Green Smoothies - Fast Food for on the Road

Two weeks ago we purchased a Blendtec Blender - it was a hefty investment but Green Smoothies are such a huge part of our life and we have been through 4 blenders in the past 5 years. None of them have stood up to our daily use and when we decided to make Green Smoothies three times a day we knew we would have to purchase a blender that could keep up. After much research we chose the Blendtec and have thus far been thrilled with its performance.

We have used this blender at least 3 times a day for the past 2 weeks and it has surpassed our expectations. 

It efficiently blends everything to a drinkable consistency - full length carrots, kale, whole apples, flax seeds - we've tried many other various fruits, vegetables and seeds too and they have all been blended into a smooth, drinkable consistency.

It is so simple to clean - the Blendtec has a wide base making it a breeze to clean, unlike traditionally shaped blenders where things get caught in the narrow base. We rinse under hot water and then put a bit of water in it and pulse and it's clean - this was especially helpful over the past weekend when we took our blender with us on our trip. 

Paul blending at our campsite on Grand Isle

Paul told me he'd like to bring the blender along with us on our anniversary trip and while I initially thought it a bit weird I am so glad we had it - it helped us maintain a healthy, regular diet which made the trip so much more enjoyable!

We kept a cooler full of greens, carrots, fruit, eggs and ice. Our initial plan was to simply use our power converter in our car, but it wasn't strong enough to power the blender so our backup plan was to seek out truck stops along our way to use the outlets in the trucker lounges. 

While there are signs up saying "Truckers Only" we were welcomed into all of them, if you try this yourself I would advise making certain that you aren't disturbing or annoying anyone by your non-trucker presence. :)

Traveling with the Blendtec made for inexpensive, convenient and nutritious meals and we have decided we won't be traveling without it. While we did end up paying more for fruits and vegetables as we picked up exactly what we wanted on the go (as opposed to purchasing them in bulk and on sale) and we occasionally picked up overpriced convenience produce (pre washed greens or cored pineapple) none of the smoothies rang up at over $5 for a blender-full that was more than enough for Paul and myself to share.

That is $2.50 per person for breakfast, lunch or snack! You can't beat that price and you'd be hard pressed to beat the nutrient packed meal at any price from a restaurant.

I am working on writing down exactly what goes into our smoothies so I can share recipes - it's hard to do as Paul and I both have a tendency to throw things together, hold our breath and hope it works.

Both our boys adore these smoothies - in fact Wesley woke up hungry in the middle of the night and when I brought him into the kitchen and asked him what he'd like to eat he asked me for a smoothie. The boys have no idea that they are eating about 4oz of Kale or Spinach, 1-2 carrots and various other fruits and vegetables each day - they just love their "Smoovies".

And we love them too.

A Thrift Store Secret

Here is a secret I have discovered: local business donate their previous seasons items that haven't sold in their store to second hand stores. All of Big Lots Christmas surplus is currently sitting at our local Salvation Army (oddly enough, priced higher than Big Lots final discount of 80% off). Our local Goodwill is the home of Joanne Fabrics extra Christmas surplus (again - priced higher than Joanne's final discount price of 90% off!) 

The Salvation Army has also had a large stock of brand new rugs, undershirts, shoes and books - I am not sure which store any of those come from but the volume of identical, brand new items tells me they must have been donated by a store. A quick Google search told me the rugs were 50% off, the undershirts 75% off, shoes 75% off and books about 90% off. 

And most recently The Salvation Army has become the new home for Catherines Plus Size Clothing Store's extra jewelry - all brand new and marked down by 80% - 95%.

I only picked up these two pairs of earrings priced at $1 and $1.25 each as I don't really need bracelets or necklaces, but I have been thrilled with this realization about brand new items being donated by local businesses. And at the same time I am realizing how important it is to know your prices. While the Christmas items are a great price they were considerably cheaper at the stores themselves. The rugs and shoes and undershirts at 50% - 75% off are only mediocre deals. You can easily find the same deals at stores like TJMax or Ross.

I am developing a great relationship with the workers at our local Thrift Store and I plan on asking them if there is a certain day or month that tends to get more business donations so I can be over there checking them out with great frequency - I wonder if coming up on tax time encourages more generous donations from businesses?

$2 Steve Madden Boots for a Friend

I don't think these are boots you can be on the fence about - you'll either love them or hate them.

I happen to love them.

I found these Steve Madden boots at the thrift store for $2 and was so disappointed when I discovered they were one and a half sizes too small for me.

I knew I couldn't just leave them in the store so I called a good friend and asked her what size shoe she wore. I don't even think I asked how she was I was so excited.

"Hi Ashley, it's Jessica. What size shoe do you wear?"

She just happened to wear size 7.5 - the exact size of the boots!

I was thrilled that they were the perfect size for her and was quite certain she'd love them too so I bought them for her. When I got home I googled them and they sell for over $100!!

It was exciting getting such a steal on these boots but even more exciting being able to share the deal with a friend.

If I can get it together I plan on posting my new years goal later today or tomorrow - I am excited about the challenge I have set up for myself, inspired by Jen and all her frugal fashion finds!