I use the harley pasternak blender which has the same specs as a vitamin at a 1/3 the price. Its amazing. Great tip on the frozen yogurt. We have smoothies every day. It’s how I secretly get greens in the family. I put milk just enough to cover the blades. A large dollap of plain Greek yogurt, a scoop on cocoa powder a tbsp of chia seeds a tablespoon of flax oil a large handful of frozen spinach large handful of frozen kale and top with a generous helping of frozen berries. Yummm never even taste the greens
MORGAN GIBSON
Where do you find ice milk. I have not seen it in years.
Jessica Fisher
I’ve made it myself. 😉
Angela
Love the yogurt and banana ideas!! Gonna try that! We keep frozen fruit on hand for smoothies! We have a hard time keeping bananas around long enough for smoothies, but maybe if I get them in the freezer before little hands can eat them!!
DoreenK
Thank you for sharing! I just LOVE the frozen Greek yogurt idea..AWESOME!!! 😉 A friend of mine gave me this idea that has worked out wonderfully for my family, & maybe it would for you! Even though smoothie making is not really time consuming..it could be streamlined. I take individual baggies & fill with the following, spinach, kale, frozen fruit, & flax, maca, cacao, ect. Then, all you need to do is grab a baggie, toss it in your juicer/blender, & add your liquids, raw honey & cinnamon. For me, time is of the essence, so anything that can save even a moment, is good to me!!! 😉
Joyce Whitworth
I absolutely love this, I was thinking the same thing!!!
Karen
What type of blender do you have? I need to purchase one that could handle smoothie making and need some recommendations.
Jessica
@Karen, we have a Magic Bullet. I’m thinking of one of the power blenders though. Wondering if they really are wonderful.
A vitamix is WELL worth the investment! My grandmother bought one about 10 years ago and passed it on to me…I use it daily and it is still going strong!
Erin
This is probably a stupid question, but what kind of liquid do you usually use with your frozen ingredients? Do you always use juice or does water sometimes work? Do you ever use soy milk?
Jessica
We use juice or milk, usually.
Deb
I use any liquid I think may work with the taste, including water.
Angela Lierman
What type of protein powder do you use??? I blindly go some at the store – added it to our smoothies and the kids hated it!!! Too gritty and chalky!! What are some favorites??
Jessica
@Angela Lierman, it was hard to choose. We’re avoiding unfermented soy and a few other junky items. So, we landed on the store brand at Sprouts. No soy.
Candice M.
such creative and useful tips, thanks
Rebecca
This is a great idea! Such a good way to use up that food that is *almost* on its way out.
Deb
And veggies! I like veggie smoothies too: frozen chopped spinach, a clove of garlic, a squeeze of lime juice, a few fresh or frozen blueberries, peaches and ginger. Crazy combo. But yummy! Don’t forget flax seeds or chia seeds 🙂
Amber
I make a smoothie every day to take to work. I do 1 cup frozen fruit (mango, pineapple, strawberries) to 1 cup greek yogurt and a little milk. I use my immersion blender so it’s quick and easy, and very little clean up. Then I pour it into my “to go” smoothie cup and pop it in the freezer while I finish drying my hair, etc. I pull it out 5-10 minutes later and it’s perfect for the drive to work!
Claire
Love this idea!
Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs
To reiterate some other comments – genius on freezing yogurt!
I wanted to mention that adding frozen anything (fruit or yogurt) will make your smoothie thicker and obviously, cold. I think it has to do with the water content of the fruit being frozen, so it’s kinda like adding the fruit plus miniscule ice cubes to the smoothie… but that’s my non-scientific answer, lol. Still just as nutritious and delicious!
Allyson
Stupid question here…do you have to thaw the fruits/yogurt first or can you just throw it into the blender frozen?
Jessica
@Allyson, not stupid. Since you chop/make them smaller, they should blend well if there’s enough milk or juice. You can also let the mixture set for a few minutes before blending. It really depends on your blender and the texture that you like your smoothies. Adding crushed ice is something else we do.
Jamie
Freezing the greek yogurt is GENIUS! What a great idea!
Carla
My 14yo will be so excited. I freeze my bananas for bread but didn’t think to freeze them for the smoothies–duh. And I definitely didn’t think to do the yogurt thing. Brilliant, especially with the healthier yogurt that doesn’t ever seem to get used up as fast like the sugary stuff. And the more frozen stuff the better for smoothies! Know what to add to my list for next week! How much greek yogurt does he use in a smoothie–I haven’t used it too much so it would be a nice to have a starting point.
Sue R
I love the frozen yogurt dollop idea. I am going to try it tomorrow!
Maureen
I love the yogurt dollop idea. Thank you!! I like to buy the larger plain yogurt containers, but we don’t usually go through it all fast enough. I’ve started buying individual containers because of this, so you have just saved me money. Not sure why I never thought of this.
Allie Zirkle
I prefer fresh smoothies so this smoothie station setup works well for us too. I keep flax meal in my station. I don’t chop bananas, I peel and break in half and freeze that way. Loose leaf spinach from the freezer section is a big hit for “Hulk” green smoothies and everyone loves them. Pineapple, coconut, and mango are also big hits in our house. We keep our protein, shaker bottles, and blender all in the same cabinet for ease of use.
@Jessica, Shredded coconut, usually unsweetened. (I like pulp in my OJ so I enjoy the little bits of coconut.)
Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs
@Allie Zirkle,
Our smoothies are much like yours, including the tropical fruits. I make a green smoothie every morning with 1 banana, 1.5 cups spinach, 1 T flax, 1 cup milk (kefir/almond combo) and then an additional fruit. Those you have mentioned are also fantastic with 1 T of chopped fresh ginger!
My husband loves fresh coconut – bought whole, he stabs, drains and peels the skin. It’s quite a process, but he enjoys it and finds it relaxing… kinda like peeling garlic, lol.
tamara
I use the harley pasternak blender which has the same specs as a vitamin at a 1/3 the price. Its amazing. Great tip on the frozen yogurt. We have smoothies every day. It’s how I secretly get greens in the family. I put milk just enough to cover the blades. A large dollap of plain Greek yogurt, a scoop on cocoa powder a tbsp of chia seeds a tablespoon of flax oil a large handful of frozen spinach large handful of frozen kale and top with a generous helping of frozen berries. Yummm never even taste the greens
MORGAN GIBSON
Where do you find ice milk. I have not seen it in years.
Jessica Fisher
I’ve made it myself. 😉
Angela
Love the yogurt and banana ideas!! Gonna try that! We keep frozen fruit on hand for smoothies! We have a hard time keeping bananas around long enough for smoothies, but maybe if I get them in the freezer before little hands can eat them!!
DoreenK
Thank you for sharing! I just LOVE the frozen Greek yogurt idea..AWESOME!!! 😉 A friend of mine gave me this idea that has worked out wonderfully for my family, & maybe it would for you! Even though smoothie making is not really time consuming..it could be streamlined. I take individual baggies & fill with the following, spinach, kale, frozen fruit, & flax, maca, cacao, ect. Then, all you need to do is grab a baggie, toss it in your juicer/blender, & add your liquids, raw honey & cinnamon. For me, time is of the essence, so anything that can save even a moment, is good to me!!! 😉
Joyce Whitworth
I absolutely love this, I was thinking the same thing!!!
Karen
What type of blender do you have? I need to purchase one that could handle smoothie making and need some recommendations.
Jessica
@Karen, we have a Magic Bullet. I’m thinking of one of the power blenders though. Wondering if they really are wonderful.
Val
@Jessica,
A vitamix is WELL worth the investment! My grandmother bought one about 10 years ago and passed it on to me…I use it daily and it is still going strong!
Erin
This is probably a stupid question, but what kind of liquid do you usually use with your frozen ingredients? Do you always use juice or does water sometimes work? Do you ever use soy milk?
Jessica
We use juice or milk, usually.
Deb
I use any liquid I think may work with the taste, including water.
Angela Lierman
What type of protein powder do you use??? I blindly go some at the store – added it to our smoothies and the kids hated it!!! Too gritty and chalky!! What are some favorites??
Jessica
@Angela Lierman, it was hard to choose. We’re avoiding unfermented soy and a few other junky items. So, we landed on the store brand at Sprouts. No soy.
Candice M.
such creative and useful tips, thanks
Rebecca
This is a great idea! Such a good way to use up that food that is *almost* on its way out.
Deb
And veggies! I like veggie smoothies too: frozen chopped spinach, a clove of garlic, a squeeze of lime juice, a few fresh or frozen blueberries, peaches and ginger. Crazy combo. But yummy! Don’t forget flax seeds or chia seeds 🙂
Amber
I make a smoothie every day to take to work. I do 1 cup frozen fruit (mango, pineapple, strawberries) to 1 cup greek yogurt and a little milk. I use my immersion blender so it’s quick and easy, and very little clean up. Then I pour it into my “to go” smoothie cup and pop it in the freezer while I finish drying my hair, etc. I pull it out 5-10 minutes later and it’s perfect for the drive to work!
Claire
Love this idea!
Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs
To reiterate some other comments – genius on freezing yogurt!
I wanted to mention that adding frozen anything (fruit or yogurt) will make your smoothie thicker and obviously, cold. I think it has to do with the water content of the fruit being frozen, so it’s kinda like adding the fruit plus miniscule ice cubes to the smoothie… but that’s my non-scientific answer, lol. Still just as nutritious and delicious!
Allyson
Stupid question here…do you have to thaw the fruits/yogurt first or can you just throw it into the blender frozen?
Jessica
@Allyson, not stupid. Since you chop/make them smaller, they should blend well if there’s enough milk or juice. You can also let the mixture set for a few minutes before blending. It really depends on your blender and the texture that you like your smoothies. Adding crushed ice is something else we do.
Jamie
Freezing the greek yogurt is GENIUS! What a great idea!
Carla
My 14yo will be so excited. I freeze my bananas for bread but didn’t think to freeze them for the smoothies–duh. And I definitely didn’t think to do the yogurt thing. Brilliant, especially with the healthier yogurt that doesn’t ever seem to get used up as fast like the sugary stuff. And the more frozen stuff the better for smoothies! Know what to add to my list for next week! How much greek yogurt does he use in a smoothie–I haven’t used it too much so it would be a nice to have a starting point.
Sue R
I love the frozen yogurt dollop idea. I am going to try it tomorrow!
Maureen
I love the yogurt dollop idea. Thank you!! I like to buy the larger plain yogurt containers, but we don’t usually go through it all fast enough. I’ve started buying individual containers because of this, so you have just saved me money. Not sure why I never thought of this.
Allie Zirkle
I prefer fresh smoothies so this smoothie station setup works well for us too. I keep flax meal in my station. I don’t chop bananas, I peel and break in half and freeze that way. Loose leaf spinach from the freezer section is a big hit for “Hulk” green smoothies and everyone loves them. Pineapple, coconut, and mango are also big hits in our house. We keep our protein, shaker bottles, and blender all in the same cabinet for ease of use.
I love the idea of adding in sorbet. Yum!!
Jessica
@Allie Zirkle, what form of coconut are you using?
Allie Zirkle
@Jessica, Shredded coconut, usually unsweetened. (I like pulp in my OJ so I enjoy the little bits of coconut.)
Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs
@Allie Zirkle,
Our smoothies are much like yours, including the tropical fruits. I make a green smoothie every morning with 1 banana, 1.5 cups spinach, 1 T flax, 1 cup milk (kefir/almond combo) and then an additional fruit. Those you have mentioned are also fantastic with 1 T of chopped fresh ginger!
My husband loves fresh coconut – bought whole, he stabs, drains and peels the skin. It’s quite a process, but he enjoys it and finds it relaxing… kinda like peeling garlic, lol.
Allie Zirkle
@Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs, Oh ginger sounds refreshing!! Maybe I’ll try that for a lunch smoothie.