Mi Local Foodbeet: On the Road with… a Blender

If you have been reading my blog or Facebook page for a while, you might know that I am a big fan of green smoothies. I enjoy them for breakfast almost every day.

When I travel, I want the same healthy smoothie that I am used to at home. There are not a lot of organic smoothie businesses around Michigan, so I have been working out how to get my fix. My story is below; learn from my experiences.

First I tried bringing along a smoothie that I had frozen, because smoothies freeze pretty well. I figured that it would thaw in the fridge overnight. But it didn’t. So it was a bit of a challenge to get it thawed enough to drink in the morning before heading out to the beach.

The next time that I traveled, I took two smoothies in a cooler, and put them in the hotel refrigerator. Thankfully, it is pretty easy to get a room with a fridge these days. But, this time the refrigerator was not working properly. By morning, the smoothies were ruined. I was an unhappy traveler that day!

So, I decided to take along my high-speed (Vitamix) blender the next time! I took it on my trip to Marquette, Michigan. My room had a small refrigerator – and it worked. I took kale, apples, and celery knowing that they would travel well in a cooler and mix up to be a delicious smoothie.

The issue that I had this time was that I had to clean the blender under the tub faucet. Not, a big deal, but something that I had not anticipated. Now, I know more of what to expect.

Finally, on my trip to Chateau Chantal in the Traverse City area, my plan worked! That room had a small fridge and a bar-type sink with a high faucet. It was perfect for setting up and cleaning the blender. Again, I made smoothies daily from 2 large kale leaves, 1 apple, 1 celery stick, and 1 cup of water. This is a smoothie recipe that will stay well over night in the refrigerator. So, if you need breakfast quick in the morning, you can make it the night before.

I you want to fly with a blender, I suppose that you could carry it onto the plane. (But, check with the most recent carry-on luggage rules.)

Safe Travels!