Smoothies may seem like a luxurious breakfast, especially when smoothie joints charge you $5+ for a serving. However, at home, they can be a cheap, easy way to nourish yourself in the morning or as an afternoon snack.

One of my favorite aspects of regularly doing smoothies is that it can be an excellent way to prevent food waste. When I accidentally buy bananas for an army one week, I freeze the ones that are too brown for me or Ella to want to eat. If there are a few sad strawberries that get a little on the mushy side, instead of tossing them, I freeze them to use later in the week. Freezing your fruit first gives a creamier texture to your smoothies without having to use ice. I find ice waters down the smoothie. A blended morning beverage is also a great place to use up the excess spinach or greens you have lying around but can’t bring yourself to eat another salad.

Pro tip: lay your peeled, slightly brown bananas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 1 hour, then store in a freezer bag. This will help prevent your bananas from all sticking together in one big frozen clump. ALWAYS peel your bananas before freezing.

I will often lay out all the ingredients we need in little cups/bowls and let Ella dump in what she wants. She always dumps in everything I lay out. This is one of her favorite meals to help with, especially pushing the food processor button.

I like to add mix ins like collagen peptide protein powder, chia seeds, flax seed meal, and almond powder, but these are totally unnecessary, and below I will show you how to make a delicious smoothie on the cheap.

Budget Smoothies

Ingredients

1/4 cup yogurt (we use almond milk yogurt-optional)

1/2 c milk (we use almond, oat, or coconut)

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 cup frozen berries or other fruit

1 T peanut butter or nut butter of choice (optional)

small handful fresh spinach

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to blender. We also make them often in our 2 cup mini food processor, which works well.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. May add more milk if smoothie is too thick, or more yogurt/fruit if smoothie is too thin.