… or “It’s Farmers’ Market day and I’m also going grocery shopping this weekend!”

If you’re like me, half the fun of going to the Farmers’ Market is just finding out what new treats are arriving that week. Will THIS be the week fresh blueberries start? OOH! The first squash of the season! Finally… TOMATOES! I can’t plan my grocery list or start my food prep until I see what the farmers bring to the table… how else will I know what will be on MY table?

This, of course, leads to several problems at the end of the week. Often, one of the biggest is an overabundance of this or that type of produce. (Hello, spring greens?!) Rather than throw all the perfectly good produce out, one of the best things to do with last week’s market treasures is prep smoothie packs you can store in the freezer! This way, nothing goes to waste, you have healthy, ready-made breakfasts or snacks, and you can savor other seasons’ treats at different times of the year. Plus that fridge gets cleaned out just in time for your weekly trip to the grocer!

One of the great things about smoothies is that you can toss just about any combination of things in them, and as long as you start out with clean, green choices, you can’t go wrong. When I’m cleaning out my fridge at the end of the week, I try to make my mixes as colorful as possible, as color = nutritious. I also try to include a 2:1 veggies to fruit ratio. That depends on the kind of smoothie I’m making, of course; If I have a handful of raspberries, in they go! Don’t be afraid of putting veggies in your smoothies. Still shy? Here are just a few tips to get you started:

carrots = add sweetness

celery = add water

cucumber = add water, not a strong flavor

zucchini = all the benefits of cooked without a strong flavor

spinach = add just about every advantage you can think of and you won’t taste it a lot 😉

corn = adds sweetness

As you get going you’ll get more comfortable trying new things. Just throw it in!

This week at the Saturday market I bought strawberries and once I got home I was really craving some, so I started thinking about making a smoothie and making up some packs with other things I needed to clear out of the fridge. I had one small zucchini, a few carrots, one kiwi, a few raspberries, and some blueberries. I made three smoothies with those items and the kale that I also bought that day. Two I put in freezer bags for later. This is also perfect for those fruits and veggies that may be a couple of days past their prime; they are probably perfectly good to blend up in your smoothie! All you’ll need to add later is protein; I like plain, nonfat Greek yogurt and milk in my smoothies.

For my smoothie and smoothie packs today each have 1/3 zucchini, 1 1/2 small carrot, a good fistful of kale, and some strawberries. Then one got the kiwi, one got the raspberries, and the other got the blueberries. I tossed in a couple of dashes of cinnamon in to my smoothie today and voila! My produce drawer got cleaner, and I have two packages of smoothie prep in my freezer for one day when the berries aren’t in season and/or I just don’t have the time to cut all that up!

I hope this gives you some fitspo maybe not so much for your food prep, but as you prep your fridge before your grocery/food prep.