Green Smoothies for Days – Batch Recipe

Fruit and Veggie-Power Breakfasts for Your Whole Week!

It’s not easy to get the recommended fruits and veggie into your diet. Especially, if you don’t start loading them in until lunchtime.

Instead, start with a green smoothie for breakfast. My definition of a green smoothie is a drink that has vegetables, not just fruit. It may not actually be green, but the veggies are in there.

Batch Prepping Smoothie Packs

Sure, it’s quick and easy to make an individual smoothie in the morning. The only trick is making sure you have the ingredients you need. But the best part of green smoothies are the veggies and fruit, and they are perishable. So, if you make a smoothie every couple days, the problem is that the ingredients might not be fresh by the time you get to them.

Enter, batch prep for smoothies!

I’ve been making smoothies for years, but never thought to make ‘smoothie kits’ ahead until I saw the idea in the wonderful book, Plant-Based Meal Prep by Stephanie Tornatore and Adam Bannon. And, I took it one step further, by customizing the smoothies before freezing to have interesting and nutritional variety all week.

All you do is prep a bunch of individual smoothie packs. When you want a smoothie, dump the smoothie items in a blender with the liquid you choose. You’re good to go!

If you have freezer-safe containers and the freezer space to store them, that’s great! But, for those who are short on container or space in the freezer, store the smoothie makings in ziploc bags. They stack compactly. Just rinse and reuse the bags for the next batch of smoothies.

The Best Green Smoothie Recipe

I worked in a juice bar for awhile, so as a juice bar-ista I got to make and try lots of smoothie recipes! This blueberry banana recipe was a favorite at our shop. Even my 85-year-old mom loved it! It was the only one she’d actually request. It’s my favorite, too.

Here’s why I think it’s the best!

• It doesn’t require a lot of prep work or complicated ingredients.
• You can pack a lot of fresh spinach in, but most people don’t notice the taste or color because of the blueberries.
• It’s sweet enough to be appealing, but it doesn’t come off like those sugary fruit-only smoothies that give me a headache or carb cravings;
• It’s great with a variety of liquids: nut milk, coconut water, herbal tea, or plain water.
• You can vary it with all kinds of extras!

Assemble Smoothie Packs

Peel then dice bananas. Put the three basic ingredients in each of the five bags or containers. I’m all about saving dishes, so just measure the ingredients directly from the container.

Jazz it Up with Extras!

Poke around in your fridge and find about five different items. (See recipe for suggestions.) Go for a wide variety of colors, flavors and textures. This ensures you’ll be getting a broad range of phytonutrients and zing!

Smoothie Day

Grab a smoothie pack and dump the ingredients into a blender. Gradually add the liquid of your choice, adding more or less for desired consistency. Each smoothie yields 12 to 16 ounces.

When done, rinse the bag to reuse next week. Rinse the blender and you’re good to go!

Tip: If you share your home and don’t want to disturb others in the morning, just blend your smoothie the night before. Give it a shake before your drink it.