My first solo Meals On Wheels route went really well today.
Just before 11 a.m., I loaded up my car with a bag of hot meals and a cooler filled with extras before heading out to visit the nine stops on my route.
I found every house or apartment without much trouble. The very last meal I delivered was to the husband who lost his wife last week. He had two family members visiting, so I slipped quietly in and out since he was sleeping, but I’m so glad he has support around him.
Lunch
When I was done with my route, I swung by the grocery store before heading home to assemble lunch.
Lunch began with a light smoothie to take the edge off.
In the blender:
- 1 handful frozen strawberries
- 1 heaping scoop Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey chocolate protein powder
- 1 handful fresh spinach
- Enough almond milk to get everything moving
It was nice and light and perfect to sip on while I assembled the rest of my lunch, but definitely not as tasty as my typical smoothies that are a bit more substantial.
For my main meal, I combined a bunch of my grocery store purchases into one big salad.
In the mix:
- Roast beef
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
- Pickles
- Spring mix
- Pomegranate dressing
You better believe I ate it out of the lettuce tub to prevent additional dirty dishes.
Not only did it taste great, but I loved all the vibrant colors in this salad. Pretty food!
Fitting Blogging into Your Life Survey
Bloggers! If you have a minute, my friend Michelle is presenting with Jackie and Christine all about fitting blogging into your life at the Central Florida Blogger and Social Media Conference in September.
If you have a moment, they would really appreciate your participation in this survey. They are looking for feedback about time management, automated tools and social networking. (It took me three minutes to fill out!) If you have a chance to fill it out, I know it would really help them with their presentation. Thank you!
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🙂 I am glad volunteering today went smoothly! Will you be doing it once a week?
right now i’m scheduled to cover my route once every other week, but i’m a “fill in” and am told i’ll likely have some fill in routes several times a month, too.
Smoothie question!!!
I’ve made a few smoothies over the past week or so and they don’t taste bad…they are just incredibly bland and I don’t know why! Today, I added strawberries and bananas, spinach, 1.5 scoops of Strawberry Protein Powder, 2% milk, a small pinch of xanthan gum and it was SO bland…I ended up adding some honey just for some flava, but even that didn’t help! All of your smoothies look so tasty, I’m hoping you can help!!
Congrats on your first solo route!! That is such a cool way to help and give back!
hmmm. what kind of protein powder are you using? i would imagine w/ all the fruit the flavor would be there, so i can only guess that your protein powder isn’t very tasty…
I wonder, too? That sounds really good to me! Maybe throw in some peanut butter for a little salt?
I use the Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard. I think it’s called “Delicious Strawberry.” It probably doesn’t count for much, but it SMELLS ok… I feel like there is NO hope for my smoothies!!! But I will definitely keep trying!
hmm. i know a lot of people love nunaturals liquid stevia in their coffee for adding additional flavor/sweetness. maybe that would be something you might enjoy?
I’ll give it a shot! Thank you so much, Julie! It’s my goal to have smoothies as delcious as yours appear to be 🙂
I have noticed that if I add too much liquid, my will sometimes be bland. I only use enough to “get things moving” as Julie says. That keeps them thick and does not dilute the flavors too much.
I will definitely try less liquid!! That you Julie, Alex and Suzanne 🙂
That smoothie looks great! Glad you had a good day this time 🙂
YAY! Glad it went well 🙂
I LOVE that protein powder. So much.
i love it, too! i’ve liked almost all of their flavors (except for the weird once like fruit punch that i got in a sample pack once). 🙂
Nice to know everything went well 🙂
Quick question about the survey! I have just started trying out blogging, and I think the presentation the girls will be giving could be so beneficial for me! Any chance we’d be able to find it online or anything?
hi isabelle! jackie said she’ll definitely post a recap on her blog (momjovi.com) and i believe the central florida blog conference website will also be posting recaps of all the presentations.
did the survey!
I’m glad your Meals on Wheels experience went well this week! You’re right about that man–how wonderful that he’s surrounded by people who care for him.
Meals on wheels sounds so rewarding, good on you for getting involved. Heading over to do the survey now!
I am so glad you got to see that man again & that he has some support. I got tears just reading the initial story. Such a mush. Yay for a great day!
What does a flavor combo like pickles and strawberries taste like (it just sounds odd to me, but to each her own. 🙂 ).
the pickles were bread and butter pickles so they’re sweet! 🙂
That’s what I figured, but when I actually aw them, they looked like the pickles you put on a burger. LOL.
So glad that your trip went well! 🙂
Haha I’ll fill out the survey! Sitting here with 3.5 days left of my internship and no more projects…
So glad your route went off without a hitch! mm smoothie… sounds like a good lunch tip to me!
Do you recommend using almond milk if you are trying to lose weight or just water? I really hate protein drinks with water.
i personally prefer almond milk to regular milk and totally know what you mean about not enjoying water in smoothies. i need the creaminess! if you’re watching your calories, i know there are a ton of almond milk brands that make unsweetened almond milk that is low in calories.
Mmmm…love me some pickle salad! It’s funny when the strangest combinations make the most delicious salads. Kudos for your creativity!
One more thing the only whey protein I have right is Six Star Pro Nutrition Elite Series protein powder. Do you know anything about this one and if it would be good for me to drink while losing weight? Thanks so much!!
I love pickles in my salad! So good!
Also, I’m glad to hear that the man who just lost his wife has family with him — it’s heartbreaking to think of losing your life-long partner and having to deal with the loss alone!
I took the survey! Any idea if they will be taking video of their presentation? I would love to see it.
Healthy lunch = good for the body.
Volunteering = good for the soul.
Awesome job with your first solo route, and lunch looks yummy!
I just filled out the survey!
Thank you Julie for posting the survey and to all of you who have taken a moment to answer the questions!
Ashley — To be honest, I’m not sure if there will be video. Last year, it was livestreamed but I don’t believe they are doing that this year because there were a lot of technical issues with that. Plus, this year, each of the sessions are in smaller rooms, so that would be a lot of recording and livestreaming.
However, we will definitely each put the full presentations on our blogs after the conference and would be happy to answer any specific questions.
And if anyone is in Central Florida, I’d urge you to consider coming. It’s very reasonably priced and no matter what level of blogger or social media addict you are, there will be a lot you can learn. Plus, Yelp is hosting a very cool after-party!
Find out more about it here:
http://www.cflblogcon.com/
Than you again to everyone who completed the survey. We really appreciate it!
Roast beef and strawberries sounds like a great combination!!
Awww so happy to hear that the man has loving people around him~it warms my heart 🙂 thank you for sharing about your volunteer experience even if it’s brief! I get blessed reading those things.
Oh I’m ALL about the salads out right out of the lettuce containers 😉
Add a small three ring binder w/the clients names and another insulated cooler (one for soups the other for the hot entree) and that is exactly what the back of my mom’s car looks like (well, except for the fact she doesn’t drive an SUV). The basket is exactly the same too (color and all). Glad your first day went well.
For some reason, I NEVER think of buying deli roast beef.. and now I’m totally craving some!
Glad your first solo MOW went well!
I haven’t heard of pomegranate dressing. Sounds really good.
I think I’m a very grabby and emotional eater. I eat generally well, but i MUST have grains at each meal. I never used to be like this, but for months now, I have no interest in just protein-veggie meals without grains…I’m all over the large tortilla wraps and crackers and BREAD…I still eat the other stuff, but I can’t leave those grains out anymore!
eeps!
Thanks for pimping out our survey! We owe ya one 🙂 We will all definitely be posting the results and I’m pretty sure that they are doing videos of the presentations…which I guess means no tequila before we present. Strictly mimosas. Damn.
The man who lost his wife must be so heartbreaking! makes me think of The Notebook. *sob* I’m sure you felt a little better knowing that he had people there with him.
Never in a million years could I picture putting pickles, roast beef, and strawberries together! Very unique salad topping choices!! 🙂
I think it’s great that you volunteer – thank you for sharing your experiences with us!!
Hey Julie! I wasn’t sure if you are into Trader Joe’s but I heard today that they are building one in Gainesville! I know that is super close to you now 🙂 I live in Orlando and was already planning to go to the one in Sarasota but now I can’t wait to visit my Gville friends and go to TJ’s.
I love eating the last helping of salad straight outta the container too. And that looks like a mighty good salad!
Pickles on a salad! What a great idea! That salad looks divine. I’ll have to try that some time.
Glad to see your volunteering went well today! Especially for that one man – he could really use the family support.
Have you been in the kitchen where they prepare the meals that are delivered? The one I volunteered at I was in the kitchen also and some of the meals weren’t half bad! But there is just something about them being put into containers that takes away the appeal for me haha.
i haven’t, but i am curious to see one!
I’ve been reading your blog for awhile and I love the fact that you’re in North Central Florida and find ways to stay fit up here (I’m in Gainesville). I was planning on attending the blogger conference in Orlando. Are you going?
yes! i’ll definitely be there. 🙂
Awesome! Hope to see you then 🙂 Do you drive down that same day or would you recommend trying to stay in a hotel?
just driving down for the day!
Thank you so much for volunteering for Meals on Wheels! My mom has been a volunteer for Friendship Trays (same concept, different name) in our hometown for decades, and is often a favorite with the men because she is younger (65) and blond! Hah! One man always gave her a small stuffed animal when she visited. 🙂
And several of my elderly relatives have received MoW in the past (my grandma still does) and it was not only a meal delivery, but a social visit and a friendly face to ask how they were doing, and if they needed anything. My grandma’s MoW volunteer even came to my grandpa’s funeral last year and checks in by phone with my mom (who lives in another state) to let her know how everything is going at the house.
Julie, you seem like a very sweet girl and maybe I am just a bit sensitive with things like this, but it seems a little insensitive that you would link back to the original story about the man losing his wife. I am just puting myself in his famiy’s shoes and I would feel exploited if I found this, even if you don’t include names.
thanks for letting me know and i’m so sorry it rubbed you the wrong way, as “exploiting” the family is not my intent at all. the whole situation was very emotional for me and i’d never want it to come across to readers like i’m exploiting them. the thought makes me feel sick to my stomach, actually. i simply linked back b/c i know people don’t read every post and new readers might not know the background of the story. i wanted to update the people who do read every post on the situation which is why i mentioned it, but i also realize some readers may have missed the whole incident completely and could imagine horrible things if i just said something about a man whose wife passed away, so i wanted them to have access to the original story.