How I Prep Freezer Bags For My Morning Smoothies

I’ve been drinking a smoothie as part of my daily breakfast routine since early July, and I love it! I love the boost of energy my breakfast smoothies give me, and it’s great knowing I am putting good nutrients in my body. These smoothies definitely help me to start off the day right. I’m excited to share my smoothie prep system with you today!

Why I Started Doing Breakfast Smoothies:

Bjorn and I started eating healthier back in July, and it has really helped us to feel better! Granted, for me there have been pregnancy-related snacking moments, so I’m not eating 100% clean or anything…but I am now much more aware of what I’m putting in my body. And incorporating healthy smoothies into my breakfast routine has been such a wonderful addition to my mornings!!

Although I do love eating fruits and veggies, I wouldn’t say that I am always super eager to scarf down a whole bowl of roasted broccoli for supper, or eat a whole banana for snack. I am also a very slow eater (particularly if you get me chatting, haha), so my biggest reason for loving smoothies is this: It would take me a very long time to consume all of the following items for breakfast each day: a bowl of Greek yogurt, a spinach salad, a big glass of almond milk, a banana, and another bowl of fruit. 😉

That is essentially what constitutes each of my breakfast smoothies! And I can down a smoothie a lot faster than I could sit down, tuck in my napkin, and eat all of those items! 😉 Not to mention, most mornings, I eat a slice or two of whole grain bread with sun-butter on the side.

I love the fact that because of these smoothies, I can ingest a lot of healthy food in a short amount of time. I have also found (and mentioned in my pregnancy updates) that I can prevent uncomfortable leg cramps by having a banana or two per day in my smoothies! It’s totally worth it to me – and these smoothies are delicious, too!

How I Prep The Freezer Bags:

I like to prep a good number of freezer bags in one fell swoop. So, every few weeks or so, I pick up the ingredients I need from the grocery store and immediately start prepping freezer bags when I get home. (I hate fruit flies with a passion, so I am always eager to get fresh fruit taken care of and put away before any gnats or flies notice!)

The neat thing about fruit smoothies is that they can be customized a lot! There are endless possibilities with this, but I’ll give you an example of what I generally do.

Here’s what I buy:

• 10-15 bananas
• A bag of fresh spinach
• Strawberries or blueberries (either 2 containers of fresh or 1 bag frozen)
• 4-6 peaches
• Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Chia seeds
• Vanilla extract
• Honey
• Plant-based protein powder (I use Evolve Vanilla Plant-Based Protein Powder — aff. link)
• Quart-size freezer bags
• Snack-size ziploc bags

(To do the actual freezer prep, you’ll only need the bananas, spinach, peaches, berries, and the ziploc bags. The rest of the ingredients will be added to the smoothie when you’re about to blend it.)

Here’s how I get ready to assemble the bags:

I basically make it a quick, efficient assembly line. I start by peeling all of the bananas, breaking each banana gently in half, and placing all the bananas in a large bowl. (Then I bag up all of the banana peels tightly and throw those away.)

I wash and cut any fresh fruit. (I cut peaches into slices but rarely cut strawberries.) If I’m using a bag of frozen fruit, I either dump that into a bowl, or just stick a spoon in the bag so I’m ready to scoop and go! I make sure I’ve propped open the bag of fresh spinach so it’s ready, too.

Then, I count out perhaps 5-7 of the snack-size ziploc bags and open them up. (It’s no fun trying to open a ziploc bag with messy hands, and it’s more sanitary this way, too.) I also open up some quart-size freezer bags and lay them on the table.

Now, for the actual assembly:

I start by packing 1 handful of spinach leaves into the bottom of each quart-size ziploc bag.

Next, I lay 2 banana halves inside the bag. I follow that with perhaps 6 peach slices and a handful of berries.

** I try to create a little variety in the smoothies, like making some more banana-heavy by putting in an extra half of a banana…or making some mostly berry or just strawberry-banana, etc.

Then, I fold the top of the ziploc bag over, make sure I squeeze out as much air as possible, and seal the bag. I also squish the contents around a little bit to get the bag to lay flat. I love freezing smoothies or crockpot meals flat. I also label the smoothie bag with the type of smoothie it is (not totally necessary) and the date I assembled the bag.

I usually make sure I have a few extra bananas outside of the smoothie bags I’ve already prepped. I like to put 2 banana halves into each snack-sized ziploc bag and freeze those as well. This gives me the option of adding extra banana into any smoothie during the week – and a frozen banana substitutes really well for ice cubes!

How I Make My Smoothies in the Morning:

This is the fun part – because all of the hard work has been done already! 🙂

I pull one of the smoothie bags out of the freezer, and grab my Greek yogurt and almond milk out of the fridge.

Then, I usually dump HALF of the contents of the freezer bag into the blender.

NOTE: I say “half” because each freezer smoothie bag actually lasts me TWO days!! I’ve discovered that once I add the rest of the ingredients in the morning, it makes a very large smoothie! So, you can stretch your smoothies to twice as many smoothies by only using half of the freezer bag each day. 

“Half” of the freezer bag means I dump 1 banana piece (it’s half a banana), some of the spinach, and half of the fruit into the blender. Then I pop the freezer bag back into the freezer.

Next, I add about 1 cup of the almond milk, about 1/3 cup Greek yogurt, a squirt of honey to taste, a 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, a spoonful of chia seeds, and a small amount of protein powder to taste. If I feel like it, I can also add an additional 1/2 to 1 banana from the snack-size bags in the freezer!

Finally, I blend it all up, pausing to stir the contents or scrape the sides of the blender.

When I serve the smoothie, it usually makes one large glass for me and I pour the extra little bit into another glass for Bjorn or to keep in the fridge for myself later. 🙂 I always wash out the blender immediately because I really don’t like trying to wash blueberries or chia seeds out of the blender later. It’s worth it to just wash it right away!

There you have it! That’s my smoothie making system! This system has been a great part of my routine since July, and I am loving the fact that it gives me some important nutrients early in the day! I know it has been good for baby girl during this pregnancy, and it sure helps me feel more healthy and energetic in the morning.

Do you like to start your day with a smoothie? Have you ever tried prepping freezer smoothie bags before?