Try this on for size: every year, the United States chucks nearly 40 percent of its food. Yet, harvesting our food costs us 80% of our freshwater, 10% of our available energy + HALF of our land. This means that each American tosses 20 pounds of food per month. Which means we are wasting $165 billion in food each year. 

WHAT. AND THERE ARE 795 MILLION PEOPLE ON EARTH WHO DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FOOD. HOW IS THIS EVEN OK.

And that's not all. Organic waste, mostly food, is the second biggest component of landfills. Landfills are the third largest source of methane emissions. Methane is a major factor in global warming because it is so effective at absorbing the sun’s heat, which warms the atmosphere. 

And what type of food gets wasted the most? 

Fruits + vegetables, of course. 

So. Are you ready to stop wasting so much food? Because trust me, I was prone to pitching everything in my fridge at the first sign of browning or wilting. Until, I figured it out. 

The key to cutting down your food waste... is SMOOTHIES! 

Why smoothies? Well, you can toss pretty much anything in a smoothie + it'll still taste great. Spotted bananas? Even BETTER because they're sweeter + they make your smoothie even creamier. Wilted spinach? TOSS. Right into the blender. Mushy berries? Into the smoothie they go. 

I swear to you, you will NOT notice or taste the tiniest bit of difference. In fact, I think fruits + veggies on the verge of going bad make for tastier smoothies with a smoother, better consistency. And consistently clearing your fridge with a smoothie making session does WONDERS for your food waste.

All this being said, one of the foods that is ALWAYS going bad in kitchens is avocados. I buy a ton of avocados because I eat a ton of avocados. But for some reason, they're always turning brown before I can get to that last one. So, what's a Babe to do with turning avocados on her hands? 

AVO ICE CUBES. For... your smoothie. 

Here's the thing. If one avocado is going bad, the rest of your avocados are probably going bad, if you buy them by the bunches. 

So, throw one avocado into that smoothie, and with the rest, preserve them in the form of ice cubes. 

YOU CAN FREEZE YOUR AVOS THIS WAY FOR 3 FULL MONTHS. 

Cute right? And they are so so handy for throwing into your smoothies. They replace ice + make any berry, veggie, or chocolate smoothie oh so creamy. More importantly, they add SO many vitamins + nutrients to that smoothie, it's unreal. (Avocados are called a superfood for a reason!)

Side Note: go here for EcoBabe's fave green smoothie for glowing skin, avo included. It's the one pictured above!

And without any further ado, here is how we make avocado ice cubes: 

✖️ De-pit + scoop your browning avocados into a bowl

✖️ Mash in 1 tsp organic lemon juice (or a little water. but I prefer lemon juice)

✖️ With a spatula, scoop out avo mixture into your ice cube tray + smooth out the top

✖️ Freeze, for up to 3 months

✖️ Upon removal from the freezer, let sit for 1 to 2 minutes at room temperature

✖️ Take out your desired amount of cubes (4-6 per smoothie) 

✖️ Blend into your fave smoothie + enjoy!!

This recipe is minimal effort with maximum results. THAT'S WHAT WE LIKE TO SEE :) And SO great for babes on the go (smoothies are always coming with me to the office). 

TIP: feel free to grate in any other vegetable or herb that's starting to turn. IE zucchini like we did here. 

This is EcoBabe's fave ice cube tray. Eco-friendly, BPA free, dishwasher safe + so chic: 

 

 

Note: instead of scooping avo mixture into your tray with a spatula, with this tray you'll want to use a spoon. 

Did you ever think that smoothies could help the world this much? It's true. So blend away Babes X, Monica