Smoothie Packs

I think smoothie packs are one of the most ingenious ideas ever in the whole world! I can't take credit for the idea, since I got it years ago off of another blog. I wish I could remember which blog so that I could give them credit. But I have since taken the recipe that I found there and made adjustments so that it suited our needs as a family better.

If you haven't guessed, smoothie packs are basically just packs of frozen fruit that you have separated into individual portions and put in the freezer for quick and easy smoothie deliciousness! But there are some things that I've learned in my smoothie packing that might make your experience a little easier from the beginning.

Buy your frozen fruit on sale and mix and match. This really gets the cost down and keeps up the variety! We had the same smoothie pack recipe for months and got super sick of it. Mix it up and keep it in budget by buying on sale (or whatever's cheapest that day).

Fill your sandwich bags just a little more than halfway full. If you fill them much more than this, you will not get one serving. You'll get like one and a half and that's no good for anyone. If you have 1 lb. bags of fruit, grab an extra banana and make 10 smoothie packs so that they aren't too big.

Add yogurt and milk to the actual smoothie. If you need sweetness, add honey (or--gasp!--sugar). If you want it shake-style, add ice cream instead of yogurt. It will be delicious! Smoothie packs are surprisingly versatile!

Blend and enjoy! If you have a fancy blender, take a moment to enjoy it and think of those less fortunate than you who have to settle for the cheapest blender they could find (me--waaaa). The Ninja is on my Christmas list. :)

I don't have a specific recipe for this, because I tend to just eyeball the ingredients, but here is an estimate:

Ingredients for Smoothie Packs

1 (10 oz) bag frozen blueberries
1 (10 oz) bag frozen pineapples
1 (10 oz) bag frozen strawberries
1 (10 oz) bag frozen mangos
4 small bananas

Directions for Smoothie Packs

Split ingredients between 8 sandwich bags. Put half a banana in each bag, followed by the combination of fruit you prefer. I like to put pineapples and blueberries together and strawberries and mangos together. I don't use raspberries because I hate the seeds, but use them if you like them. Any of the frozen fruits are replaceable by other frozen fruits. The bananas are for texture, so I recommend keeping the banana for sure! Seal up your bags and stick 'em in the freezer!

**You should try to fill your bags just over halfway full if you want to make them truly one serving (or two little people servings). More will make too much and you'll have wasted food.

Ingredients for Smoothies

1 smoothie pack
1/2-3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup yogurt
Extra ice for thickness, if desired

Directions for Smoothies

Throw the ingredients in the blender. Blend. Pour. Enjoy! :)

These smoothies are Lincoln-approved!