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.
Green Weight Loss Smoothies
Popping into a juice bar for a cold cup of extruded kale juice may be all the rage, but when it comes to both nutritional impact and weight-loss power, juices can’t hold a candle to smoothies.
- First, most commercial juices use apple juice, which is a high-sugar, low-nutrient base.
- Second, juicing strips all the natural fiber out of produce: the rough stuff is what makes it good.
- And third, juices lack fat and protein without these crucial elements, you’re getting no fat-burning, metabolism-boosting benefits.
Next time you want to drink your veggies, blend up one of these seriously nutritious recipes from the book Zero Belly Smoothies.
All recipes make one serving.
Meal Prep Smoothies Are Your Snacking Secret Weapon
Keep your freezer stocked with pre-measured, pre-frozen smoothie packs so you can make a nutritious smoothie for breakfast or a snack in under one minute. By pre-portioning ingredients into single-serving bags, you simply need to dump the frozen contents of a bag into a blender, add some liquid and let it whirl. When a smoothie hits the spot, youll thank yourself for being so prepared and having a healthy snack within reach.
If youre looking for a low-cost way to enjoy smoothies, like the ones youd get in a freezer smoothie subscription, such as Daily Harvest, Smoothie Box, or Revive Superfoods, you can use these recipes to make your own and save a lot of cash. Use these simple freezer smoothie ideas to make DIY Daily Harvest smoothie recipes at home.
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Diy Smoothie Freezer Packs
Make your own Smoothie Freezer Packs to stock your freezer for easy weekday breakfasts and post workout snacks. Just like the ready made Freezer Smoothie Packs you buy at the store, these DIY Smoothie Packs are totally customizable to suit everyone in your family!
Hooray, its Friday! This week was soooo weird, I couldnt keep track of the days of the week probably because Monday was a holiday.but I still had to work but there wasnt any school so it was a crazy day altogether. I know, Im rambling but seriouslydoesnt everyone feel a bit loopy when school just gets started?
So, Ive been trying to get things organized by stocking the freezer with easy breakfast items like these Freezer Breakfast Sandwichesand my favorite breakfast burritos because we cant be eating cereal every single day. We also love smoothies and thats why I started throwing together these DIY Smoothie Freezer Packs so everyone can get a little bit of exactly what they want.every single day.
Kefir And Greens Shake
When it comes to health foods, probiotic-heavy kefir and vitamin-rich leafy greens are superstars. Get your fix, along with satiating healthy fats, in this recipe from Mike George, nutritionist at Lateral Fitness. If you’re trying to lose weight, he recommends drinking this shake first thing in the morning, even before your daily coffee because coffee may inhibit the absorption of some nutrients.
Recipe: Blend 1 scoop vegan protein protein powder, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 cup unsweetened kefir, 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter, 1 teaspoon flaxseed oil, 1 cup frozen fruit, 1 tablespoon chia seeds.
Nutrition: 318 calories, 29 g carbohydrates, 13 g protein, 21 g fat
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Can You Freeze Fresh Greens For Smoothies
One of the absolute best things about these make ahead fruit smoothie freezer bags is that you can freeze fresh produce and enjoy it later. Gone are the days of grabbing that container of baby spinach or that bag of fresh kale, only to find its old and unusable. Instead, you can add them to your freezer bags and have them ready to blend any time you want. Freezing the greens doesnt have any effect on their flavor, texture, or nutrients when used in these freezer packs!
To freeze raw kale, wash it and get rid of all the woody stems. Drain it of any excess moisture and place in an airtight container or a freezer bag. Kale can last up to 10 months in the freezer and is a great addition to your favorite green smoothie!
Practical Ways To Reduce Single
We are always looking for ways to reduce the use of single-use plastic in our kitchens, such as using Stasher bags for our freezer smoothie bags instead of disposable one-time-use plastic baggies. Check out this free downloadable PDF for 6 Practical Ways to Reduce Single-Use Plastic in your home. Just click on the image below or here for a bigger or printable version.
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Homemade Vs Ordering Smoothie Packs
Verdict? I love these packets because they made my morning so much easier and didnt take that long to prep.
Buying pre-made smoothies like from Smoothiebox is a bit more expensive than making them yourself. However, it can be useful to keep you on track during the busy seasons of your life, like having a newborn!
Ill likely keep doing a mix of ordering some and making some of my packs! Let me know if you try these or if you try out Smoothiebox!
PS You can get five free smoothies for life in your Smoothiebox by using this link! Jump on it if youve been looking to try it out!
If you are a meal plan subscriber, this recipe will be appearing on your meal plan soon! New here? Learn more about healthy easy meal plans here!
Nutty & Chocolatey Weight Loss Smoothies
Have you ever heard of the “health halo”? It’s a term nutrition experts use to describe foods that use a healthy-sounding word like natural on their labels, or add ingredients that people think of as good for you , but which are really junk at heart.
These smoothies are the reverse of that theory. These drinks are tremendously nutritiouspacked with as much, or more, fiber, protein, and healthy fats as any other drinks in the whole book. But they seem like they’re bad for you. How can drinks that seem like they came right from the ice cream shop flatten your belly so effectively?
These are the drinks you’ll whip up on a night when you want something to satisfy your ice cream jones. They’re the recipes you’ll lean on when your kids are complaining that they want something sweet for dessert. And they’re the drinks you’ll use to reward yourself after a hard day at work or in the gym. Deep, comforting, and delicious, these filling smoothies taste more like dessert than what they really arepowerful weight-loss weapons, compliments of the new book, Zero Belly Smoothies.
All recipes make one serving.
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Make Ahead Freezer Smoothie Packs Two Ways
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These Make Ahead Freezer Smoothie Packs are an easy, delicious way to prep smoothies in advance, so that when youre ready to blend you can just grab and dump!
All you need to do is add avocado or yogurt, ice and milk, water or juice of choice.
Can You Freeze Smoothies In Freezer Bags
You absolutely can. Yet, I love prepping my smoothies in wide mouth, pint sized ball jars. These jars will fit the blended smoothie perfectly and they are reusable. Also, they fit in all kinds of spaces within most freezers.
Wide mouth jars work the best as the ingredients are easier to get out when I start blending. There is no worry that the glass will break, as the liquid isnt added until blending.
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Tips For Using Organic Produce With Smoothie Packs
The best guide for knowing what produce to buy organically is The EWG List, published annually. When shopping for green smoothies on a budget, use this guide to keep my produce clean, yet still doable.
The produce on the Clean 15 list can be more safely purchased as non-organic, though feel free to purchase these ingredients organically grown as well.
The foods on the Fresh 15 list either have a shell or skin that protects the fruit underneath, or the farming practices do not genetically modify or use the same chemicals as the first list. If buying all organic is not an option for your budget, use these lists as your guide to the safest, most delicious smoothie ingredients.
Ingredients For Frozen Smoothie Packs
I use a mixture of frozen and fresh fruit in my green smoothies. My go-to smoothie often resembles this detox smoothie recipe but I change it up with the ingredients I have on hand.
My green smoothie formula looks something like this:
1 cup frozen berries
1 apple
1/2 of a ripe banana
1 mini cucumber
1 big handful of baby spinach or super greens
1 tablespoon chia seeds
When blended this makes 2 smoothies, give or take. I drink one that morning and then store the other one in a mason jar for the next morning.
You can use any fruit youd like. I purchase frozen berries because it much cheaper than buying fresh. Most of the time I get 3lb bags of organic frozen berries from Bjs Wholesale for $10 $11. When I cant make it to BJs then I grab a bulk bag from Wegmans.
The great thing about frozen smoothie packs is you can throw any soon to go bad fresh pieces of fruit into the bag. So, if you purchased a bunch of peaches, plums, apples, grapes, or any fruit and noticed they are started to get a little too ripe for your taste then chop it up and throw into a smoothie kit.
Even if youre not ready to make a bunch of kits you can still stick the fruit into a freezer bag to use later on. I do this all the time with bananas and apples.
Again, you can use any fruit in a frozen smoothie kit.
You can add all kinds of power foods into green smoothie freezer kits.
Some favorites are:
cacao powder
coconut oil
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Diy Frozen Smoothie Packs
Love smoothies, but hate the hassle of making them every morning? Youll love these easy frozen smoothie packs. Make enough smoothies for the whole week and have them all prepped and ready whenever you want a tasty and healthy smoothie.
With smoothie freezer packs youll enjoy the convenience of store-bought smoothies with fresh, whole ingredients you select.
Smoothies are perfect to enjoy in the mornings but Ive also found them to be a perfect addition to healthy lunches. My kids love a good fruity smoothie and they never notice when I add veggies to their smoothies too.
Its a great way to get some added veggies and nutrition into your childs diet. Not sure how to get a smoothie to last until lunchtime? Ill walk you through how to pack a smoothie in a lunch box here.
What Should I Store Frozen Smoothie Packs In
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You have several options for storing your freezer smoothie packs in the freezer.
1 Quart-sized BPA-free freezer bags work quite well, since they are smaller and made for the freezer. Consider saving these bags and restocking them with more freezer smoothie packs.
2 Sandwich-sized BPA-free storage bags will work if you place them inside a gallon-sized freezer bag. Consider saving these bags and restocking them with more freezer smoothie packs.
3 We also like these high-quality silicone storage bags. They are the perfect size for smoothie packs but also work well for any food storage. Weve found that they are easy to clean , easy to use, and leak-proof. Silicone is one of the safest materials to store and even bake our food in, as it does not leach any chemicals into the food.
4 We tested using mason jars and found that they can be difficult to get the ingredients out of after being frozen. Plus, they are bulky and take up a lot of room in the freezer. They work in a pinch but arent the best option.
Also Check: Breakfast And Lunch Smoothie Diet
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chickpea Cookie Shake
Chickpeas in a “cookie” recipe? Legumes are great for your gut and your waistline, Talbott says. Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a great source of filling protein and fiber. Oh, and you can’t even taste them, he adds.
Recipe: Blend 1/2 avocado, 1 banana, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1/4 cup rolled oats, 2 tablespoons chickpea protein powder, 3/4 cup milk of your choice.
Nutrition: 460 calories, 41 g carbohydrates, 23 g protein, 27 g fat
How To Freeze Avocado
When you freeze an avocado, the texture does change slightly when its thawed. However, the good news is that this doesnt make one bit of difference in your smoothie if you freeze avocados in your smoothie freezer packs. Personally, I cant stand any brown spots on my avocado, even if Im adding it to a smoothie, so freezing perfect avocados in my freezer packs so theyre ready to blend later is a great option.
In order to freeze an avocado for your smoothie freezer pack, just dice it into small cubes so it breaks down easily in the blender once frozen. A little lemon juice helps keep it from browning as well. Then, add it to the freezer pack and freeze.
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What Ingredients Are In The Best Weight Loss Smoothies
Healthy smoothies for weight loss are made with the right blend of weight loss foods that are scientifically proven to decrease body fat. Some of the common ingredients we include in these smoothies for weight loss are:
- protein powder for weight loss: these powders are low in sugar or other sweeteners, low in calories, and rich in high-quality protein that, in combination with strength exercises, will help build metabolism-boosting muscle mass
- healthy fats: healthy fats like nut butters, avocado, and MCT oil will help to slow digestion to keep you fuller longer to prevent overeating
- fiber: consuming fiber-rich ingredients like chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, leafy greens, and oats can help prevent spikes in blood sugar that can lead to the storage of carbs as fat
- low sugar: fruit is the base of all smoothies, and because fruit naturally contains sugar, there’s no need to add extra sweeteners like honey, orange juice, or frozen yogurt that only serve to add empty calories
Why I Prefer This Method
You can also meal prep smoothies by blending all of the ingredients first, adding them to a glass jar, and then freezing. However, I find that after you defrost them, the flavor just isnt as good. Its not as fresh. Plus, by pre-blending, you run the risk of oxidation, which decreases the nutritional content of the smoothie.
Ive tried meal prepping smoothies both ways, and I can tell you that freezer packs are by far my favorite, especially in terms of maximum flavor and nutrition.
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What Are The Best Ingredients To Look For In A Protein Shake
You can use a plant-based protein powder or an animal proteinpowder , depending on your tastes, but make sure it’s free from hormones, additives, fillers, and ingredients you can’t pronounce, he says, adding that organic is best.
Don’t like protein powder? “That’s fine,” says . “But then there has to be a food source of protein in there, like peanut butter, almond butter, plain greek yogurt, a little cottage cheese, or chia seeds,” Shalek says.
The next most important ingredient for weight loss is fiber, Dr. Abraham says. It also helps keep you full, nixes cravings, and keeps your gut healthy. Fruits and veggies are the best source of fiber and nutrients.
What you don’t want: added sugars and other empty carbs. “Contrary to what you might think, you don’t have to add a lot of sweeteners to make a shake taste good,” he says. “If you use high-quality ingredients, it will taste good on its own.” It’s okay to add a sprinkle of stevia, monkfruit, or erythritol as these natural calorie-free sweeteners won’t mess with your blood sugar, but take a hard pass on artificial sweeteners, he adds.
It’s also important to keep in mind that smoothies and shakes should not be used as consistent meal replacements. Shalek sets a max of one meal a day, and even then, she suggests using your smoothie or shake as an “at-the-ready” alternative to other easy access processed foods . It’s good to have a smoothie or shake nearby for those close calls.
Do Smoothies For Weight Loss Actually Work
When you replace your standard breakfast with a weight loss smoothie, you can lose weight.
On the Zero Belly Smoothies diet, a 39-year-old emergency-response adviser from Katy, Texas, Fred drank Zero Belly Smoothies as part of his weight-loss program. “I noticed results in the first week,” he says. “It really was amazing.” Fred lost 21 pounds and 5 inches off his waist over the next six weeks.
Ohio’s Martha Chesler, 52, who lost 21 pounds and 7 inches off her waist in less than 40 days, had the same experience. “I saw results immediately,” she says.
In fact, in our original Zero Belly Test Panel of more than 500 men and women, many lost up to 16 pounds in the first 14 days. Now you can achieve results like these even more quickly with this carefully created, highly effective collection of Zero Belly Smoothies.
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