Banana Smoothies Galore!

Freeze Bananas for Future Use - But Peel First!!

Naturally, you would expect me to be biased about usage of bananas in smoothies, but I truly think they are a necessity to make smoothies delicious and filling.  While we follow two banana smoothie recipes on our food truck, we have also created many other banana filled smoothies that I find quite delicious.  Some banana smoothie ideas below, and while only two of them were required for the summer tour, the rest are Carmalt originals!

Please note - when making smoothies, we throw some ingredients in a blender, hit the on switch and assume our concoction will be tasty.  I can list ingredients for these smoothies, but for the most part I can't tell you how much of what went in where.  Did you get that?

1. Banana Pineapple Coconut Smoothies are required on the banana boat that has taken us across the nation.  You can read about it in a previous post here.

2. Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie - 

Think about some of the best food combinations of all time (see list below):

• banana + peanut butter  (sandwich)
• peanut butter + chocolate (reeses)
• chocolate + banana (frozen banana bites - read here)
• peanut butter + honey (sandwiches)
• banana + honey (baking / oatmeal)

So of course this smoothie combining all of these flavors is delicious!  This one is borderline milkshake and is also required for our sampling tour.  To be honest though, I think I will make this again well into the future.  If you want to pretend like you are having a frosty, simply use frozen bananas.  It gets so thick it is pretty much impossible to pour without making a mess.

In a blender combine the following, blend, pour and enjoy.

- 2 bananas, frozen or ripe (one frozen and one ripe is the best combination)
- 1 C chocolate almond milk
- One big dollop of peanut butter (1/4 C)
- One squeeze of honey (1 T)
- 1 C ice

Peanut butter cup banana yum yum!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies 

3. The straight up Banana Smoothie - 

This has been a lunch favorite throughout the summer.  It is easy because we have all the ingredients on the truck, and it saves us a trip to go get lunch if we aren't terribly hungry.  Plus, it is delicious and filling!

•  3 to 4 frozen bananas (If you don't use frozen, then throw in some ice cubes)
•  about 1 to 2 cups almond coconut milk
• -sometimes a little yogurt, but more often than not we just blended togethers banana and almond milk!
• The Kicker - Some fresh nutmeg sprinkled on top adds a nice touch.  We learned this little trick on our honey moon on the small island of Nevis in the Caribbean.  The banana smoothie I had on the beach in Nevis was possibly one of the best banana smoothies of all time.  I realize that is a bold claim, but it is true.  Fresher bananas maybe?

4. Banana and Fig Smoothie - 


This smoothie
is something I discovered on Pinterest and that I tried while we were in Arizona.  I don't totally remember what I put in the smoothie, but I remember it being satisfying (and healthy)!

• 1 to 2 Bananas
• 3 Figs, fresh or dried (if using dried, soak overnight so they rehydrate)
• Ice
• about 1 C Almond Coconut Milk
• Touch of Honey

5. The Patriotic Smoothie - 

We were working on the night of the 4th of July this summer, so we celebrated America with a festive smoothie for breakfast and a cookout for lunch.  The Red, White and Blue smoothie we made ended up being more of a Purple, Pink and White Smoothie - but it was the thought that counted.

Each layer included some ice, some yogurt, and almond milk.  The only difference in each layer was the fruit we used to make the different colors (strawberries, bananas, and blueberries from top to bottom).  The trick with the layering is to pour in the first layer, spoon in the second and third layer instead of pouring.   A big thanks to Mama Weston for being in charge of that tedious process.  It was a fun thought but I don't think I would ever do this again.  Worth one try though!

Happy Smoothie Eating!

....And Be Adventurous!  

Throw a few things into a blender and see how it goes!

Fill'er Up! The Gas Station Experience

The first of many fill ups at the gas pump

The above picture was taken in Seattle at our first gas fill up.  We were not sure how much gas our new ride would hold, and we didn't anticipate the memorable encounters that are possible at a gas station when driving a hot pink food truck across the country.  Looking back, however, I realize that not only have we spent a considerable amount of time at gas stations, but we have had some peaks and valleys of emotions at gas stations as described below.

We realized quickly that it would not be wise to run the gas down to any less than 1/4 tank before filling up because a 50 gallon tank can be, well, time consuming.  Very quickly we learned that trucks are not as easy to fill with gas as your typical car.  There is no such thing as clicking the nozzle into place and standing by as gas rushes into your vehicle.  Oh no....filling up a food truck with gas is a skill, or as some may say, "magic."

Look! No Hands!  (sorta)

Due to the way the truck is designed, gas pumps always "click off" even though we are nowhere near full.  We have learned to adjust the position of the nozzle until we can get a steady stream of gas (usually pushing in and up or pulling the nozzle out ever so slightly).  Then we simply freeze.  We don't move.  We don't breathe.  We hold that spot and pray for the best.  Sometimes we are lucky and that location is deemed a "good pump." At less fortunate times, and more often than not, nozzles click off every .2 gallons or so...aka "a bad pump" and we spend a whole lot of time at the gas station.  In these cases we usually abandon ship early and only fill up to 1/2 or 3/4 of a tank.  Better luck next time.

Although fill ups can cause frustrations, stopping in crowded gas stations can also be quite enjoyable.  It is at gas stations that we get many thumbs up, have people snap photos of our truck, and stop by to ask questions.  I can't tell you how many people have asked for a sample as we pull in to pump gas or to find out if we have anything on board to sell.  Some people also have shouted Peel the Love at us.  Touche.

I never thought about blogging about this until my experience with the gas pumps in New Jersey yesterday.  As many of you know, in NJ you are not allowed to pump your own gas.  Lucas and I may or may not have high-fived when we made the realization that we would have a break from "dealing with" our notoriously irritable gas tank.  Well, the attendants at the gas station clearly have the "bad pumps" because they quickly experienced what we have done since May.  If only you could imagine their face when I lean out the driver side window, smile, bat my eyelashes and say, "It clicks off frequently."  One guy actually turned around and cursed.  This made me smile, only because I knew how he felt.

Upside Down Gas Pumping?

So, how did these attendants deal with this yesterday?  Well one of them tried all the tricks in the book, including flipping the gas nozzle upside down (see photo).  He also yelled across to the other attendant that we were going to have to be there for an hour at the rate it was taking to help us.

So at both gas stations where we stopped yesterday (both bad pumps) the attendants solved the problem of the annoying gas tank by...

Wait for it...

HAVING ME PUMP THE GAS.  So much for being off the hook in NJ.

On the plus side, I was proud to be able to hone in on my gas pumping abilities.  At the second stop, I began pumping gas after the attendant walked away, and the pump actually seemed to be working quite well.  He saw that I was still at it, so he came back over and said, "What?  Are you magic or something?"  This lead into a conversation about the tour and I ended up having a great conversation with two of the employees at the gas station while I topped off the tank.

It has it's ups and downs - but pumping gas has definitely been an experience worth sharing.

Fire Drill!

We had an amazing stay in Middletown, NJ with my wonderful cousins, The Coles.  A highlight was a trip to the beach on the Jersey Shore (a first for us) and creamy italian ice at The Lighthouse.  After the fact, we realized that the Italian Ice we ordered were the same flavors as the smoothies we give away on the food truck - I had pineapple, and Lucas had chocolate & peanut butter.  We must be obsessed, or our brains have been warped.

We also fit in two games of shanghai, Karen's birthday celebration, some delicious homemade meals, and some quality time with Karen and the girls - Amanda, Carly and Janie.  Carly even took us on an early
morning run where we were required to dodge trees and roots in the dark - quite the wake up call!

Either way, our entire stay was delightful and we loved seeing the many quaint and beautiful towns in the area, not to mention simply being with family.  After three months on the road, it is always comforting to be in the home of someone you love and to be able to relax in a way that isn't possible in a hotel room.  Plus, the Coles are simply fabulous!

So, after saying goodbye to the Coles this morning, we headed to a street fair in Westfield, NJ where we met up with Luke's parents whom will be staying with us for the next few days - delightful!  I am sure I will post on our visit with them in the future (but considering I still need to write about Oklahoma, Des Moines and Baltimore it will likely be the distant future).

ANYWAY -

I just couldn't wait to post about our afternoon.  Read On.  After the festival we drove to Parsippany, NJ and checked in to our new hotel.  The plan was to take showers and then head to dinner.  Then again, nothing ever goes according to plan, does it?  We had been in the room all of five minutes when the alarm in the hotel went off and everyone was required to exit the building.

"An emergency has been reported in the hotel - please exit the building immediately.  An emergency has been reported in the hotel - please exit the building immediately.  An emergency has been reported in the hotel - please exit the building immediately...."

Luke jumped out of the shower, we grabbed a few things, made sure we had the hotel room keys and scurry, scurry, scurried down to the parking lot.  Once we walked around the parking lot to the other side of the hotel, this was the scene...

Another truck arrives...

To Stay or To Eat - That is the Question

Rather than waiting to see if our hotel was going to burn down, we chose going to get dinner would be a better life decision.  Turns out, the cause was....wait for it.... A False Alarm.  Figures.  (Or they just lied about what really happened).

On a side note - the other day Lucas and I made a list of all the funny and ridiculous things that have occurred this summer.  It is lengthy, and this will likely make the list.

More Soon!!

A Glimpse Into the Long Hauls

Yet again, I feel like I have slacked on the writing.  It seems I have all the time in the world and then one thing leads to another and I realize it has been weeks since I posted!  I have many things I want to write about, but the thousands of thoughts and experiences I have are still deciding how they need to come out in written form.

A note about our drives.
Our long hauls on the road is best described with a list and an inside look:

Loud - between the rattling truck, an occasional whistle from the door, the sound of the fan and vent attempting to cool us off and the radio (turned high enough for both driver and passenger to be able to hear) - it can be noisy at times.  Plus, there are some great acoustics, so occasionally we sing (and dance).  If anyone has heard Lucas sing, it can also be described as "loud."  I say this out of love.

Long - When you are jumping cities across the country, no drive in a truck feels short.  Plus, gas station stops aren't quick by any stretch of the imagination.

Iowa Scenery (and a banana pretending to be an ear of corn)

Comfortable vs. Uncomfortable - There is tons of leg and arm room, yet no arm rests.  The seats are quite comfortable, yet they can not recline.  We have our own desk built in to the truck, so that is pretty cool.  Comfort level is also largely dependent on the temperature outside.  We essentially sit in a fish bowl.  Although I love the leg room, I have a thing for arm rests, so it is a touch and go situation whether or not I am comfortable.

Scenic - We have literally seen it all - desert, forests, beaches, lakes, cities, small towns, Mexico (no I am not joking), rivers, neighborhoods, sunrise, sunset, interesting billboards, not so interesting billboards, cornfields, almond and walnut trees, farms, and of course a whole lot of pavement.

 

 

So sometimes we are slap happy, sometimes we are silly, sometimes we are exhausted, and for the most part we think we are crazy.  But the long hauls are really fun and have made me realize how much I truly enjoy simply being with Lucas and making our way across the country together.  Nothing is ever certain or predictable, and the drive can be bumpy at times, BUT the long hauls are awesome, simply because we get to do them together.

Sick of Bananas? Never!!

I haven't blogged recently for reasons I can type about later, but here is a note about my love of bananas and some banana trivia in the meantime:

When I began this journey at the beginning of the summer, I was sitting in the office of the company I work for and waiting to find out what the tour was promoting.  As soon as they said the word "bananas,"  I was tickled with joy!  You must be thinking how strange I am, but I truly love me some bananas.  Prior to the tour I ate a banana nearly every morning - on cereal, over oatmeal, in a smoothie, and the like.  Unless I cooked myself some eggs, you can bet there was a banana with my meal.  I loved bananas so much that I actually became upset with my husband one morning when he ate the last banana before I had a chance to eat breakfast.   "You know I eat bananas every morning and you never eat bananas and NOW you decide to eat the LAST BANANA?!?!"... Looking back I realize how ridiculous this sounds, but at the time I felt like my world was spinning out of control.

So when I began this tour I was thrilled to be promoting something I believe in and love.  Healthy and delicious bananas.  My fear, however, was that this love would fade.  Everyone kept saying, "You are going to be sooooo sick of bananas by the end of the summer."

Compliments of Google Images

Well, I am here to tell you this.  I was denied a banana three days ago when the hotel where we stayed ran out of this beloved fruit.  My oatmeal was not nearly as enjoyable as it would have been.  So no, I am not over bananas, nor will I ever be.  I actually enjoy them just as much, if not more than I did before I left.  Now that is what I call true love (see photo).





And to help you grasp the wonders of this amazing fruit, here is some banana facts for you!!

• Lots of people love bananas!  Over 90% of homes in America buy bananas each week.
• Bananas are the number 1 sold item in stores (not just in produce, but allllllll items).
• The average person eats 28 lbs. of bananas in one year (I probably eat more).
• There are over 1,000 varieties of bananas but only 1/2 of them are edible.
• Are bananas grown on a tree?  No!  They are the fruit of an herbaceous plant.
• A single banana is called a finger and a bunch of them are called a hand.

Coffee Awards - Mudslingers

Photo compliments of the interwebs

     We have had some amazing coffee this summer, and we have had some outrageously terrible coffee this summer.  I suppose we have become coffee snobs, but sometimes the hotel coffee is less than enjoyable.  For whatever reason we always comment on the enjoyability of our Cup of Joe and then think back to our best coffee experiences this summer.

Best coffee awards:

• Kelsey Bartlett - We stayed with The Bartletts in Houston for two nights and the Costa Rican coffee Kelsey had on hand was delicious (Side Note - she picked the coffee up in Costa Rica on a layover...one of many perks of being a flight attendant).  She also had a milk foamer / frother thing-a-ma-jig which I got a kick out of!
• Jean Connolly-Carmalt - Our host in Des Moines made a mean cup of coffee and always made at least two pots.  We realized we had been spoiled, because when they moved (which meant packing up the coffee machine) we had some coffee withdraws and were very critical of any cup of coffee we had for the remainder of our Iowa stay.

 Best coffee experience - a hands down winner:

Mudslingers - Indianola, IA

We were headed to the National Balloon Classic in Indianola, IA and we had hit a wall, experiencing a major energy crash and still needing to work the whole afternoon.  Unfortunately, we were well outside of Des Moines and in the middle of the rolling Iowa countryside.  Using my handy-dandy phone, I looked up where the closest coffee shop would be and we quickly made our way to a coffee drive through in Indianola called "Mudslingers."  I had never had coffee from the small drive through "huts" so I was a bit skeptical, but hopeful this place could solve our energy woes.
     We pulled around the corner at 3:45 and the man inside gave us a sad smile and said, "Sorry, we closed at 3."  Being dramatic, I of course said, "Oh goodness! Where can we get a cup of coffee?  We are exhausted!"  He told us of another place, but said they were likely also closed for the day.  He asked where we were headed, where we were from, what brought us to Iowa from Boulder, and was very, very kind.  I suppose we looked defeated because he said, "Well, I can whip you up something.  Is an Americano okay?"   "Sure!  Anything at this point will be wonderful."
    The whole time he made our coffee we debated if he should be paid in cash or credit, because we wanted to make it easy on him since he had been closed for 45 minutes.  We also wanted to tack on a nice big tip.  We figured cash and had it ready for when he came back, but figured we would ask.
     A couple minutes later he opened the window, handed us our coffee and we asked if he would prefer cash or credit.  He smiled and said, "Neither!  All the way from Boulder, you can have it."  We protested and tried to hand him some cash.  He just grinned at us, smiled and said, " Nope!  I know what it is like to be jones-ing for a cup of coffee."  And with that, he closed the window on us.

On another note - it was a delicious cup of coffee!
   

The Lonestar State

We have been in and out of Texas, Oklahoma, and Des Moines, and I realized I still need to fill everyone in about Texas! I have fallen behind.  Regardless, backtrack a few weeks...

We had a wonderful stay in the Lonestar State for many reasons and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed our time there.  I had been to just about every large metropolitan area in Texas, but had never been to Houston.  I think the city has a bad rep for whatever reason, but I found many reasons why the stay was quite pleasant.

One tangent about why I would never want to permanently live in Texas:
When I was younger, I always loved traveling to Florida because of the smell of the humidity.  While I still enjoy that southern sweet swampy air smell for whatever reason, I have grown up enough to realize how much I desperately dislike humidity.  If Phoenix was our hottest stop, I imagine Houston will win for stickiest. It wasn't too hot (a plus) and it rained (a plus) but I felt gross every time I walked outside (no thanks).

Back to why I enjoyed the stay:

Reunion with Kelsey!
     The number one, greatest, most exciting, and fantastic reason for being in Houston was reuniting with friends!  I was able to see my beautiful friend from elementary school, Kelsey, and had such a wonderful time seeing her.  I was able to finally see where she lives, and I always love seeing where my best friends live.  There is something peaceful and reassuring about knowing and being able to picture where loved ones spend their time.  We swam together in the pool in her neighborhood, played Wii HulaHoop which is hysterical and spent a day together exploring downtown.

Clearly having a good time Hula Hooping

     Our day of exploring may have been the best day in Houston for many reasons!  We started the day off at the Dog Show (see below for more information) which was absolutely amazing and such an exciting way to spend a morning. After the dog show, the three of us had stomach rumbles and were stuck in traffic trying to get to a bar that sounded delicious (since St. Arnolds Brewery was about to close).  We made it to Shepherd Park Draught House which turned out to be one of our best meals while in Houston.  Faced with a too good to be true menu, Lucas, Kelsey and I decided to split a few things:

1. Crispy Goat Cheese Ravioli
2. Sea Salt Pretzels with Honey Butter
3. Shepherd Park Pie
4. Wait for it........A Smoked Gouda and Bacon Burger with caramelized onions and caramelized pears
5. Plentiful samplings of beer

We couldn't have asked for a better meal.

We wasted time the rest of the day visiting an old fashioned bar with quite the urban feel (aka I felt like I needed to have just come from a swanky job to order one of the fancy cocktails).  While we sipped on our tasty drinks, we played Bananagrams (because we just can't get enough of our
bananas).
We finished our day of fun with a walk through a gathering of food trucks (can't get enough of that either) and had ice cream at a local place called The Chocolate Bar.

BEST TIME EVER - mostly because I was spending the whole day with my best friend Kelsey!...and my amazing husband - which I am fortunate enough to get to do every day this summer.

Reunion with W&L Freshman Roommate!
     In addition to spending a few days with Kelsey, I also was able to have dinner with my freshman roommate from Washington and Lee - Alice!  We realized we hadn't seen one another since we had graduated (what!?!?!) and so it was great to have a chance to see her.  How do you catch up on 5 years of not seeing one another?  Very quickly and in a nut shell.

Freshman Roomies!

     We went to a pizza joint in the Galleria where we were staying.  It was called Capones and it had really tasty thin crust pizza with some unique toppings. Ham with Tabasco infused pineapple, cilantro and such; and carmelized onion, prosciutto and truffle oil - it was lip smackin' good!
     Better than the pizza was clearly the company.  Alice told me all about her adventures in law school, working, getting engaged, planning a wedding, and the like.  We explained our summer job to her and she wins for best reaction to what we were doing.  She was so excited about our adventures, and after dinner came by the truck to snap some photos and see what our life was all about!
     It was such a wonderful couple of hours and it made me realize how much I had missed her and how lucky I was to have her as my roommate!  She hadn't changed a bit and it was simply delightful to have a mini-reunion with a friend I had not seen in so long.

Downton Abbey!
In Arizona, my parents brought the first three seasons of Downton Abbey on DVD and we borrowed them for the remainder of the tour.  During our time off in Houston we managed to get through Seasons 1 and 2.  Now we are half way through Season 3.  We are both obsessed.

House Oogleing!

Sometimes finding a hotel willing to host our truck can be tricky, but we did well by picking to stay in the Galleria while in Houston.  It seemed nice enough based on Google Maps and a general understanding of the area; however, we did not realize we would be right down the street from one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in America! 

The River Oaks neighborhood, just down the street from where we stayed included houses ranging in value from a mere $1 to over $20 million dollars.  Yikes!  We knew the area was nice, and I loved gazing out the window as we drove by these ridiculously nice, over the top, but fun to oogle at homes.  It just took us a while to figure out just how nice the area was where we were staying.  We had a pretty good idea the neighborhood was upscale when we parked in a nearby neighborhood to grab some lunch and I thought we would be towed simply for not looking glamorous or mod enough, but we didn't realize the extent of the glamour until Alice told us about the neighborhood and we looked it up on Wikipedia.

I may never live somewhere like those homes (nor would I want to), but it was always a pleasant drive full of house ooohhhing and aaahhhhhing every time we left the hotel.

The Dog Show!

This may go down as one of the best life choices of the summer, and I know it was at the top of the list of fun things we did for both Lucas and myself.  Neither Lucas, Kelsey or I had been to a dog show, yet we are all dog lovers!  We all also want to have our own dogs which made walking around the dog show a bit tough...we wanted to take them all home!  Between the dog shows, the frisbee throwing, agility obstacles, dancing with dogs arena and fly ball competitions...it goes down as one of the best days of the trip so far.  This post is already getting to long or I would go in to more detail, but the photos and video below provide a good taste of what it was all about.  I imagine Lucas will add more about this at some point down the road.

She was beautifying before being shown...hairspray and all.  hehe

AGILITY BALL - MY NEW FAVORITE DOG SHOW COMPETITION

Dives! 

Armadillo Egg - What is Inside??

The BBQ and the local restaurants we tried were all amazing.  The bar mentioned above was a great find that we stumbled upon, and we even just enjoyed some meals from the local HEB (a Texas grocery chain).  We also went by T-bone Tom's - a BBQ join featured on Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives where we ate our largest meal in TX.   Mmmmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about the smoked sausage we had there!  I also left Texas with a bang when we made our way into a BBQ joint inside of a gas station, in the middle of nowhere Texas, and ordered some bacon wrapped quail for lunch.  We have had plenty of good meals while on the road, and Texas served up some delicious finds!
Lucas ordered an armadillo egg, just to try an armadillo egg - turns out it wasn't an egg at all, but rather a jalapeno stuffed with brisket and deep fried.

Bacon wrapped quail

Days Off!

Last but not least, I can't forget that we had a fair amount of time off in Houston.  It was a welcomed and wonderful break in our schedule as we head in to the last month of our tour.  Who doesn't love a day off, or two, or three every now and then?

More soon...