The packers come tomorrow.
Yikes.
We’ve been eating down our inventory in our cupboards, fridge, and freezer in preparation for our move. Which means there’s room in my freezer for these:
Oh, dear, you say. What on earth could those be?
They are, dear Reader, frozen green smoothies.
I’ve been making double smoothie batches for the past two weeks so I would have (more than) enough frozen smoothies to serve my green-veggies needs while we’re on the road and the first day or two after we’re in our temporary digs at our destination (until we can find organic produce and stock the fridge there). I’ve tested it out, and if I put one in the fridge the night before, it’s a nice green slushy by morning. I think the smoothies taste even better in slushy form than they do fresh, actually. I’ll line these up in the cooler and they can serve as ice for the other perishables. As I diminish the supply of smoothie ice packs, we’ll replace them with zipper-lock baggies filled with hotel ice.
I am a little anxious about food. Particularly, I’m anxious about having safe, healthy food that will keep me feeling not crappy. But, as you can see, I manage it fairly well through careful planning. I also have 60 servings of powdered green veggies drinks to get me through those long, veggie-free days. And, of course, I will take jerky. And wasabi peas. And chocolate Pirate’s Booty. These are road trip staples, and should provide all of my caloric and nutritional needs for the week-long trip across the heartland of the United States.
For the kids, we’ve got granola bars and fruit leather and bunny crackers, instant oatmeal and canned soups and cut-up cucumbers and bell peppers. And my son loves my slushy smoothies, so he should be set for green veggies. I’ll pick up some freeze-dried peas (over my husband’s protests at the cost) to supplement the kids’ diets, too.
Sure beats hard-tack and salt pork, almost as much as driving interstate highways in a minivan beats breaking trail in a covered wagon.
Oh, and to update the Happiness Project, I’ve been hugging people a lot this week, and I’ve been doing a great job of telling the people I’m with (mostly my kids) that I’m happy when I’m happy. So far, so good.
Imperfect Happiness 
It sounds like you’ve got some great preparations for the drive and the move. Best of luck tomorrow!
LikeLike
Thanks, Z. I’ve got all of our curtains and photos down and the house is already echoing a bit. My daughter is nervous about how she’ll be able to fall asleep without the glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling (we’re removing those tomorrow). I must admit, I’m a bit nervous about that, too. My children are very much creatures of habit, and this level of change is likely going to be a little unsettling for them. (It already is.)
LikeLike
Brilliant idea with the smoothies! What’s in it exactly?
LikeLike
I’ve got a bit of a variety in there. They all have kale, pear, and orange. Some also have parsley, banana, goji berries, apple, and/or ginger. For two of them, I blanched the kale before putting it in the smoothie. For one, I used just the leaves, not the stem (I’m experimenting with what might affect the digestibility of the greens). My basic recipe is 1/2 bunch kale, 1 large orange or 2 small oranges (peeled), 1 pear (seeds removed), 1 banana, and about 1/2 to 1 inch of ginger (peeled). Fill about halfway up the level of the fruits/veggies with water, then blend to your desired consistency. This makes about 6 cups of smoothie.
LikeLike
Can you taste the ginger much?
LikeLike
Oh, yes. I find the larger amount to be bordering on too much ginger, while the smaller amount gives just a pleasant hint. (Is your blender working again, or are you just planning ahead?)
LikeLike
It actually works fine. I now registered it online too!!!
I still may call to ask them why it did that.
LikeLike
Glad to hear you’re back in smoothie town!
LikeLike
I was totally panicking when I thought I may have to go a day or more with out my blender 😛
LikeLike