I'm not sure that you can be a proper runner without falling in love with peanut butter at some point.  I mean, just take a look at our post-race snacks.  Odds are very high that there's some form of peanut butter in there somewhere.

Heck, I love peanut butter so much that sometimes I'll absentmindedly spoon it out of the jar during a Breaking Bad binge watch.  I guess it's better than a pint of Ben and Jerry's, right?

On the days that I'm feeling more responsible, I opt for peanut butter in my post-workout recovery smoothie.  Peanut butter is a superfood for runners.  It contains unsaturated fat (that's the good kind of fat), which is good for your heart. Peanut butter also sustains the feeling of being full for much longer.  Finally, it's high in protein which means your muscles recover more effectively post-workout.  And as we know, recovery is about to be all the rage in 2018.

So, here's my recipe for an awesome peanut butter smoothie.  Essentially, it's a hybrid of the peanut butter smoothies offered at Barry's Bootcamp and East Bank Club, two of my favorite workout spots.

1 Scoop of Plain Vanilla Yogurt
2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter
1/8 Cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 Scoop of Isopure Vanilla Whey Protein
1 Banana
3/4 Cup of Ice
Mix together and heat in the oven at 425 degrees.

STOP, STOP.  I'm just kidding.

Just throw it all in your blender and press the red button.  Pour into your favorite smoothie container and enjoy.

Side note:  This baby is powerful, but try to limit it to your post-workout routine.  It's heavier on the calories, but it's a weight loss gold mine when used properly.  If you're trying to cool it on the calories, I recommend opting for Better'N peanut butter.

Let me know what you think!

Author's Bio: 

Hannah is a business school graduate, New Yorker, and an avid marathon runner. To date, she has finished over ten marathons including the Boston Marathon. With over a dozen years of competitive running under her belt, she began a running blog called www.unicornswelcome.com. She hopes to give runners an honest opinion of what has worked and what hasn't by calling upon her own personal experiences.