Rachel's Birthday

Earlier I wrote that Rachel and I were doing a double hike day, hitting up Spencer's Butte and Mt. Pisgah. Spencer's Butte was BEAUTIFUL and amazing! Take a look...

Rachel in the neat little canopy section of the trail

I love how lush and beautiful Eugene is!

View from the top

After we finished the hike up Spencer's Butte, we headed over to Mt. Pisgah... I have no pictures of Mt. Pisgah because about 1/2 way up, Rachel and I came across a GIANT (like 3-4 ft.) snake going across the path. Without a word to one another, we both turned around (I may or may have not yelled an expletive) and ran for our lives down the mountain, only stopping to warn those we headed up. I hate snakes... just writing the last few sentences I feel squeamish. I have serious texture issues with snakes. Moving on...

Even though we didn't finish the 2nd hike, we still got a great workout for the day! I also did my Stage 6 run for the day and it felt great! My legs were crazy tired after all the hiking and running, but it's a great feeling. For Rachel's birthday she wanted to read Harry Potter, going hiking, and come home to watch Star Wars! Then we had the BBQ with the rest of the family and miss Chuby came over as well. We made something delish that I think you kids will LOVE...

Corn Relish

1 can black beans (rinsed)

1 can corn (rinsed)

1/2 red onion finely chopped

1 bunch cilantro chopped

2 avocados diced

Lime juice (freshly squeezed)

Salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl

Add lime juice and salt to taste

This stuff is AMAZING!!!! It's great as a side to any dish, add it to a salad, add it to a sandwich, or it's great as a dip with chips. It's really fresh and has a lot of amazing flavors. I love this recipe, and I hope you all love it, too! We got the fire pit going and roasted s'mores...

Here is Rachel's fine creation!

I know with family-get-togethers and parties, it's easy to get carried away and hard to resist the delicious treats. It's important to not deprive yourself, but to also keep yourself in-check. We had burgers tonight, and to make things reasonable, Rachel and I used "1oo calorie Sandwich Thins" as buns for the burgers. I added tomato and some of the corn relish to my burger for flavor and to make it more filling. I added plenty of watermelon to my plate, and some more of the corn relish on the side to munch on. When it came time for dessert, I made one s'more - One graham cracker (65 cal), 1/4 of a chocolate bar (53 cal), one JetPuff stacker (17 cal) = 135 calories. It can be hard but it's important to make proper substitutions but make them tasty enough so that your body doesn't feel like it's missing out. With the dessert, I didn't make any substitutions, but I had only one. Practice self control. If you can, bring some healthy side dishes (like the corn relish or a fruit medley) to a BBQ or party that you're invited to. Then you know there is something you can indulge in that you'll enjoy.

Rachel and Chuby

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL!!!!!!