hi there dear how are things going??? hope all is well with you!! keep us posted take care!!
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxoxo

MOna Mona....where are you my dear friend?? hope all is well with you and your granddaughter and daughter...take care of yourself and keep on keeping on!!!
talk with you soon!
love earth angel
xoxoxoxoxoxoxxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hi earth angel and everyone,

Sorry I've been mostly without a computer. My monitor died and hasn't gone to the shop yet or been replaced. So, I either use my hubby's computer or the one at the university. Therefor I'm not on-line very often right now.


Earth angel, what's that you have on your face? Can't quite make it out. Great picture, though.

I've been doing well, eating wise. I didn't fast this week, but take to eating less smoothies and more mono meals during the day time. It's been good. This week I will most likely fast on Friday because we're going to an Indian restaurant for my husbands birthday with some friends Thursday night. I doubt if I can get a salad.

The granddaugher is doing great. I'm looking forward to going to visit her. I just talked to my lawyer and I'm getting a 3 month visa so I can travel. Right now I'm in visa limbo. Hope I don't get stopped by the police. Who knows what they would do. We're having a fight with Migracion. They want police records from the States, but we haven't lived there in almost 8 years. Last year they decided to start our visa process all over as if we just got here. It's a real pain. If I wasn't in school, I'd be out of Panama and back in California. I'm really tired of all this immigration stuff.

Anyway, that's all personal junk. Other than that, everything else is great. I've been eating tons of papaya and watermelon. Mangos are just coming into season so I've been eating those, too. Next month, they'll be even better. I think I missed the cashew season. They have a great fruit that I love in my smoothies. They're a little hard to eat plain, but if I put it in a smoothie, they add a lot of great flavor.

Hope everyone's doing well. Take care.

In peace,

Mona

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

yay mona you are back i missed you!!! sounds like you have got it all under control...ya you!!! keep up the awesome work!!!! hmm and you get to visit your granddaughter soon that is fantastic.....have fun thursday night going out!!!!
and keep on fighting for the visa and everything it will work out!!
take care glad to see you back!
love earth angel
xoxoxoxoxoxxoxo

Hi everyone,


Well, I went out to a birthday dinner with friends and my husband at an Indian restaurant and ate cooked food. The people who invited us never had Indian food before. We had a lot of fun, great conversation, lots of laughter.

I knew I was going to eat it. It was thur night and I knew I would fast fri. The fast went well. I had a headache from the food, got really tired yesterday and just wanted to sleep. Unfortunately, I had lots to do.

I was at a cook-out and program that was a celebration of the girls home I volunteer at and all the food there was cooked. It wasn't SAD, it was West Indian Panamanian food. I developed a taste for it after moving here 8 years ago and knew I needed to stay away from the smell. I already ate my cooked food for the year. Hah. I can't say I won't do that again.

Looks like I'll be able to go to see the gran next month. (West Indians say "gran" for grandchild. I kinda picked up the habit.) I leave for Boston May 1 and will be there for 18 days. Don't know how much time I'll have to post while away, but if anyone reading this lives in the Boston area and would like to get in touch, please let me know. I would love to meet you.

Earth angel, Thanks for all your encouragement and kindness. Love your new picture.

Take care,

Mona

I stood in the sunlight at last.

Hey mona...yay you for getting to go to boston and see the gran ...that is soo exciting and 18 days that is awesome!! have fun!!!! that is really going to be amazing for you......sounds like youa re doing really well and managing life great!! awesome job knowing the indian food would be the night before the fast so it would get out of your system faster and not feeling guilty that is something that i think everyone needs to have....the feeling of peace when they make a mistake and eat something cooked..or combine wrong you know??

hmm so good for you gal!!! i wish i was in the boston area but i am not...but if you ever make it out to san diego haha i am here!!
take care and have a wonderful day!!!
love earthangle
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hi there..how are things going???? are you getting excited for your big holiday ocming up??? yay for trip to boston!!!!!! take care hun...let me know how things are going for you
love earth angel
xoxoxoxoxoxox

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hi Earthangel,

I'm ready. I'm thinking about eating today instead of fasting. I have lots of food I gotta eat before I leave. Hate to see food spoil. Sorry you won't be there. I'd love to meet you. Don't know how often I can write, because I'll be super busy with grandchildren. Yeah!! I feel that way now, I wonder if I'll feel the same way after a week, ha ha.:-)

all my best,

Mona

Hey there....oh that is alright as long as you are doing well and having fun!!! visiting the grandchildren is a fun thing!!!! hha although ater a week or so you might want some alone time haha....have fun...hmm i was wondering about your fast today if you were oging to be doing it...well even if you eat today you are doing good things for your body!!! so keep it up
love earth angel
xoxoxoxoxoxox

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

hey just wanted to say hello..i know you left today for boston i hope you had a very safe trip!! enjoy that precious time with your family!!!
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hi Earthangel and everyone,

I'm having a great time with my grans. They're young--4, 2 years and 1 1/2 months--but fun. We've been playing and reading a lot. It makes me sad to see them eat SAD but they do eat lots of bananas and are trying the fruit I bring. I think eating SAD corrupts the taste buds. If they tried mangos and cantalope before cereal, etc, they might have liked it. They were sweet, but the texture is weird to them. Oh, well, I'll just keep eating my fruit and green salads while they eat pbj's.

I'm used to eating tropical fruit, but it's so expensive. I got some peaches, blue berries, mangos, apples, cantalope and lots of other good food so far. I want to get some watermelon, but it seems as if it's all seedless. I prefer the kind with seeds, but if that's all their is, I guess I have no choice. Why would they get rid of the melons with seeds? They have so much flavor and are natural.

So far, I'm having fun. I'm babysitting the baby right now. She's sleeping so I have a few minutes to spare. Once she wakes up, I can't be on the computer. So I'm going to run right now. Hasta luego.

All my best,

Mona

My disappointments are equal to my expectations.

Hey hun..yay i am soo glad you are having fun with your grans that is awesome!!! how exciting reading and playing...and incorporating more raw foods into their diets...all you can do is try!!! i wish my brothers would eat raw cuz it is good for you haha.......and to prevent any health challenges...but they are both so strong and muscular that they don't think they need it you know?? hmm it is a tough one so i don't know lol...but have fun!! i am soo happy for you getting to get to boston and spend time with them and your daughter!!! have a blast!!
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxox

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hi Earthangel and everyone,

I've been busy with the kids. My granddaughter is so beautiful and tiny. She was a bit premie, so she's small for her age right now.

I've been able to stay 100% raw. Yeah! They don't eat raw, but my daughter loves the food I prepare. The older kids like some of it, however they are really young and prefer macaroni and cheese. Hubby wants his meat and grains. That's like my hubby, too.

The baby's sleeping, my daughter went with the older kids to get her hubby. I'm trying to catch up on my email and reading.

Take care everyone,

Mona

First things first.

Hi Mona,

Just read your journal and want to pop in and say I enjoyed it and it sounds real good. You are definitely on the right track and doing so well.

As I was reading about the cravings for those herbs and spices and the specific health challenges you have (ie, the hyperthyroid) it came to my mind that the cravings might not be natural and the spices might be aggravating the problem...perhaps, and then you wrote about that very conclusion...how is that developing? Are you eating less of those spices?

There are some herbs and spices I like, but I lean very much toward Natural Hygience and pretty much am going to exclude them (they don't mean much to me anyway). There are cravings and then there are CRAVINGS --- like the difference between craving something I KNOW is not food, and craving something which may seem somewhat innocuous (like a spice or mustard greens) but may not actually be suitable for my body (I hate mustard greens, so stinging , bitter, and painful to my tongue and mouth) and then there is the "craving" for watermelon or papaya . I guess what I am rambling about is that NH says that these bitter foods are injurious to the system, or membranes and if this is true and we've consumed them, then we may also experience pathological type cravings for them as well as for any other toxin.

Sorry for being so verbose (a problem, especially at the computer) and I only mention NH because you brought it up first so I hope you won't mind my 2 cent's of comment.

Really enjoy your journal and what you are doing (I am on 3rd day of fast, probably will eat tomorrow) (just coming back to raw, so feel bad about posting about anything at this pt. in time; I should keep my mouth shut)

Love your great quotes at bottom of posts.

Take care, happy journey, enjoy your baby gran!

---Elakti

hey sweetie...yay glad you are having so much fun with the grans...and your daughter!!! how exciting.....i am glad you are getting so much time with them!!! i bet they are loving it too!!!
enjoy your time...and yay you for staying 100% that is fantastic..such a good feeling isnt' it??
welltake care love
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

I'm back. My trip was great. I love the grans. They're so cute. And the new baby is beautiful.

I was able to eat raw the whole time I was there. Not a problem at all. I even got to meet a new rawfoodist friend and visit one I had met previously. It was all great.

Came home feeling very sick. Had a sore throat and just needed to lay down. I've been fasting for the last couple of days to get over this illness. Don't know how much longer I'll be fasting. It will depend on how when I feel good again. At least I can get my head off the pillow now! Haha.

I see lots of people are keeping diaries now. I had to go to the second page to find this. Well, anyway, it's good to be back. And thank you Elakti and Earthangel for your continuous support.


Mona

New ideals and new attitudes bring a new life.

hey hun.yay i am soo glad you had succh a wonderful trip!! glad you got to spend so much time with the grans!! i am sure they are precious..and you kept all raw what an amazing accomplishment..i know you were worried for a minute about mothers day!! but you worked through it good for you!!!!
i hope you feel better soon!! probably some detox maybe..or maybe some toxins working out from different food you might of ate like conventional or just the stress of flying!!
keep on keeping on hun
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

I tried to post earlier, but it disappeared on me, so I’m trying again.

Hello everyone. I’m doing much better, thank you. I only fasted for two days because my hubby got really worried. He doesn’t believe in fasting or eating a raw food diet, but I do. It’s not easy to live with a sceptic.

Well, I think I got so sick because I was using so many recipes to help my daughter see how good raw food is. She loved everything I prepared and saw how easy it can be.

It just seems like the mucus I’m getting is new and not old, that‘s why I think it’s from the recipes. Too many spices and too much salt. I’m back to simplicity. I decided to go as simple as possible and eat mono-meals during the day with occasional green smoothie during the week. My smoothies include dulse and ground flax seeds, so it’s more like energy soup. I’m trying to avoid the nuts. I tend to eat a half a package at one sitting. That’s way too many. I know it’s got to be drying me out. I’m thirsty all the time, so maybe cutting way back on nuts will help. Nuts are dehydrating. I think that's why so many people soak them first. I eat some with my salad in the evening, but that’s it. We’ll see how long this phase lasts. Haha.

The other change I made this past couple of weeks is I got a book on Kundalini Yoga. I also got a book on what seems like hundreds of hatha yoga postures. I’m practicing daily now. I’m going through them slowly so I can memorize each step before moving onto the next. Otherwise I don’t think I’ll ever really learn anything.

I also got some great workout cd’s from my daughter. So far I’ve done shoulders & arms and x-strech. They are really good. Sorry I don’t know the instructor's name, but he’s really enthusiastic.

That’s all the news for now. Take care and eat well,

Love,

Mona

I have learned how a heart full of gratitude feels.

Hey there..yay you are feeling better that is great!!! hmm i love mono meals they are yummY!! just enjoying the taste and flavors of one food is great!! alhough i enjoy a raw lasagna once in a while
well keep up the awesome work huN! glad to see all is well with yOU!!!
take care
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

I'm back. I haven't had a phone or ability to go on-line for almost two weeks. Well, that was finally fixed yesterday. I've been able to stay raw except for when I went to a friend's house last Saturday night. I couldn't stay away from some of the cooked food and had about a tablespoonful of it.

I'm not doing very well about staying away from nuts. It's really an adiction for me. I get restless and obsessive in the afternoon and NEED to eat them or I'll DIE. It's terrible. I break down and binge on a cup or so of them until I feel really full and stuffed. This, of course, would lead me to fail miserably at 8-1-1 if I ever tried it. I'm good at eating mono meals until that point, which is good. I guess I ought to look into emotional eating and adictive eating. Maybe I can get some help by studying that. It does seem that if nuts are my biggest adiction, then I'm doing OK. It's just that I know I can be healthier if I cut way back on them... at least that's what I've read.


Peace and love,

Mona

Rashness and haste make all things insecure: Take it easy!

Hi again Mona....some of these things ---like the nuts, only eating a few---are ideals and not necessarily to be imposed on ourselves in the beginning. Most of us in the beginning are not able to eat like someone who has been raw a long time. Most of the long time rawfooders ate just like everyone else did in the beginning transition. If you have to eat a lot of nuts, I'm sure this will naturally decrease over time. With me, it is avocados. I usually eat at least one every day, sometimes 2. I love them, and they are fatty so there is that satisfaction (an improvement many 100's time over what I used to eat). This doesn't bother me at all. It is good to be aware of fact you might want to get by on less nuts and just watch for improvement when it is possible to do so...without going...well....nuts!

I like the avocados because they are more 'fruity', nuts are so dry. Sometimes I put a few walnuts on a salad. But, avocados I could eat even more than I do. I am able to keep them at one or two a day. On occasion I will eat 3. If I run out of them, I eat none...but only under that circumstance!

A *tablespoon* ?!?? Wow, that's amazing. You've got discipline! It would take more discipline for me to have a tbsp than not!

Well, take care! Sounds like you're doing well!

Keep on!
Elakti

hey there hun!!! yay you are aback!! glad to hear you are doing well and sticking with it and trying...keep up the good work hun.....sounds like you are struggling with nuts..but don't worry eating 100% raw is an excellent achievement so don't be hard on yourself!! you will get past it!!
well take care and have a wonderful day!
love ya
sach
xoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Thanks you, both, for your kind words. This week I've been eating tons of terrific meals I made from recipes. This is for a vegan food preparation class I'm teaching next month. I've got enough for about three classes now, and need more recipes for the other three.

What I've noticed is how finely tuned my body has become. I don't normally eat a lot of recipes, like I did when I was with my daughter, so I'm having some really awful affects from them. The thing is, everything is raw except for the honey. But, holy cow, the affects are many from all the salt, herbs, spices and possibly bad combinations. It's all transitional food.

My students will all be SAD eaters who think being a vegetarian means not eating cow meat. I accidentally ate more chicken and pig tail when I first came to Panama because I was told there was no meat in the meal, that it was vegetarian.

It will be interesting how many will think I'm absolutely nuts because what I will be teaching is completely contrary to their paradigm and to see if any of them try to include some of the food as side dishes with their regular meals.

I still have a month before classes start, so I still have time to reread every on Rawschool.com and other information I need to study for the class. Since I already have three years into being raw, I'm more comfortable in teaching this than I would have been if I was asked last year.

Take care, and thanks, again for your support.

Mona

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.

hey there...yay you for getting all this stuff together for your classes!! sorry you have to endure the effects of the raw gourmet...your body was so used to simpler things...but that comes with being a raw chef huh?/ haha...hmm i think that most of them eat their meals so frequently they don't experience that!! i hope you don't have to go through it too much...
keep up the good work and take care!!!!
love sach
xoxoxoxoo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

I'm trying to become more aware of my emotional eating. For example, today I had mangos and frozen bananas for brunch. I had made a syrup with dates and ginger, poured it over thinly cut mangos and marinated them for about an hour. Made ice cream with the bananas and topped it with the mangos in syrup. (This is one of the recipes I'm testing for the class I'll be teaching.) It was yummy, but I couldn't get enough. So, why is that? What emotion am I dealing with? Things that make me go hmmm.

There must be an emotional reason that I'm over eating right now. At least I think there is. I don't know if I'll ever know what it is, but I'm trying to just not eat and see if the feelings will go away. Right now, I'm substituting food with water. Not sure if this is a good idea or not. I'll just have to wait to see what happens.

Must look into emotional eating more deeply.

Mona

Honesty is the absence of the intent to deceive

hey there...sounds like you are really becoming prepared for your class that is awesome!!!! i am sure they will love the mango's and banana...what type of syrup did you use?? you might not be emotional eating...eating more gourmet and mixed foods will feed that increase want for cooked...and the feeling of not being satisfied...especially when you are into more mono things...i have heard that when you mix the foods you get all the taste buds going...but then when you eat mono it only activates one specific set of the taste buds and you are full and satisfied...so i hope that helps explain some
good luck
love earthangel
xoxoxoxxoo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Thanks, earthangel. The syrup I used is 6 dates and about a inch of chopped ginger soaked in a little water for about 6 hours. Blend it well, and you got syrup. I love the ginger flavor.

I have about 8 more recipes I plan on testing. It's all to much. Part of me will miss these recipes when I finish the class and go back to more mono meals. But right now I feel so stuffed. I've been eating so much fat and spices that I had a hard time eating the avocado on my salad last night. It was a light salad, too, except for the avocado. I normally eat a whole one a day, but I could hardly get it down.

I've been reading a thread called "emotional binging", I think. Many people said that they overate until they just stopped. It sounded like you need to for a period then you just don't need to overeat anymore. Maybe I'm reaching that point, maybe not. Only time will tell.

Mona

Joy is in knowing there is an answer.

Hey there...wow that sounds like a good syrup...my mom will like it..i don't do sweets but i am going to need lots of ideas haha..so i have lots of them i have been trying on my own!!! so thank you...
keep up the good work..and i hope all is well and working out for you
love earthangel
xoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hi Mona, i was wondering if your still doing a once a week fast? I use to fast on Mondays years ago. I tried again last winter but struggled with it. I do believe in it though, it does make you feel so good and light. I did just a liquid fast for 24 hours - some think thats cheating but it was good enough for me. Just wondering after reading your post on how you were doing.

Take Care,

mamafrey

hey there hundid you try any yummy recipes today??? hope you had a great day!!
take care
love earthangel
xoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo