When You’re In A Time Crunch Meal Prep Smoothies Are A Lifesaver Learn How To Make These No
Life can get hectic. We all have those weeks when the only way to make it through the day is with a drink in hand. Im talking about cool, quick, refreshing smoothie recipes. Smoothies are an easy way to pack in a speedy and nutritious breakfast before you take on the day. And when you really want to put your morning routine into hyperdrive, a little prep work in advance can make this easy meal even easier.
Can I Make Smoothies Ahead Of Time
Whether on a post-holiday health kick or just trying to find a new lease on life, at some point weve all brought home mounds of fruit, dairy-free milks, and superfood additions with the intent of making fresh, healthy smoothies our go-to morning meal.
While in an ideal world wed all have time in our morning routines to chop up fresh fruit and make the healthy blended mixtures of our dreams, crammed schedules and snoozed alarm clocks tend to get in the way. However, integrating smoothies into your everyday diet shouldnt have to be a super stressful or time-consuming. Take advantage of one of these three easy methods for making your smoothies ahead of time to make your healthy morning routine run more smoothly than ever.
How To Prep Smoothies For The Week 4 Ingredient Meal Prep Breakfast Smoothies
For meal prep breakfastsmoothies that you can blend and store in advance, try this peanut butterbanana smoothie recipe! Instead of make ahead smoothie bags that you blend inthe morning, Ill show you how to prep smoothies for the week that are blendedand ready to drink.
Best of all, these meal prep breakfast smoothies arent just convenienttheyre also deliciously simple and satisfying. Hard to go wrong with peanut butter and banana! Thick, creamy, salty-sweet, and made with just 4 ingredients.
Keep in mind, this is just one make ahead smoothie base recipe. You can use this method for how to prep smoothies for the week in loads of different ways. Feel free to customize your meal prep breakfast smoothies to suit your taste buds and lifestyle!
Also Check: Breakfast Fruit Smoothies For Weight Loss
Meal Prep Smoothies With Smoothie Freezer Packs
This is where smoothie freezer packs save the day! Meal prepping your smoothies with freezer packs is embarrassingly easily because you only have to pull out all of the individual ingredients once.
Not only that but you can add pretty much all of your smoothie ingredients to the freezer packs except the liquid and just dump them into the blender whenever youre ready to serve.
Helpful Tips & Recommendations
Below, Im sharing some smoothie recipe ideas that you can meal prep. But, you can meal prep pretty much any smoothie recipe. Heres a few tips:
- Use reusable bags instead of plastic ones I like these quart size bags because theyre not too big or too small.
- If using leafy greens, add them first to the bottom of the bag followed by fruit. Then, on top, add the powders, nut butters, etc.
- Feel free to freeze the individual fruits beforehand or use pre-frozen fruits to avoid sticking. This isnt necessary though and many times I skip this step.
- Smoothie freezer packs will last in the freezer for up to a month!
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Assemble Smoothie Freezer Packs
Once youve visited the grocery store, its time to prep your smoothie ingredients. One of the best ways to do this is by assembling individual smoothie packs.
Many smoothies use frozen produce for a thick, rich texture. By individually freezing the fruits and vegetables for your smoothies, you save loads of time slicing and dicing every morning. Even better, prepping smoothie freezer packs means youll always have a smoothie base on deck. Some favorite freezable combos include:
- Banana + strawberries + mango
- Açaí + kale + spinach
- Açaí + Mixed berries + cauliflower + cacao
Place cut-up portions of your fruits, greens, and vegetables in sealable containers like mason jars, glass Tupperware, or reusable silicone freezer bags. Whenever youre hungry, you can always blend a pre-portioned SAMBAZONOriginal Blend Frozen Açaí Packet with your choice of add-ins and liquidand voila! Smoothies , any time of day.
Preparing These Smoothies With A Normal Blender
If you don’t have a bender that can safely screw onto mason jars, you can simply do the same thing using a freezer bag or even simple sandwich bags if you will be using them up quickly.
Just grab the bag out of the freezer and dump the contents into your blender with a cup of milk, blend, and you’re done!
Since I made up a bunch of different flavors, we arent getting bored and it is fun to try a new one every time. The hardest part is deciding which flavor to enjoy!
*Make sure that you follow safety directions and only use jars compatible with your blender! Other glass jars may fit on your blender, but many are not strong enough and could possibly break while blending.
If you like the idea of prepping healthy breakfasts, you’ll love my make-ahead easy chia pudding or my quick and easy oatmeal mug muffins! Be sure to check out all my vegan breakfast prep ideas.
Be sure to for new vegan recipes!
Recommended Reading: What Do I Put In A Smoothie
Gather Your Smoothie Bowl Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need to make the most delicious smoothie bowls:
Juice
I used the Acai juice from Acai Roots, after checking the nutrition labels of a few different brands for added sugar and net carb counts. I decided to use an acai juice because of the many health benefits of the acai berry, but you can use whatever juice you like.
Ive also used the V8 Healthy Greens juice to make smoothies, and its delicious! The nice thing about the Healthy Greens juice is that it contains a full serving of good-for-you veggies like kale and spinach.
Frozen Fruit
I used the Sunrise Growers Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen fruit from Costco. I also recommend adding a frozen whole banana to your smoothie because it gives the smoothie a smooth texture and a subtle sweetness.
Power Greens
I used the Earthbound Farms Organic Power Greens from Costco in my smoothie bowls. Its a blend of baby kale, spinach, and chard. I use this power greens blend ALL THE TIME, whether its in smoothies, salads, or wraps.
If youve never added fresh greens to your smoothies then I HIGHLY encourage you to try it! If youre a little freaked out by adding a bunch of leaves to your smoothies, then try a few handfuls of baby spinach first. The taste of the spinach is barely recognizable when blended up with fruit and juice.
*Bonus This is a GREAT way to get your kids to eat their greens! My girls LOVE these smoothies, even after they see me shoveling in the kale and spinach!
Fresh Fruit
Granola
Can You Freeze Smoothies //
Yes, you can freeze the smoothies in any type of freezer-safe container that you like. I use 2 cup mason jars. If you want to use glass containers, just be sure that they are made of tempered glass. Otherwise, it may crack as it goes from the freezer to room temperature.
Also, when you pour the smoothie into the jars, leave some room at the top. Otherwise, when the frozen smoothies expand, the glass can break.
How long can a smoothie last in the freezer? Smoothies can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Read Also: Fat Burning Smoothies For Weight Loss
How To Meal Prep Smoothies For The Month
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Its 10 am and you suddenly feel weak and unable to concentrate when it dawns on you that you skipped breakfast again. Well not anymore, I am teaching you how to meal prep an entire month of smoothies in less than 20 minutes.
This happens a lot to me. I get my coffee, feed my kid, sit down to get started on work and lose track of time. It happens to the best of us.
Back when I used to leave my house for work I didnt have the time in the morning to cut up all my fruit to prepare my smoothie. But a smoothie was the healthiest and easiest breakfast I could eat when I was on the go.
So instead, I started prepping my smoothies ahead a time so all I had to do is just add milk and blend. It made my mornings easy and was so much healthier than a drive through breakfast sandwich or bagel.
How To Meal Prep Freezer Smoothie Packs
Simple tips and tricks to teach you how to Meal Prep Freezer Smoothie Packs. Make them in advance, and enjoy them for the week, or even the whole month!
Once upon a time, I paid exorbitant amounts of money for smoothies that were delivered to my house on dry ice and in disposable cups. The idea.. dump the contents of the cup into the blender, add liquid base, blend, pour back into cup. The smoothies contained all kinds of exotic ingredients and boasted HUGE health benefits. The cost of said smoothies, well lets just say that once Joe got the monthly credit card statement, this fairy tale ended rather abruptly. Until today that is
I honestly dont know why I didnt think of this sooner. I recreated them. Yep, made my very own fancy smoothies. They are every bit as delicious, exotic and convenient as my subscription smoothie service.
Ok, thats not true. Im waaaaaay too lazy to search out the exotic ingredients AND prepping a months worth of these guys takes about an hour that the million dollar smoothies did not require, BUT once you get them assembled they are every bit as fantastic, promise.
Youre going to LOVE this.
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Choose A Storage System
3 Smoothie Freezable Smoothie Container Options:
PROS and CONS of Each Smoothie Container Option:
- Freezer Safe Disposable Cups: Pros sturdy enough to hold up in freezer without cracking and come with lids . Disposable if desired. Cons They are a bit pricy . I wash and reuse them. Thus far, I have used them through 3 rounds of smoothie making.
- Mason Jars: Pros Reusable, inexpensive and freezer friendly. Cons Not disposable, breakable.
- Ziploc Freezer Bags: Pros Inexpensive, great for limited freezer space. Cons You can not drink the smoothie from the bag, you will have to dirty a kitchen cup, not reusable.
Recommended Reading: What To Eat With A Smoothie For Breakfast
Can You Freeze Smoothies In Ziplock Bags
You can freeze the fruits and vegetables that you want inside of your smoothie inside of a ziplock bag but you dont want to actually blend the entire smoothie and then store it this way.
If you have smoothie leftover, create little popsicles! I use these disposable popsicle mold baggies and they make a delicious sweet treat!
Read Also: Torani Pina Colada Smoothie Mix
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Now My Delicious Almond Milk Smoothie Recipe //
This is the basic formula that we use for our pre-made smoothies. You can change out the fruit and make different flavor variations.
- 1 cup frozen berries
- handful of spinach
We have yet to find a protein powder that tastes really good, so I buy a different kind every time we run out. Also, I will occasionally add nut butter, coconut oil, a touch of honey, yogurt, or flaxseed.
You dont have to make an almond milk smoothie you can use any type of milk or nut milk in your smoothie that you prefer. Ive really been into pea protein milk lately. Using unsweetened almond milk just ensures that the smoothies are dairy-free and low carb.
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7 breakfast smoothie recipes with zero added sugar and no bananas! Sharing a formula to help you come up with your own smoothie recipes, and showing you how to make meal prep smoothie freezer packs.
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and while Iâm highly addicted to my standard Instant Pot steel cut oats, I also love to start the day off with a delicious, fruit-filled smoothie!
There are a million different ways to make smoothies, but Iâm making it super simple for you today with my smoothie formula!
Read Also: Tropical Smoothie Cafe Menu Prices
How To Make Healthy Smoothies
Making healthy smoothies is a much simpler process than you would imagine, and this post will show you how to make 7 different kinds of healthy smoothies that youâre going to love!
I think many people have misconceptions about what healthy smoothies really are. I know when I was younger, I thought that healthy smoothies were the ones you got at Booster Juice. Sadly, I would order a large smoothie from there or Starbucks after a night of partying and think I was replenishing my body with healthy food. Little did I know these smoothies were often filled with sugary frozen yogurt and can contain up to 460 calories .
To make genuinely healthy smoothies, you have to be careful with the ingredients you use. This post will educate you on how to choose the highest-quality ingredients to ensure that youâre getting the nutritional benefits you should be getting with fruit-filled smoothies.
As long as you stock your freezer with frozen fruit and keep a few handy base ingredients on hand in the fridge each week, smoothie making is super easy and nutritious.
These 14 smoothie freezer packs will give you an entire weeks worth of variety, flavor, nutrition, and fruit smoothie satisfaction.
Can You Freeze Smoothies
First things first, can you freeze your smoothies? Yes, you can. In fact, freezing smoothies can be a great way to cut down on preparation time. By opting to freeze, say, a weeks work of smoothies, you can save the time it would take you to make a smoothie every day.
There are two ways to go about freezing smoothies: the pre-made, pre-packaged method and the ice tray method. Both of these methods yield the same results. The difference comes down to freezer storage and space.
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Healthy Meal Prep Smoothies
Do you enjoy meal prep smoothies? All it takes is a little advance planning and prep to create a healthy green smoothie base along with smoothie packs made with different fruit and vegetable combinations to give you a variety of healthy smoothies you can meal prep and use during the week!
NOTE: CookEatLiveLove is supported by readers and links to products I love in this post are Amazon and other affiliate links which means I do make a small amount of money when you click and make purchases. Thanks for stopping by and I hope youll come back again soon!
Meal prep smoothies can be the perfect answer for an easy quick breakfast that you can take on the go but theyre also a great way to incorporate more veggies and fruits into your breakfast.
There is so much flexibility in this meal prep recipe which is why I think it works so well. You can mix and match with smoothie packs made with your favorite fruits and flavors, proteins, and other smoothie mix-ins to customize them!
One thing thats great about them is they can come out like a milkshake, one full of lots of fruits, veggies, and protein, which makes it easier to get in all your servings of fruits and veggies each day.
This smoothie meal prep post is inspired by my other popular meal prep posts Plant-Based Breakfast Ideas and Vegan Meal Prep.
If you love meal prep smoothies as much as I do, I think you will also enjoy this Beet and Berry Smoothie and this Camu Camu Smoothie.
How To Meal Prep Smoothies For Weeks
One of the most common questions I get asked from clients & subscribers is can you meal prep smoothies? And, my answer is always ABSOLUTELY YOU CAN! Smoothie meal prep is fast, easy, and can save you loads of time in the morning, especially if you drink a smoothie daily .
If youre an avid smoothie drinker, then you know making a smoothie can sometimes take longer than expected because you have to pull out all of the individual ingredients, measure them out, and then put them away. Now I know this isnt as time-consuming as cooking a full-blown meal, but it can become tedious, especially if you drink a smoothie everyday.
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Frozen Smoothie Meal Prep
Smoothie recipes are easy to make ahead of time for frozen meal prep. All you need to start is frozen fruit and a liquid-like juice or milk. A good smoothie ratio to work with is 1 part liquid, 2 parts solid fruit or vegetables. This is a good base to go off when making your own smoothie. Then, consider adding in other ingredients like yogurt, nut butter, and seeds in smaller amounts. Some ingredients to include in your frozen meal prep smoothies other than fruit can include:
- Hemp, flax, or chia seeds for fiber and nutrients.
- For liquid, try almond milk, coconut milk, coconut water, or fruit juice.
- Honey, maple syrup, or dates for sweetness.
- Avocado, nut butter, seed butter, or yogurt, for fat and creaminess.
- Lemon juice, ginger, turmeric, or vanilla, for aromatics.
Frozen meal prep like smoothies makes it convenient to eat healthy and enjoy good food. Meal prep smoothies similar to how you would make them on the spot. First, add solids like fruit, leafy greens, nuts, and seeds to a freezer safe bag. Freeze overnight, then add to a blender. Add in your liquids like plant milk, and other ingredients like avocado, nut butter, or yogurt. Then blend!