Pre-Made Smoothie Packs

Eating healthy as a busy working professional is hard enough. Tack on having to nurse a baby and pump off before getting to the office at a decent time – with a million bags in tow – and I am amazed that I even eat breakfast at all–and that it doesn’t (often) come through a drive-thru window…although Starbucks has some pretty scrumptious and healthy breakfast options these days. But I digress.

Pre-making green smoothie packs has changed my perspective on smoothies in the morning. I’ve always loved them but dread washing fruit and spinach in a rush in addition to having to portion out my flaxseed, chia seeds and protein powder. Nothing about smoothie making is rocket science but every second counts in the morning.

So right before I went back to work I played around with putting everything but the dry ingredients into a sandwich bag and sticking it in the freezer. I take out a pack before I get in the shower so it has a chance to soften up and then combine it in the blender with unsweetened almond milk (only 30 calories per serving) and the aforementioned dry boosts.

Voila! Green goodness – packed with fruit and leafy greens – is ready to enjoy before the little man demands his breakfast. These little frozen packs are saving my mornings. You really can’t make them wrong but an easy starter pack contains:

• 1 cup washed spinach or other leafy greens (kale takes some getting used to in smoothies, in my opinion)
• 1 cup mixed berries, fresh or frozen (I’m a fan of always including one or two strawberries. Blueberries and raspberries are easy choices while peaches and pineapple give any blend a lighter taste and showcase the greens more)
• 1 whole banana, peeled

I haven’t pre-portioned my dry ingredients yet but as Rylan gets ready for his daycare transition and our mornings become even more hectic I probably will.

Please share other tips you have for making hectic mornings a little saner, and a bit healthier!