Make-Ahead Smoothies ♥

Make-Ahead Smoothies
A great tip for smoothie makers, how to make them ahead of time: Just make 'em, that's it.

So am I the last smoothie lover to figure out that smoothies can be made ahead of time?! If so, sorry, move on with your day, I'll try to do better next week. :-) Otherwise, join me in this life-changing smoothie revelation:

Easy prep ahead of time, all that washing and chopping done all at once and out of the way for the week (or at least three or four days).
Good-sense portion control, a great feature since I don't know about you, but a blenderful of smoothie just calls to me, "Drink me nowwww, NOW I say!"
An easy on-the-go, out-the-door breakfast, a quick after-swim snack all ready and waiting in the fridge.

Now this won't work for smoothies that use ice, unless you want to do the fruit/milk/etc part ahead of time and then blend again with ice later.

But other than that, call me surprised that even an avocado smoothie like the pictured here (recipe below) stayed bright and pretty for three days. The top that was exposed to air turned slightly less green but it wasn't un-appetizing in the least. I also noticed no change in flavor or richness or general smoothie-goodness.

I would advise being careful about keeping the smoothies cold, especially if you're taking them to work, say.

But hey, since I predict it's going to be a Smoothie Summer around here, maybe you'll share your own favorite concoctions? Tips, of course, are welcome too!

RECIPE for MAKE-AHEAD GREEN VELVET SMOOTHIE with KALE, AVOCADO & BANANA

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes 3 cups

1 avocado
1 banana
3 raw kale leaves, just the leaves, no stem
2 cups milk - skim, buttermilk, non-dairy milks for vegan smoothies
Juice of half a lemon (important, don't skip)

In a blender, mix all the ingredients. If making ahead, pour into one-cup containers and refrigerate for two or three days.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
For this particular smoothie, I tried flax milk for the first time. It was good enough, but to my taste, all the non-dairy milks taste the same. They're also just s-w-e-e-t. I prefer real milk, it's easier for the fruit / vegetable flavors to come through. That said, my real preference for smoothies is buttermilk. Or kefir! Or anything with tang!
To make ahead, the lemon juice is important for any smoothie that contains something that turns brown when exposed to air - avocado, apple, banana, even (I suspect) leafy greens like spinach and kale. Lime juice would work too, so would another acid like vinegar in a savory smoothie.
No sugar was added to this amoothie, the banana and flax milk were plenty sweet.



A Veggie Venture - Printer Friendly Recipe Graphic



Still Hungry?


KITCHEN PARADE, my food column
Mini Porcupine Meatballs
Power Food Broccoli Salad

ST LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, my restaurant-recipe column
Sangria from Mango Peruvian Cuisine
Shrimp Louisiana from Sam's Steakhouse

EAT VEGETABLES IN SEASON: THIS WEEK, 2005 - 2011
Sunflower Sprout-Inspired Salad Sherry Slaw Tomato Bread Pudding Brushed Eggplant Shredded Zucchini with Thyme Roasted Pepper, Cheddar Soufflés New Potatoes with Browned Butter Pan-Pickled Beets Farro with Asparagus & Green Onion Sauce Garlicky Bok Choy Buttermilk Garlic Salad Dressing (< this week's oh-so-useful favorite!) Homemade Cobb Salad Pickled Beet Dip Southwestern Potato Salad Weight Watchers Spinach Dip Beet Smoothies

MORE FAVORITE SMOOTHIE RECIPES
~ Beet Smoothies ~
~ Green Smoothies ~
~ Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothies ~
~ Tomato Smoothie ~
~ Weight Watchers Smoothie Recipes ~
~ more drinks & smoothie recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Cantaloupe Smoothie ~
~ Mango Lassi with Fresh Mint ~
~ Mango & Beet Smoothies ~
~ more smoothie recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

A Veggie Venture is home of 'veggie evangelist' Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2012



Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. I make homemade raw milk kefir once a week and it is so amazing in smoothies. I made yogurt, spinach and cantaloupe smoothies for my husband and I for lunch today, delish!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I had no idea! Though, I don't think I've ever made a smoothie without something frozen, like fruit. And I've never done one with avocado. Sounds so yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I never thought about using buttermilk in a smoothie. I always have some for soaked oat muffins or waffles, so why not? Usually I just pour a generous splash of the kids' lemonade into the pile of 3 + 3 (veg and fruit servings). I can tell you that without 'real' lemon (though there is citric acid in the pink powder stuff) the spinach smoothies don't turn brown per se, just a bit less vibrant. What I've found is that letting the rest of my smoothie sit in the fridge means that the foamy part seems to settle down and I get more liquid to drink. If I use cooked veg (beets or sweet potato) in my smoothies they don't foam at all, but greens make mine foamy. Maybe due to the stems? I just throw the whole thing into the Vitamix.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMay 31, 2012

    I just read your smoothie using kale and milk together. The nutrition diva says that greens and dairy together cancels out the calcium.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMay 31, 2012

    what great tips! i'll have to try this out! how helpful! thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJune 01, 2012

    anyone know what the glasses are in the picture with the tops on them? Love the idea!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Anonymous ~ I wondered if someone would ask about those "French jars"! I do sooo love them, picked up a half dozen or so many years ago from The Container Store, back when it was only in Dallas. I use them for everything from portion control for smoothies (a perfect one cup) to little bits of salad dressing to bacon grease to ... you get the picture.

    I learned from David Lebovitz that Americans now call these French "working" jars. This led me to Crate & Barrel (white lids, I have a few of these too, they are larger) and Goodmans (also larger, red lids), Sur la Table (also larger, no apparent lids) and Amazon (various sizes, configurations).

    Happy shopping!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I also read an article last year in the Southern Living Magazine on uses for pineapple juice. Try it to stop the browning of fruits that do, due to oxygen. So I slice up apples and pour straight pineapple juice over them and put them in those glass storage containers with snap lids. Two weeks and apples did not brown. Wonder if I could do this with this smoothie. Worth a try.

    ReplyDelete
  9. does lemon juice curdle the milk?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous ~ I don’t remember that happening, as recently as yesterday. I did use an orange instead of a lemon though, worked beautifully!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna