A friend recently asked me for tips & tricks to make her morning smoothie even faster to make. She doesn’t normally make breakfast but is committed to adding fruits and veggies to her morning routine. Making a smoothie every morning can be a little daunting, and is totally understandable, especially when it hasn’t been a part of your morning routine for long.

Since I consider myself the ultimate smoothie fanatic, I decided to do some investigating. A little smoothie R&D, you could say.

I have found there are two tactics out there to save you even more time in the morning. Both work pretty wonderfully, but have their advantages and disadvantages. Here are my thoughts:

• The Complete Make-Ahead:  This smoothie-making method involves making your smoothie ready-to-eat then freezing it in a jar or container. The night before you want to enjoy your smoothie, you put it in the fridge and can take it to-go in the morning.

I liked this method because I could wash my dishes and have very little prep to deal with the day-of. However, not all of my smoothies thawed to a point where they could be consumed right away. Two of them were still almost completely frozen. I ran one under hot water for a minute, which allowed me to scoop everything out a little easier. For the other smoothie, I left it to un-thaw for 36 hours instead of just 8. It was a great consistency, but required a bit of blending anyway to whip everything back together that started separating.

• The Bag & Freeze: This smoothie-making method involves throwing all of your ingredients together besides your water, milk, or liquid of choice and freezing it in a bag. The day-of, you take out your bag, dump it all into your blender, add your liquid and whip it together.

*Note: Some smoothies are much better for smoothie prep than others. I tried making one of my favorite mixed berry smoothie recipes with oats and peanut butter using the complete make-ahead method, and the oats ended up being much more distinct in the final product than when I made it day of. Keep in mind that lighter ingredients (smoothies with a veggie or fruit base) tend to work better for smoothies you prep ahead of time.

I have heard rumblings of a third method – and that is… a smoothie delivery service. A coworker of mine just told me she just ordered a few for herself, but I have yet to try this out myself (and she did tell me it was a bit more expensive than just making one on your own). Have you tried a delivery service at all? What about a completely different smoothie-making method? If so, you know I am all ears! Comment below or shoot me an email at [email protected] with your tips & tricks!

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Finally, here are a few new smoothie recipes you can enjoy! I hope you love them as much as I do!

Peaches & Cream Smoothie

1 cup Peaches, diced

1 Avocado

1 tbsp Chia seeds

1 tsp Vanilla

1 cup Milk (or other liquid of choice)

Ice, to desired consistency

Blend and freeze in jar using The Complete Make-Ahead Method. Enjoy!

The Healthy Pina Colada

1 heaping cup Pineapple 

1 large handful Spinach or Arugula

1/2 Banana

1/2 can of Coconut milk

1/2 cup Water

Coconut flakes (optional)

Use The Bag & Freeze Method, top with coconut flakes and enjoy!

Arugula Mango Smoothie

1 cup Mango

1 Pear

1/2 cup Arugula 

1/2 tsp Ginger (freshly grated)

Blend and freeze in jar using The Complete Make-Ahead Method. Enjoy!

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Have a fantastic Sunday!

xoxo,

Zoe Lauryn