Get your morning started with a huge dose of sunshine and vitamin C in a glass with this Tropical Crush Protein Smoothie! It has all the usual suspects when it comes to class tropical smoothie flavors – pineapple, banana, and orange. Plus an added boost of dairy free protein thanks to a couple scoops of collagen peptides. I love using collagen in smoothies because it doesn’t change the flavor or texture of the smoothie, but still adds a little bit of good for you protein.
Can I Meal Prep Smoothies?
YES! But…there are some caveats and ways to actually make them meal prep-able that won’t leave you banging your head against the wall in frustration. I know there are some people out there who blend up a few smoothies at once and stick them right in the fridge or freezer until they’re ready to head out the door for work or the gym. I definitely don’t recommend this route, for a couple reasons. First, if you just refrigerate a pre-blended smoothie, the ingredients will separate and the once frozen treat will be way less delicious and appetizing. Second, sticking the whole thing in the freezer will lead to a really hard to drink ice block when you’re ready to go, even if you thaw it overnight (trust me, I’ve tried).
Instead, I’d recommend trying these two methods for prepping smoothies ahead of time:
- Make smoothie packs – With this method, you can divvy up all your ingredients into pre-measured portions so all you’ll need to do in the morning is dump it all in the blender and go. For this smoothie recipe, that would mean measuring out frozen banana slices, pineapple, and oranges and placing them in a resealable container or bags like this or this. Then whisk together the orange juice, collagen, and yogurt and store in a jar in the fridge (preferably the jar you’ll be serving your smoothie in to reduce dishes!). Blend the liquids and frozen fruit in a blender until smooth when you’re ready to eat.
- *Tip: Be sure that the fruits are all frozen separately so that they don’t freeze into a solid block when you put them in a bag. If you’re not working with pre-frozen, bagged fruits, you can do this by laying the sliced bananas, strawberries, and dragonfruit in a single layer on a baking sheet. Stick the baking sheet in the freezer until they’re solid, then quickly transfer them into bags/containers and return them to the freezer.
- Pre-blend and freeze into cubes – This might seem like a nuanced difference from the “blend and stick it right in the freezer method” but trust me, it makes a big difference! Once you blend up your smoothie, pour it into a silicone ice cube tray like this. From there you can just divide the frozen cubes up into mason jars and return them to the freezer, then take them out and put them in the fridge the night before you plan to drink them. Because the smoothie is broken up into smaller cubes, it will melt faster than one big block of frozen smoothie, meaning that you can actually drink it in the morning!
Ingredients and Substitutions
This is what you’ll need to make this sunshine in a glass:
- Frozen Bananas – frozen bananas are the key to getting this smoothie really creamy without any dairy.
- Frozen Pineapple – Another key contributor to the creaminess of this smoothie, plus it’s just a classic tropical flavor!
- Orange – You could exclude the fresh orange if you wanted to, but I like the added bump of orange flavor without adding more liquid.
- Non-dairy yogurt – You need something to smooth out the sweet and tanginess of all the fruit in this smoothie, and I like the added creaminess. I prefer a coconut yogurt because the flavor works perfectly in this recipe, but you could use any non-dairy yogurt you’d like.
- Collagen peptides powder – Here’s where you get the extra kick of protein. What I really like about using collagen in a smoothie is that it doesn’t add any extra flavor or sweetness, but still adds a bit of protein. Because it dissolves so nicely, you can really add quite a bit without changing the way the smoothie turns out.
- Orange juice – I like to use the lower sugar, no pulp kind of OJ.
Shop for This Recipe
I bought the pineapple glasses you see pictured here many years ago and I can’t remember where I got them. I haven’t been able to find them online, but these cool pineapple tiki glasses would be a great substitute!
Recipe
Tropical Crush Protein Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas, sliced and frozen, (260 grams)
- 2 cups pineapple chunks, frozen, (250 grams)
- 1 large orange, peel/pith cut off and chopped, (116 grams)
- 1 cup So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Milk Yogurt, (227 grams)
- 30 grams Naked Nutrition Collagen Peptides Protein Powder
- 1/2 cup Trop 50 orange juice, (4 fl oz)
- 8-10 ice cubes
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Divide evenly among 4 serving glasses and serve immediately.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
Leave a Reply