Prepared Smoothie Week

I'm trying an new experiment.  I'm pre-packaging all my fruits & vegetables and freezing them which will allow for me to make more smoothies on the go without much prep.  Everything is planned for the next week.  I'm going to break down my prep and how I did it, and I'll keep you posted along the way.

STEP 1:  Planning everything out and developing an objective.

Here's my meal plan for the week.  My husband and I do this every week where we plan out our dinners.  Most of my dinners I make an extra serving and bring it to work the next day for lunch.

This week in particular I will be drinking a smoothie every morning, juicing in the evening and eating a salad at work.  The salad at work is a chicken caesar salad with no dressing, just light olive oil.  This will cost me $3.25 because I get 50% off.

Morning smoothies will be one of three:

Smoothie 1:  Spinach, Blueberries, Frozen Strawberries, Banana (all frozen) and I will add 1 c. water and chia seeds.
Smoothie 2:  Spinach, Frozen Strawberries and Banana (all frozen) and I will add 1 c. juiced apples and chia seeds.
Smoothie 3:  Frozen strawberries and juiced apples with chia seeds.  (This will be more of a "treat" because there's no vegetables).

Note:  I'm keeping it all simple with 2 basic smoothies to learn and grow.  Eventually I want to work up to where I make 5-9 different smoothies frozen and will prep a whole month's worth of smoothie plans.  (Yes, I will make sure I post my recipes and shopping list when I get to this point and you can also follow on Pinterest.)

STEP 2:  Taking action and putting your plan in place.

Last night we went to Costco to buy everything I could in bulk (apples, bananas, frozen strawberries and blueberries, etc).  This morning we went to HEB to complete our grocery list.  Austin (the hubby) needed to buy his entrees for the week.  He's not into the green smoothie thing yet.

When we got home I packaged the 2 kinds of smoothies I'll be making with the necessary ingredients.

Smoothie 1 had 2 handfuls of spinach, 1/2 cup blueberries, 5-6 large frozen strawberries and 1 banana peeled and broken in half.

Smoothie 2 had 2 handfuls of spinach, 6-7 large frozen strawberries and 1 banana peeled and broken in half.

Make sure you squeeze out most of the air and seal tight. I bought the Ziploc quart freezer bags and then wrote on the bags what to add (1 c. water or 1c. apples juiced).  I got a 216 pack of Ziploc backs for $7.49 which comes out to 3¢ a bag.  Great deal!

Here's the price breakdown of two trips:

COSTCO:
Ziploc Quart Freezer Bag @ $7.49 ($0.03 each)
Organic Spinach (pre-washed) @ $8.60 (about $0.50 / serving)
24 Gala Apples @ $15.98 ($0.72 each)
Fresh Strawberries @ $5.99 (about $0.99 / serving)
Frozen Strawberries @ $8.99 (about $0.60 / serving)
Frozen Organic Blueberries @ $13.99 (about $0.68 / serving)
6 large Bananas @ $1.39 ($0.23 each)

HEB:Organic HEB Popcorn - 2 bags @ $3.58 total (great snack)
Organic Eggs @ $2.25 ($0.19 each)
5 bulk Carrots @ $0.79 ($0.16 each)
Green Pears @ $2.81 ($0.94 each)
1 Kiwi @ $0.44 <-- will mix this with strawberries in a pitcher to quench thirst
1 cucumber @ $0.58
4 small lemons @ $1 ($0.25 each)
Small Ginger @ $0.27

STEP 3:  Execute!

Everything is set up and in place and now it's just about staying focused.  I want you to realize that I will not be hungry.  If I am then I'll either make another smoothie or make an additional side snack.  This is not about "starving" or depriving yourself.  This is about getting as many fruits and vegetables as possible in the most efficient way.

By purchasing a salad at work it allows me to have a vegetable for lunch and some protein.  This will allow me to juice at nice without having to prep for for the next day of work.

(Right) I made about 8 bags of smoothies and froze to start off.  I still have Spinach in the fridge and blueberries and strawberries in the freezer if I want/need to make more.  Again, write on the ziploc bag what liquid to add.

This morning I enjoyed my absolute favorite smoothie!  It's 1 cup apple juices and large frozen strawberries with chia seeds.  I use my Vitamix which is the best smoothie on the market.  It breaks down your vegetables better than you teeth can and will allow your body to get all the nutrients.

A common questioned asked might be, "aren't you going to get tired of eating/drinking the same thing?"  But you have to remember, this blog is called PBJs Since Pre-K because I had a PBJ sandwich almost every day of school from Pre-K through senior year of high school.  So no, I won't get "bored" of eating the same thing.

I would love to hear your comments.  Make sure you post on my facebook page or tweet me @PBJsSincePreK.

I'll keep you posted all week....