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the smoothie prep

for people who believe in effort, just not every day.

BAILEY SISSOM

April 8, 2026

I had a brief but intense relationship with a very expensive smoothie subscription service.

Perfect done-for-you smoothies made with exotic organic ingredients delivered to my door-step on dry ice. Dump, blend, done. I was living.

Then our monthly credit card statement arrived.

I had a whole explanation ready. The ingredients! The convenience! The experience! Joe saw the number and I just, well ... stopped talking.

My fling was over. I was devastated.

Here is the thing about me: I am an all-or-nothing person by nature, which means that when the subscription ended, my first instinct was to simply never have a smoothie again.

But somewhere between the grief and the grocery store, it occurred to me there was a middle ground. I could make my own. It would require some effort. Not a lot. Some.

There is a reason people pay extraordinary amounts of money for a smoothie.

You drink one and you feel, if only briefly, like a person who has made excellent choices. Like someone who is, against considerable odds, taking care of herself. That feeling costs 45 minutes and a trip to the grocery store.

A smoothie pack is just your ingredients, the fruit, the greens, whatever your people will actually drink, portioned and frozen in a cup, waiting for you.

Dump, blend, pour. Turns out a conventional strawberry from Kroger works just fine.

This week's win: smoothie packs. Pick a smoothie you love, prep your packs, and put them in your freezer. That's it. That's the assignment. There are three ways to make it happen (detailed below) depending on the time you have.

• ​This blog post is where to go if you want to turn your own favorite smoothie into a freezer pack. What to freeze, what not to freeze, how to make it actually work.
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• ​The Smoothie Pack Guide has five ready-to-go recipes and printable labels if you just want someone to tell you what to make.

Before you start, decide how you are storing your smoothie packs. Each container holds 1 smoothie serving.
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​Freezer cups are my go-to. Sturdy, stackable, and you blend and pour right back into the same cup. They can be washed and reused. They do take up freezer space and they are plastic, which I know isn't for everyone.
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Freezer bags are budget friendly and easy to fill. I like the ones that can hold themselves open for easier filling. Make sure to get freezer safe. If you do not want to use plastic, silicone freezer bags work well.
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​Vacuum sealed is great for bulk prepping. All three options are shown above. Pick what works for you.

This is the full version: 2 smoothie varieties prepped and ready to pull out all week. Additional recipes in the smoothie guide.

This week we are making two smoothies my family has been making for years. Six packs of each. Twelve smoothies in your freezer. Try not to open it just to look at them. I always open it just to look at them.

grocery list: (makes 12 freezer smoothie packs + blending ingredients; 6 cherry limeade, 6 best green)

• 6 bananas
• 18oz peaches (~4 1/2 cups), fresh or frozen
• 18oz cherries (~4 1/2 cups), fresh or frozen
• 5oz bag baby spinach
• 6 tablespoons almond butter or peanut butter
• 9 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon (just a pinch per pack)
• 32oz coconut water
• 6 cups milk (for blending green smoothies)
• 6 limes (for blending cherry limeade smoothies)
• OPTIONAL (for creamier smoothies) :1 small container Greek yogurt​
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Cherry Limeade Smoothie Pack (per pack)

Freeze together:

• 3/4 cup peaches, sliced
• 3/4 cup cherries, pitted
• 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds

Add when blending:

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut water
• 1/2 to 1 lime, juiced
• optional: 2 tablespoons greek yogurt (for a creamier smoothie)​
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The Best Green Smoothie Pack (per pack)

Freeze together:

• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Add when blending:

• 1 cup milk

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​Prep checklist:

1. Wash and prep all produce first. Everything washed, trimmed, and cut before you start assembling.
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2. Assemble your packs. Fill six containers with cherry limeade ingredients. Fill six with green smoothie ingredients.
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3. Label everything. Smoothie name and what to add at blending. A marker works fine. Printable labels are in the Smoothie Pack Guide.
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4. Freeze. Stack them and you are done. Fancy subscription service? Who needs it.

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This is the simplified version. If the High Effort version feels like too much, do this. One recipe, 12 smoothies, all the same, done in about half the time. Additional recipes in the smoothie guide.

If I only make one, it is always the green smoothie. Spinach, banana, nut butter. My kids love it, and they are eating spinach. You cannot taste the greens. Promise.

grocery list: (makes 12 best green freezer smoothie packs + blending ingredients)

• 12 bananas
• Two 5oz bags baby spinach (about 12 cups)
• 12 tablespoons almond butter or peanut butter
• 12 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon
• 12 cups milk​
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The Best Green Smoothie Pack (per pack)

Freeze together:

• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Add when blending:

• 1 cup milk

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​Prep checklist:

1. Slice your bananas.
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2. Assemble all 12 packs. Same ingredients in every container.
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3. Label and freeze.

No prep this week? Completely fine. You still get smoothies.

Option one: grab a bag of pre-made smoothie packs at the grocery store. Dump, blend, pour.
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​Option two: pick one recipe from the smoothie guide, buy the ingredients, and make smoothies fresh this week. No prep session, no labels, no freezer cups.

Either way, you are drinking smoothies. That's the whole point.

My fling with super fancy smoothies ended abruptly. But it's okay. The rebound was even better.

Try one this week and let me know how it goes. Reply to this email or tag #simplysissom on Instagram.