I’ve got another quickie for you tonight. It’s more of an idea than a recipe. I’m sure a lot of you Budget Byters already stock your freezers with these handy smoothie packs, but I wanted to share the tip for those who may be new to the kitchen. Not only does this make smoothies faster and easier to make, but they’re a fraction, a small fraction, of what you’ll pay at your local smoothie counter.
So, the formula is easy. Three one pound bags of frozen fruit of your choice, and four bananas. Divide the frozen fruit up into 8 bags, and place half of a peeled banana in each bag as well. Seal them up tight and toss them into the freezer. When you’re ready to make your delicious smoothie, place the frozen fruit in the blender, add milk (or soy or almond milk), and whatever else you want and press go! No more hauling ten ingredients out of the freezer every time you want to make one smoothie. Just grab one bag and add a liquid. Sure, I also add spinach, cinnamon, and ground flax seed, but it’s still way easier to have the fruit divided up. And it only takes about 5 minutes to make all 8 packs.
This is my favorite smoothie – peaches, strawberries, raspberries, banana, spinach, light vanilla soy milk, ground flax seed, and cinnamon. It works, trust me! If you like things sweet, add a touch of honey and it’ll blow you away.
Smoothie Packs
Servings 8Ingredients
- 16 oz. frozen strawberries ($2.69)
- 16 oz. frozen raspberries ($4.15)
- 16 oz. frozen peaches ($2.69)
- 4 medium bananas ($0.86)
Instructions
- Divide the ingredients equally between 8 quart-sized freezer bags (1/2 banana per bag).
- Freeze the smoothie packs until ready to use or up to three months.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
- 1 frozen smoothie pack $1.30
- 1 cup light vanilla soy milk $0.41
- 1 handful baby spinach $0.53
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seed $0.03
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon $0.03
- Empty one smoothie pack into a blender and add the soy milk, spinach, flax, and cinnamon.
- Blend until smooth, adding more liquid if needed.
Step By Step Photos
This is what goes into the frozen smoothie packs. I switch up the fruit a lot (I like blueberries too), but I always try to have at least three. Adding frozen bananas to a smoothie gives it a nice ice cream-like texture. If you’ve never used a frozen banana in your smoothie, then you haven’t lived. Okay, maybe that’s a bit extreme, but you’ve got to try it.
Divide the fruit between 8 freezer bags. One of my bananas turned out to be completely rotten inside so I could only make six this time around. I always tend to over estimate how much fruit is needed per smoothie and then I can’t fit it all in the blender. So, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of each of the frozen fruits per bag. Then just pop them in the freezer until you’re ready to make a smoothie. They’ll stay good in the freezer for a couple of months. The bananas will slowly turn brown, but they’re still good eats for a while.
When you’re ready to make a smoothie, just put the frozen fruit in a blender with some liquid (and whatever else you want) and you’re ready to blend. I add spinach for the nutrients, not the flavor… you can’t taste it with all of the fruit. It blends easier if the spinach is at the bottom.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE milk… but in my smoothies I like light vanilla soy milk. It just has more creaminess than milk and the vanilla goes great with the fruit. In the old days, before Silk was everywhere, I used milk and added vanilla extract. So, that’s an option too.
I like to add some flax for fiber and omega-3s, and cinnamon just because I like it :) If I’m craving something sweet, I’ll add a tablespoon of honey or so, but usually the fruit and silk are sweet enough for me.
Blend that sucker up ’till it’s nice and smooth! Sometimes I have to add a touch of water or more silk just to get it going. That’s what will happen if you have too much frozen fruit in your pack. It’ll be waaaaaay too thick to blend properly.
Oh yums. It’s good. And good for you. And spinach? What spinach?
I loved the suggestion to put avocados in smoothies (thanks, Brent!) and I can’t wait to experiment with that. So, for all of you smoothie lovers out there…
I’ve just started making smoothie packs. I have several different combos that I try and so I always have a few in the freezer so each day I can pick what I’m in the mood for. Some of my favorites are chocolate peanut butter (cocoa powder + peanut butter), strawberry banana, chocolate mint, green island (pineapple + coconut + spinach), chocolate raspberry…
Are the smoothies high in sugar as I’m a diabetic
It depends on what you put in it. If you include a lot of fruit, it will have a lot of natural sugar.
Not sure how different they are, but I had Gestational Diabetes With my last pregnancy, and my dietitian had advised against smoothies at all, because they usually do have a lot of sugar. Even worse, it’s in liquid form, so it hits your system faster, making your blood sugar levels spike pretty badly. I would talk to your doctor or dietitian before trying this.
I am a Type 1 Diabetic and have a smoothie for breakfast every morning. I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk, chocolate protein powder, ground flax seeds, chia seeds and frozen strawberries. I don’t have a problem with it spiking my sugar but as you know each diabetic is different. I personally don’t eat many bananas (even though I like them) because they are so high in carbs.
Love it! Just need it to be a lot sweeter :) I have a sweet tooth, any suggestions?
I like to add a little honey or brown sugar when I want it a bit sweeter. :)
Add frozen mangoes. They are sweet and creamy.
Thanks for a great post. I use water and raw vegan protein powder in the morning with half a frozen banana; tastes like heaven but am looking to do a lunch smoothie and this has great ideas. All the best intentions in the world won’t get you a healthy meal if you ‘run our of time’ to make one, so I’m going out there now to chop and bag :)
Any suggestion for an alternative to the banana in these smoothie packs? I can’t eat banana :(
You can pretty much do any frozen fruit you like, but banana is the only one that gives that creamy texture.
Avocado works well.
I but the spinach you can microwave in the bag, microwave it, open the bag and put in the freezer, when frozen I break it up in pieces for my smoothies. (raw spinach is bad for my hyperthyroidism). I also use whole flax seed and let the blender grind it. Ground flaxseed loses it’s nutritional value and goes rancid after a couple of weeks (so I read). I also add chia seeds.
Right now I keep all my ingredients in the freezer and pull them all out to make a smoothie. Will start making individual smoothie freezer bags and will try the banana!
Thanks!
That is a great tip particularly to those fresh to the
blogosphere. Short but very precise info… Appreciate your
sharing this one. A must read post!
I added a quarter of an avocado and about 3/4 of a cup of skim milk. It came out ridiculously delicious!
Does anyone know how many calories and grams of protein are in these smoothies?
Maggie,
I ran the recipe through WolframApha: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1c+vanilla+soy+milk%2C+1.5+c+baby+spinach%2C+1.5+T+ground+flax+seed%2C+2oz+raspberries%2C+2+oz+peaches%2C+2+oz+strawberries%2C+.5+banana
It comes up with the following:
total calories 295 | fat calories 70
total fat 9 g | 14%
saturated fat 1 g | 5%
trans fat 0 g |
cholesterol 0 g | 0%
sodium 162 mg | 7%
total carbohydrates 45 g | 15%
dietary fiber 11 g | 43%
sugar 28 g |
protein 12 g | 24%
vitamin A 5% | vitamin C 125%
calcium 42% | iron 25%
vitamin E 6% | thiamin 16%
riboflavin 32% | niacin 9%
vitamin B6 17% | vitamin B12 1.5×10^7%
folate 12% | phosphorus 12%
magnesium 21% | zinc 6%
Note: WA used regular, instead of “light” vanilla soy milk, so you can subtract 30 calories (including 10 from fat), 1.5g fat (incl. all the saturated), 5g of sugar, and increase the calcium by 15% if following the recipe above!
That is incredible! I’ve found a new way to waste time online now. Thanks Brandon.
I have also learned you can buy the large bags of spinach (or other greens) and blend them up — add a little water and pour them into ice cube trays. Freeze over night then pop out and add to the bags. My kids call them power pellets and don’t even question me adding something “green” to their smoothies. :)
What a great idea!! And makes the morning even faster because it is pre-made and frozen.
Do you think you could add skim milk instead of water?
Yes, you can :)
You can find flax seed at the grocery store, walmart or target-just about anywhere. I use hemp seeds instead of flax seeds, its suppose to be a little bit better for you. I ordered mine online on amazon and had it in two days because I have amazon prime. Hope that helps.
Where do you find “Ground Flax Seed”? I was doing some shopping today, and Smoothies are one of those things I make almost daily for breakfast. I went to my local ‘health food’ market (actually several of them), found “Flax Seed Meal”, but that didn’t look right.
Yep, ground flaxseed and flaxseed meal are the same thing. :) The size of the grind might vary from brand to brand, but it’s the same thing.
I love the idea of separating and freezing the ingredients into packs. Thank you!
My favorite smoothie is a PB2 & Banana. It allows me to get in a ton of protein along with my fruit at breakfast or as an in between meals snack. (I eat 5 times a day.) I also like it because there’s no added sugars (natural or other) and no dairy either.
3/4 cup ice
1 banana, frozen
2 Tablespoons of PB2
2 scoops of Isopure Banana Cream Protein Powder (or vanilla flavored)
3/4 cups water
This makes one 16 ounce smoothie.
Regarding the Isopure protein powder… this is a whey protein which is made from dairy. There is vegetable protein available if you prefer to avoid dairy but it doesn’t taste as good :-).
On the other hand, whey protein generally doesn’t bother people with lactose intolerance so if that’s why you avoid dairy then the whey protein probably won’t be an issue. However if you avoid dairy for other reasons, then definitely think twice about using whey-based protein powders.
I went to a public restaurant supply store today like one of your comments suggested. I got a HUGE bag of fresh spinach (2.5lbs!) for 5 freaking dollars, and a 5lb bag of mixed frozen fruit for $10.
Holy. Mother.
The entire first half of 2014 is gonna be smoothies.
My smoothie is similar to yours. I use strawberries, blueberries, sometimes if I have them I’ll also add raspberries and blackberries. I also do the half of a banana and half an apple. I also add chia seeds or ground flax seeds, cinnamon, raw honey and kale or spinach. I add 1/4C. Of The Ultimate Meal for the extra protein and water. I don’t do dairy or soy.
What I’d like to know is what kind of blender do you use? Mine is about ready to die and I need a heavy duty one.
I actually use a really cheap (about $13) single serve blender… I think it’s made by Hamilton Beach.
Please note, if your blender isn’t strong enough, use your food processor! It chops right through the frozen solids.
Thank you for this. I have issues with food, especially breakfast. I’m not sure what it is about breakfast, but I have to force myself to eat. I’m getting better at eating regular meals, but even on my best days I only get lunch and dinner, usually at obscure times, but im getting there. i bought a blender on a whim the other day and decided to give these a try. I made them up last night and I just had my first one for breakfast: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, banana, some spinach, flackseed, cinnamon, some oats and coconut milk. I’m still drinking it, but it tastes good and I can definitely see myself having these most days. I’m even thinking about making some smaller ones to have before my ballet classes.
I’m allergic to forms of animal dairy And tried some oat milk breakfast drinks Recently but couldnt finish one. i guess i have an aversion to dairy type drinks even though oat milk is safe for me. Tomorrow I will leave out the oats and coconut milk and sub in my breakfast drinks and see how that goes.
Thank you so much for this. It’s such a simple, common sense idea but I think it’s really going to help me get on top of my eating and get healthier.