smoothie

09.09.19

Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie

Posted on by Lexi , Views: 22150

This easy Chocolate Cherry Smoothie is the perfect creamy and flavorful on-the-go breakfast to add to your morning routine! It uses antioxidant-rich frozen cherries and cocoa powder to get a chocolate covered cherry flavor! It’s is dairy-free, packed with healthy fats and so delicious. 

chocolate cherry smoothie in a glassChocolate Cherry Smoothie

A smoothie is the ultimate quick breakfast or snack in every season. This Chocolate Cherry Smoothie tastes so good AND it’s healthy! Packed with antioxidant rich cherries and healthy fats thanks to the added coconut oil, this smoothie will satisfy you well until your next meal.

What’s in it?

  • Frozen Cherries
  • Cocoa or Cacoa Powder
  • Banana
  • Coconut Oil
  • Almond Milk
  • Collagen Peptides or Protein Powder

Ingredients for chocolate cherry smoothie

We almost always get asked what can be substituted for the banana for smoothies. The banana makes the smoothie thick and creamy and adds sweetness. If you want to replace the banana, you could swap it with some frozen cauliflower. The cauliflower will give it the right texture while adding in some extra nutrition! However you might want to add a tablespoon of maple syrup to account for the loss of sweetness from the banana.

Tips for Making Smoothies

  1. You can make your own smoothie packs to make smoothie making a breeze! See this post for more information on how to do that.
  2. Use frozen fruit! Both the cherries and the banana should be frozen here to get the right texture on the smoothie.
  3. If your smoothie is too thick you can add in a 1/4 cup of almond milk or water at a time to get it creamy. If it’s too thin, add in some more frozen fruit or ice.

chocolate covered cherry smoothieIf you like this smoothie recipe, check out these others:

  • Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

    Print shopping list
    Prep Time 00:05 Total Time 00:05 Yields 1

    Ingredients

      Directions

      1. Place all ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy.
      2. Garnish with additional cocoa powder, if desired.
      Loading nutrition data...
      There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!
    08.29.18

    30 Smoothie Freezer Packs (Budget-Friendly)

    Posted on by Kelli Avila , Views: 29944

    Smoothies are a delicious and easy way to have a nutritious breakfast QUICK. Today we’re giving you a guide on how to make 30 smoothie freezer packs, with 5 different smoothie recipes, using one shopping list, that’s budget-friendly and can be prepped in under an hour! They’re paleo, vegan and will keep you satisfied until lunch!

    Smoothie Freezer Packs in the freezer

    30 Budget-Friendly Smoothie Freezer Packs

    Smoothie freezer packs are so popular right now! You can order them via subscription or purchase them by the pack at most stores. We’ve tried some, and enjoyed a few, but ultimately they are SO expensive. So today we’re bringing you the best of both worlds: a convenient and delicious breakfast smoothie that you can make-ahead to grab and go that WON’T break the bank.

    Let’s break down the math:

    One month’s worth of smoothie subscriptions can cost you about $240! Yes, there is definitely a convenience factor, but if you make your own, you control the ingredients and sweetness and it is SO much more affordable. Our 30 days worth of smoothie packs came in at a minuscule: $46.33!!! Or about $1.50 per smoothie! And we timed ourselves making the smoothie packs and can confidently say it should take you no more than 1 hour, or less, to put them all together.

    Freezer Pack Smoothie Series

    We wanted to use one shopping list interchanging the ingredients as much as possible when putting together these recipes. We came up with 5 smoothies that are all their own flavor, while still using some of the same ingredients. We’ve made a SHOPPING LIST  that you can find below, as well as in the notes of the recipe.

    It was also important that we kept the ingredients as common as possible so they’re easy to find. We’ve offered a few substitutions in the recipe for ingredients that are less common, like cacao nibs. And while we tend to like a sweeter smoothie, we know some people would prefer to keep it as low sugar as possible, so sweetness is optional for most (except the cacao ones, which we definitely feel that the bitterness needs to be countered). You can use maple syrup, honey, or stevia (use the amount suggested on your brand) to sweeten your smoothie.

    Freezer Pack Smoothie Series

     Tips to Make and Use Smoothie Packs

    • Where should I shop? We recommend purchasing the fruit at a large box store that offers organic frozen fruits, like Costco or BJ’s, or a place like Trader’s Joes (this is where we purchased some of our ingredients). Amazon Fresh also has some great options for bulk fruit.
    • How Do I Make Smoothie Freezer Packs? Simply place all the specified ingredients, except the milk, inside a plastic bag (or better yet, a reusable bag) and freeze until ready to use, up to one month.
    • Can You Freeze a Smoothie for Later? We do not recommend blending the smoothie too far in advance. Smoothies are best consumed immediately.
    • Have Some Leftover Smoothie? We pour any leftover smoothie into a popsicle mold and enjoy later as a frozen treat. Kids love this! Though frozen smoothie pops are best consumed within a few days of making.
    • Items we love for smoothie packs:
      1. Reusable Silicone Bags
      2. High-Speed Blender
      3. Bag Opener (to fill your packs)
      4. Labels/Sharpies to label/date!

    Freezer Pack Smoothies

    Want more make-ahead smoothie freezer packs? Check out the whole series here:

    Complete Shopping List (copy and paste to your phone’s notes/email to yourself):

    • 72 ounces frozen mixed berries
    • 42 ounces tropical mixed fruit (see note)
    • 30 ounces frozen spinach
    • 24 ounces frozen cauliflower
    • 21 bananas
    • 4 ounces Cocoa powder or Cacao nibs (we used a mix of both, but you can choose just one)
    • 8 ounces honey or maple syrup (optional, but we like it with it)
    • 6 oz mixed seeds of choice (pumpkin, sunflower, chia, flax)
    • 4 ounces sliced almonds
    • mint extract or fresh mint bunch

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    30 Budget Friendly Smoothies

    Print shopping list
    Prep Time 00:60 Total Time 00:60 Yields 30

    Ingredients

    For Tropical Smoothie (make 6 each):

    • 1 cup (5 ounces) frozen tropical fruit mix
    • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) frozen cauliflower
    • 1/2 banana, sliced
    • 1 tablespoon mixed seeds
    • 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice (honey, maple syrup or other)
    • For blending: 1-1/2 cups coconut milk

    For Very Berry Smoothie (make 6 each):

    • 1 cup (5 ounces) frozen mixed berries
    • 1/2 banana, sliced
    • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
    • 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice (honey, maple syrup or other)
    • For blending: 1-1/2 cups almond milk

    For Green Smoothie (make 6 each):

    • 1 cup (5 ounces) frozen spinach
    • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) frozen tropical fruit mix
    • 1/2 banana, sliced
    • 1/4 cup mixed seeds
    • For blending: 1 cup almond milk

    For Chocolate Mint (make 6 each):

    • 1 banana, sliced
    • 1 cup (5 ounces) frozen mixed berries
    • 1 tablespoon cacao powder
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
    • Drop of mint extract or small handful of fresh mint
    • For blending: 1 cup almond milk

    For Chocolate Coconut (make 6 each):

    • 1 banana, sliced
    • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) frozen mixed berries
    • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) frozen cauliflower florets
    • 2 tablespoons cacao powder
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
    • For blending: 1 cup coconut milk

    Directions

    To Make Smoothie Freezer Packs:

    1. For each individual smoothie flavor place all components except for almond/coconut milk in plastic bag and flatten and press any air out of the bag. You can use a straw to suck the air out, just be careful not to do this if you're using any cacao powder.
    2. Repeat this recipe for a total of  6 smoothies per flavor. Place in the freezer until ready to use.

    To Blend Smoothies:

    1. Combine all ingredients, including specified milk, in a high speed blender.
    2. Blend until creamy, adding additional almond milk if necessary.

    Recipe Notes

    1. If the tropical mixed fruit at your store has banana included skip it and instead get 16 ounces mango, 16 ounces pineapple and 16 ounces strawberry.
    2. Freezer packs will last around one month. After significant period of time of longer than a month the bananas start to get brown. That's when you'll know it's time to use them up!

    Shopping List:

    • 72 ounces frozen mixed berries
    • 42 ounces tropical mixed fruit (see note)
    • 30 ounces frozen spinach
    • 24 ounces frozen cauliflower
    • 21 bananas
    • 4 ounces cocoa / cacao powder or cacao nibs (we used a mix of cacao powder and nibs, but feel free to pick one)
    • 8 ounces honey or maple syrup (optional, but we like it with it)
    • 6 oz mixed seeds of choice (pumpkin, sunflower, chia, flax, etc.)
    • 4 ounces sliced almonds
    • mint extract or fresh mint bunch
    Loading nutrition data...
    There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!

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    30 Smoothie Freezer Packs

    08.22.18

    Detox Smoothie Freezer Packs

    Posted on by Lexi , Views: 12242

    This Detox Smoothie Freezer Pack is one of my favorites! A delicious make-ahead smoothie that is full of cleansing whole foods like pineapple, celery, cucumber, chia seeds, honey and lemon to nourish your body and assist with detox. This easy and healthy smoothie is the perfect start to your day.

    detox smoothieDetox Smoothie

    We are on week 4 of our Make-Ahead Freezer Smoothie Pack series! If you are a long-time reader of mine, you know that I believe that food can play a big part in not only keeping the body healthy, but also healing the body. This Detox Smoothie Freezer Pack is the end of a series of 4 nutritionally-minded smoothies packs that target specific health benefits. For the finale we’ll do a round-up and a bonus guide to making 30 Smoothie Freezer Packs that are budget friendly!

    most powerful detox foods

    This week we’re talking about how important it is to eat foods that naturally assist your body with detoxing!

    Toxins are EVERYWHERE in our environment and unfortunately in the foods we eat. Our liver and kidneys naturally do a great job at detoxing, but it is also helpful to include foods that assist the body in detoxing. I have personally dealt with a lot of bloating throughout my gut healing journey so we wanted to incorporate some cleansing and de-bloating ingredients into this smoothie!

    Best Detox and Cleansing Foods

    Luckily there are a lot of of foods that assist in detoxing! Some popular ones are teas, citrus and seeds. Today in our smoothie we’re using pineapple, celery, cucumber, chia seeds, honey and lemon!

    What is the best detox for your body

    Check out the rest of the make-ahead smoothie freezer pack series:

    Detox Smoothie Freezer Packs

    Print shopping list
    Prep Time 00:05 Total Time 00:07 Serves 1-2

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
    • 1 stick celery, chopped in to 4 pieces
    • 2" piece of cucumber
    • 1 tablespoon chia seed
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 1/2 cup coconut water (more as needed)
    • 1/2 cup coconut milk
    • 1 scoop collagen peptides (optional)

    Directions

    To Make Freezer Packs:

    1. Place all ingredients except coconut milk and coconut water into a freezer safe bag. Freeze until ready to use, up to 1 month.

    To blend:

    1. Combine all ingredients, including coconut milk and coconut water in a high speed blender.
    2. Blend until creamy, adding additional coconut water if necessary.
    Loading nutrition data...
    There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!
    08.15.18

    High Fiber Smoothie Freezer Pack

    Posted on by Lexi , Views: 15019

    This vegan smoothie packed with fiber loaded fruits and vegetables is just what you want for breakfast! Our make-ahead high fiber smoothie freezer pack is super quick to put together, and in bulk if you want, and whizz up in a blender right before you head out the door. It’s naturally gluten-free and totally the cool breakfast you want to grab on your way out the door.

    Fiber Smoothie

    High Fiber Smoothie

    We are on week 3 of our Make-Ahead Freezer Smoothie Pack series! You all know I believe that food can play a big part in not only keeping the body healthy, but also healing the body, so we are doing a series of 4 nutritionally-minded smoothie packs that target specific health benefits!  At the end we’ll do a round up and a bonus 30 Budget-Friendly Smoothies guide!

    Today we’re going to talk about why it’s important to consume foods that are rich in fiber and what foods are the best to do this.

    Fiber Smoothie Ingredients

    Why is Eating Fiber Important

    It’s easy to overlook fiber as an important part of a well-rounded diet but it is an essential one! Some of the benefits of a fiber-rich diet: it helps slows the absorption of sugar in our blood stream and keeps glucose levels low, it helps keep our digestive system healthy and regular, and it can lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease and it helps us feel full longer.

    What Foods are High in Fiber

    Being gluten-free, I have to be conscious of including fiber-rich foods in my diet because taking wheat out of a diet also takes out an easy source of fiber. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great source such such as berries, broccoli, whole potatoes, artichokes and apples.

    Some of the high fiber whole foods we are including in our smoothie are blueberries, cauliflower, apples, spinach and flax seeds! We also include lemon here to keep the apple from browning, make sure to squeeze the juice on it.

    Fiber Smoothie

    Do Smoothies Take Away Fiber?

    No! Blended fruit doesn’t loose fiber because you’re still using the whole fruit! It is juiced fruit that looses the fiber.

    Stay tuned for the rest of the make-ahead smoothie freezer pack series:

    Items we love for smoothie packs:

    High Fiber Smoothie Freezer Pack

    Print shopping list
    Prep Time 00:05 Total Time 00:07 Serves 1-2

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup (5 ounces) blueberries 
    • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) frozen cauliflower florets
    • 1 apple peeled, diced
    • 1 heaping teaspoon lemon juice
    • 1/2 cup spinach
    • 1 1/4 cup almond milk (see note)
    • 1 tablespoon flax seed
    • 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
    • 1 scoop collagen peptides (optional)

    Directions

    To Make Freezer Packs:

    1. Toss apple with lemon juice to prevent browning. Place all ingredients except almond milk into a freezer safe bag. Freeze until ready to use, up to 1 month.

    To blend:

    1. Combine all ingredients, including almond milk in a high speed blender.
    2. Blend until creamy, adding additional liquid if necessary.

    Recipe Notes

    1. You can substitute fresh fruit, but we find it easier to buy prepped frozen fruit for these smoothies
    2. You can substitute 1/2 cup greek yogurt for an equal portion of the almond milk, to make for a creamier smoothie.
    Loading nutrition data...
    There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!
    08.08.18

    Antioxidant Smoothie Freezer Pack

    Posted on by Lexi , Views: 9584

    Smoothies are the easiest make-ahead breakfast! This Antioxidant Smoothie Freezer Pack is loaded with berries, spinach and flax seed and can be prepped in five minutes, and in bulk if you want, for a chill morning start that will keep you satisfied until lunch time. It’s vegan and naturally gluten-free for an antioxidant rich start to your day!

    Antioxidant Smoothie

    Antioxidant Smoothie

    We are on week 2 of our Make-Ahead Freezer Smoothie Pack series! You all know I believe that food can play a big part in not only keeping the body healthy, but also healing the body, so we are doing a series of 4 nutritionally-based smoothie packs that target specific health benefits, and at the end we’ll do a round up and a bonus 30 Budget-Friendly Smoothies guide!

    Last week we talked about chronic inflammation in the body, and how food can play a big role in keeping it at bay. Today we’re going to talk about why it’s important to consume foods that are high in anti-oxidants and what foods are the best to do this.

    Antioxidant Smoothie Ingredients

    Benefits of Antioxidants

    Anti-oxidants help protect your body and cells from free radicals, which are unstable molecules that naturally occur in your body that damage cells and cause disease and aging. Consuming a diet rich in anti-oxidants help counteract the effect of free radicals and protect your body.

    Best Antioxidant Foods

    Anti-oxidants are found in many common foods like berries, vegetables and sweets as well! Some common sources are: berries, nuts, dark chocolate, spinach, and artichokes! For our smoothie we’ve included berries, spinach, ground flax seeds and cacao powder!

    Antioxidant Smoothie

    Stay tuned for the rest of the make-ahead smoothie freezer pack series:

    Items we love for smoothie packs:

    Anti-Oxidant Smoothie Freezer Pack

    Print shopping list
    Prep Time 00:05 Total Time 00:07 Serves 1-2

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup (5 ounces) frozen berries
    • 1 banana, sliced
    • 1/2 cup baby spinach
    • 1 tablespoon flax seeds
    • 1 tablespoon cacoa powder
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
    • 1 cup almond milk (more as needed)
    • 1 scoop collagen peptides (optional)

    Directions

    To Make Freezer Packs:

    1. Place all ingredients, except almond milk, into a freezer safe bag. Freeze until ready to use, up to 1 month.

    To blend:

    1. Combine all ingredients, including almond milk, in a high speed blender.
    2. Blend until creamy, adding additional almond milk if necessary.

    Recipe Notes

    1. You can substitute fresh fruit, but we find it easier to buy prepped frozen fruit for these smoothies
    Loading nutrition data...
    There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!

     

    08.01.18

    Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie Freezer Pack

    Posted on by Lexi , Views: 32614

    This Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie is the perfect make-ahead breakfast! It’s full of anti-inflammatory foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals, tastes delicious and will keep you satisfied until lunch time. It’s vegan, naturally gluten-free and and so easy to prep! We make them into freezer packs for easy breakfasts that are already prepped in the freezer. Just dump into the blender, add your liquid, and blend!

    Anti-inflammatory Smoothie

    Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

    Smoothies are the easiest make-ahead breakfast! We love them because the possibilities are endless. In the past I’ve offered up many smoothie recipes, and even the perfect smoothie guide, but today we are focusing on the idea of smoothie freezer packs, and specifically nutrionally based smoothies.

    Smoothie packs are so popular these days, and while they may be convenient, they can be pricey and you can’t really control what is in them. For the next four weeks we’re going to offer up 4 nutritional-minded smoothies that you can prep in advance, and in bulk if you choose, to be ready for a quick blend in the morning before heading out the door. And at the end we’re going to do a round up and a bonus 30 Budget-Friendly Smoothies (in under 30 minutes) guide!

    Anti-inflammatory Smoothie Ingredients

    If you are a long-time reader of mine, you know that I believe that food can play a big part in not only keeping the body healthy, but also healing the body, so we’re offering up 4 make-ahead smoothie packs that target specific health benefits! And today marks our first one: Anti-Inflammatory!

    Inflammation in the Body

    Our body uses a process known as inflammation to protect ourselves from invading foreign microbes  such as chemicals or pollen, or to help heal from a wound. When this condition persists without the underlying cause it can be harmful. This is known as chronic inflammation and it has been linked to a number of larger medical conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and heart disease. A natural and easy way to help keep inflammation down is through food!

    Anti-inflammatory Smoothie

    Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods

    Eating a diet full of foods rich with vitamins and minerals is a great start to lower inflammation. Some common foods to help with this are leafy greens, nuts and fatty fish. For our smoothie today we’ve paired a few (delicious) foods together that are high in anti-oxidants and rich in vitamins in mineral to help reduce inflammation: mango, cauliflower, ginger, turmeric and black pepper!

    Stay tuned for the rest of the make-ahead smoothie freezer pack series:

    Items we love for smoothie packs:

    Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie Freezer Pack

    Print shopping list
    Prep Time 00:05 Total Time 00:07 Serves 1-2

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup (5 ounces) frozen mango 
    • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) frozen cauliflower florets
    • 1 banana, sliced
    • 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled
    • 1" piece fresh turmeric, peeled
    • pinch fresh black pepper
    • pinch cinnamon
    • 1 cup canned coconut milk
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 1 scoop collagen peptides (optional)

    Directions

    To Make Freezer Packs:

    1. Place all ingredients except coconut milk and water into a freezer safe bag. Freeze until ready to use, up to 1 month.

    To blend:

    1. Combine all ingredients, including coconut milk and water in a high speed blender.
    2. Blend until creamy, adding additional water if necessary.

    Recipe Notes

    1. You can substitute fresh fruit, but we find it easier to buy prepped frozen fruit for these smoothies
    Loading nutrition data...
    There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!