Green Ginger Smoothie Packets
In theory, smoothies are a nutritious, no-fuss breakfast or snack. But by the time you pull out and measure the ingredients, clean the blender and put everything back, smoothies can take more time and effort than they should.
At least they used to.
Enter the smoothie packet, the genius solution to streamlining smoothie making. With the packet approach, smoothie ingredients are prepped and portioned in advance, making smoothies the nutritious, no-fuss breakfast or snack they were truly meant to be.
Like meal prepping, smoothie-packet assembly takes a little more time and effort upfront, but the result is more efficient, convenient and cost-efficient—something we all can benefit from.
If you’re a ginger lover, you’ve gotta give the green ginger smoothie a try. It’s chock-full of good-for-you leafy greens, tart green apples, potassium-packed bananas, creamy avocado and immune-boosting ginger for bite. You can’t help but feel amazing after drinking one of these zesty smoothies.
Ready to give these smoothie packets a try? Prep ’em like a pro with these simple tips:
Chop and slice to blend nice. Chop your bananas, avocado, ginger and apples into ½- to ¾-inch chunks. Any bigger and they probably won’t blend too well once frozen.
Freeze your OJ in advance. If you don’t regularly keep juice in the fridge (we don’t), you can freeze some in ice-cube trays and add those to your freezer packets, as well. When it’s time to blend, add about 1 cup water to get things moving.
Tweak ingredients for a kid-friendly smoothie. The ginger in this recipe gives it some kick. If you have green-smoothie-loving littles around, simply omit the ginger from the packets and add it fresh to yours just before blending.
Add protein for staying power and recovery. Consider adding ½ cup plain yogurt or a couple of scoops of your preferred protein powder for a boost of protein at breakfast or after a tough workout.
With all the work out of the way, all you have to do is grab one of these green ginger smoothie packets from the freezer, add the contents and a little liquid to your blender, and consider breakfast done!
Green Ginger Smoothie Packets
Makes: 4 smoothie packets (each smoothie is about 12 fluid ounces)
I NGREDIENTS
For the packets:
- 4 quart- or sandwich-size plastic bags
- 2 medium bananas, peeled and sliced into ½-inch pieces
- 4 packed cups baby spinach
- fresh ginger (2- to 3-inch piece), peeled and sliced into chunks
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- 2 green apples, quartered
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
Add to the blender, per smoothie packet:
- squeeze lemon juice (¼ lemon)
- ½ cup orange juice or water
- additional water to thin, if needed
DIRECTIONS
- Evenly divide sliced bananas, avocado, ginger, apples, spinach and cinnamon among four small food-storage bags or containers. Press out the air when sealing bag and lie flat to freeze.
- To use a freezer packet, add ½ cup orange juice or water to the base of the blender followed by smoothie packet contents. Blend until smooth, adding additional water to thin, if needed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7Vn3wAuqf8
Video & photo credit: Elle Penner, MPH RD