Let’s talk about smoothies. Smoothies are an awesome breakfast for kids and adults alike. They are often made with fresh fruit, yogurt, and ice. Other ingredients can be thrown in as well to tailor the smoothie to a persons taste.
While I love making a smoothie for breakfast sometimes they are a pain. I have to wash and chop the fruit, find a yogurt that goes well with them , add in my extra ingredients, and finally blend until smooth. I recently discovered a way to remedy all that work to make a smoothie.
I started making smoothie packs this summer. I simple chop up all the fruit I want to use, package them into freeze safe baggies, add in yogurt, then add in any extras. I’ll be the first to say that my two favorite add ins to smoothies are spinach and flax seeds.
Spinach adds vitamins A, B2, B6, C, E, and K to my smoothies as well as folate, calcium, and potassium. Plus, you can’t even taste it in a smoothie so it’s a great way to get added vegetables in your kids diet. Flax seeds add dietary fiber, manganese, vitamin B1, and omega-3 fatty acids. I can hardly tell it’s in my smoothie either.
I’ve put together a list of 6 different types of smoothies that I really like to make. You’ll notice that each one has the spinach, flax seeds, and also grapes. Grapes are great to freeze in smoothie packs because they act as ice cubes so you don’t need any additional ice in the mix. The only thing you need to add to these smoothie packs when ready to make them is 1 cup of juice or 1/2 cup of juice and 1/2 cup of water. That’s it! Otherwise it’s as easy as dumping the pack into a blender along with the liquid.
This is a great idea for a nutritious and easy breakfast but it’s also great as an after school snack or to refuel after a workout. You can use just about any combination of fruits in your smoothie packs. The below are just a few ideas to get you started.
- ½ c. yogurt, any flavor
- ¼ c. spinach, chopped
- 3 T. flax seeds
- ½ c. strawberries, tops cut off then cut in half
- ½ c. mango, cut into chunks
- ½ c. green grapes
- ½ c. blackberries
- ½ c. peaches, sliced
- ½ c. red grapes
- ½ c. cherries, pitted
- ½ c. peaches, sliced
- ½ c. green grapes
- ½ c. strawberries, top cut off then cut in half
- 1 banana, peeled and cut into fourths
- 1 banana, peeled and cut into fourths
- ½ c. mango, sliced
- 1 c. juice (any flavor) or ½ c. juice and ½ c. water
- To make the smoothie packs open up several different freeze safe baggies. Add the yogurt, spinach, and flax seeds to each one.
- Add the fruit to each smoothie pack, push out the air, and seal. Place 3 freezer smoothie packs in a gallon sized freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 year.
- To make the smoothies, remove the smoothie pack from the freezer 10 minutes before making.
- Add the juice or juice and water to a blender. Pour in the contents of the smoothie pack. Blend until smooth.
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