How to Save Time with Smoothie Prep Packets

Given we’ve highlighted morning routines, as well as coffee bar and drink station organization this week, it seemed only fitting we should share an easy way you can streamline your morning routine with smoothie prep packets today.

I’ll make a smoothie for either breakfast or lunch almost every day of the week. Smoothies are a great way to pack in extra veggies each day and if your mornings are incredibly busy they can be such a time saver too.

There seems to be an endless amount of smoothie options based on so many different fruit and veggie combinations which is another fantastic thing we love about smoothies – they’re completely customizable – even for picky eaters. A few of our favorites are…

• Banana + Almond Butter
• Mango + Spinach + Sweet Potato
• Green is Not Sweet (almost every green veggie you can cram in one glass + organic unsweetened apple juice)
• Banana + Berries + Spinach
• Banana + Berries + Avacado + Kale
• Mango + Pineapple + Banana with Coconut Protein Powder
• Sweet Potato + Blueberries + Kale

If you had a chance to read our post on 3 Steps to a Simple & Efficient Drink Zone you likely saw the latest way we’re keeping organized each morning. Our newest addition to that setup is our smoothie basket. You don’t have to have your kitchen organized like ours to have a smoothie basket though, you can keep a smoothie basket in your pantry or on your bar cart too.

In our smoothie basket, we keep…

• Blender
• Protein Powder
• Chia Seeds
• Flax
• Plastic or Resealable Snack Bags

After you’ve gathered the basics, making smoothies ahead of time is super simple. We use a simple formula each day which includes…

• Fruit (1 cup)
• 1-2 cups Veggies (1-2 cups)
• Protein Powder (1 scoop) (we use Vega products, but you can use what you like best)
• Healthy Fats (1 small avocado, or 1 banana or 1-2 tablespoons nut butters)
• Seeds/Fiber (chia, hemp or flax seeds)
• Almond Milk (you could also use hemp, coconut, soy or oat) {I don’t personally drink cow’s milk or eat yogurt, but I’ve seen people put them in smoothies too}

Now, I’m not a nutritionist I’m just letting you know what works best for us. Your healthcare provider will be able to help you decide which combination is best for your dietary needs. So, make sure you ask for their advice and recommendations.

There are two different ways to prep for morning smoothies. One, you can make a batch of smoothies each week and refrigerate them in resealable jars like Mason jars. Two, you can create smoothie prep packets using sandwich baggies and freeze the contents.

If you’re going to make a batch of smoothies to refrigerate in advance, you will need your smoothie basket, all the necessary smoothie ingredients, resealable jars, and a white board marker or jar/lid label. Just to be on the safe side, I usually only batch a few days at a time per person.

 

If you’re going to make smoothie prep packets, you’ll need fresh or frozen fruits and veggies and resealable sandwich bags.

Open your sandwich bag and layer in your leafy greens first,

followed by any other veggies,

then start layering in your fruit.

Once you have the smoothie prep packet filled with your choice of fruits and veggies, make sure you smooth all the air out of the packet before sealing it.

Then, place your smoothie prep packet in the freezer.

Depending on your ingredients you might want to let your smoothie prep packet defrost in the refrigerator overnight before you make a smoothie the following day. I don’t like a lot of ice or cold bits in my smoothies, so this helps to cut down on that while still making for a creamy smoothie.

Once you’re ready, dump your smoothie prep packets, seeds, protein powder, spices and almond milk into your blender and blend until you reach the consistency you love most.

You guys, prepping as much as you can the day or night before will save you so much time the following day. It’s nice to know you can have a healthy breakfast or snack in the refrigerator at the ready so you can grab and go and get on with your day. It doesn’t take long at all to make these smoothie prep packets, but it can make a big impact each morning!

If you guys have any fabulous smoothie recipes, send them our way! See you guys back here tomorrow. I’ll share scenes from our week and all our favorite things from around the web. Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo