If you’ve got a hankering for something sweet or a quick bite, smoothies can be your saving grace. They’re filling, delicious ways to deliver piles of nutrients and fight off cravings. But with all the chopping, measuring, blending and cleaning up the giant mess afterwards—they can also be so much trouble that you wind up grabbing something faster (and less nutritious).
Problem solved: These make-ahead smoothie recipes mean the prep and clean-up are done way before you’re starving for something. Measure the ingredients in batches, and you’ll be enjoying a sweet treat in mere minutes. For the first two recipes, just grab the pre-measured ingredients from the freezer and pop them in the blender. For the last three recipes, you’ll just put the pre-made, pre-frozen smoothie cubes in a large glass, add a little water and nuke it for 5-15 seconds.
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Get Chocolatey with this Strawberry-Blueberry Delight
When you’re craving chocolate, only one thing will fix it: Chocolate. The dark chocolate peanut butter in this mix handles that for you, while the berries deliver antioxidants and extra sweetness.
In a large plastic bag (or resealable container), toss in:
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup whole blueberries
1 Tbsp. dark chocolate-flavored peanut butter
1 cup ice
Put it in the freezer. When you’re ready to enjoy this chocolatey delight, add those ingredients to a blender and pour in a half cup water.
Servings:
Makes 1 serving.
Counts As:
1 SmartCarb and 1 PowerFuel
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Go on an Instant Tropical Vacation with this Mix
If you’ve had a long day at the office or it’s freezing outside, send yourself on an island getaway anytime with this fruity, frothy drink.
In a large plastic bag (or resealable container), add:
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
Put the bag in the freezer. When you’re ready for that instant break, put the ingredients in the blender with a quarter cup of ice, three-quarter cups of water, and one packet of your Nutrisystem Vanilla FreshStart Shake. Blend until smooth.
Servings:
Makes 1 serving.
Counts As:
1 SmartCarb and 1 PowerFuel
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Your Morning Coffee, Supercharged
If you’re an iced coffee drinker, you can add muscle-building, filling protein and potassium—which helps your heart function properly—by pre-freezing cubes of this smoothie. Oh, and it’s got another superpower: It’s delicious.
To make it, put the following in the blender:
3 cups cold coffee
3 bananas, peeled
3 Tbsp. peanut butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 pinches nutmeg
3 cups ice
1.5 cups water
Blend until smooth, and then pour into ice cube trays. Freeze the trays for three servings of smoothie.
In the morning before work, put a third of the cubes into a travel mug, and let it melt a little while you shower and get ready for your day. By the time you walk out the door, your combination coffee/breakfast/treat should be ready to drink.
Servings:
Makes three servings of smoothie.
Counts As:
Each serving counts as 1 SmartCarb and 1 PowerFuel
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Get Your Veggies in a Glass … Without Cooking
Leafy greens like kale are among the best things you can put in your body—they’re packed with Vitamin C, contain more Vitamin A than carrots, and are loaded with cancer-fighting, inflammation-reducing antioxidants. But if you don’t like the taste or don’t know how to easily cook them, none of that is very convincing.
This smoothie will convince you with its blueberry-and-lime flavor and make it all too convenient to eat your greens. You can freeze it for up to six weeks and still enjoy… no cooking required.
To make it, put the following in the blender:
2 cups blueberries
4 cups fresh kale
4 Tbsp. fresh basil
4 Tbsp. lime juice
4 Tbsp. honey
4 cups water
Blend it all up and pour into ice cube trays. Freeze the trays for four servings of smoothie.
When you’re ready to drink it, put a quarter of the cubes into a big glass and either let them melt for a bit or put them in the microwave for 15 seconds (or until slushy enough to drink). Add another ice cube or two and enjoy.
Servings:
Makes four servings of smoothie.
Counts As:
Each serving counts as 1 SmartCarb, 1 Vegetable, 2 Extras
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Calm Down with a Chamomile Smoothie
Chamomile tea has long been used as a calming sleep aid, and anecdotally used just to calm down. But a hot drink doesn’t always seem so appetizing. This tea smoothie—which sounds weird, but tastes amazing—makes the experience of chamomile cool, refreshing and filling with the addition of fiber. And with the ice cube pre-freeze, it can be ready whenever you need a moment of calm without adding the stress of a messy kitchen.
To make it, put the following in the blender:
4 cups chamomile tea (cold)
4 whole bananas
4 tsp. honey
4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup water
Blend it all up and pour into ice cube trays. Freeze the trays for four servings of smoothie.
When you’re ready to drink it, put a quarter of the cubes into a big glass and either let them melt for a bit or put them in the microwave for 15 seconds (or until slushy enough to drink). Add another ice cube or two and enjoy.
Servings:
Makes four servings of smoothie.
Counts As:
Each serving counts as 1 SmartCarb and 1 Extra
The post 5 Mouthwatering Make-Ahead Smoothies appeared first on The Leaf.
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