My Favorite Frozen Produce

I’m a huge fan of frozen fruits and veggies. The biggest reason?  No food waste!  They’re available for use in your freezer whenever you’re in need, and there’s no concern about them spoiling.  (I don’t know about you, but sometimes my eyes can be bigger than my stomach when it comes to fresh produce!)

I shared the below slides on my Instagram illustrating my favorite frozen produce to keep in the freezer whenever my day is in need of a little extra color.  These are, of course, not the only 6 items I buy, but they are the staples that I find to be the most versatile, flavorful, and easily accessible!

Some extra good news?  Frozen produce is nutritionally very similar to fresh!  That’s because it’s frozen right at the peak of freshness!

(Be sure to follow me over on Instagram!  You can click HERE for my page.)

One last frozen produce tip: Stock your freezer with a handful of options before you travel! That way, when you return home, you have some colorful choices waiting for you (without the concern of them going bad while you’re away).


Lots of my smoothie recipes use frozen produce! Check some of them out here!

Banana Cherry Smoothie

Thick and creamy like a milkshake, this Banana Cherry Smoothie is super satisfying and refreshing at any time of day!  It has the perfect amount of sweetness from the banana and apple juice, the perfect amount of creaminess from the Sunbutter and greek yogurt, AND the perfect amount of rich flavor from the dark cherries.  It only takes a few minutes to throw everything together!

Cherries are such an underrated frozen fruit to have on hand, but happen to be one of my personal favorites! They have such a deep flavor that holds up wonderfully when frozen. If you have any leftovers after this smoothie, add them into a bowl of hot or overnight oats, or into a yogurt bowl! (You can check out my article on frozen produce here.)

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

  • 1 Frozen Banana
  • 1 Serving Frozen Dark Cherries
  • 1/2 Cup Apple Juice
  • 1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt (I used nonfat)
  • 2 Tbsp Sunbutter

Directions:

Blend all the ingredients except the Sunbutter in your blender of choice

Add the Sunbutter and blend again

Serve and enjoy!

Ingredient recommendations linked!


Love this Banana Cherry Smoothie?  Try some of my other favorites!

Healthy Sherbet Smoothie

Berries & Cream Smoothie

Fruit & Chocolate Ice Cream Smoothie

Easy Vegan Fruit & Seed Smoothie

This 4-ingredient snack couldn’t be easier to make!  Keeping a stash of a variety of frozen fruit in the freezer is so helpful when creating smoothies on a whim.  I love combining handfuls of it with some sunflower seed butter and water which beautifully blends into a sweet, creamy, and refreshing snack that just so happens to be vegan and gluten free!

This is a snack-size portion, but if you were looking for more of a meal you could easily double the measurements.  I love drinking this as a side with a sandwich at lunch, or as a mid-afternoon bite.  It’s one of my favorite ways to add a couple extra servings of fruit into my day!

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

1 Large Frozen Banana (sliced before freezing to ease blending)

12 Frozen Dark Cherries

2 Large Frozen Strawberries

2 Tbsp Sunbutter

2/3 Cup Water

Directions:

Blend and enjoy!

Ingredient recommendations linked!

Chocolate Cherry Protein Oats

These Chocolate Cherry Protein Oats are the perfect example of what I refer to as “Instant Overnight Oats”. It’s simple: By adding plain greek yogurt into oats already prepared with water (along with your other ingredients), you get slightly cooled and creamy oats à la traditional Overnight Oats plus a bit of added protein! This Chocolate Cherry variety only requires 4 ingredients and takes less than 5 minutes to make!

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Quick Oats

1 Packet NibMor Hot Cocoa

1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt (I used nonfat)

Fresh Or Frozen Cherries

+ Water for the oats

Directions:

Cook up the oats with water (I use the microwave)

Stir in the hot cocoa packet

Stir in the yogurt until creamy and evenly combined

Mix in the cherries

Enjoy!

If you’re looking to enjoy the oats warm, fresh cherries would be recommended.

If you’d rather the oats be cooler like traditional Overnight Oats, the combination of using frozen cherries and cold yogurt will bring the temperature down. The warm oats will thaw the frozen fruit while transferring the chill into the rest of the bowl.

Ingredient recommendations linked!

Peanut Butter Cherry Protein Oats

It tastes like a PB&J sandwich turned oatmeal bowl!  It’s not overly sweet, and the textures of the oats, cherries, and creamy peanut butter topping make for a super satisfying yet ridiculously easy breakfast on hectic mornings.  Bonus – They’re vegan and gluten free!

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Quick Oats with Water (I love Bob’s Red Mill – Gluten Free)

4 – 6 Tablespoons Betty Lou’s Inc. Powdered Peanut Butter (Depending on preference)

Optional: Dash of Sweetener of Choice

1 Cup Dark Sweet Cherries

Drizzle of Traditional Peanut Butter

Directions:

Cook up the oats with water

Stir in the powdered peanut butter (and optional sweetener if desired)

Add the cherries

Drizzle the traditional peanut butter on top

Enjoy!