As a native Californian, I have a soft spot for fruity, refreshing smoothies and was "totally stoked" (as they say in Cali) for the "Super Smoothies" story in our Jan/Feb issue (page 90). In my dream world I'd sip a healthy, homemade smoothie as a daily breakfast but, since I'm not exactly a morning person, I needed a faster fix. The solution? Take 20 minutes on the weekend to blend up a few batches and store them in single servings in the freezer. At night, transfer a baggie to the fridge and it's ready to drink for breakfast. (One note: This doesn't work particularly well for smoothies that contain yogurt, ricotta, or cottage cheese, which don't stay as smooth when defrosted)
1 The makings of the Peach, Berry, and Spinach Smoothie.
2 Giving the Green Machine smoothie a whirl, too!
3 Dividing each smoothie batch between two freezer-safe, zip-top baggies (one quart is the perfect size).
4 Single serving smoothies in my freezer. Transfer a baggie to the fridge the night before you want to drink it. It will defrost to the perfect icy but smooth state.
5 Fruits of my "labor" the next morning! Usually I snip a corner of the bag off, pour the smoothie into a glass, and enjoy it like an adult, but I've also been known to stick a straw straight in the bag and drink it like a juice box.
From: Jenny | 1/12/11 at 8:14 am
Now that's a genius idea, Merritt! And a great way to use up fresh produce so it doesn't sit in the fridge for days on end. Thanks for the tip.
From: Billie | 8/14/11 at 2:28 am
Good idea to get more fruits and veggies. But what a waste of packaging. Better idea is to just freeze the fruit whole and throw it together in the morning using the blender. Takes 2 minutes and you're not wasting packaging.
From: Heather | 1/20/12 at 12:42 pm
Use glass mason jars. Fill to about 1/2" from the top. Do not put a lid on the jar until completely frozen. Reusable and on-the-go ready.