Life gets crazy busy for all of us.
Busy mornings, tight deadlines, early morning flights & schedules and it does gets overwhelming.
Cooking a healthy breakfast may be last on your to-do list – I get it.
However, this should not stop you from grabbing a healthy breakfast. In fact, with a little planning, and a few tricks you're all set for a making your healthy breakfast.
You already know that breakfast is critical for giving you a head start for the rest of your day.
Smoothies are, by far, the quickest, easiest and most convenient way to pack chock full of nutrients in your morning menu.
Here are some practical tips to whip up fresh, healthy smoothies in advance.
Tips for making smoothies in advance
1. Prep, prep, prep!
Getting your ingredients ready is an essential step toward a hazzle-free smoothie making.
If you are using greens, make sure to wash them well, dry it in a salad spinner and store them in a dry clean bag. For fruits, de-seed them if required and cut them up to desirable sizes and store in a plastic bag.
2. Use single-serve bags.
This helps to make smoothie for one person, you can always double the ingredients to make smoothie for 2 or more. This also saves you from the mess of opening the bag and measuring the required amount for a single-serve smoothie.
3. Prepare a Base.
Having a base handy makes things even simple for getting a fresh smoothie anytime of the day. Green tea base, almond milk, coconut milk, mint tea make for great bases for smoothies. Be sure to use organic ingredients while preparing the base.
4. Freeze them.
Fresh blended smoothies can be frozen for several weeks to months.
I recommend this option only if you absolutely have no time to make one in the morning. Make sure you remember to defrost the smoothie in the refrigerator the night before.
Always label your freezer bags with dates. You want to use frozen smoothies with 2-4 weeks for best quality.
5. Tweak your flavors.
With a bit of creativity and experiment you can make awesome mix and match smoothies to your delight with no extra time.
For example, if you are preparing a blueberry smoothie on the first day you can add a small apple to the smoothie, on the next day pineapple or raspberries can add in a kick to your smoothie.
This is a great way to treat your taste buds with a variety so you won't get bored.
Don't be afraid to experiment!
Other tips to remember
- Use clean, filtered water
- Choose clean, organic ingredients as much as possible
- Rotate your smoothie ingredients weekly so you consume a full spectrum of vegetables/fruits
- Make sure to add hemp/ chia / flax seeds for a good dose of healthy omega-3 fats
- Incorporate probiotics in your smoothie and check this out!
How about using 100% fruit juices from store and pre-mixed smoothie mixes for base, you ask?
Smoothie mixes may look promising but when you spend some time reading the food label you are most likely to buy
- high fructose corn syrup
- artificial colors and flavors and
- unwanted ingredients as preservatives.
Steer clear of all the store-bought mixes to keep the ingredients simple and clean and organic.
I hope you enjoy nourishing smoothies with these tips.
Yours in Health,
Danette
P.S. Please share these tips with your friends and I welcome your comments below. Do you have any of your own smoothie-on-the-go tips?
