Breakfast: one of the most important meals of the day. It breaks the fast your body’s been going through while sleeping and can raise your energy levels for the rest of the morning until lunch. And often, it can be one of the busiest times of the day.

Squeezing in that morning workout, choosing your outfit for the day, getting ready for work, commuting, getting your lunch together – it’s easy to see why we think preparing and eating breakfast is just too much and grab something at the coffee shop or drive-thru instead.

Smoothies are one of my favorite breakfast options and solutions for morning busy-ness. Not only can you get your produce fix for the morning, you can also easily take it with you to enjoy during your commute or at your desk. If you make them at home, you can save a little cash and customize your smoothie to your tastes. It’s a win-win!

I know what you’re thinking, how does adding smoothie making to the morning make things easier? Well, with a little bit of planning and prep, you can shorten the amount of time you spend in the morning making the smoothie and get out the door without having to wake up hours earlier. Here’s how…

Before the Work Week Starts
Buy your smoothie ingredients for the week. Multiply the recipe below for the number of days you’re enjoying a morning smoothie and have that ready to use.

The Night Before
Set the stage. Get your blender out and on the counter so you don’t have to unbury it from your cabinet. Have your glass or to-go cup clean and near the blender. Have your liquid measured out in a glass and put it in the fridge.

Prepare the ingredients. Grab a freezer bag/freezer-safe tupperware and fill it with your chopped banana, fresh or frozen fruit, the washed and de-ribbed greens, and any nuts or seeds you want to add. Close up your bag or container and toss it in the freezer before you call it a night. Freezing the ingredients will produce a nice cold smoothie without adding any ice.

Taking it to Another Level
If you have an evening or spare hour on the weekend, you can take smoothie prep to the next level and prepare all of your smoothies in one day. This way if you’ve got busy evenings you can still guarantee you’ll have a smoothie ready in morning.

The Morning
Pull out your liquid and frozen ingredients and add the liquid first, followed by the greens and the frozen fruit and nuts. It’s easier for most blenders to handle the greens (even frozen) first over the rock hard fruit. If you want to add any protein powders, nut butters or other supplements, add them in now and run the blender until smooth.

If you need to, add in a little bit more liquid if it’s too thick or ice if it’s not cold enough for you. Then pour into your cup and enjoy. Before you dash out the door, I would recommend helping your future self and rinsing the blender out so it’s easier to wash when you get home and are prepping for tomorrow’s smoothie.

Pouring, blitzing and pouring is so much faster in the morning than doing all of the prep in the moment. Staying mindful of your week and busyness level can really help you work with and around it.

Here’s my favorite green smoothie recipe structure. I love green smoothies the most because I know I’ve balanced out the sugar from the fruit with the greens and get extra servings of vegetables for the day.

As with all of my recipes, you can easily swap out ingredients to suit your preference or what you found at the market that day. I’ve also listed some possible add-ins to boost the fiber, protein or healthy fat content, feel free to try as many or as little as you’d like.

Make-Ahead Green Smoothie
Serves 1

• 8 oz liquid (milk, non-dairy milk, coconut water)
• 3 to 4 large kale leaves, washed and de-ribbed
• 1 banana, cut into coins
• ½ to 1 cup fresh/frozen strawberries, hulled

Optional add-ins:

• 3 to 4 tbl hemp, chia or flax seeds
• 1 tbsp collagen peptides
• 1 tbsp hemp, fish or coconut oil
• Spoonful of nut butter
• 1 scoop of protein powder

Combine the banana, fruit and greens (and nuts/seeds if using) into a freezer bag or freezer safe container and let sit overnight in the freezer.

In the morning, add liquid to blender, then add the frozen greens, then the fruit (and any nuts/seeds). Add any additional ingredients and run until smooth.

Add additional liquid if needed or ice for a colder smoothie. Pour into glass and enjoy!

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Do you have any tips and tricks that help you get the most out of your mornings? What are your favorite smoothies to start your day with? Share your tips, tricks and favorite smoothie ingredients in the comments below!

xo,
Aimée