How to Meal Prep Smoothies: A Helpful Guide

Tasty, nutritious, and simple—there’s nothing like a smoothie to start your morning off right. That said, cutting and blending your favorite fresh ingredients every day can take up precious time. That’s where a little preparation can save the day.

Make this healthy choice an easy one too by meal prepping your smoothies. From frozen packs to ice cubes, you can keep a nutritious snack just one blend or thaw away. Learn how to prep smoothies for the week with our top three tips.

Step 1: Build Your Smoothie Formula

Smoothies are the ultimate customizable food. However, they all have a few basic building blocks. To meal prep, start by assembling the flavors that fit your tastes and dietary needs.

Whether you’re making a vegan Açaí bowl or experimenting with gluten-free smoothies, on your next grocery list, jot down a few options from each of these ingredient categories for your meal prep smoothies.

Fruits & Vegetables 

Smoothies are one of the easiest ways to fit in your seven daily servings of fruits and vegetables. While some fruits provide a creamier texture, you can choose nearly any blendable produce for your smoothie. 

Consider popular and nutritious bases like:

• Banana
• Acerola
• Dragonfruit
• Kale
• Cucumber
• Pineapple
• Berries
• Mango
• Avocado
• Cauliflower
• Apple
• Pear
• And our favorite base, Açaí. Learn more about what Açaí is made of in our latest blog!

Liquids

If you blend all of your ingredients minus liquid, you’ll end up with a clumpy, unappetizing mess. To mitigate the mess, smooth out your smoothie with a liquid element. 

Water works in a pinch, but you can create creamier textures with:

• Almond milk
• Coconut milk
• Cashew milk
• European-style yogurt
• Oat milk
• Skim milk

Add-ins

In a smoothie, anything blendable goes. Adjust your blend’s nutritional profile with different non-produce additions. These ingredients help supplement the fats, proteins, and nutrients missing from common fruits:

• Protein powder
• Spirulina
• Maca powder
• Nut butter
• Grains (oats, quinoa, etc.)
• Seeds (chia seed, flaxseed, hemp seed, etc.)
• Cacao powder
• Coconut flakes

Step 2: Assemble Smoothie Freezer Packs

Once you’ve visited the grocery store, it’s time to prep your smoothie ingredients. One of the best ways to do this is by assembling individual smoothie packs.

Many smoothies use frozen produce for a thick, rich texture. By individually freezing the fruits and vegetables for your smoothies, you save loads of time slicing and dicing every morning. Even better, prepping smoothie freezer packs means you’ll always have a smoothie base on deck. Some favorite freezable combos include:

• Banana + strawberries + mango
• Frozen Açaí + banana + blueberries
• Açaí + kale + spinach
• Açaí + Mixed berries + cauliflower + cacao

Place cut-up portions of your fruits, greens, and vegetables in sealable containers like mason jars, glass Tupperware, or reusable silicone freezer bags. Whenever you’re hungry, you can always blend a pre-portioned SAMBAZON Original Blend Frozen Açaí Packet with your choice of add-ins and liquid—and voila! Smoothies (sans chopping), any time of day.  

Step 3: Pre-Make Batches of Smoothies

Sometimes it feels like we can barely roll out of bed in the morning—let alone chop up a banana. On those days,  pre-made smoothie batches might be your solution so you still have time to tackle your bed head before work.

As it turns out, you can keep a fresh smoothie for days or even months at a time. It all depends on your food storage. If you like getting work out of the way, then consider these batch methods for how to store smoothies:

• Store in the fridge –  With smaller batches, fridge storage is an easy and instant way to prep smoothies for the next couple of days. Simply make your smoothie recipe, and then refrigerate the excess in a sealable pitcher, mason jar, or container. You can safely consume it for up to two days.

• Store in the freezer – Portioned and long-lasting, freezing smoothies is a simple solution. Just pour your smoothie into airtight containers (such as plastic or glass) and freeze for up to 7 days. Be sure to always store smoothies in a freezer that has a temperature below 20 degrees fahrenheit to help prevent microbial growth.

While you can use plastic and glass containers, be sure you leave enough headspace for your smoothie to expand and always ensure your storage container has been cleaned with warm soapy water and sanitized before storing your smoothie in it.

Do keep in mind that we don’t recommend storing smoothies with dairy and leafy greens as most of these smoothies will turn brown in just a few hours, and as a result, fruits and vegetables can lose some of their nutrient content.

Smooth(ie) Sailing with SAMBAZON

Healthy eating should be simple—not stressful. To fit those nutrients into your day, use these tips for meal prepping smoothies. No matter your schedule, you have a tasty and healthy snack on hand.

Naturally vegan and gluten-free, and sourced from sustainable crops in Brazil, we bring the Açaí superfruit to smoothie enthusiasts across the world. Get the best of Açaí’s rich flavors and incredible nutrients with our frozen purees—original, unsweetened, protein-packed, and more. 

Sources:

Ambitious Kitchen. How to Prep Smoothies: 3 Different Ways (plus tips!). https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/how-to-prep-smoothies-3-different-ways/