Christmas Day and Smoky Black Bean Soup

Well Christmas Day has come and gone...as have my folks.  It was a pretty low key day.  Gluten-free apple cake for breakfast, a hike at the ever great Shellburg Falls, and Smoky Black Bean Soup and Cornbread for dinner.  Tonight is Christmas with the Jones side.  Smoked roasted chicken, smoked beef ribs, pumpkin biscuits, roasted carrots and cherry sorbet.  Can we say, "Don't need to eat for a week!"

Smoky Bean Soup (adapted from here)

olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced (smoked garlic is yummy here too)
1 T smoked paprika
2 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp chipotle powder (depending on how hot you like it)

2 cans petite diced tomatoes (14-15 oz)
2 cans black bean refried beans
2 cans black beans
2 c. frozen corn
salt to taste
(water or chicken broth as needed)


Saute the garlic in the olive oil 1-2 min on medium until cooked.  Add the spices and stir around, letting the spices heat up a bit.  Add the canned and frozen goods, including liquids.  Stir well to get the refried beans to break up.  Add additional water/chicken broth as needed.  Cook on medium, watching to be sure it doesn't scorch for 20-30 minutes.  Serve with any or all of sliced avocado, cheese, sour cream/yogurt, green onion, lime juice, and cilantro.


Alternative: Cook garlic and spices as directed above.  Transfer to crockpot.  Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hrs.  This works the best really!

Clackamas River Hike

We haven't disappeared here at Fresh and Feisty...life seems to have just taken over a bit.  This weekend we did get the opportunity to go hiking with our friend, Roland.  The Clackamas River Hike is a little over 8.1 miles when you run shuttle and hike straight through.  Roland gave it a B- because of powerlines and the fact you could see Hwy 224 in many places.  I give it an A because it had lots of shady trees, moss, ferns and the river!  Either way, it was a great way to spend the day.  Bailey loved it too, however she's been a little less active today...her hike was a bit longer than 8.1 miles :)

How I Got Here - Part I

I haven't really spoke about my weight and emotional problems on this blog. I have a bit on the blog I share with my cousins. However, I feel it's time to share it here as well. Below is a bit of text that I shared on the other blog. I have edited it to be current. Let's start with that and then another day, I'll tell you a bit more:

I can't point to one day when something changed in my brain. I, however, can point to a personal low...December 25, 2006. My dad, my husband (Andrew) and I were hiking at Coquille Falls. It's 0.5 miles downhill to see the falls. The downhill was just fine. Coming back out my blood sugar got low, I was fat and out of shape, and that half mile was hell. At one point, I just sat down in the rain and the dirt and cried. Andrew tried to cheer me up saying, "You are doing what you like, with people you love." It just didn't matter...it wasn't fun anymore.

I had just left an organization that required much of my free-time. Later that day Dad suggested, if I could devote that much time to the organization before, maybe now I could devote that time to me.

I will never know what my highest weight was...I refused to own a scale. And, it would take another 9 months before I got "serious." I tried counting calories over the summer, although I'm not sure how effective that was. I do think it got me in the right frame of mind. I also know jealousy played a role. At our annual August family reunion everybody was excited about my cousin Mandy losing 40lbs since April. What the hell? I could do that. I didn't want her to be the only "skinny" one!

At the same time we got a dog and I started Weight Watchers. A dog with lots of energy that needed walks everyday. At first we just went around the block. That's all I could handle. Then pretty soon it was half a mile and by the end of the winter we were walking 2-3 miles in the morning and more in the afternoon. The dog had to leave but the exercise and Weight Watchers stuck.

I believe that without exercise I would never have lost the weight. I started riding my bicycle, I've added dragon-boating, I workout to clear my mind during my lunch break, I walk downtown with my husband in the evenings. Two years ago I rode 3 miles to church. As soon as I got there, I called Andrew and asked him to pick me up after church. I just couldn't imagine riding the 3 miles home. Seriously, I thought I was going to die.

What a difference 2 years makes! From sitting in the dirt, crying in the rain in the woods, to a 41 mile bicycle ride a year ago, and competing in a 500m dragonboat race with 19 other people in June. I have more energy and I've lost 60 lbs. I haven't "arrived" and I don't think I ever will...it will continue to be a daily struggle. But, it's one I know I can continue and not end up where I was. And, I can inspire others to make changes in their lives that benefit them - physically, mentally and emotionally! That's a good start for now.

Bailey's Peak....I Know It's Really Mary's Peak

Sometimes we think we just don't have the energy to get away and yet, what we really need is to get away. This is how I felt this weekend. Drained of all I had to give. We've both decided that our backpacking tent is great for backpacking. Seems like a no brainer right? Well, we went and bought ourselves a car camping tent. It's a palace! It even has a little popout that we can fit Bailey's kennel, bag of toys and food and water dish in comfortably without using up the general floor space. While it was darn cold, it was a wonderful evening. We drove up Saturday, set up camp, ate dinner and then walked to the top of Mary's Peak to take in the view. Later, we stayed up in the tent reading with our head lamps and ended up sleeping in until 10 o'clock! After breakfast of bacon, eggs and blueberry pancakes we hiked again. Bailey is a wonderful camper and great hiker. Now we just need to continue on leash walking. Doesn't seem to like walking with us...she'd rather walk behind us. Probably has something to do with the fact that our feet are huge and she's tiny!

Hanging Rock

Quick, are you from Oregon...can you tell me where Powers is? If not, google it! Okay fine...here's the Wikipedia link. My grandfather moved to Powers from Iowa when he was 13. He's since left but my cousin was mayor once! Anyway, Andrew and I went to the South Coast last weekend to visit family and went hiking at Hanging Rock which is outside of Powers on the way to Glendale. Gorgeous. Andrew says it's one of his top 5 places in Oregon. So, tell me, what are you're top 5 places in Oregon?

Vulcan Lake and Hot Cakes

This weekend was fun! Haven't felt that way about a weekend for awhile since Andy had to work most of them last month. Hitched a ride with my great-aunt and uncle on Thursday to Coquille where we met my parents. Went home with them and spent the night. The next morning, Dad, my uncle George, and I drove east of Brookings and hiked into Vulcan Lake. It was beautiful.

The most beautiful part was that I am 45 lbs lighter than I was last year. It was probably the most enjoyable hike I have ever done...because I didn't think I was going to die!

The weather was warm but not too hot with a slight breeze. This area was part of the Biscuit Fire back in 2002 so there really wasn't much by the way of shade. Things are definitely returning after the fire though.

Physically I was seven hours away from home but mentally I was much further.

Not only did I get to go on a wonderful hike, but I got to spend some quality time with my family and my extended family. Each year, my Grandma and her two sisters and anybody from each of their families that can, get together up Fairview. I have especially enjoyed getting to know my cousin Kathy. She is such an amazing person. She and her husband have adopted five special needs children. Each child is really special and has a unique personality. I have apparently made at least a small impression on one. (For their safety I am not sharing their names.) But one of the little girls remembered that I let her help me mix up the hot cakes last year. This year she woke up on Saturday and ran full speed out of the bus, not even stopping to use the bathroom. She was going to help me mix the hot cakes. I had forgotten but when she got to the kitchen I had really just started. The picture below tells more than words could any day!

What a wonderful way to spend my weekend!