The Trick to Meal-Prepping Smoothies So Your Mornings Are Stress Free

Healthy smoothies aren't usually considered complicated meals to make in the morning. After all, you're just throwing a bunch of stuff into a blender, right? Yes. But when you can't find your chia seeds, realize you're out of almond milk after you already threw the ingredients in the jug, or forgot to freeze your bananas (you hate room-temp nanners in your smoothies!), you're in for an annoying start to the day. Get prepped and organized by following these simple guidelines that guarantee a killer smoothie in three minutes flat.

Step 1:

Hit up the grocery store.

This is where your productive Sunday begins: the grocery store.

Shopping List

5 cups almond milk
5 bananas
2 cups frozen blueberries
5 cups baby spinach
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup almond butter
5 servings protein powder (optional)

If you don't already have these storage containers, you'll want to grab them too:
5 reusable baggies
1 mason jar or any BPA-free container with a lid that holds liquid

Step 2:

Prep everything in 15 minutes.

On Sunday, do your best to take a break from binge-watching The Affair (you can do it!) and set aside 15 minutes to prep your smoothie ingredients.

1. Prepare 5 individual baggies consisting of:
1 banana
1/3 cup blueberries
1 cup spinach

2. Place them in the freezer where you can see them (not under the frozen pizza).

3. Have the following readily available in your fridge (not behind the water filter):
Almond milk
Chia seeds
Almond butter

4. Keep these tools handy on the counter:
Blender
Measuring tools (tablespoon and a cup)

Step 3:

Make your smoothie in 3 minutes.

Every Monday-Friday, throw all of your prepped ingredients into the blender, give it a whirl, and enjoy. That's it.

Ingredients
1 cup almond milk
1 banana
1/3 cup blueberries
1 cup spinach
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 tablespoons almond butter
1 scoop protein powder (optional)

Directions
1. Add all ingredients into a blender and blend on high for 45-60 seconds.

2. Pour into a mason jar or any BPA-free container and gulp, gulp, gulp. Or seal tightly with a lid if you're saving it for later.

Step 4:

Become a smoothie pro.

These tips will have you on your way to smoothie-expert status in no time.

• The riper the bananas, the sweeter your smoothie will taste.
• Frozen bananas are the key to better consistency, so don’t forget to add them to your plastic baggie.
• Add your almond milk into the blender first, so you don’t need to use an additional measuring tool.
• Add five ice cubes when blending to keep things extra chill.
• It’s best to drink your smoothie right away. While storing it in a mason jar is definitely an option, the smoothie can get thicker and let's just say... less pleasant.
• If you do plan on storing it, omit the chia seeds: The longer they sit in a liquid, the more they congeal and turn it super thick.
• Fast cleanup tip: Once your blender is empty, add a dash of dish soap and 1/4 cup water, and blend for 30 seconds. It’s like a self-cleaning trick; just be sure to rinse it out after.

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