Storing Smoothies

bstamps12
bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
in Food and Nutrition
I make smoothies often at home but I hate to go through all the trouble for 1 serving. Is there a way to store the other servings for a day or two without it melting? If I store it in the freezer, should I store it in a ziploc bag? How long should I take it out of the freezer before it will be drinkable again?

Replies

  • sara4159
    sara4159 Posts: 40 Member
    I was wondering this too, but more if I can make a smoothie the night before. I hate to run the blender in the morning when others are sleeping. I was planning on trying it out this weekend.
  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
    Sara, yes, running it in the morning would definitely wake others. Please reply again if you are able to make it the night before and keep it in smoothie-like texture until the next morning!
  • Coltsman4ever
    Coltsman4ever Posts: 602 Member
    Courtesy of:
    http://www.parentsconnect.com/parents/food/recipe-center/breakfast-recipes/One_way_to_have_smoothie_no_mess.html

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________


    You love not cooking breakfast in the morning, and your kids love drinking homemade smoothies, but cleaning the blender every day makes you feel like an underpaid under appreciated food service worker. (Oh wait, that's part of a parent's job description, right?)

    Follow these tips to save time by making an extra big batch of smoothies and freezing them for later. Next time your kids want a smoothie they can just thaw and serve ... and you can leave the blender cleaning mess to the folks at Orange Julius.
    Here are some easy cooking tips for making a mega batch of smoothies:
    Mix up your smoothies with your favorite liquid ingredients: milk, yogurt, soy milk, coconut milk or juice.

    Blend in some classic "boosters": peanut butter, flax seed, wheat germ, chia seeds, nuts, protein powder, silken tofu, and even kale or spirulina (for that special green that screams "HEALTHY!").

    Use fruit that's been cut into small pieces so it will blend more easily. Use frozen fruit for a nice thick consistency and to jump ahead on the freezing process. You can buy frozen bagged fruit or lay cut fruit out onto a sheet pan and freeze it. Then these frozen pieces can be thrown into a freezer bag without the dreaded clumping.

    Pour your finished smoothies into freezer safe containers such as plastic bags or cups with airtight lids. Individual servings work best. Allow some space in the container because your smoothie will likely expand when freezing.

    Experiment with thaw times to reach your desired consistency. Stir a few times as the smoothie freezes to minimize all those nice hunks of fruit from settling to the bottom.

    Now you're cooking! With these smart smoothie tips, when you or your kids are jonesing for a refreshing homemade smoothie, you can whip one out of the freezer rather than lugging out the blender beast!
  • PrimalLady
    PrimalLady Posts: 2
    I just made an account solely so that I could reply to you ... perhaps you have already figured it out though...

    I wake up a few hours before the rest of my roommates (our walls are quite thin) - I know I would be annoyed if they woke me up every morning with a blender so I try to be a good roomie & make mine the night before. I pour it directly into my cup w/ lid & straw & it looks delicious! It goes straight into the fridge & by morning the frothy texture which (in my opinion is the mark of any true "smoothie") is mostly gone. Its thick (from the fiber & pulp) but not as cold as it should be & therefore tastes more juice-like. Because of this, I no longer add ice/ frozen fruits/veggies as I would when immediately consuming it.

    Sometimes it separates & needs a good stir.Its not as good (and not as cold) but still doable. I feel like a partially defrosted smoothie would be amazing- I feel like with my luck I'd try & end up with a solid brick in the morning.

    In terms of freezer storage ... Everyone raves over BPA free plastic but even without the BPA many plastic products still produce the same harmful chemicals. (Not trying to be snooty- I use plastic about 1/3 of the time... just something you might want to look into if you're dedicated to truly improving health). You're best bet is metal ... I've seen recommendations for glass containers but I was raised to believe that freezing glass (with food) is strictly taboo (along with a bunch of other Midwest / Swedish farm superstitions)- I have mixed emotions & cannot yet bring myself to use glass in the freezer but it might be something you'd like to look into.

    You may want to look @ where the product is made/ coming from... I'd be more skeptical of plastics coming from China than say those coming from Japan. The Japanese take health very seriously while the Chinese manufacturers' primary goal to create a product other nations will buy- even if it means lead-based paint & harmful chemicals in plastics...

    Back to the thread though .... you can try freezing it in ice cube trays & putting the cubes in plastic bags - that way you can blend different base flavors & adjust portions etc. Also - it will defrost much faster than a frozen solid cup. You can take your partially defrosted cubes & reblend them- potentially returning them to the glorious smoothie texture it once held.

    When I get around to freezing my smoothies that's probably what I'll do. - Cheers!
  • PrimalLady
    PrimalLady Posts: 2
    Perhaps placing your cup sitting in a container of ice (in the fridge) overnight would help? Or if you have a spot in the fridge that's colder than the rest - for us that's the bottom left drawer & the top shelf in the back ...
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
    I have little 6 oz cups with lids, and when I make smoothies, I will portion it out into the cups and freeze them. Pull one out, let it sit for 15-30 minutes (depending on what is in there) and stir it a bit before drinking. I suppose ziploc freezer bags would work too but I hate the idea of going through so many plastic bags - so much cheaper and less garbage to have reusable containers.

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