Frozen Fruits And Veggies For Smoothies

Can I Freeze Fresh Produce That Ive Bought

Yes! But be sure to wash them thoroughly first. You could even blanch them if youre really worried about germs you wont be heating them up to cook them, remember, so they need to be really clean before you eat them.

Cut into the right size for your juicer or blender the smaller they are, the faster and better theyre going to be blended up later. Then put them into air-tight freezer containers or bags and stick them in the freezer. You might want to separate them into single serving sizes before freezing, for even more convenience.

You can also take your fresh produce, blend it, and then pour it into ice trays to freeze. Just remember to take them out of the tray once theyre frozen, and put them in an airtight freezer bag or container, so they are covered and wont touch other stuff in the freezer.

What about pre-mixed frozen produce in smoothies and juices?

Can You Use Frozen Fruit In Smoothies

Its essential that you use enough frozen fruit in your smoothie to make it perfectly creamy. Not enough and youll end up with more of a liquid drink instead of a thick slushy consistency. You can either buy the already frozen fruit at your grocery store or freeze fresh fruit that you have cut into 1-2 inch pieces.

Are Frozen Fruit Smoothies Healthy

Frozen fruit smoothies are relatively healthy as frozen fruits still retain much of their nutritional value and taste. Many people prefer to get their daily intake of fruits and vegetables through smoothies because its so convenient and tasty. You should know that fruit smoothies can be high in sugar due to the natural sugar content in fruits. While smoothies are a convenient meal replacement, you should still try to eat fresh fruit and vegetables wherever you can.

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The Secret To A Perfect Superfood Smoothie Is:

• A serving of veggies
• A serving of some type of fruit
• 1-2 servings of extra add-ins
• liquid

Tips & suggestions:

• Keep bananas, berries, and some veggies in your freezer to have on hand for smoothies all the time!
• If using fresh fruit, you may want to reduce the liquid content or add ice for a thicker texture
• Add-in any of your favorite superfoods to any of these smoothies!
• If you love these 3 veggie-packed smoothies for beginners youll also love my favorite green smoothie recipe!

If you tried these 3 Veggie-Packed Smoothies for Beginners or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on , and for even more deliciousness!

How Can You Make A Creamier Smoothie

Try to add avocado because its ideal for adding creaminess to your smoothie. Avocados mild flavor counterfeits its nutritional wallop. As an alternative, you can add frozen yogurt, ice cream, or vanilla yogurt for more creaminess. Achieving the right texture smoothies needs a good blend of liquid and solid ingredients.

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Raspberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

Raspberry Banana Smoothie is your perfect choice for a fast yet nutrient-included breakfast or a prep meal before the gym. These two fruits are rich in kali, vitamin C, and dietary fibers that meet 50 percent of the bodys daily needs.

Besides this irresistible smoothie is a sweet treat for both adults and children.

Combine ½ cup of frozen raspberries and ½ cup of frozen bananas into the blender. Add up ¾ cup of any milk you like, such as soy milk or almond milk.

Add ¼ cup of plain or vanilla yogurt with a teaspoon of sugar. Blend till the texture frothy. You can top the glass with sliced fruits.

How To Reduce The Bitterness From Your Smoothie

You can make your smoothie less bitter by adding sweet fruits like bananas, apples, oranges, etc. The sweetness seems to neutralize bitter flavors. For the green smoothies, strawberries are also a good choice.

You can also add vanilla extract, vanilla bean, or unsweetened cocoa powder in your fruit and vegetable smoothie recipe, then process with the highest speed. These ingredients will mask the taste of bitter greens.

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How To Make A Smoothie With Frozen Fruit

To make your frozen fruit smoothie, youll need just three simple ingredients.

• Milk. You need this liquid to be able to help the frozen fruit blend. You can use whatever kind of milk you prefer- dairy or non-dairy.
• Yogurt. This makes the smoothie creamy and also adds a probiotic boost! Again, you can use whatever kind of yogurt you enjoy. I love using my easy homemade yogurt!
• Frozen fruit. As Ive already said, this is what makes the smoothie delightfully thick. And the flavor combinations are endless!

Once you have your ingredients, add the milk and yogurt to the blender. Adding these easy-to-blend foods first will help make it easier for the blender to do its job.

Add your fruit and blend!

If you have a high powered blender, there should be no problems. But if you are using a regular blender, you may notice that it is struggling to work.

If that is the case, stop! You dont want to blow up the motor.

You can either add more milk/yogurt to make the smoothie easier to blend or you can just wait for 10 minutes or so and allow the fruit to soften a bit.

How To Store Freezer Packs

Before creating a smoothie pack, youll need a way to combine and store the ingredients to create a pack. There are two options:

1. Quart-size bags. Ive used plastic bags for a long time . I also recently ordered a set of silicone, reusable bags and really like them.

2. Glass or plastic jars or containers

I like to use bags. The bags make releasing frozen fruit and veggies much easier than stiff containers.

Storage jars are much bulkier which creates an issue with smaller freezers, like mine. And if the frozen fruit and veggie melt and begin to stick together before freezing a smoothie pack, there may be issues with releasing the smoothie contents at the time of blending.

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Flash Freezing Fruit And Veggies

The way I freeze my fruit is called Flash Freezing. Technically flash freezing is a process in which food is very quickly frozen at extremely cold temperatures. Foods are flash frozen so that as many nutrients are retained as possible, and to make sure that the food is as fresh and flavorful as it can be. But you can do the fake version of flash freezing at home.

To Flash Freeze:

• 1) Wash and/or peel your fruit/vegetable thoroughly.
• 2) Place flat on a baking tray. Its best if your product isnt touching, but it isnt the end of the world if it is.
• 3) Freeze.

Yes it really is that simple. Look how perfect it looks after it is frozen. I left some of the stems on for when I make a green smoothie. Our favorite fruit to freeze for smoothies are:

• Strawberries

Recipes Using Frozen Fruits & Vegetables

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Why Add Veggies To Smoothies

• Its an easy way to get in an extra serving of veggies for your daily intake
• Adding more veggies means adding less fruit-keeping your smoothie low in sugar
• Veggies are densely nutritious and great to consume for overall health

I encourage everyone to set a goal for 2018 to try and add some more veggies to your diet!

Now lets move on to the other ingredients in these smoothies.

I always like to add some sort of superfood to my smoothies to make them as nutritious as possible.

Prep Work: How To Freeze Smoothie Ingredients

I highly recommend using frozen fruit and veggies in a smoothie pack. Using previously frozen fruits and veggies will guarantee that the ingredients dont stick together once mixed in a pack and placed in the freezer. You can purchase frozen fruits and veggies from the store, or purchase these items fresh and freeze them yourself.

For fruit, I recommend flash freezing the fruit first in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. This works well with in-season fruit and sliced bananas. Once the fruit is frozen , place the fruit in a storage container/bag to use later, or divide the fruit into individual smoothie packs.

For veggies, steam the chunks in water for just a few minutes until slightly soft. Then flash freeze the chunks in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Once the veggies are frozen , place the veggies in a storage container/bag to use later, or divide the veggies into individual smoothie packs.

I also like to add a probiotic to my smoothies, either in the form of yogurt or kefir. To do this, pour the kefir or yogurt into ice cube trays, and then freeze the trays. Once frozen, place the cubes in a storage container/bag to use later, or divide the cubes into individual smoothie packs.

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Three Vegetable Smoothie Recipes

One of my nutrition goals is to make sure to fuel my body with nutritiously dense foods.

One of my favorite ways to get in some quick, easy, and healthy nutrition is with smoothies! I know adding vegetables to smoothies can still be a little taboo for some, so I wanted to create 3 veggie-packed smoothie recipes for beginners.

First of all, I promise you cant taste the veggies, and you wont even know that theyre there.

What To Do With Leftover Smoothie

If you have any leftover smoothie, just pop the extras in the fridge or freezer and enjoy later. My kids like to put them in the freezer and then eat when it is frozen. The smoothie will become frozen hard and you will need a spoon to scrape it up. As it begins to thaw, the smoothie is easier to eat.

Don’t forget to PIN for later

Check out all my delicious recipes!

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How To Use Frozen Vegetables And Fruit In Smoothies

One of the great things about making smoothies with frozen produce is its convenience. Its already cleaned and cut up, meaning all you have to do is put it in your blender with any other ingredients youd like and press blend.

In most cases, you dont have to wait for frozen fruit or veggies to thaw before putting them in your blender, especially if you have a high-powered blender. If you dont have a high-powered blender, you might want to let the frozen produce thaw for five minutes so that its easier to blend.

What To Put In Smoothies My Favorite Add

• Plant-based protein powder

There are of course many other add-ins that I love, but these are my go-tos.

What I love about smoothies so much is you can add in so many nutritious ingredients to blend up and you have a quick and easy meal that is loaded with vitamins, nutrients and will leave you feeling amazing.

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Why Use Frozen Fruit And Vegetables In My Smoothie

There are a number of benefits to making a smoothie with frozen fruit or vegetables. Although fresh ingredients can be great and healthier than frozen, they can be costly and may pass their best ripe stage very quickly. For smoothie lovers who have busy lifestyles and want an easy way to prepare, frozen ingredients are ideal they can simply be taken out of the freezer and popped straight into the blender! No chopping, cutting or separating at 6 am when you need to get out for work. However, a faster serving time isnt the only reason why frozen fruit and vegetables can be a great replacement for fresh fruit and veg. Frozen ingredients are:

Quicker to prepare Hold in healthy nutrients Create a better smoothie texture

For families living on a budget, frozen fruit is just as tasty and doesnt have to break the bank! In fact frozen vegetables in particular can be bought at a very reasonable price and will provide you with the brilliant nutrition our bodies need. Frozen fruit and veg will have more nutrients than the fruit and veg you bought that was left on the side for over a week! This is because the fruit is no longer fresh if you dont use it immediately, but the frozen fruit will retain its nutrition. Finally, you will see frozen fruit and veg in a range of smoothie recipes because once blended, the frozen ingredients give the smoothie a tasty thick texture.

Can You Use Frozen Vegetables In Smoothies

I probably dont have to tell you how healthy vegetables are. Many studies have shown that regular consumption of veggies can have great effects on your health, since veggies carry nutrients that out bodies need to function. For some though, even when they know the nutritional value of vegetables, they have trouble hitting their daily intake. But what if I told you there may be a way to combine the delicious flavor of smoothies with the health benefits of vegetables? Is it even possible to work such magic?

Can you use frozen vegetables in smoothies? Yes, you can use frozen vegetables in smoothies. Adding vegetables to your smoothies can help you reach your daily intake of vegetables easier and add a great texture and consistency to the smoothie.

Not only can you make some downright tasty veggie smoothies, but there are some great combinations to try, along with more information on this question down below.

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Best Vegetables For Smoothies

Published: by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN //

This post highlights the best vegetables for smoothies and recipes that use them! Youll learn about the best greens for smoothies and the best veggies to blend. Use my tips to get your daily vegetables in a smoothie that actually tastes good.

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my affiliate disclosure.

When my readers ask about easy ways to increase their veggie intake, I almost always mention smoothies! Drinking vegetables is more palatable than eating veggies for some people. Plus, you can put a LOT of produce in a single smoothie.

Even better, whipping up a smoothie requires minimal prep time. But making a vegetable smoothie that actually tastes good does require some thought. Thats why I put together this post on the best vegetables for smoothies. Spoiler alert: leafy greens arent the only veggies you can blend.

Two Sample Recipes For Freezer Smoothie Bags:

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup bananas, sliced

Divide the blueberries, strawberries and bananas up into medium sized resealable freezer bags. Remove excess air, seal and freeze. To serve, add 2 cups of milk or fruit juice and blend in a blender or with a hand blender. Pour into glasses.

• 1 cup frozen mango cubes
• 1 cup pineapple, chunked
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1/2 cup avocado, cubed

Divide the mangos, pineapple, spinach, and avocado into other medium sized resealable bags. Remove excess air, seal and freeze. To serve, add 2 cups of milk or fruit juice and blend in a blender or with a hand blender. Pour into glasses.

To make the smoothie bags, you can use fresh or frozen fruits or vegetables or a combination of both. Other ideas of what to include in the freezer smoothie bags include strawberries, cranberries, peaches, grapes, kale, broccoli, clementines, oranges, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon.

You can also freeze yogourt by pouring it into an ice cube tray and freezing and then popping a few of the frozen yogourt cubes into your smoothie bags.

The possibilities for variety with this are endless! This makes it easy to personalize and create smoothie bags that you and your family will love. Get creative!

You just need to stick to a ratio of 3 cups of any fruit/veggie combo and then when blending, add 2 cups of liquid.

When serving smoothies for breakfast, you can make it a more complete meal by topping with granola such as our freezer granola.

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