Yesterday was a beautiful day, it was wonderful and I loved driving with my windows rolled down last night as I drove from Rachel’s house to home. It was low humidity, and it felt cool. I cannot wait for fall weather!

Today was a different story. It was hot and even worse… it was humid. Oh well, I still got just over five miles logged after work today! More on that in a few minutes.

Last night I relaxed. I got organized. I got my work bag together, my running gear packed into my running bag, and I laid out my clothes for the morning. I finally got up at a decent time – 5:40 AM. I got ready quickly, and even though I made a fresh smoothie, I was still in the car by 6:25 this morning. I was pretty pleased!

Breakfast today – another pretty great smoothie. Today I figured out what the missing ingredient has been lately. PB2. Yes, this is the key ingredient and it gives the smoothie a GREAT flavor. This should not surprise anyone, given my love and obsession with peanut butter 🙂

Today’s mix:

spinach (about a cup)

a handful of blueberries

1 medium frozen banana

ice

water

chocolate protein powered

a magical sprinkle of PB2

It was definitely smoothie goodness!

I finished drinking the smoothie at 7:15 this morning as I was pulling in to the parking lot at work. I did not eat again until 12:15 when I had lunch (I was pretty hungry!) I did not go on my lunch time walk today because I went on a work trip to the MFA to view a painting (super fun – I love my job!). I was super hot in my colleagues car coming back to the office, so I skipped the walk. I ate a salad and soup (what!?) instead!

I had a small soup which today was Italian wedding soup. I made the salad at home, the same as the others have been this week. Spinach, red peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons and grilled chicken. Oh – today I threw in a couple of pistachios – yum! I also had a few “oyster crackers” to go with the soup. The nice thing about this lunch is that I was not hungry after I finished it!

At 3:15 I had a pre – run snack and I did not take a photo. 4 peanut butter cracker sandwiches (do you know what I’m talking about?) and one of those cute boxes or raisins.

After work I drove right to the gym, changed and got my run on. It was so fricking hot! But I got through it. I took a few walking breaks, but all said and done I did 5.1 miles and I was really happy to get that distance done on a Thursday night after work. I passed a fellow runner on my way up a decent hill, and she summed up exactly how I was feeling. She stopped running, smiled at me and stuck out her tongue. “I am just dying!!” she sighed and laughed at the same time. We both laughed and realized that we were sort of crazy to be out in this heat. At least I know that I was not the only one trying to log some miles this afternoon.

After the run, I went back to the gym and gathered my things. And then I got my happy on! I went to my neighborhood Whole Foods (yes seriously, this WF is small and cute – it is nestled in my favorite area of Providence) and I was reminded (even though I was hot and disgusting) how much I love my week day running routine. I run, feel accomplished and then stop by Whole Foods. Sometimes I pick up grilled chicken and fresh vegetables, but today I picked up some more Greek yogurt. I knew exactly what I wanted for dinner – Greek yogurt, berries, and a BIG bowl of cereal.

On the way home I snacked on the other half of a Think Thin protein bar that I had opened the other day. When I got home, I snacked on my latest obsession:

Yeah… I don’t know what to call these little things.

But I’m going with Nut Butter Protein Balls. They are amazing. I made them last night and used the recipe my friend Kate gave me the other day. I used almond butter and I added chia seeds! I love them. Mom likes them, too!

Ok, so far tonight for dinner I have only had the yogurt and berries. I added a sprinkle of PB2 and chocolate whey protein powder. I’m kind of full – but I think I’ll have a small bowl of cereal before I go to bed. (I know, not the healthiest time to eat…)

I feel like I could eat this for dinner every night in the summer!! It was so good. Ok, I’m off – must clean up the house for a bit. I hope you all had a great Thursday!