How To Make Smoothie Recipes More Quickly

This super simple hack to make smoothie recipes more quickly is a game changer for all the busy moms and dads… well, basically anyone.

I’m probably going to sound incredibly lazy when I make this statement but I’m saying it anyway:

I find making smoothies time-consuming.

I know, I know. But I have a feeling you also feel the same way.

I found myself week after week buying bananas and fresh spinach for the fruit in my freezer, but rarely making a smoothie. I’d throw away the bananas and wilted greens and let the fruit take up prime real estate in my small freezer.

Mornings around here are busy enough as it is. Getting two kids and myself fed, dressed, and out the door for school dropoff takes more time than it probably should, but my sweet, little munchkins are dawdlers. (For those of you with even more kids, my hat’s off to you!) My daughter’s school starts at 7:45 a.m., so mornings are early for us.

Anyway, I found myself rarely making smoothies in the morning. It takes (me) time to get out all the ingredients and measure them.

Then one day at Costco, I saw some pre-measured frozen green smoothie bags. All you have to do is add your liquid of choice. Yes, thank you, I’ll pay for that convenience! But when I got it home and tried it, I didn’t really like how it tasted.

That’s when the lightbulb went off: “I can do this myself with my favorite smoothie recipe!”

Prepping the smoothie

NOTE: This is how I make the Beginner’s Luck Green Smoothie from Simple Green Smoothies. You may need larger mason jars depending on what you put into your smoothie. Plus, you may have ingredients that don’t freeze well that you add right before you make the smoothie.

1. I set up an assembly line of mason jars. (These 16-oz wide mouth jars are perfect for a single serving of this smoothie, excluding the banana and water.)
2. I measure the mango and dump it into each mason jar. Then I add the pineapple to each one, followed by the spinach.
3. Put on the top and place in your freezer. I stuff the spinach in there and since there’s no liquid, I don’t have to worry about leaving room for expansion.

Making it

1. Run the glass jar under cold water, or place in a bowl of cold water, so the ingredients come out of the jar easier. For all the mamas out there, it’s just like thawing breast milk!
2. Add the water and the greens for a pre-blend. Then add the rest of the frozen fruit and the banana. Blend until smooth and enjoy! (You can add all the ingredients at once, but the greens break down easier if you do them before adding the other fruit.)

Voila! There you have it: my super simple smoothie hack!