I’ve always loved starting my morning with a fresh smoothie as a healthier alternative to caffeinated beverages, but it’s easy for me to feel like they’re not practical to make in my busy student schedule. However, I recently discovered the phenomenon of pre-made freezer smoothie recipes and I haven’t looked back since.
Now, every Sunday, I clear my kitchen counter and spend no more than 10 minutes parceling out the ingredients in individual plastic baggies for healthy, quick smoothies for every day of my school week. The simple time taken to prep for the week makes my early morning routine quicker, but no less delicious. Every morning when I want a smoothie, I just open a bag, add either milk or juice and blend it up!
When making pre-bagged, healthy smoothies like the ones described below, make sure to follow these five easy steps:
1. Place the pre-sliced ingredients in a small, plastic baggie and make sure to seal the bag well.
#SpoonTip: Write the ingredients on the bag in Sharpie so you know which type of smoothie the ingredients are for.
2. Take out your mixing tool. Blenders and food processors are most commonly used for smoothies.
3. Add liquids as specified by recipe into the mixer prior to the solid, pre-frozen ingredients.
4. Once all ingredients are added, blend until desired consistency is achieved. If the smoothie is too liquidy, add more solids. If the smoothie is too thick, add more liquids.
5. Pour the smoothie into a cup, add any toppings you might want, and enjoy!
Here are five of my favorite healthy smoothie recipes to get you started. Don’t be afraid to try out new recipes and substitute different fruits to add variety; it’s hard to go wrong when making smoothies.
Berry Blizzard Blast
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Instructions
#SpoonTip: Switch up your milk choices to add hints of flavor. Try hazelnut milk, soy milk or rice milk.
Tropical Vacation
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Instructions
#SpoonTip: Change up the texture of your smoothies by topping them with other fruits, granola, seeds, chopped nuts or shredded coconut.
Blueberry Mint
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Instructions
#SpoonTip: Freeze the spinach and mint leaves in advance to make them easier to blend into a nice consistency!
Pineapple Delight
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Instructions
#SpoonTip: When blending, start with the lowest blender speed and then steadily increase to higher speeds as the mixture smoothes out.
Pocketful of Sunshine
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Instructions
#SpoonTip: Add two teaspoons of honey for an extra sweet taste to counteract the acidity of the lemon.