It is sooo hot for running right now.  I’m registered for a half marathon in three weeks, but I will not be in very good shape for it.  I will finish, but with my current conditioning level and the August heat factor, I will not finish at a pace I want to brag about.  Or even tell anybody.  It will be my secret.  What I am doing well right now, is tracking my nutritional intake.  This spring and summer I have drastically increased my intake of milk and fruits.  In other words, lots of smoothies, and lots of salad wraps made with plain yogurt as the dressing base.  My energy level has soared, and I am losing weight and feeling toned.  Not a bad thing.

Strawberry Smoothie.

5 whole frozen strawberries

2 T. honey

1 c. plain nonfat yogurt

Blend until smooth and a little bit frothy.

Smoothie recipes are everywhere, and there is nothing unique about mine, other than it fits my personal taste buds and my keep-it-simple mantra.  I like it best when I’ve made my own yogurt from skim milk.  In this heat, I start thinking in the afternoon about how good my smoothie will taste when I get home.  Then I get home, make and drink my smoothie, and then fix myself a dinner entree, and then about an hour before sunset, when hopefully it has cooled down some outdoors, I drag myself out for a run.

Nutritional information (based on package labels and USDA database):

Calories–267

Calcium–496 mg

Fat–0.36 g

Sugar–44.7 g

Fiber–1.1 g

Protein–5.96 g

Sodium–190 g

Vitamin C–22.7 mg

Phosphorus–392 mg