Frozen Smoothie Bags

I am very excited to share this idea with you today! If you are looking to streamline your morning routine or looking for a quick and healthy mini-meal or snack for the kids, pay attention! This is a good one.

I was inspired to make these frozen smoothie bags by The Tidy Nest's make-ahead freezer smoothies and Muffin Tin Mania's green smoothie cups. I love having ready-made smoothies waiting in the freezer instead of pulling out tons of ingredients and making a big mess. All you need to do is empty the contents of your bag into a blender and add juice or milk until you reach your desired consistency. Easy and healthy- a win/win.

The green smoothie cubes are my favorites (you'll find the procedure for freezing yogurt and the green cube recipe at the end of the post). If you haven't been brave enough to try a green smoothie yet, I assure you that the greens give each smoothie a healthy punch without changing the flavor. It's a great way to add greens to your diet if you or your kids* don't typically enjoy their taste. 

*Kid Tip- if your kids won't touch anything green in color, put one of these smoothies in a cup with a lid where the color is undetectable and they'll never know the difference! I also recommend these Sili Squeeze containers if your kids like the disposable squeeze pouches- I fill them up with smoothies and my little guy loves it.

Here are a few of the smoothie bag combinations that I like to have on hand.

 Tropical Smoothie Bag:

pineapple, mango, banana and yogurt cubes. add orange juice or coconut milk.

(if you omit the mango and use coconut milk, you've got a Pina Colada bag!)

 Green Smoothie Bag:

kiwi, pineapple, banana, green cubes and yogurt cubes. add white grape juice or milk.

(you can also add other green items- celery, green apple, etc.)

 Mango Berry Smoothie Bag:

strawberries, raspberries, mango, green cube and yogurt cubes. add orange juice or milk.

Here are a few other ideas for smoothie combinations:

Mixed Berry Smoothie Bag: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and/or blackberries and yogurt cubes. add pomegranate juice.

Orange Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bag: strawberries, bananas and yogurt cubes. add orange juice.

Blue Banana Smoothie Bag: blueberries, bananas and yogurt cubes. add pomegranate juice.

If you're wondering how much of each item to add to your bag, don't worry too much about it. Each of my bags has about 1-2 cups of fruit, a few yogurt cubes (depending on the size) and 1-2 green cubes. The amount of smoothie that you get with each bag will vary anyways, depending on how much liquid you add, so don't worry about exact measurements. Just have fun with it!

*Note: If you're wondering what mold I used to get the bigger yogurt cubes, I use these Beaba freezer trays. These are excellent for freezing purees of any kind, especially if you want a larger portion than what you can get with an ice cube tray. The little heart cubes are made using a heart mold from the $1 section at Target and the green cubes are made with a silicone mini-muffin tray like this one.

Procedure for Freezing Fresh Fruit:
Wash fruit well and pat dry. Cut off any unwanted skins or stems. Chop into small slices or pieces and place on a baking sheet. Do not allow the fruit pieces to touch each other. Freeze until firm. Remove from the baking sheet and place in a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer.
 
Procedure for Freezing Yogurt:
Spoon or pour yogurt into a mini-muffin tin, ice cube tray or flexible silicone mold. Freeze until firm. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes and remove from the mold (try to avoid running hot water over the mold, it can melt the yogurt). Place in a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer.

Green Smoothie Cubes
by Oven Love

Ingredients:

• leafy greens of your choice- spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc
• liquid of your choice- yogurt, milk, juice or water

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the greens and liquid. Process until smooth, adding extra yogurt or liquid as needed. Spoon or pour the green mixture into a mini-muffin tin, ice cube tray or flexible silicone mold. Freeze until firm. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes and remove from the mold (try to avoid running hot water over the mold, it can melt the mixture). Place in a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer.