I’ve totally been a slacker and almost completely forgot I had a blog! The past month has been a whirlwind of travelling (twice to California, once to Salt Lake, plus all the travelling I do as a coach). To top it off I’ve had sick kids for half of this week. Life has definitely been busy, but worthwhile.

(Oh yeah, did I forget to mention my husband encountered a skunk too!?!

It’s been pretty smelly around our house for the past few days :)

Regardless of what has gone on, I couldn’t have survived the past month without proper nutrition. I can’t say I’m the best at following healthy eating guidelines, but I definitely try. Several people have asked me whether I’m super careful with what I eat. The answer is no. Mainly because I’m a Mom with a busy schedule so when I don’t have time to cook a healthy meal it’s either freezer meals or eating out fast food style. Plus, I have to get my sugar high each day with either a brownie, cookie, fruit snack, or some other form of chocolaty goodness (there, I admitted it, I'm just like a little kid in a candy store). But at the same time I have to ensure that I get enough veggies, fruit, grain, protein, and dairy. My body is amazing at telling me when I’m missing out on something. Like yesterday, for example. I was headed off to bed when I got a sudden craving. My instinct was to go for the girl scout grasshopper cookies, but I knew that wasn’t right. Just then I realized I hadn’t eaten any vegetables all day long and my body was craving something nutritious. So I had a couple of carrots and my craving was satisfied - voila! The same scenario happens to me with dairy and protein. I’ve learned that if I can figure out what my body is lacking, I’m able to stay relatively healthy.

(ha ha, this it totally me, and I would totally pick the donut over the apples…

well, apples are my favorite fruit, so it would be a tough decision)

Aside from nutritious eating, it is important to get a healthy portion of fuel foods as a runner. By fuel foods, I mean something that’s going to get you going before you exercise, something to keep you from burning out during your workout, and something to help you recover. Several people have asked me what my favorite fuel foods are. Honestly, my go-to fuel foods are not something you can buy in a store - I make them out of scratch. The only fuel food I don’t make myself is Huma Chia Energy Gel, which I use during my workouts (and if I don’t have gel on hand, fruit snacks are a great/inexpensive substitute). Although I don’t profess to be a gourmet chef, I enjoy cooking in the kitchen. So here are recipes for my two favorite pre and post run fuel foods:

Pre race fuel food: Homemade Granola (this is my mom’s recipe that I’ve loved ever since I was a little girl - nothing in the store compares to how good this stuff is). This is the perfect food to have with a little milk or yogurt and fruit for breakfast. It gives me the boost I need to get out the door each day. Most of these ingredients are so complex that they release their energy slowly over several hours so it can keep you going longer.

Granola Ingredients:

2 cups wheat germ (buy in bulk at Winco)

2 cups quick oats

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup chopped nuts (I prefer peanuts, walnuts, or almonds)

1 cup shredded coconut

⅔ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

⅓ cup water

¾ cup oil

Preheat oven to 315 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all the ingredients together. Spread onto a large cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour (but mix around every 15 minutes to evenly cook the granola).

You can tinker around with this recipe and adjust it to your preferences. The nice thing about all these ingredients are that they store really well. So if you buy more than you need for one batch, just store the rest in an airtight container until you get around to making another batch.

Favorite post run fuel food: Smoothies (not like the ice slushies you get everywhere else, these are rich and creamy with an awesome replenishment of protein. If you don’t have time to make a smoothie, chocolate milk is a great substitute). Here is the smoothie recipe that I got from my little sister Sharon, and it has become a life saver. It’s so tasty too, it’s just like candy!

(seriously, it’s probably 100% better than vitameatavegamin)

Smoothie ingredients:

Milk - adding more will make it creamier, and less will keep it thicker

Frozen mangoes

2-4 large strawberries (frozen or fresh)

Plain Greek Yogurt - you can use whatever yogurt you like, but greek yogurt is preferable because of the large amount of protein it possesses

1 banana

Small spoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate (to give it some zing!)

FYI - I never measure when I make smoothies, I just dump and pour however much I feel like putting into the blender. Don’t over think it because smoothies are super easy to make. You can easily alter the recipe to cater to your preferences. You can vary up the flavors each day by trying different frozen fruits and flavors of yogurt.

Now everyone knows the secret to my success, jk! But seriously, eating the proper foods/fuel makes a huge impact on your daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, so on and so on performance.