Making Morning Smoothies...Shh, Quietly!

     

     Seasons create in me a craving for certain foods. In the winter I could eat soups daily. In the warmer months my preference turns to smoothies. Smoothies are a fantastic way to pack in a lot of nutrients in a convenient and tasty way. 

     However, running the blender in the mornings while my husband sleeps puts my smoothie-making desires on hold. I've discovered that one way around this problem is to prep the smoothie in the evening, freeze, and then thaw and enjoy the next day. I decided it better to freeze the smoothie rather than just storing in the refrigerator because certain fresh produce tend to oxidize quickly turning it a shade of brown, which unless it's chocolate that coloration doesn't appeal to me at all. There is also a belief that the nutrients begin to break down soon after juicing/blending and should be consumed or frozen immediately. 

      I love exploring new smoothie recipes so that I can take advantage of seasonal or sale produce. This particular recipe includes: 1 handful of spinach, 1 c. blueberries, 1 c. strawberries, 1 c. mixed berry juice and 2 tbsp flax seeds and a handful of ice cubes. 

       Once blended until smooth, pour it into empty ice cube trays and place in the freezer overnight. I enjoy utilizing the ice cube trays for the ease of popping them out the next day. Since I'm freezing short term they don't interfere too much with the available space in my freezer. The cubes are also great for serving smaller portions when desired. You can also freeze the smoothies in plastic bags. Flat freezing the bags will aid in conserving space for longer term storage. If you have more freezer space, then you certainly could make several different kinds of smoothies and store in bags in the freezer for later use. Doing so would be a great way to take advantage of seasonal produce for the off-season. 

     When finished for the night, clean up is really quick by simply adding some water and dish soap to the blender and then turning it on. It comes out nice and clean and I don't have to handle the sharp blade at the bottom. 

     Preparing the smoothies when desired simply requires warming the frozen batch either on the stove or in the microwave. I melted mine a bit and then took the potato masher to blend everything together while preserving some of the icy texture. 

  Ta da! Good morning to me! haha





























      
      I don't have kiddos, but I imagine that freezing smoothies in popsicle molds would be a fun way to offer smoothies to them. Making fresh smoothies and juicing is a good trick for getting more fruits and veggies in the diet. Storing them frozen is a handy way to fix a smoothie quickly without a lot of excess noise disturbing the rest of the household.  I've been enjoying a new smoothie each week during these warming summer days!

What are some of your favorite smoothie recipes or tips?

Linked up at: Raising Arrows, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, The Purposeful Mom, Raising Mighty Arrows, Our Simple Country Life, Little Natural Cottage, Passionate and Creative Homemaking, Your Thriving Family, Homemaker By Choice, Created to be HIS, An Original Belle, The Better Mom, Growing Home, Time-Warp Wife, Thankful Homemaker, Women Living Well, Raising Homemakers

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