We have a pretty good eating routine going at our house; we have been blessed with a good eater. So everyday around 2:30 our sweet little toddler turns into a hungry monster. I have struggled with finding quick healthy snacks for her to eat to get her through until dinner. I made her a smoothie in October to take with us to the hospital when she had her last operation. I wanted to give her something that would be easy on her tummy and throat after coming out of surgery and having her breathing tube removed. I also knew she would be starving because of how long she had to wait to go in for surgery. The smoothie was a huge hit!!! She gobbled every last drop down as fast as I would let her have it. So smoothies have become a big hit on our snack list. The major negative to them is they take time to make and you have a pretty decent mess to clean up in the middle of the afternoon. Some days, ok so most days we don’t have time to get out the blender and peel fruit and clean up the mess. So I have been experimenting with freeze ahead smoothies. I wanted the same healthy yummy smoothies but easier access. We have been trying out different recipes for about a month and have our definite favorites.
They are so easy to make and freeze wonderfully!! I make about two weeks at a time and freeze them in small freezer cups. Then in the morning I pull one out and put it in the fridge to thaw out. By snack time it is ready to pour in her sippy cup. The containers I use are the Ball freezer jam containers, they are 6 oz containers I think which works out perfect because her sippy cup holds 5 oz. I feel a lot better giving her a snack that I know is loaded with healthy nutrients instead of prepackaged snacks from the store. I also like these recipes because you can slip in some veggies and it still tastes fruity enough to please her sweet tooth. Here is a list of our favorite recipes we have tried so far. The ingredients are interchangeable so if your little one loves strawberries but hates blueberries you can switch them out. I also use Almond milk. I do this for two reasons, the first being that is what our toddler drinks she has never been able to handle regular milk very well. I also like the Almond milk because it is a little thicker and makes the smoothie the consistency of a milk shake or yogurt which I think is a plus. You can substitute the Almond milk for whole milk, coconut milk or any other milk of choice. I also add avocado whenever I can because it is such a fantastic brain food for little ones, I slip it in whenever possible.
Tropical Smoothie
¼ cup of diced mango
1 cup of Almond milk or milk of choice
¼ cup of pineapple
½ an avocado
½ a frozen banana
Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Serve immediately or freeze for later use.
Berry Blast
1 Cup of Almond milk
1 Tablespoon of honey
1 Teaspoon of coconut oil
½ cup frozen raspberries
½ cup frozen blackberries
1 handful of fresh spinach
Splash of lemon juice
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately or freeze for later.
Berry Blast II
1 Cup of Almond milk
1 Tablespoon of honey
1 Teaspoon of coconut oil
½ cup frozen Strawberries
½ cup frozen Blueberries
1 handful of fresh spinach
Splash of lemon juice
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately or freeze for later.
Creamy Peach Smoothie
½ Cup of plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
½ a banana
1 Teaspoon of honey
½ Cup frozen or fresh peaches (peeled and sliced).
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately or freeze for later.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana
1 Cup of chocolate Almond or Coconut milk
2 Tablespoon of peanut butter (we use natural but any kind will work)
½ an Avocado
1 Tablespoon of honey
1 Teaspoon coconut oil
½ a frozen banana
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately or freeze for later use.
The way I do this is to gather all my ingredients and then move through each recipe. I make one and then pour it into the freezer cups and then move to the next recipe and do the same. You can also freeze these in freezer bags they work just as well. I use the freezer cups to help keep our deep freeze organized. I freeze lots of fruit when it is in season and store it in our deep freeze so we have lots of freezer bags stacked up. The cups are just easier for me to grab and go. You can also use glass mason jars to freeze them. If you don’t want to blend them ahead of time you can put all the ingredients into a freezer bag and then when you want a smoothie all you have to do is dump the bag in and blend. Both ways work just fine, I just prefer the first way.
When you fill the freezer cups or mason jars remember to leave a small amount of space at the top for the liquid to expand when it freezes or your containers may bust. You can freeze them for up to three months, ours never last this long!! Again please remember you can change out any ingredients you want and the measurements don’t have to be exact. If you want to add a whole banana go for it, it’s your smoothie and can be altered to fit your tastes these are just estimates of the amounts I use. ENJOY!!!!
Becoming Doctor Mom 