Grandpa Gotta Smoothie
Experimental Edition
If you spend anytime in the kitchen preparing or cleaning up after meals, you know that it can often take longer to do those two things then it does to actually eat the food.
On Grandpa Gotta Cook, I am on a quest to lessen both prep and clean up times. I feel I can put to better use the minutes an hours spent putting meals together and disposing of the remains afterwards.
That quest continues with today's edition.
Smoothies, Smoothies Everywhere
I wouldn't say our family is filled with smoothie fanatics, but it's possible that two or more of us will have 3-5 smoothies a week. Mostly, the girls. What they use are store bought frozen bags of mixed fruit, which they might add yogurt and milk to, but that's more or less their regimen.
Me, I like my smoothies green. Kale, spinach and avocado will do that. It doesn't seem to matter what else gets thrown in there, the dark green is going to take over.
Now, tossing in some vegetables does change the taste from fruity to more leafy green, but that's okay. I'm the only one who's going to drink them, anyway. It actually tastes really good to me, and it adds nutrients I wouldn't otherwise get. I don't really like kale any other way (I do like cooked spinach), and since I'm the only one wanting the greens, smoothie it is.
That's not to say there's no fruit at all, though. It can vary depending on what's in the house. However, for this particular experiment, I'm using the following ingredients:
Green grapes, raspberries, blueberries, roma tomatoes, sweet mini-peppers, chocolate protein powder, and the aforementioned kale/spinach blend, along with avocado. To make sure everything blends smoothly, I'm adding roughly 24 ounces of water.
The Experiment Begins Here
Store bought fruits and vegetables don't last very long. The kale and spinach in particular can go bad quickly. Add that with the fact that I don't want to be constantly preparing smoothies day in day out, I wondered what it would be like if I made up batches of mixed ingredients and froze them.
Not wanting to go all out in case something went wrong, I decided I would start with one pre-made smoothie and see how that went. So, yesterday, I gathered the ingredients, washed and cut up some of them and put everything but the protein powder into a resealable plastic quart-size freezer bag.
I don't know if there was a particular method to my madness, but for the record, I put in 10 grapes, a dozen raspberries, a handful of blueberries, one roma tomato, a third of an avocado an one of the sweet mini-peppers. Then I stuffed in about three handfuls of the kale and spinach.
Into the freezer the bag went.
17 Hours Later
After retrieving the bag from the freezer, I put in 16 ounces of water to start, added in the chocolate protein mix, and then crumbled the frozen smoothie mix to get it out of the bag. I then started the blender. Things went pretty well, except for the tomato halves. For some reason, I had to get in with a spoon and move them around so they could get sucked down to the blades. After a minute or two of monkeying around, everything was blended.
I ended up adding another eight ounces of water just to water down the smoothie a tad. Plus, that meant it would yield more.
I never seem to be able to create just one glass full anyway, and this time was no exception. I ended up with exactly two large glasses. The one I consumed and the other I put in the refrigerator for tomorrow.
So, How Did It Taste?
No surprise, the kale and spinach was the predominant flavors, but thankfully the mini-pepper came through, too, adding some spice to it. The chocolate of the protein powder may have been there, too, but it was very subtle. Avocado was present, maybe the tomato. The rest was hard to distinguish.
How Long Did It Take?
I spent about 15 minutes between preparing the smoothie and cleaning up afterward this morning. That doesn't include bag prep time, which I didn't really keep track of since I was also strategizing how best to do things and also setting up things to take pictures of.
However, I was definitely happy with how the smoothie turned out after less than 24 hours in the freezer. The true test will come as I make up more bags and let them sit for a several days. If I continue to make two smoothies per bag, it could take a while to get through all the bags.
About This Post
All images were taken by Glen Anthony Albrethsen with an Olympus E-3 DSLR camera and Zuiko lens. This post is made in conjunction with Food Fight Friday, a contest held every Friday.
Everyone is invited to participate. Rules are fairly simple. Talk about food in your post. Use the #fff tag. Post on Friday. That's it. However, be prepared to also read through the other entries so you can vote for one of them the following week.
Haha… I always look forward to your food fights @glenalbrethsen. Green is my favorite color smoothie too by the way. Although I usually add more fruit, and that’ll sometimes turn my green smoothie to a poop brown smoothie, I love avocado and spinach in there as well. The avocado always seems to give it that extra creamy texture 😋
All in all I give this smoothie performance, with prep bags and everything, a solid 9.25. I’m leaving an extra point seven five percentage off until I can taste it for myself. Haha… great job Glen and way to really kick that smoothie preps butt.
Hey, @puravidaville.
I'm not sure I could have packed more fruit in there. I guess I could have traded out the tomato for something else. :)
I might up the grape and blueberry quotient a little this next wave. I definitely do not need to add any more pepper (although I really like the taste of them) just because it already permeates the flavor.
I like it because kale eaten straight doesn't taste like much to me, but blend it up and add in a few things and it actually tastes pretty good.
I did add some lemon to the avocado pieces before putting them in the bag, since that's supposed to help with freshness and to blend it. I didn't have any problems with the blender mixing that up, so maybe it wasn't necessary.
I've had the brown colored smoothie before. It was pretty good. You just have to close your eyes when you drink it. :)
Haha… you do close your eyes when you drink it. It’s the result of me adding blueberries and strawberries so you know it’s good. I add lime to my avocado to keep them in good green condition for the next day. I say up the grapes and blueberries and get back to us with an update. Anything with more blueberries is better in my book.
I wouldn't normally think that chocolate would taste good with fruit and veggies, but if it's subtle enough, I guess it could.
I'm not sure this is the type of smoothie I would drink. I tend to like mine to be sweeter... and not taste like kale and spinach. Ha ha. Glad to see you're eating healthy though!
Oh, it's alright. I mean it's not really sweet, but it's not bitter or flat, either. The kale actually sweetens things up a little. I don't normally use spinach, but I couldn't find just kale when I went to the supermarket, so I got the blend.
re: chocolate
Yeah. It's basically in there just because it's the protein part of the equation. I will normally throw in a raw egg or even almonds or walnuts. We've got these freeze dried cans of stuff, and this protein powder was one of them. My wife decided she wanted to try it, but has yet to do so. She's been making smoothies with the frozen bags of fruit she brings home.
Raw eggs? I've never really understood the whole raw egg thing. I thought you were supposed to cook them first. Ha ha. They're really good on burgers!
I really do enjoy the fruity smoothies. Those are tasty!
I can almost guarantee you that a cooked egg in a smoothie would not taste good at all. They are however, remarkably tasty on a hamburger. Throw on some bacon and you've got the making of instant heart attack. :)
Well, that's okay. I'm sure most people like fruity smoothies. I'm trying to keep the sugar intake down a little, too, although I'm not sure how much I'm actually accomplishing with that.
Ha ha ha. That would be something, wouldn't it?!
I really enjoyed those heart attack burgers back in the day. I can't do that anymore though.
If you're trying to keep the sugar intake down, you're probably doing better to eat vegetables than fruits. Hopefully it pays off! :)
I keep being told it's better if the sugar intake is lower, and that fruit can be just as high in it as anything manmade. Even if it is a more natural sugar, it still goes through your system fast. So, it's not like I'm trying to, it's more like, I think it's probably for the best. As it is, I don't eat a lot of fruit, anyway, and probably should actually do that, and cut out the rest.
Red Robin has a pretty good burger with egg. Can't remember if there's bacon on that one or not, but I've survived it a couple of times. :) I don't know. I joked about it, but depending on how often you do it, and what else you eat, it's probably not that bad. Most people who are inclined to do it do it too much, so it does start to clog the arteries. In moderation, you could probably get away with a lot of not-so-good eating habits. The trick is getting to the moderation.
I think the last Smoothies I made were designed to help me gain a bit of weight. Yes, I know that may sound a bit odd, most people want to lose weight. No, not me, I always been on the slim side of average. Smoothies can been a great source of calories for those who need to squeeze in a few extra ones each day.
The Smoothies I made were packed with about 1000 calories per litre. I could easily drink half a litre twice a day. The ingredients... chocolate spread, peanut butter, banana, natural yoghurt, milk, avocado and grapes. I think that was it. Taste quite good too. 😁
You have a problem gaining weight too?? No matter what I do I sit at 165-170 pounds. I eat what I want when I want and don’t gain an ounce. Lol
Yeah, same here man... wifey gets proper jealous I can tell you. 😂
That does sound quite good. I'd love to be on the other side of average, but alas, such is not the case. I was when I was younger. But then something happened and instead of burning off the calories, I became a calorie storage device. If anyone wants some, I willing to give them away. :)
This is a great idea. Spend a little while cutting things up and placing them in bags. One time cleanup from chopping things up and a little rinse of the smoothie machine when your done. I think you got yourself a good time saver on your hands. Even if they last a couple weeks that is awesome.
I need to actually make up the rest of the bags still, before all the perishables either do their thing—perish—or get used for other things.
I do like the idea a lot. Just need to get it going. :)
Nice to see you making waves in the kitchen again!
hey, @dandays.
Waves, eh? Not sure what waves I'm making, but it is good to get back in for a while, anyway. It always seems like there's something else better to do, but if I don't cook, then I'm not as good at tracking down another food related story. So, pick my poison, right? :)
Ha! I dig your humor @glenalbrethsen, you just made me laugh out loud.
Ya waves as in Steem I guess, good waves, hand waves, ocean waves, only the good ones.
howdy sir Glen! haha! wow I don't know about this mixture but if it tastes good then it's a wonderful thing. 15 minutes? can't beat that. That had to be healthy!
It could very well be an acquired taste. I know others in the family don't like it, and it doesn't have the most appetizing of colors, either. However, I think having at least the kale in there makes it more healthy than just the fruits, and leaving out things like yogurt and milk and using water seems like it's best at this stage in my life, although I do need to get the calcium to come from somewhere.
Fifteen minutes is a little longer than I'm hoping for once the bags are all made up. Should only take around five when it's all said and done. Still need to make up the bags. :)
sir Glen! 5 minutes for a meal. And why do you want to spend so little time getting a meal? I mean I know you don't want to spend hours but if you can get it down to 5 minutes that's world record time isn't it? lol.
Hey, if I could get it down to Star Trek replicator time (basically say what you want, bing it's done), that would be best. :) I don't know. I always feel like I have better things to do. If I didn't have to eat, I probably wouldn't sometimes. Not all the time, though. I do like eating. :)
Besides, smoothies aren't necessarily a meal. I know some people use them as a replacement meal, but I'm not sure if that's necessarily the best thing. As a supplement, maybe, but from what I've read, they shouldn't be used in and of themselves.
There's so much conflicting information about health and diets, though, who knows.
yeah I guess someone should research that. I've always thought of smoothies as for breakfast on the run or as an occasional meal replacement but if they're packed with enough nutrients they are probably better than a regular meal for most people and the way most people eat.
That sounds very practical! And putting a couple weeks worth of smoothie bags in the freezer would certainly eliminate waste. Good plan! Now if I could just learn to enjoy smoothies.......
Hey, @melinda010100:
I know the one I prepare is definitely an acquired taste, but it sound like you've got another reason for not enjoying them. Texture maybe? This was more of a smoothie, but I don't mind it at all if the drink actually becomes more of a juice. Probably still going to be more of a thick juice though. Just keep adding water. :)
The last 4 months of my partner's life that was the only thing that I could get him to consider eating, and I made smoothies like you cannot imagine to try to keep his strength up. I think that's what it is, they just have really negative connotations for me.
Well, I can definitely understand why. I'm sorry to hear that. I guess the thing about the ingredients I'm using, they also pretty much turn right into a salad. :) Not the protein powder, right, but the rest. I guess salad could be frozen, too, since it's all the same thing.
I recently had a chopped kale salad that had been frozen and I was surprised that the texture was amazingly good! I was just wondering why I had been taught that you have to blanch vegetables before you can freeze them. And I went and looked and what I found was that you don't have to blanch them if you are going to use them within 6 to 8 weeks. That fits right in with the way you are doing it!
That is actually very useful info. I will definitely be experimenting with the premade bags in the freezer. Kale really does not keep long enough at all especially if I am the only one who will have it.
I have been adding a bit of home grown aloe lately. Very good for the digestive system among other things.
Hey, @headchange.
I've never eaten aloe. We have a sunburn gel that is 100% aloe vera and it's awesome. So what does aloe do for the digestive system? I might want to keep that in mind. :)
I think it worked out well enough that I'll keep doing it. I'll probably make up a bunch of bags on Sunday and then work through them for the coming week or so. There's not going to be an even enough amount of all of the ingredients to make all the rest the same, so I will probably end up varying the recipe. Most likely I'll run out of grapes and raspberries before everything else.
Looking good! And way easier cleanup. I havent done many green smoothies yet but sounds yummy :).
Hey, @weirdheadaches.
I think it turned out pretty good. I had quite a bit of energy for about three hours. Then, it kind of wore off. :)
I do like the way I feel, and it's got to be better than cold cereal all the time.
The blender we have is pretty easy to clean, too, so about a minute blending dish soap and water pretty much takes care of it, and I don't have to worry about stabbing myself on one of the blades. :)
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