One of the best uses of my time each Sunday is prepping all of my smoothie starters. I have always loved starting the day with a smoothie or protein shake (depending on what you want to call it). I leave for work between 6:30-7:00 every morning, so I am not usually really hungry before I leave for work but by the time I get to work and get rolling, I am starving because I’ve been up since 5.
Mornings at my house can go one of two ways: blissful and smooth, or chaotic and stressful. I tend to think it all depends on who wakes up and when, but I can’t blame my children for everything. It mostly depends on how prepared I am the night before, which begins with how prepared I am on Sunday. If I don’t do this, I 100% do not make my smoothie in the morning and wind up eating an unhealthy breakfast or skipping breakfast all together and eating all the baked goods that are inevitably sitting in the kitchen at work. Sound familiar?
Each Sunday, I prep my smoothie starters. Here’s what you need to do to start this routine!
1. Get some inexpensive containers that you won’t miss if they are sitting in your freezer. I use those super cheap Chinese food/deli containers. I bought a bunch of them at a restaurant supply store a few years ago and they are perfect for things like this.
2. Commit to a smoothie recipe that you love. One of the reasons I never prepped smoothies ahead of time is because I wasn’t consistent with what I put in them so I wasn’t really organized. Now I have the same smoothie every day usually for a month or so. Here are some of my favorite places for smoothie inspiration. Lately I have been loving the Fab Four smoothies from Be Well by Kelly.
3. Once you commit to a smoothie recipe that you love, stock up on the ingredients for it. Right now my favorite smoothie has frozen cherries and kale in it, so I buy huge bags of both at our wholesale club.
4. Determine what can be frozen ahead of time. Hint: pretty much everything. There is not much that can’t be frozen.
Freeze: all fruits, all vegetables, seeds (hemp, chia, flax, etc.), nut butters, dates
Add in the morning: protein powders, liquid (water, milks), yogurt
Another tip: I set my smoothie cup and blender out on the counter every night so there is nothing more convenient than dumping a smoothie starter in, filling the blender with water and a scoop of powder.
You could prep a month or more but the only reason I do it weekly is because you may get sick of what you make and you don’t want to wind up with a bunch of starters that you are sick of. You can also prep a few different varieties and alternate if you have the freezer space!
