y’all know I love my smoothies.
and - before I begin - know that I have a smoothies highlight on my instagram. i’d peek there if you’re a visual person.
i used to be horrible about making smoothies - like, i had these amazing intentions, but the smoothies themselves never got made. but then I realized the reason I disliked making smoothies was that I hated lugging my blender out from the cabinet, and I hated carrying a million bags of frozen fruit out of the freezer. so I moved my blender to the counter, and I prepped smoothie packs ahead of time - more on this in a second. once I made those two changes, my smoothie consumption skyrocketed.
that’s the thing: if a routine isn’t working, pause and ask yourself why. does something logistical need to be tweaked? do you actually want this routine - does it legitimately align with your personal values, or is it just a routine that worked for someone else?
like, I strive for a daily smoothie. it doesn’t always happen, but I tend to have a smoothie five days a week, on average, and to me that’s successful. i know that i feel better when I’ve had a smoothie - whether it be the dose of produce, the dose of fiber, or the dose of a grounding routine, I feel so much better on days i’ve had a smoothie. so that’s why I make smoothies. and that’s why it’s a routine that I’ve prioritized for years.
when I was a teacher, I’d make a big batch of smoothies (or two), I’d divide it among mason jars, and I’d stick them in the fridge for the week. at the time, I hated making smoothies in the mornings, so I made them ahead of time. to me, a melted smoothie was better than no smoothie.
once I started working from home (and in the four years since then), I make a smoothie and I put it in an insulated tumbler. that way I can enjoy it now, I can enjoy it in an hour when I’m hungry, or I can slowlyyyy sip it all day - and regardless of when I drink it, it’s still cold. (i wish I had done this while teaching, too.)
now adays, I make the smoothie first thing in the morning, I put it in my insulated tumbler, and I immediately put the tumbler of smoothie in my car cupholder. because we leave the house every day around nine, and this way I won’t forget it. having a smoothie in my car is the most delightful thing to sip while hungry and out-and-about. the best way to take care of myself, i swear.
here’s a peek at our daily schedule - there you’ll find when I make my smoothie.
if I have any leftover smoothie that won’t fit in my cup, I pour it in a small mason jar and stick it in the fridge. here’s an instagram post on this. this size mason jar makes the perfect little smoothie snack for Future Haley. (and it’s also nice to have on days I don’t feel like making a smoothie.)
our morning snack these days has smoothie as an option, so if I’m sharing my smoothie with KK, I’ll put some smoothie in this cup if we’re hanging around the house, or in this reusable pouch (it’s amazing!!!) if I need something on-the-go.
i’ve had a vitamix now for over ten years, and I swear by that thing. (i don’t have a link since I’m having trouble finding a link to my exact model.) worth every penny. here’s my favorite post on allllll the vitamix tips and tricks - like how I use my tamper to make a thickkkk smoothie.
here’s one of my favorite smoothies - but the video itself shows a visual of how I also put stuff in my blender, and how I use the tamper stick thing to push it all around. (the key to smooooth, thickkkk smoothies.)
I do love to buy the heb premade smoothie packs (I’m sure your grocery store has something similar). I also loveeee to buy smoothie fruit at costco - I always say the frozen fruit/veggie section and the frozen fish section are worth the membership alone.
one of my favorite things to do for meal prep is to make some DIY Smoothie Cups. like, basically the brilliant idea of Daily Harvest, but a DIY version. I take my favorite containers (I love to also use these to freeze soups and taco meat!) and in them I pile some frozen fruits and vegetables. this process is shown in my smoothies highlight on my instagram.
and, when it’s time to make a smoothie, I empty the Smoothie Cup contents into my blender, I add liquid, and I add whatever add-ins* I’m wanting that day.
*I personally do not add any seeds or powders to my DIY Smoothie Cups. I prefer to decide day-of what I want to add. To my smoothies I like to add chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp hearts, collagen powder, fiber powder, or a combination of these. just whatever I’m feeling that day. (I provided Amazon links, but know that I buy all my seeds at Costco.)
This book taught me alllllll the possible things I can add to a smoothie and the benefits of each, so that may be a good resource for you to decide what you’d like in your personal stash. But I think I learned the most from her “smoothie” highlight on her instagram - hanging around there taught me everything I know.
I don’t use protein powder - I have no real reason for this. I also usually don’t add yogurt to my smoothies - I, again, have no real reason for this. Maybe I’ll venture out one day, but for now I stick to the above add-ins.
I think my favorite place for smoothie recipes would be toddler and kid recipes - I swear they are always so simple and so delicious. (sometimes adult smoothie recipes get too complicated and not-so-delightful for me.) I love this book and this website for ideas.
i do sometimes add a bit of honey to my smoothies if I think it needs it - i know this is controversial. there are several ways to sweeten a smoothie, so if honey isn’t your jam, there are other ways. and some people are against adding any sort of sweetener, and I say that’s great. but to me, I want to enjoy my bigggg cup of produce and fiber - so if adding a little bit of honey makes it more delicious for me, I’m all for it. you do you, boo!
similarly, i usually go with unsweetened almond milk as my liquid. but sometimes - particularly when it’s so dang hot or when we have mimosa leftovers - an orange-juice based smoothie sounds stellar. so I do that. is it the healthiest smoothie? no. but is it enjoyable and I’m drinking a bunch of produce that I otherwise would never touch? yep. so i call it a win.
and while I love trying new recipes, one of my go-to favorites will always be frozen strawberries, frozen bananas, unsweetened almond milk (or dairy milk), whatever seeds/powders (listed above), and a touch of honey. (maybe some frozen cauliflower too, if I’m feeling it.) play with the consistency, but I like it thickkkk. tastes like a lovely strawberry milkshake.
a smoothie will forever be one of my favorite things for breakfast or lunch - see my full list here. (heck, I’ll even have a smoothie for dinner. when I was pregnant with KK and so nauseated by the thought of anything hot, I think I had two smoothies a day, ever day.) one of my favorite meals is a good smoothie with buttered toast. or a good smoothie with a turkey and mayonnaise sandwich. or a good smoothie with crackers. or or or. the list goes on.
i love smoothies.
one of the easiest, best ways to take care of yourself.
and if you made it to the end of this long, rambling post, you especially deserve a goooood smoothie.
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