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February 4, 2020

How To Make Green Smoothie Packets For Busy Mornings

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These easy and healthy Make Ahead Green Smoothie Packs will simplify your morning–and they’re packaged in reusable bags for less waste.

Smoothie Ingredients in a Reusable Bag


I’d seen these make ahead smoothie packs all over Pinterest. When I finally made them, I realized they solved two of my pressing smoothie problems:

  1. Pre-washed spinach that goes bad before I can use it all. The small bags are too small, the big boxes are too big.
  2. Morning laziness. Throwing some fruit and spinach into the blender doesn’t seem like much effort. But, well, you know how it goes.

What do you put in green smoothie packs?

Green smoothie freezer packs are totally customizable. Spinach is my favorite leafy green to use because it’s mild tasting. You could also use kale, but start with a smaller amount since it has a stronger (and sometimes bitter) flavor.

Banana lends creaminess and sweetness.

Beyond that, it’s up to you. You can use fresh or frozen fruit in whatever combination you like. Some ideas:

  • Mixed Berry: strawberry, blueberry, raspberry
  • Tropical: pineapple and mango
  • Fresh or frozen cherries
  • Oranges
  • Peaches 

Ingredients for Green Smoothies

What kind of bags work best for smoothie packs?

You could certainly use regular quart-size freezer bags. To reduce plastic waste, wash and reuse them.

I use food-grade silicone bags. They’re washable, reusable, and durable. I’ve tried several brands, and the bags from SIPU and Stasher are my current favorites because they’re easy to open and close.

I’ve also seen these smoothie kits packed in mason jars. But I find that the contents can be hard to get out when it’s all frozen together (especially if you’re using narrow-mouth jars).

  You might also like: My Favorite Reusable Products For The Kitchen

Smoothie Packets

What liquid do I use in my green smoothie?

One cup of cold water works just fine.

You can also use one cup of milk, either dairy or non-dairy (I’m a fan of blending these with unsweetened vanilla almond milk for some extra flavor). If your smoothie isn’t sweet enough for your liking, add a splash of pineapple or orange juice to the blender.

What kind of blender do I need?

Frozen smoothie packs work best using a high-speed blender so the spinach is fully pulverized (nobody likes bits of floating spinach in their drink). I’ve tried many blenders over the years and outline the pros and cons in this post: Which Blender Is Best For You? which includes blenders in multiple price-points.

  You might also like: Peanut Butter Breakfast Shake

What texture are these green smoothies?

If your packets go straight from freezer to blender, you’ll get a slushy consistency. If you’d prefer a more juice-like texture, defrost them in the fridge overnight.

How long do smoothie packets last in the freezer?

Frozen food stays edible for a long time! But to avoid freezer burn, use these smoothie packets with a few weeks.

Continue to Content
Smoothie Ingredients in a Reusable Bag

Make Ahead Green Smoothie Packs For the Freezer

Yield: 4 smoothie packets
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

These easy and healthy Make Ahead Green Smoothie Packets will simplify your morning–and they’re packaged in reusable bags for less waste.

Materials

  • 4 very ripe bananas
  • 4 handfuls pre-washed baby spinach
  • 2-4 cups fruit of your choice (such as strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, cherries)
  • Ground flaxseed (optional)
  • 4 cups water or milk (dairy or non-dairy)

Tools

  • Reusable freezer bags
  • High-speed blender

Instructions

  1. In each bag, place 1 banana (cut in half), 1/2-1 cup fruit, and 1 large handful baby spinach. Optional: Add 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed.
  2. Seal bag and place in freezer.
  3. When ready to use, empty contents of bag into high-speed blender along with 1 cup water or milk. Blend.
  4. Serve immediately.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Stasher 100% Silicone Reusable Food Bag
    Stasher 100% Silicone Reusable Food Bag
  • NutriBullet 12-Piece High-Speed Blender/Mixer System
    NutriBullet 12-Piece High-Speed Blender/Mixer System
  • Leakproof Reusable Sandwich Bagsblen
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© Sally
Category: Breakfast
Green Smoothie

 

Hi! I'm Sally, a dietitian-mom.

I believe that EVERY mom can feel successful and confident about feeding her kids, lose the stress, and finally enjoy mealtime again.

Sign up for my weekly emails for support and inspiration (plus dinner ideas!) and I'll send you 16 game-changing tips for feeding your kids--even the super-duper picky ones.

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Filed Under: Drinks, Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, fruit, green smoothies, meal planning, mealtime, recipes, smoothie, timesavers

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alexis @ Hummusapien says

    December 6, 2013 at 11:20 am

    Love this idea! I’ve been on a huge smoothie kick lately, but I would definitely save tons of time if I organized them ahead of time. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  2. Jessica says

    December 6, 2013 at 12:21 pm

    Unpeeled banana?

    Reply
    • Sally says

      December 6, 2013 at 3:57 pm

      Sorry! Yes, remove the peel before freezing it. I meant PEELED banana. Just fixed that typo. Yikes!

      Reply
  3. Sarah L says

    December 6, 2013 at 3:20 pm

    Wait, please tell me that was a typo and you don’t put unpeeled bananna in your smoothie?! Otherwise, this looks like a fantastic idea. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Sally says

      December 6, 2013 at 3:57 pm

      Oops, yes a typo! That’s peeled. Will fix right now. THANKS!

      Reply
  4. Katie says

    December 6, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    Clever lady!!!!! Pinning this immediately so I don’t forget!

    Reply
  5. Cathy says

    December 6, 2013 at 9:19 pm

    Could I grind the flaxseed before I put it in the freezer?

    Reply
    • Sally says

      December 6, 2013 at 10:49 pm

      Yes, use ground flaxseed.

      Reply
  6. Martha says

    December 6, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    Im allergic to bananas. Any suggestions for alternatives?

    Reply
    • Sally says

      December 6, 2013 at 10:49 pm

      You don’t have to use bananas but they lend a nice sweetness and smoothness. You could simply use different kinds of fruit.

      Reply
    • jaya says

      August 11, 2014 at 5:13 am

      Hi, you could try pears as they still make it nice and creamy and add a nice sweetness. 🙂

      Reply
      • Sally says

        August 11, 2014 at 3:20 pm

        That’s a great idea, don’t think I’ve ever tried pears.

        Reply
  7. Sarah L says

    December 7, 2013 at 12:26 am

    Some yogurt is a nice alternative if you want the sweetness and creaminess w/o a banana.

    Reply
    • Sally says

      December 7, 2013 at 7:26 am

      Great idea Sarah–thanks!

      Reply
  8. Hanna Saltzman says

    December 10, 2013 at 5:56 pm

    This is a great idea Sally! I also have the problem of the small spinach bag running out too quickly, while the jumbo spinach bag goes bad….this is a great solution!

    Reply
    • Sally says

      December 10, 2013 at 7:52 pm

      Thanks Hanna!

      Reply
  9. Allison C. says

    February 18, 2014 at 3:47 pm

    Do you wash the spinach before freezing? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sally says

      February 18, 2014 at 4:14 pm

      I buy the pre-washed kind–and no, I don’t wash it again. I need that timesaver! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Carolyn in NC says

    July 6, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    My smoothie recipe includes all the same things you do plus 1/2 of an avacado and some chia seed and sometimes I use swiss chard or kale rather than spinach.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. {Recipe} Peaches & Vanilla Green Smoothie — Real Mom Nutrition says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:20 pm

    […] “Make-Ahead Green Smoothie Packets” for tips on assembling these ahead of […]

    Reply
  2. Fabulous Freezer #1: Ten Time Savers | Fitfunner says:
    April 9, 2014 at 8:38 am

    […] of time to shorten the actual prep time when blending the smoothies.  Check out this link and this link for suggestions on how to do this.  BTW, we’re big fans of Sally at Real Mom Nutrition.  Check […]

    Reply
  3. The Easiest Frozen Treat Ever - Real Mom Nutrition — Real Mom Nutrition says:
    July 5, 2014 at 7:48 am

    […] taste like little bites of sorbet. I also like to throw a few into my morning green smoothie for an extra burst of […]

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  4. 10 Healthy Green Smoothie Recipes - Mom to Mom Nutrition says:
    March 9, 2015 at 5:00 am

    […] Sally at Real Mom Nutrition shares her tricks for creating make-ahead green smoothie packets. […]

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  5. The Easiest Frozen Treat Ever - Real Mom Nutrition says:
    August 26, 2016 at 8:49 pm

    […] taste like little bites of sorbet. I also like to throw a few into my morning green smoothie for an extra burst of […]

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