bust loose

abandonment, originally uploaded by jayewell.

I'm going to Winnipeg tomorrow to see some old friends I haven't seen in nearly 20 years.

street washing

street washing, originally uploaded by jayewell.

This is a favorite shot from Santiago De Cuba.

in my quest

For a better digestive tract.. I have recently eliminated all forms of sugar, flours and dairy products. This hasn't always been easy and has been somewhat boring. I pick up that soy alternative to cream cheese and notice lurking in the ingredients is the dreaded "cane sugar". As if the word cane in front makes it any less of a sugar. Hurrumph.

But behold.. the Manna Bread.. it's like a gift from heaven. Literally. I bought the bread today and enjoyed my 1st slice of sheer breadlike goodness..

My little loaf only has these ingredients:

Sprouted organic wheat kernels, filtered water, organic raisins, organic dates, organic almonds, organic cashews, organic hazelnuts, organic cinnamon, organic nutmeg, organic oatmeal.

That's it. No sugar (ok dates and raisins- but do they really count?), no salt, no flour, no yeast, no preservatives, no dairy, no crap, no nothing but allowed goodies.

If I could find a reasonable facsimile of applewood smoked cheddar, I would gently weep over my plain un-brown-sugared, no condensed milk breakfast knowing there was a better day ahead.

gig poster

Hoy Pena del Son, originally uploaded by jill y.

I saw this on a wall in Santiago de Cuba. I tried to steal it. At first I asked if I could take it and someone said- after 9 o'clock, So I went back after 9 and tried to take it and was stopped. I guess someone saw an opportunity because they made me pay for it. I think it cost me $10. Tricky part was getting it back to Canada.

I managed to get it back to Havana and to my casa. I managed to get it to the Havana airport when I was headed home and through security I went and left it on the other side of immigration. It's not fun being fed up, tired and hungry trying to negotiate with border guards in a communist country that you left behind a piece of cardboard.

I believe I pleaded, then got angry and then cried out of shear frustration with it all. They simply would not let me return to the other side of the line of customs AND I had spent all my money except for the taxi fare an didn't have 2 pesos to rub together for a mohito.

But.. luck rained down on me somehow as somewhere in the middle of all the people I talked to, I was able to get the darn thing back and now it hangs in my apt. A hand painted gig poster on cardboard- all the way from Santiago de Cuba. Best-souvenir-ever

Pintor

the artist, originally uploaded by jill y.

salad creation

Maybe I should share all the wacky recipes I have created in my quest for wheat/ dairy/ sugar free diet? I warn you ahead of time.. it's a lot of salad. In various forms..

Todays creation:

1 head of iceberg lettuce- chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 can of tuna, drained
1 red pepper, finely chopped

Mix throughly.

In a small glass:

Juice of 1/2 lemon
2-3 tbsp olive oil
tsp dried basil
salt & pepper

Toss salad with dressing and add 1/2 avocado, cubed to top of salad.

thoughts in green

thoughts in green, originally uploaded by jill y.

Her Morning Elegance

lately..there's been an upheaval

27 days ago I changed my life in a small and tiny but significant way. I started a 100 day challenge to eliminate all grain flours, yeast, sugar and dairy from my diet. On May 15 was the last day I ate any of these items. I have also not had anything fermented- no vinegar or soy sauce. No black tea. No artificial sweeteners, no Cuban honey. No milk in my coffee. No pasta. No tropical fruit. No toast with my eggs. No cheese or yogurt. No ice cream in the heat. No- I have not had wheat, dairy or sugar in 27 days. Every day is 1% closer to the goal of 100 days.

I have had:

Glorious green salads with lemon juice and olive oil dressing
beautiful broiled wild salmon with butter, garlic and thyme
rice cakes with almond butter and apple
mixed grain oatmeal with fresh berries
hot strong and black Cuban coffee
hard boiled organic eggs with salt and pepper
steamed broccoli with butter and garlic
black beans with stir fried peppers, onions and bacon
better fitting clothes and more energy

Edit: Thanks for the feedback, Mom & Catherine. It's not as hard as I thought it would be. Today I found chocolate almond milk with no sugar. Crackers and pita bread has been tough though. (and cheddar..)

Santiago de Cuba

Santiago de Cuba, originally uploaded by jill y.

serene is not an adjective that fits

IMGP3531, originally uploaded by jill y.

I was in a little village outside of Gibara, Cuba when I snapped this. The water really is that color and it really was that close to the house. It was amazing. Do you see that little lagoon on the map? I spent a day there, wading in the crystal turquoise water. Rubbing my feet with soft white sand and generally not doing much except being amazed that people flock to the beaches of Varadero and here I was on my own private beach of Cuba. There's a little fishing village there. Last year a few visitors- Ike, Fay, Gustav and Hanna rolled through town and tore the place up.. literally. And it was in shambles. Beautiful, peaceful and serene shambles.


View Larger Map

I rented a car in nearby Holguin and drove to a little remote beach with the help of some locals. They knew some people in the village. We were the only ones on the beach all day. Totally remote. Totally secluded. Later, in a home (a shack really- pieced together from salvaged plywood, corrugated steel and plastic) we had the most delicious dinner of fresh caught fish, plantains, rice and a salad of fresh tomatoes and onions and finished off with a strong coffee. The hosts requested 7 CUC (about 9 CAD) for lunch and I paid them 20- which was nearly a small fortune- but so delicious..and so remote and special.

It was a perfect day.

You can see more of the day here.

the town gossip

the town gossip, originally uploaded by jill y.