Traveling smoothies?
November 30, 2015 12:57 PM Subscribe
Due to some unfortunate medical issues, I need to start taking smoothies with me to work for breakfast and lunch. Please help me with your best containers and good bag/lunch box recommendations for carrying two smoothies on public transportation!
I bought two water bottles that have special "no leak" tops, but they have turned out to be very difficult to clean. I spend the majority of my "smoothie prep" time each evening trying to get the gunk out of their crevices, it seems. So my first requirement would be that any bottles I use to carry them in would be easy to clean with a bottle and nipple brush!
I also need a better bag to carry these in; I want some sort of tall, thin bag so that they will stay reasonably upright as they get jostled around during my morning walk/bus ride into work. It's not a terribly long trip, so it doesn't need to be insulated. Any recommendations you all have on tricks that have worked for you would be most appreciated!
I bought two water bottles that have special "no leak" tops, but they have turned out to be very difficult to clean. I spend the majority of my "smoothie prep" time each evening trying to get the gunk out of their crevices, it seems. So my first requirement would be that any bottles I use to carry them in would be easy to clean with a bottle and nipple brush!
I also need a better bag to carry these in; I want some sort of tall, thin bag so that they will stay reasonably upright as they get jostled around during my morning walk/bus ride into work. It's not a terribly long trip, so it doesn't need to be insulated. Any recommendations you all have on tricks that have worked for you would be most appreciated!
Best answer: have you tried blender bottles to both make and transport your shake? I use a 20oz one and find its a good size for me.
pros: dishwasher safe or you can just put in water/soap and shake it clean
cons: if you don't snap down the top and hear the click before you shake it, it may be slightly explosive. (ask me how I learned that one!)
To transport, you could get a 2 bottle wine tote
posted by larthegreat at 1:11 PM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
pros: dishwasher safe or you can just put in water/soap and shake it clean
cons: if you don't snap down the top and hear the click before you shake it, it may be slightly explosive. (ask me how I learned that one!)
To transport, you could get a 2 bottle wine tote
posted by larthegreat at 1:11 PM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
These. I use these exact same containers to take juice into work. They have an 'auto seal' and definitely don't leak (although I do put them in a plastic bag, just to be sure). Each container has its own rigid straw that goes through the top of the seal so you can drink your smoothie through it, or you can just unscrew the lid and drink direct from the container.
posted by essexjan at 1:13 PM on November 30, 2015
posted by essexjan at 1:13 PM on November 30, 2015
Best answer: How about using mason jars with canning lids and rings? I use little ones to carry milk to work and they don't leak. You can re-use them over and over again (don't use the lids for canning afterward, though). I've tried so many options to get away from carrying glass to work, and EVERYTHING ELSE leaks.
When you get to work, you could switch out the canning lid with this and use a straw to drink the smoothie.
For carrying, could you stack them in a wine bag? Or, this one is sold as a "2 bottle tote."
posted by peep at 1:13 PM on November 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
When you get to work, you could switch out the canning lid with this and use a straw to drink the smoothie.
For carrying, could you stack them in a wine bag? Or, this one is sold as a "2 bottle tote."
posted by peep at 1:13 PM on November 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
I really like this Aladdin Aveo water bottle. Plastic, lighter and less breakable than glass, bottle-sized drinking spout and wide-mouth opening for cleaning. Has never leaked for me, and I often carry it in a gym bag. (occasionally fakes me out, seems to have leaked, but that's only because it accumulates water around the strap ring when I fill it messily, and then that drips on me when I start to drink. Hilarity! So now I wipe it off after I fill it.)
posted by aimedwander at 1:35 PM on November 30, 2015
posted by aimedwander at 1:35 PM on November 30, 2015
Is it possible to swish out the bottles you have with warm soapy water at work to minimize cleanup of dried up smoothie at home?
posted by sarajane at 1:54 PM on November 30, 2015
posted by sarajane at 1:54 PM on November 30, 2015
Best answer: AskMe did right by me by recommending the Zojirushi brand travel coffee cup. It does.not.leak. and on occasion my coffee has still been piping hot 12 hours later. No reason you couldn't use it for a cold drink rather than hot.
posted by vignettist at 2:31 PM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by vignettist at 2:31 PM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Because you don't mention drinking the smoothies on-the-go, I agree with peep and recommend Mason jars. They can be had for about $1 a piece and are leakproof & versatile. My life revolves around pint jars these days, and the only drawback is that they might cause a terrible mess if you drop them.
posted by oxisos at 2:32 PM on November 30, 2015
posted by oxisos at 2:32 PM on November 30, 2015
Best answer: I've found that the old school nalgene water bottles are great for smoothies and super easy to clean.
posted by pintapicasso at 2:37 PM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by pintapicasso at 2:37 PM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I second the mason jar idea. Free if you buy pasta sauce, leak proof, and hip. Bring cute straws! Or keep cups at work you can pour the smoothies into.
posted by hippychick at 2:56 PM on November 30, 2015
posted by hippychick at 2:56 PM on November 30, 2015
Response by poster: Thank you all so much! This has been a stressful thing for me, and you all have helped out a bunch. A two bottle tote is exactly what I need, and I'm sure one of these recommended bottles will work, too!
posted by backwards compatible at 2:56 PM on November 30, 2015
posted by backwards compatible at 2:56 PM on November 30, 2015
Mason jars do work great for this but I'd recommend using plastic lids over the metal ones, which technically two pieces and can be fiddly to deal with.
posted by fox problems at 3:25 PM on November 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by fox problems at 3:25 PM on November 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure if you mean like fruit smoothies, or powdered shakes. If you do need to make shakes, and have access to a sink at work, you can use a milk frother (I'm not recommending that particular one, just that type of thing) to get a nice, smooth shake anywhere. They also clean easily under running water. That way you don't have to worry about spillage in transit.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 4:04 PM on November 30, 2015
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 4:04 PM on November 30, 2015
i bring smoothies and shakes with me several times a week and i blend the shit out of them at home with an immersion blender, then put them in one of these:
https://www.hydroflask.com/
so they are still icy and delicious hours later. they don't leak, there's no condensation on the outside if you put something cold in there, it stays cold, you can't break it if you drop it, you can get a wide mouth one or a small one or a big one or whatever you need, and the metal is safer than plastic used for the shaker bottles. sometimes i put hot coffee in them. still hot hours later.
if you want the shaker ball feature to mix things, just buy a bunch of them and put them in a wide mouth hydroflask instead. these are pricier than mason jars but i think they are worth the extra $!
posted by zdravo at 4:26 PM on November 30, 2015
https://www.hydroflask.com/
so they are still icy and delicious hours later. they don't leak, there's no condensation on the outside if you put something cold in there, it stays cold, you can't break it if you drop it, you can get a wide mouth one or a small one or a big one or whatever you need, and the metal is safer than plastic used for the shaker bottles. sometimes i put hot coffee in them. still hot hours later.
if you want the shaker ball feature to mix things, just buy a bunch of them and put them in a wide mouth hydroflask instead. these are pricier than mason jars but i think they are worth the extra $!
posted by zdravo at 4:26 PM on November 30, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
You'd have to unscrew the lid to drink them, but as long as you aren't drinking them on public transit, that seems like it should be ok.
posted by OrangeDisk at 1:00 PM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]