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Did you read Part 1? If not, go check it out. I share how I take the crockpot freezer packet to the next level by creating full dinner packets.
Smoothies are a HUGE part of our daily life. I pack so much goodness into these frozen sweet drinks. I’ve been know to sneak carrots, cabbage, kale, chard, spinach, and more into a fruit smoothie. I do make green smoothies too and the kids think they are fun.
Benefits of Smoothies:
- save money, those pre-made packets are expensive
- you control the quality of ingredients (organic, non-GMO, local, etc)
- you control the sugar content (no sugar, honey, agave)
- sneak the veggies in, even for the adults
- use whole fruits and veggies and you can easily drink your day’s worth of fruit/veggies
- use the liquid you want (dairy, soy, almond)
- kids will love to drink them
I love to change up our smoothies, but my kids know there is always some sort of veggie in our smoothies. I promise you can’t taste them and usually can’t see them either. If you are new to veggies in your smoothie then you might want to steer clear of celery, it has a pepper-y taste. Pretty much anything else is fair game!
Any blender will do, but using a good blender such as a Vita-Mix will break down the fibers more. It is such a work horse and so I never cut tops of strawberries, I use the pineapple core, and it crushes ice with ease. No I am not compensated by Vita-Mix….I just love it that much. LOL!
Last week the wonderful people from The Mango Board sent me a beautiful box of perfectly ripe mangos. Then the next day, I ended up with 12 more perfectly ripe mangos from the co-op I participate in. I had too many ripe mangos, so I cut them up and flash froze them (aka in a single layer on a parchement lined baking sheet). Flash freezing perfectly ripe keeps the fruit preserves it at the perfect moment and keeps from clumping together in one large mass once it is bagged…even the Vita-Mix couldn’t handle that.
Like those yogurt smoothie packets? Freeze plain or vanilla yogurt in ice cube trays (about 1 tbls per section). Add 2 or 3 to your smoothie packet.
Want to add some greens? Wash and flash freeze in a single layer too…it works great!
I make my smoothie packets to serve my family of 4; however, adjust the quantity to meet your families needs. Here are a few of our favorite combinations:
Tropical Smoothies
2 bananas
2 cups mango
1 cup pineapple
2-3 yogurt cubes
1/2 cup OJ or more to reach desired consistency
Place first four ingredients in a zip top freezer bag, best if everything is previously frozen. Label and Freeze. Day of: Place baggie contents in blender and add liquid. Blend to desired consistency.
Orange Berry Blitz (my knock off of a Jamba Juice smoothie)
2 cups strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup pineapple
1 cup orange juice
Place first three ingredients in a zip top freezer bag, best if everything is previously frozen. Label and Freeze. Day of: Place baggie contents in blender and add liquid. Blend to desired consistency.
Berry Spinach Smoothie
3 cups berries
2 cups baby spinach (washed and flash frozen)
1 tbl sweetener(honey or agave)
water
Place first two ingredients in a zip top freezer bag, best if everything is previously frozen (consider putting spinach in it’s own bag and then inside the berry bag). Label and Freeze. Day of: Blending the spinach first in water will make it puree better. However, you can just place baggie contents in blender and add liquid. Blend to desired consistency.
Basic Smoothie Formula
2 bananas
2 cups berries or other fruit
2 cups baby spinach (washed and flash frozen)
1 cup milk
Place first three ingredients in a zip top freezer bag, best if everything is previously frozen(consider putting spinach in it’s own bag and then inside the berry bag). Label and Freeze. Day of: Blending the spinach first in water will make it puree better. However, you can just place baggie contents in blender and add liquid. Blend to desired consistency.
lesh says
Love this, especially the yogurt idea. I have made up about 20 smoothie packs (so far) for my post partum freezer. I know we’ll be getting loads of fruit and vege into our days once the baby arrives.
Wendy O'Neal says
Smart idea! I did the same thing when I was in my third trimester with both kids! Freezer meals are a life saver!!! Congrats!
Danijela says
I love the part one. It was just amazing. It did took me some time to make those packets, but they surely are saving my time now. I usually make smoothies from fresh fruits, but i like this idea. This way the fruits are already sliced, and I have all the ingredients in on package. Beautiful!