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This ‘Whatever’ Smoothie Formula Is the Tastiest Way to Use up Your Random Produce Leftovers

Tehrene Firman

April 13, 2020

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Photo: Getty Images/Moyo Studio

There's always those random leftover bits of produce in your fridge at the end of the week. You know what I'm talking about: That last handful of spinach, the three strawberries that are seconds away from going bad, and the baby carrots you swore you'd eat but never got around to. But they don't have to be destined for the garbage. Instead, you can use a smoothie formula that turns your trash into treasure with the "whatever" smoothie formula.

Whole Foods recently shared its version of the "whatever" smoothie on Instagram—a recipe that allows you to create a healthy smoothie using whatever you hand on hand. The smoothie formula includes specific amounts of greens, fruit, smart fats, liquid, and flavorings (think spices or cocoa powder)—all things that, when combined, create a healthy, vitamin-packed mix that will leave you feeling full and satisfied until your next meal.

"The flexible 'whatever smoothie' recipe is adaptable to whatever fruits and vegetables people have in their refrigerators, freezers, and pantries," says Allison Thomas, the culinary standards manager for Whole Foods Market. "We created it with reducing food waste in mind, as smoothies are a great way to use produce that's been sitting in the fridge for just a little too long."

The best part about this recipe (aside from preventing food waste, of course!) is that it makes smoothie boredom a thing of the past. Every time you make it, it will be slightly different depending on what's in your kitchen. You might try a chocolate-peanut butter mix loaded with kale, bananas, and avocado, or an anti-inflammatory mix filled with carrots, ginger, and sprouts.

Go take a look in your fridge and see what you're working with, then use this simple smoothie formula to create a "whatever" smoothie of your own.

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A post shared by Whole Foods Market (@wholefoods) on Apr 6, 2020 at 12:46pm PDT

The "whatever" smoothie formula

Ingredients
1 to 2 cups greens (spinach, kale, collards, chard, sprouts)
1 cup fruit (banana, berries, mango, carrots, apples, citrus)
1/2 teaspoon flavor (spices, ginger, vanilla, cocoa powder)
1 to 2 tablespoons smart fats (nut butter, avocado, or seeds)
1 to 2 cups liquid (coconut water, non-dairy beverage)

1. Create a combination from each category of whatever you have on hand.
2. Put everything in your blender, blend until smooth, and enjoy.

If you have acacia on hand, try this smoothie recipe next:

This competitive boxer's caffeinated smoothie packs a one-two punch of fiber and protein. Then check out these five easy ways to cook with protein powder that have nothing to do with smoothies.