The Trader Joe's Fridge

Eggplant hummus
Edamame hummus
Blue cheese and roasted pecan dip
Frozen tortellini bowl
Baby spinach
Small peeled carrots
Meatless corn dogs (They're better for me than regular corn dogs and I like them more)
Pomegranate yogurt with granola
Organic blueberry yogurt
Organic peach yogurt
Blueberry Greek yogurt
Three packages of roasted seaweed
More bananas to add to those I already have, to stretch to Wednesday, since Mom and Dad sure as hell aren't shopping after they get home from Vegas.
A couscous-centered salad that I had for dinner tonight.

All this, along with the frozen dinners I got from Pavilions, the bananas, spinach and carrots from there, the carton of Silk, the drink boxes of Silk Very Vanilla, the Simply Orange full-of-pulp juice, the Yoplait Greek blueberry yogurt, the Sabra pine nut hummus, the ready-made guacamole, and Meridith and I are set for when Mom and Dad are in Vegas. All of this helps when considering that they'll be deep in what we consider food heaven.

A New Las Vegas for Me

Before Dad, Meridith and I went to Pavilions, Dad spent most of the afternoon researching hotels off the Strip and away from the Strip in Henderson. There are some interesting choices, ones that we've only ever driven by, and that reminded me that I would like to see what The Orleans is like. I love the New Orleans theming on the front of the place, so there's bound to be a lot more to attract me. For example, Lily Tomlin's performing at the Orleans Showroom on June 18 and 19. I have to keep that in mind in case we're there, looking for apartments, if we haven't found one already.

When it comes time for Meridith and I to join Mom and Dad in this vast search, I will return to Las Vegas a lot lighter than when I was last there. Last May, the schedule I kept because of the book, the nocturnal living, the bad diet, the sometimes-little sleep all came to a head at a mall in Henderson when that anxiety hit me. Plus, Vegas always has the temptation to eat whatever you want and not care what you're eating. I care now. I know that breakfast, if it's quick and we go to 7-11 for it, will be that plastic container of Cheerios, soy milk (If they have Silk in a convenience store-sized container there), and a banana. We have a lot more choices than here in Santa Clarita for where to eat, but I think I'll be subsisting on bananas a lot during the day, especially with crisscrossing that entire valley. No more donuts for me, no chips, a lot less fried things. This is going to be my new, and hopefully final, home. I need to treat it like I'm already there.

Chiquita's Got Something

Dad, Meridith and I spent late yesterday afternoon at Pavilions getting a good number of necessaries, not only to restock the fridge, but also in anticipation of Tuesday, when he and Mom will be driving out to Las Vegas and Meridith and I will be home.

Mom insists on making sure we have enough, which is fine, but I don't need every snack in the world. My diet's been solid ever since the middle of November, when I felt comfortable with what I was eating, knew there were plenty of nutritional benefits, and that my calorie count wouldn't be vast. But I did want eggs again, for Meridith's incredible deviled eggs, which is the only thing I require on Tuesday, and especially if Mom and Dad end up staying in Vegas a little longer.

I needed yogurt, but $1.29 for the Yoplait Greek Yogurt is far too pricey, so I only got one blueberry and saved the rest of my yogurt search for Ralphs, which didn't yield much else.

In the produce section, in one of the refrigerated cases, I found something intriguing. You know how some fruit juices, like Odwalla and Naked, are pureed to drinkability? Chiquita came out with something they call a "crushed fruit snack", combining a few different fruits. Initially, I saw strawberry and banana, but put that back when I spotted blueberry and banana, and got two. There's three containers of blueberries in the fruit bin in the fridge, and when I run out of bananas, it's only for half a day to a day, but I was curious about how this one compares to all the others out there.

Well, this is a more thoughtful fruit juice. Because these fruits have been crushed, there's a thicker consistency. You can taste the fruit and not just a combination of all the fruits. My fruit juices of choice come from Boltwood Farms, when they're low enough in price. I imagine that the price of the Chiquita crushed fruit snack won't last for long, as it seems like an introductory price, but I'd get this wherever I could find it, especially in our Vegas travels, which certainly do eat up a lot of energy. At least for now, it's the most time I spend in a car in a day.

(This isn't a review. Chiquita provided no samples. These are just appreciative observations.)