Going somewhere? The clear-out-your-fridge Smoothie

Summer is here! Do you have nice big juicy plans for getting the heck out of Dodge?

One of my favorite aspects of going away is the chance to re-org and clear out the fridge. Yes, I’m a weirdo. I just love a clean slate, and having a good reason to clean one.

So before we traveled last week I took stock of all the vegetables, fruit, and yogurt that we weren’t going to be able to eat in the day before our departure. Yogurt + veg + fruit + blender…you see where we’re headed? Smoothie-ville!

Taking a quick trip to Smoothie-ville before you fly has so many benefits!:

• Not coming home to funky spoiled food
• A clean conscience knowing that your investment in produce wasn’t wasted
• Boosting your vitamin intake before entering the dubious landscape of vacation-food
• Filling your tummy with something yummy
• The chance to actually SEE what on earth is in your fridge
• Added super-bonus: Protecting your health with an immunity boost before sharing air with 100s of strangers on a plane.

First step? Assess! Ask yourself: What’s on the counter-top, in a bowl, and in or on top of the fridge that will go bad before we get back? Make a pile, and then divide that into 1-4 piles based on:

1. What can be frozen?
2. What produce could be gifted to a friend, neighbor, or co-worker today?
3. What needs to be composted or thrown out?
4. What would make for a fantastic smoothie?

Toss whatever you’ve designated as smoothie-worthy into the blender and…blend!

The smoothie I made most recently included kale, roasted beets, apple, carrot, frozen blueberries, banana, yogurt, maple syrup, and cinnamon. I don’t really follow a recipe when I make smoothies, hence my not offering one here. If it seems in need of more liquid I generally use more yogurt or milk, but some/many people like orange juice for a smoothie-liquifier. It all depends on what you’ve got and what consistency says “YUM” (or at the very least “palatable”) to you.

If you are scratching your head about the inclusion of beets, let me take a moment in promotion or defense of them. Beets are naturally very sweet – they have the highest sugar content of any vegetable. So in that regard it isn’t too outlandish to use them in a smoothie. Then on top of that are the health benefits – A not-even-comprehensive list of their nutrients includes potassium, magnesium, fiber, iron, a partial-alphabet of vitamins, beta-carotene, antioxidants, and folic acid. In my experience, beets blend best if they’ve been steamed (in microwave or on the stovetop) or roasted first (unless perhaps you have a Vitamix or other $100+ blender. In which case: Lucky You!). Maybe/hopefully you’re already on the beet band wagon, but if not, consider stretching yourself in their direction.

Soooo…where ya off to? And what kind of smoothie are you making before departure? Share below so we can all live vicariously!