Chunky Monkey Protein Smoothie Freezer Packs
New Smoothie Rules
You’ve got to watch it with the breakfast smoothies. Everyone loves a cold Jamba Juice on a hot day, but you’re quite naive to believe that a sugar-laden fruit smoothie is doing anything besides spiking your blood sugar in the morning, only to cause a crash and hunger pangs by 10am.
Sorry if I’m bearing unsexy news, but your breakfast smoothie needs to have some protein and fiber inside. Whether you’re looking to lose weight, bulk up, maintain, or just live in optimal health, do yourself a favor and live by this rule: Breakfast smoothies need to have protein and fiber. Otherwise, it’s a treat smoothie. It’s a thicker fruit juice.
Protein is going to keep you full and support repair & growth.
Protein powder is an easy win in smoothies! Other protein sources are collagen (great because it’s unflavored), Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, PB2, egg whites, or chia seeds.
Fiber is where the good stuff is.
The main reason we’re drinking smoothies is to get some fruit and veggies in us, right? We can only eat so many salads in a week! Micronutrients are contained in fiber-rich foods which support our body processes. We want Vitamin A, C, K, B vitamins, calcium, folate, magnesium—we want to frontload our day with those so we knock them out early.
Bonus Macro: Healthy fat will keep insulin in check & regulate hunger.
Don’t be afraid of fat, especially in the morning. Fat keeps our insulin levels nice and neutral and it’s incredibly satiating (i.e. fat holds you over until lunch!)
Perfect fat sources to add to a breakfast smoothie include MCT oil, nut butter (or PB2 if you’re watching calories), avocado, or Greek yogurt (also a protein source!)
Chunky Monkey
Has It All
We’ve come a long way from Ben & Jerrys with this filling smoothie. We’re getting protein from three sources: Greek yogurt CUBES, protein powder, and chia seeds. Additionally, we’re getting some fiber from bananas and chia seeds.
Freezer Portions for Busy Mornings
One of the best things about this smoothie is that it’s portioned out into servings you can grab ‘n dump into your blender with ease. I filled the crevices of an ice cube tray with Greek yogurt for a few reasons. First: easy portioning--just add 3 or 4 cubes to your smoothie. Second: Nobody needs to be washing extra spoons in the morning—this method is way less messy.
This chunky monkey smoothie is incredibly filling and it will hold you over WAY longer than just eating a banana (because we all know that person in the office who thinks a banana is a balanced breakfast). Do that coworker a solid and share this recipe with them!
NUTRITION PER SMOOTHIE PACK
chunky monkey
Protein Smoothie
Freezer Packs
Yield: FOUR (4) Freezer packs
Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
2 12-ounce containers unsweetened Greek yogurt
1/2 cup cacao nibs
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup powdered peanut butter such as PB2 (see note 1)
4 scoops chocolate protein powder (1 scoop for each freezer pack)
Each morning, add:
8 oz preferred milk
Chopped nuts and/or cacao nibs for topping (if desired)
How to prepare your freezer packs:
Start by freezing your yogurt cubes. Drop dollups of Greek yogurt into the crevices of an ice cube tray. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2-3 hours.
Next, assemble the freezer packs. To the bottom of a freezer-safe jar or a plastic bag, add cacao nibs, chocolate protein powder, powdered peanut butter, and chia seeds. Next, layer 3-4 Greek yogurt cubes, followed by 1/2 of a banana sliced into chunks for easy blending.
Add lids or seal bags. Place chunky monkey packs in the freezer for at least 4 hours but up to three months!
When you’re ready to blend:
Into a blender, add 8 to 10 ounces of preferred milk. Dump one chunky monkey freezer pack inside and blend at high speed for 45 seconds. Enjoy this smoothie topped with nuts, cacao nibs, or slurp it down with a straw.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Some great powdered peanut butter options are linked below, or you can find it in the natural foods section of your grocery store. You can also swap out powdered peanut butter for 1 tbsp of the real stuff, just be aware that it’ll up the calories a bit.
