in a prayer for a person who is with the One to which I pray.  I’ve experienced the fading of friendships as physical and emotional separations took their toll as time crushes forward.  My personal strengths and weaknesses have become shockingly apparent over the past few months.  When given the chance to remain silent or attempt to reach out to people, I frustrate myself with my complacency with silence.  I’ve witnessed the rapid evolution in my understanding of responsibility and teaching.  Before I started this school year, I never fully realized how true teaching involves the education of the entire person.  I’ve wept for my students, as well as rejoiced for their successes.  I once heard a professor attest to these emotions and shrugged it off as weakness.  With my experiences this year, I now know these emotions are a sign of strength and commitment.

I can look back and focus on everything that went wrong or not as planned.  I could shake my fist and ask the unanswerable questions that everyone always seems to ask of our infinite God.  

Instead, I realize that it is in my weakness and brokenness that God is found.

He is the God who grieves with us.

He is the God who breaks the silence and whispers to our hearts, “Let me redeem your relationships.”

He is the God who weeps and rejoices with us.

He is the God who revealed on a cross that apparent weakness can be ultimate strength and sacrifice.

These findings are what I chose to embrace when I look at my life.  It is this history I choose to remember.  While I am not one for nostalgia, I choose to see the grace of Christ at work in all my circumstances.  I chose to rejoice with gratitude.

[everythingsproutingnew]

Blogging Again

I got free coffee from Mags today! :)

I wanna start blogging again. I think this will help reduce my stress levels... 

Watch out for more entries! 

[everythingsproutingnew]

Wednesday, Day 1 of Novena Mass

Dearest Lord,

These are Your Words for me today:

“I am the LORD, your God, there is NO OTHER.” Isaiah 45

v9

Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, “what are you making?” or “your work has no handles”?

v11

Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: Ask of me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the the work of my hands?”

v13

I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make ALL HIS WAYS LEVEL; 

he shall build my city and set my exiles free,

not for price or reward, says the LORD of hosts.

“the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.” Luke 7:22-23

Oh Father,

Forgive me for my pride. Forgive me Father, for I question the things You are doing in me. Who am I to question You, the creator of my life, the One Who has placed me here. Who am I to question how You are forming me? How You are shaping me? I am but a pot among earthen pots! I have no say! I am the clay, You are my Maker. How dare I question You? Please forgive me, Father. Please forgive me.

[everythingsproutingnew]

All Things Are Changing

I don't know if I like change.

Last weekend, I had my very first out-of-the-country trip with my husband... and my family. 

Oh wow, was it chaotic!

My mind was a jumbled-up chaos.

I was so torn between pleasing my family and pleasing my husband. 

I realized that it was too impossible to do both!

I found myself being mean to my husband simply because I felt that my family had the perogative to make us do whatever they wanted since THEY spent for our trip.

Wow. Double Wow.

I treated my husband so trashily. 

My loyalty was with my family, I was actually embarrassed of him.

But my guilt is overwhelming me now: How I (mis)treated my husband is not how he treats me when I'm with my family.

In his family, I feel (mostly) loved and taken care of: especially by his parents.

In my family, I feel that his ways are not a match.

Chaos sets in!

I know where I'm from - I know the kinds of people my family is impatient about. And my husband would definitely fall into that category.

Lord, how do I settle this?

I can't put them together simply because I get too pressured!

My family has certain sets of ways that my husband (for sure) does not match with, or agree with.

How can I marry both?

It's the most difficult thing to do!

Where is my standard Lord?

If I'm loyal to my husband, I find myself hating my family -- which makes me feel guilty because they're my family and we owe the trip to them.

If I'm loyal to my family, I will be so impatient with my husband since I know what my family does not like/ approve of. 

GOD THIS IS WAY TOO MUCH BURDEN!!!!!

THE PRESSURE IS WAY TOO MUCH LORD!!!!!!