How To Stop Your Smoothie Separating In The Fridge
Smoothies separate because the ingredients you used have different densities, making the heaviest settle at the top and separate from the actual juice.
To prevent this from happening when you store the smoothies in the fridge, you can give them a good shake to stir the juice and the denser mixture together.
Otherwise, you can just add more fillers or ingredients that thicken the smoothie while it is still blending prior to storage in the fridge.
As I always make Green Thickies which all include fillers, my smoothies never separate in the fridge.
Certain ingredients such as citrus and pineapple can cause more separation.
You may also want to do away with too much ice as it liquefies when you let the smoothie sit in the refrigerator.
Tips For Storing Nuts
- Keep them away from other strong flavored foods such as onions and garlic, as they can absorb their flavors
- Whole nuts store better than chopped or ground
- Nuts with less saturated fats perish more quickly. Walnuts and pecans turn rancid more quickly.
- Cashews and almonds will last longer.
- Shelled nut or seeds have a shorter shelf life than those still in their shell.
Remember, these are just guidelines. Always test your nuts first and if in doubt discard and buy fresh. Youll know if your nuts have become rancid, they have a very nasty taste.
How Long Can You Freeze Smoothies In The Freezer
If stored properly in a freezer-safe ziploc bag, these freezer packs will last up to 3 months in the freezer. When ready to enjoy, you can either thaw the night before or blend straight from the freezer. If blending straight from the freezer, you might need to add a little more liquid to help balance out for the frozen produce.
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How To Make A Smoothie With The Frozen Greens
Once you have your greens frozen, you can use them anytime for making a green smoothie. Greens are a great addition to such drinks as they just boost the nutrient level of the food to a great level. The best part is that they are flavorless and wont alter the original taste of the smoothie at all, thus your kids or anyone is going to love it.
Take out the bag from the freezer and pull out the required amount of frozen greens from it. Blend them with the other ingredients of your smoothie. Your green smoothie is ready to serve.
Watch this video for some amazing green smoothie recipes.
Why Freeze The Greens At All
There are several benefits of having frozen greens at your disposal while making a smoothie or otherwise. Lets see some of the reasons why you should freeze the greens:
- The first reason can be to get ahead with the smoothie making game. We mean that having frozen greens or smoothie packs ready, it becomes very easy to prepare the recipes quickly.
- The storage life of greens is not much and they rot very fast even inside the fridge. Freezing makes the greens last longer that can be up to even a month.
- The real taste of the greens is also subdued mildly upon freezing and they become close to flavorless. These greens when added to the smoothies make the overall smoothie better.
- Frozen greens will give you supplies for your smoothies for a long time as you can mass prepare them. This can be a great idea for the off-season availability of greens.
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Ways You Can Meal Prep Smoothies
One of the most frequent questions I get from folks starting off with meal prep is can you meal prep smoothies? And to that I say, HECK YES YOU CAN!
Smoothies rock, but they arent always fast! To save you some hassle, I have three different ways to dramatically reduce your smoothie prep time. These methods let you meal prep smoothies in their entirety, but if youre interested in just prepping part, you can also try my Smoothie Booster Packs, which are a lot more flexibleyou can add them to almost any smoothie to boost the nutrition!
The three different methods below all have different tricks, tips, and ingredients you can and cant useso read through and pick out the one that works the best for your lifestyle and your favorite smoothie recipe. Dont have a favorite smoothie recipe yet? My list of eight staple smoothies is a great place to start! Lets meal prep
Do Smoothies Lose Nutrients When Frozen
Yes, smoothies will lose some of their nutrients. This is something that happens to all foods that are frozen. The longer the smoothies are stored in the freezer, the more nutrients they will lose.
Therefore, to ensure the smoothies still retain most of their nutrients are to consume them as soon as possible.
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Can You Freeze Smoothies 6 Time
Smoothies are an increasingly popular healthy snack alternative and are even becoming the go-to nutritious breakfast option as they offer a simple way to increase the number of vitamins and nutrients you eat in a day.
If you want to get in as many essential vitamins and nutrients as possible by having a smoothie but do not always have the time to prepare one, then this is the guide is for you.
Smoothies do not have to be complicated. In fact, some smoothies can have as little as three ingredients. Nevertheless, sometimes it can be a pain to make your smoothie and have it ready for when you are on the go or in a hurry. Here are our favorite time-saving tips for smoothies on the go.
Simple Steps To Prepare Almond Milk:
- Start with soaking raw almonds overnight in cool water.
- Then drain and rinse the almonds and put them in a blender along with fresh water, a pinch of salt and any further add-ins .
- Blend well for about 2-3 minutes, when you think the mixture is good to go, pour the milk through a nut milk bag into a container. And squeeze to separate all the almond milk.
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How To Freeze Spinach For Smoothies
Spinach is one of the most nutritious and versatile smoothie ingredients. Its high in vitamins and minerals, and is a great plant-based source of protein, while containing virtually no saturated fat, cholesterol, and sugar.
But spinach isnt known for having the best shelf-life, and you may find that you cant use the spinach youd bought to make smoothies as quickly as you anticipated.
To avoid food waste, you have a few options. The first is to buy frozen cubes of spinach that you can add straight to your morning smoothies. While this is an option worth considering, youll often end up paying more for the convenience of having your spinach frozen and ready to go whenever you need it. Frozen spinach cubes are also quite a niche product, so you wont get them in all supermarkets.
The alternative is to freeze your own spinach, either as it is or pureed in advance. This gives you the same convenience as shop-bought frozen spinach cubes, and you can save some money while youre at it.
In this post, Ill be discussing the best methods of freezing spinach for smoothies.
Does Smoothies Freeze Well
Smoothies freeze very well since its mostly water. You can keep them frozen for a long time without any changes in texture and flavor.
However, like most foods that are frozen, will start to deteriorate in quality over time. The longer the smoothies are stored in the freezer, the more the flavor will be lost.
Smoothies that are properly stored will last indefinitely in the freezer, but the quality of it will deteriorate over time. For that reason, its best to try to consume smoothies as soon as possible.
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How To Store Nuts In Your Pantry
Nuts dont like light and heat. So its essential you find them a cool, dark place in your pantry. Keep them stored in an airtight container so they are completely sealed. Glass jars are best. I love mason jars for this purpose. Nuts will keep for up to three months when stored this way.
The shelf life of your nuts will depend on how fresh they were when purchased. Where you live and the time of year can also play a part. If you live in a hot and humid climate or you are sweltering through the hottest part of summer, they will probably need to be refrigerated.
Store All The Smoothies
Whether you choose to use your fridge or freezer, you can absolutely store smoothies safely for later. Now that you know how to store a smoothie the best way, you can start saving that extra bit after making one instead of tossing it. Thats a win any day of the week.
If youre looking to maximize your day, and minimize time spent in the kitchen, start making larger batches to freeze. I dont know about you, but less time in the kitchen is a good thing in my book.
Any of the above tips and tricks will definitely make sure your smoothies are fresh and chilled for a sweet snack at any time. And if youre looking for some delicious inspiration on what to make next, check out these recipes.
Bon appétit!
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How To Freeze The Greens For Smoothies In A Better Way
Here is a list of some tips that will help you to get along the process well and produce nicely stored greens:
- Keep checking the freshness status of your greens and its better to freeze them while they are still fresh. Dont wait for them to rot until the last moment as thats when they become unsuitable.c
- If you are freezing blended greens, then first freeze them in the molds and then transfer them into the bag. This because blended greens take longer to freeze.
- Make sure to keep the quantity of liquid while making blended greens as low as possible. For keeping the measures right, add liquid gradually as per the requirement of achieving the right consistency. This tip is also important as it will affect the liquid proportion in the final smoothie too.
- You can use containers or mold of different shapes for some fun with freezing greens for smoothies.
- You can also try mixing several types of greens or even fruits while freezing.
Materials For Freezing Produce
Secret #1: Something great thing about freezing fruits and vegetables is that you dont really need fancy equipment. Freezer bags come in handy for dry pack freezing that doesnt involve using syrups or purees. Rigid plastic containers, glass containers, and jars come in handy for liquid or semi-solid foods, sauces, jams, and other preserves.
In addition to containers, I also recommend freezer paper, freezer tape, and heavy-duty foil. They come in handy for packaging certain foods and for long-term storage. Long term means longer than the typical 6-12 months. The longer you store the food in the freezer, the more the quality declines, but it is still perfectly fine to eat.
Another essential for me is a rimmed baking sheet. I use it to quickly freeze individual pieces of whole or sliced produce. More on that in a bit.
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How To Freeze Smoothie Packs
This method is a great way to ensure there will be no loss in flavors when making smoothies. Once youre ready to make smoothies, remove the packs from the freezer and blend them for fresh-tasting smoothies.
Below are the steps to freezing smoothie packs:
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
Start by preparing the ingredients. You can pretty much any fruits that you like. This can include mango, banana, raspberries, and kiwi. Give all the fruits a good wash to remove debris from them.
Cut all the fruits into slices or cubes. Then place all the fruits into a large bowl and mix them together.
Step 2: Flash Freeze
On a clean tray, lay a sheet of baking or parchment paper. Then spread the mixed fruits onto the tray, keeping them spaced, so they dont touch each other.
Once all the fruit is on the tray, cover the entire tray with cling film. Then place them into the freezer for about 2-3 hours.
Step 3: Place In Storage Container
Once the fruit is completely frozen, remove them from the freezer. Immediately transfer the fruits to a freezer bag or an airtight container.
If using a freezer bag, press on the bag to remove excess air before sealing it.
For an airtight container, check the seal on the lid for any damages. If there are none, secure the lid to the container tightly.
Step 4: Label and Freeze
With a marker, write the date of freezing and the content onto the airtight container or freezer bag. Then place it into the freezer for storage.
Make Your Own Freezer Smoothie Packs
February 5, 2015 by Kari
With every year that goes by, Im becoming a bigger fan of having things prepared ahead! Ive been delving into all areas of making things easier in the kitchen, from slow cooker recipes to mason jar salads and now on to smoothie packs for the freezer!
We have a pretty good routine for Monday Thursday every week every morning we make a smoothie and put together our breakfast/lunch items to go. That being said, when those 4 days are over, I find myself slacking off for the other 3 days of the week. Come Friday morning were both so wiped out from 4 long work days that the smoothie making, healthy routine business goes right by the wayside!
I prepared all my smoothie packs the first time in sealable plastic bags, which can be reused a number of times, but Im loving the 4-cup Ziplock plastic containers with lids for smoothie prep. I think the containers are even easier than the bags they can go straight in the dishwasher with no fuss!
Heres how to turn any smoothie recipe into a freezer smoothie pack:
1) Place all the ingredients except for the liquids in your freezer container of choice.
2) Label each container with the name of the smoothie, date, and any liquid ingredients that you need to add before blending.
I made 4 different recipes for my freezer smoothies because I like lots of choices! I split each recipe into 2 different containers for around a 4 cup serving per freezer smoothie pack.
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Why Did My Smoothie Turn Brown
Banana smoothies turn brown because the elements of banana fruit in them readily oxidize to create a compound called melanin which is responsible for turning the smoothie brown or grey. So the entire change you see when your banana smoothie turns from lustrous yellow to brown is nothing but a chemical change.
Why Freeze Almond Milk
Almond milk is more popular than ever before. As foodies become more health conscious and many more people make the switch to vegan, milk alternatives such as almond milk and other types of nut milk become more in demand.
The thing is, it doesnt last much more than a few days in the fridge. So, if you want to extend its lifespan, freezing is the way to go.
It makes sense. It has so many different uses, not just as a whitener in coffee or when poured over your morning cereal. With so many potential uses, keeping it fresh for as long as possible is a good idea. Lets be honest, its much better than letting it go to waste!
Still, almond milk manufacturers advise against it. However, there are plenty of uses for almond milk once its been thawed.
So, if you find yourself with a half-full carton of almond milk and you need to store it for longer, freezing is the way to go.
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Top Smoothie Containers That I Actually Use Every Day
Here are all my most loved smoothie containers. This is how I actually store my smoothies and ingredients every day to keep them fresh for longer.
I have been making a variety of different smoothies every day for myself and my family for over 10 years now.
I started my blog over 7 years ago and I have spent a lot of time testing different smoothie recipes and putting containers to the test so I can share my findings with you.
I use a variety of different containers to store my smoothies and my smoothie ingredients in every day, so Ive got a good variety of containers to share with you.
All of the following posts dive deeper into smoothie containers and storing smoothies, so Im sure youll find something that will help you make the right decision here.
And, if you dont want to read any of the detail about any of the containers in these articles I already wrote, simply scroll down and you can see links that will take you to my very favorite containers from all of the different options Ive tried over the years.
How To Defrost Pears For Smoothies
Frozen pears can keep in the freezer for up to twelve months.
You dont have to defrost the pear pieces prior to using them in a smoothie provided that your smoothie maker can handle the denser structure of the frozen fruit.
That said if you want to defrost your pears prior to making your smoothie either of these two process work well
Move the container or freezer-safe bag of pear pieces out from the freezer and into the fridge.
Youll want to wait for around 12 hours or overnight for the pear peices to theyll warm up from the freezer to a temperature of the fridge which should then be soft enough for them to be used in a smoothie.
Be sure to leave the bag of pears on a plate to avoid any water from the bag leaking out over your fridge.
Alternatively, for a slightly shorter defrosting time, you can leave the bag out on the counter at room temperature.
Again, Id suggest leaving a towel or a plate under the bag to catch any leaking water.
Defrosting the pears using this method should take between 2 to 4 hours depending on the temperature of your home.
If youre looking to defrost your pears for smoothies quickly then you can grab a large bowl and fill it with water.
Then submerge the bag under the water and leave for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes remove the bag and check on the pears.
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