For A Breakfast Smoothie In Half The Time, Remember This Clever Advice

The first smoothies were concocted in the 1930s with the advent of the electric blender, but they really found their footing in America in the '70s as the hippie-based health movement gained traction. Today, almost everyone loves a good smoothie ... but we don't love the time-suck of grabbing all our fruits, veggies, and miscellaneous ingredients. The beauty of a smoothie is that it's a quick grab-and-go meal, and taking time to put everything together really slows us down.

The solution is an idea so profoundly simple that we can't believe we weren't always doing it: you collect all the dry ingredients you require for a week's worth of smoothies, portion them into baggies or jars, then prep your fruits and veggies, portion those, too, and stash 'em in the freezer. When a busy morning rolls around, you simply grab your baggies/containers, add any liquids and/or sticky ingredients of your choice, and throw everything in the blender! Now you have a delicious smoothie in half the time. Wondering how to get more veggies into your morning smoothie? Here are 15 interesting vegetables you should be adding.

On a Reddit thread dedicated to making smoothies more convenient, one Redditor echoed a now-familiar sentiment: "Just prep your ingredients and keep the dry separate from the wet in a bag or other container until morning. Blend while you're getting ready with the liquids and you're golden." Meanwhile, a Facebook user swore by the same sequence: "I measure my frozen [b]lueberries and put them in a zip lock baggie with my half banana and keep in the freezer. I then measure out my oats and chia seeds in a dry zip lock baggie on the counter. In the morning [I] just pour the milk, honey and then dump everything in."

We know that bananas will overpower your smoothie if you use too much, and prepped smoothie packs are a great way to perfect your daily smoothie recipe. A little tinkering and experimentation might be in order for the most delicious smoothies, but we feel that the effort will pay off in the long run. You might even find that you love the texture that frozen fruit and veggies add to your cool, refreshing quaff. This hack isn't just great for breakfast, either — smoothies at any time of day become a lot more convenient when you plan ahead. Your blender will be seeing so much action, it might even impact the lifespan of the appliance.