// Smooth, lady. Real smooth. //

I’ve been making a lot of smoothies lately, and while I feel I’m still in the trial stages with a lot of them, I want to share a recipe that I’m absolutely loving.

The problem with me and smoothies is always that I feel full right away, but a while later I’m plagued with that gnawing hunger in my belly. Part of that has to do with retraining my body on portion control and the other part has to do with the fact that I need more protein. So this smoothie is both delicious and packed with protein. As a bonus it only has three ingredients, and I use them all in other smoothies, so it’s great!

Here’s what you need:

1 cup Coconut Dream (Original)

1 serving Biochem Whey Protein Powder (Vanilla)

and, 1/2 cup of your choice of yogurt (I use plain Stonyfield Oikos).

I throw them all in the blender together with a handful of ice and I swear, it tastes like the closest thing to a vanilla shake than I’m going to get right now. I’ve tried other protein powders, but I keep coming back to Whey Protein because it seems to blend so much better than others I’ve tried. I can’t stand grainy stuff in my smoothies.

The Coconut Dream makes a really nice non-dairy addition to a smoothie I’ve always used almond milk in. I’ve found that when I’m trying to incorporate a lot of smoothies into my diet that I need some variety in my liquid bases so I don’t get bored. Coconut Dream has a thick, creamy consistency that is really pleasing. I haven’t tried the unsweetened version yet (though I have tried the Vanilla flavor and am not impressed), but I think it would be a good option for even less sugar.

I’m a nauseous riser and always have trouble with breakfast unless it includes the promise of copious carbs, cheese and bacon. This gets me going and doesn’t trigger my nausea, so I’m thrilled.

// Chia Chia//

Today I discovered drinking juice and chia seeds. Apparently, the benefits of chia seeds (aside from their pretty intense nutritional value) is up for debate (some different perspectives here and here). Chia lovers claim that the seed has myriad values beyond the undisputed high levels of omega-3s that the chia packs. Others say that there’s been no scientific proof that the chia can “make you skinny” (one of the most popular claims laid by chia fanatics).

However, on a purely “that’s kinda neat” level, chia seeds are fun to drink in juice. They’re kind of like tiny boba beads and they feel really cool sliding down your throat. I drank mine in a GT Dave’s Synergy kombucha. And yes, I was drinking kombucha with chia seeds in it which makes me that kind of person (please see the definition of “yippie” below).

But I honestly really like kombucha. I love things that are fermented and fizzy and fruity. I should say, I really like GT Dave’s Enlightened Synergy kombucha, I haven’t tried any of the others because I fear change. A coffee shop on campus sells them and I kept seeing every Boulderite worth her Newtons drinking them, so of course I gave them a try. They’re light, juicy and terribly delicious if you don’t mind the slightly vinegar-y smell — which I don’t. A few times a week I try to drink a multi-green one because it’s a hell of a lot better tasting than any other way I’ve found to put algae into stuff.

So there, I’ve discussed some ridiculously yippie* things to drink. I’m going to buy some chia seeds at WhoFo (or wherever) later this week and try them out in some of my other favorite juices. I’ve been working on an aloe/cranberry/coconut water mix that would probably go great with some chia seeds… Or basil lemonade… The possibilities are endless.

*yippie: when a yuppie and a hippie have a baby they get a Boulderite - or a yippie.

(I freely admit to being a yippie)

I tried really hard to like green juice. I don’t. Putting spirulina in things makes me want to throw up (but I do it anyway, which is why I thought I could do green juice)…. BUT I really hate how green juice tastes. So there.

// Alternatives. //

In which I say a lot of stuff about food and exercise. Scroll on, sister, this shit is boring.

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// Slow poke.//

I have been having some really hard runs lately. I’ve actually started to worry about whether or not I’ll actually make it through my training even to my half marathon in March.

It’s not that it’s too difficult, it’s that I’m so, so slow. Somehow I started getting slower. Last week I was running a full minute per mile slower on average than a month before. I started wondering what was going on. My music is good. I have Nike+ to track my runs and tell me when to turn around and go home. My shoes are comfy. My form is right where it needs to be… So what? I’ve had the sniffles, but that shouldn’t be enough to slow me down so much.

I always say that running is mostly mental. At a certain point your body can handle it, but your mind has to go too, and that’s the hard part. When I was training for my first race, two years ago, I didn’t have Nike+ and I only ran with my ipod sometimes because I ran trails and I needed to pay attention to my surroundings. It was just me, Lola and cheap running tights from Target. And I was much, much faster from the get-go than I have been lately.

Then Lola started to dislike running, so I started leaving her at home. We got iphones so I started using Nike+ to track my distance and pace. I got some fancy running pants. I decided to run a marathon. 

Today while I was looking for running socks Lola started wagging her tail and nosing my leg. She knew I was going on a run. It’s a nice day, so I pulled out my cheap Target running tights (all my other clothes are dirty). This made me think of my old runs, so I dug out my first Bolder Boulder tshirt. I strapped Lola’s harness on her and left the iphone at home. I ran the loop I felt like running, instead of running the grueling hills I’ve been dragging my ass up and down lately.

I ran further and faster than I’ve run in a long time, shaving two full minutes off my usual pace and feeling better physically than I have in weeks. It’s not some sort of pacing breakthrough, though I think the hill work has definitely paid off. It’s that you don’t need anything fancier than a good pair of shoes to run. Whatever has been slowing me down lately can stop now. My mind is totally over it.