A New Old Discovery

Of course I wasn’t exactly happy that my daughter had to have oral surgery…

But last weekend, I flew out to Chicago to help get her through the right-of-passage removal of her wisdom teeth, and I had the chance to do something I don’t get to do very much anymore: I got to mother her a bit. Abby is in college, so it’s been a while since the days when sustained quality time with her (and her sister) were just a given for days on end. I’m sure she could’ve asked a friend to drive her to and from the surgery, and I’m sure she could’ve stocked her fridge with yogurt and ice cream, but it sometimes it feels good to be taken care of by your mom. And for mom — this mom, at least — it feels good to feel needed.

On my way to Chicago, I texted about what she might want to eat post-op. She requested mashed potatoes and a blueberry-almond smoothie. I suggested chilled cucumber-avocado soup, refried beans, strawberry milkshakes, and an excursion to Whole Foods to stock up on essentials for when she was fully recovered. We had a plan.

Except! I forgot that Abby is subletting her summer apartment from another undergrad, whose life as a pre-med student I’m guessing doesn’t prioritize lots of kitchen tools, like a high-power blender or potato ricer. While I unpacked our groceries, though, I found something even better: a Magic Bullet, ideal for portioning single servings, and easy to store and clean. (Nope, no dishwasher, either.) It made things so easy that I bought one for myself when I returned home and plan to use it for workday soup lunches and on-the-go breakfast smoothies. The Magic Bullet first entered my radar when the girls were babies, as it became popular for parents to puree whatever the grown-ups were eating into a mushy meal for their toddlers. Why it took babying a 20-year-old (not to mention consuming 20 years of influencer content) for me to discover its genius… I have no idea.

Here’s what I made for Abby and what I plan to make at home:

Chilled Avocado-Cucumber Soup: Cucumbers, 1/2 avocado, 2 or 3 spoonfuls plain yogurt, drizzle of olive oil, good squeeze of lime, cilantro, salt, pepper, chicken or vegetable broth, as needed to reach desired consistency. (I would’ve included a jalapeño but didn’t want to risk too much heat for the patient.)

Blueberry Almond Smoothie: You can tell the portions from the above photo, but about 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, a scoop of almond butter, 2 or 3 spoonfuls plain yogurt, squeeze of honey, almond milk or water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Roasted Tomato-Bean Soup 1 cup slightly cooled roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic; 2 or 3 hefty spoonfuls of white beans, olive oil, chicken or vegetable broth as needed to reach desired consistency.

Luckily, it took only a day of resting before my patient was back on her feet.

P.S. Lazy person’s ratatouille and a surprising thing about being an empty nester.

Source – Cup of joy