It doesn’t take much time to make a smoothie, but saving even more will give you an extra edge over your old morning routine.

1. Pre-make Smoothie Bags

This single tip makes smoothie week that much easier. It’s very simple: after you finish shopping, head to the kitchen, pre-make all your smoothie bags for the week, and label the bags with their recipes and whatever additional ingredients may need to be added later (liquid, sweeteners, etc).

When finished, place the smoothie bags in the freezer, ensuring that your creations will be extra cool and hassle-free.

2. Wash Blender Right After Use

We’re all guilty of walking away to enjoy our amazing smoothie creation while our blender slowly solidifies with leftovers, making the it that much harder to clean later.

This week, make it a habit of cleaning your blender right after making the smoothie.  

Here’s another other tip:  When are cleaning your blender, blend a little water with some natural soap or baking soda before rinsing it out.

3. Place Blender in an Easy-to-Access Location

The rule of 20 seconds is “If you want a change, then move the habit you want 20 seconds easier to do and old habit you don’t want 20 seconds harder to do.” Repeat until your desired habit is a go-to reaction.

In this case, consider putting your blender on the counter, an easy-to-access place, or somewhere you would normally eat in the morning; maybe replace your cereal with the blender instead.

The 20 Second Rule is up to you, but it can be extremely powerful if applied. Humans naturally follow the path of least resistance, so let’s use it in our favor.

4. Blend Your Leafy Greens First

You may be able to skip this tip if you have a high-powered blender, but if you’re like many of us who don’t like chunks of leaves in our smoothies, we have a great tip: simply blend your leafy greens with the liquid before adding any other ingredients. Once the greens are blended well, add the rest and blend a little more.

5. Soak Your Dates Overnight

Dates are an amazing sweetener and energy-booster. They have loads of fiber for sustained energy—the only problem with dates is the unbendable chunks.  Again, you may not need this pointer if you have a high-powered smoothie; otherwise, try the following: if you have a smoothie that uses dates, soak them in a little water the night before.

This will soften them up before you blend them, giving you a smooth and naturally sweet smoothie. Remember to include the soaked water in the smoothie as well.

6. Freeze Your Veggies, Fruits and Greens

Always remember:

SMOOTHIE VEGGIES, FRUITS & GREENS WILL NEVER GO BAD! LET’S FREEZE’EM!

This might sound silly and a little overboard, but throwing away food that ben eaten is even sillier. Simply moving your veggies to the freezer will save you money, keep your food fresher, and make your smoothie taste that much better.

You might be wondering: “What should I freeze?”

It’s best if you wash, pre-peel, pre-skin, and chop your fruit and veggies into chunks before freezing them so that you can throw them right in the blender,

There are lots of ways to apply the freezing tip:

1. Freeze On-the-Go: See a smoothie veggie going bad but don’t have time to chop and bag it?  Not to worry: throw it in the freezer, and when you want to use it, pull out the cutting board, give it a couple hacks from a heavy-duty cleaver knife, and throw it in the blender.

2. Chop, Bag, and label Chunks: This one is a little more time-consuming, but it ultimately saves time and money. Labeling the bag before freezing will let you know what you have and what you should make first.

3. Pre-Blend and Freeze Cubes:  This is a great idea if you don’t have lots of room in your freezer, especially when breaking down greens into a smaller size. Simply blend your veggies and greens then pour them in ice trays. All you have to do is throw your smoothie ice cubes in the blender with your favorite fruit.

7. Make your smoothies ALWAYS taste great

This might go with out saying, but always make your creations taste amazing. With its natural fiber, fruit will not have any negative effects on your health or body. The main goal is to make sure you enjoy every smoothie you make.

Let the sweetness you crave be a natural process. If it doesn’t taste good, add more fruit; if it tastes too sweet, add less—but always have a smoothie that is hard to put down. In our experience, we’ve found that longtime smoothie-ists require less fruit because their taste buds are accustomed to less sweet flavors—the exception being the Tree of Life Smoothie, which may not taste amazing to everyone, but is extremely nutritious; we’ve had people say they enjoy one every morning.

Most of these smoothies are made with simple, easy, and relatively cheap ingredients. We left out some of our favorite raw proteins and boosters to keep prices low and processes simple.

If you want a little extra protein or boosters in your day, look no further.

Healthy Raw Vegan Proteins

It’s better to buy protein in its purist form. Avoid raw vegan smoothie blends because they usually have added sugar and complex ingredients that may bloat your stomach. The below list covers some great protein options that don’t have any negative effects.  Add a scoop to any smoothie for some added recovery and to keep you fuller longer.

Pea Protein

This is one of our favorite vegan proteins. High in lysine content, it may help lower cholesterol and promote a healthy immune system. Pea protein also helps with muscle recovery and contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.

Hemp Protein or Seeds

A nutty and earthy powder or ground meal, hemp is a complete protein (meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids) that’s also rich in iron, magnesium, and omega-3s, which can help prevent heart disease, dementia, and inflammation. Hemp also helps repair and develop lean body mass.

Brown Rice Protein

This vegan protein is isolated from carbs in rice and has a mild flavor. It is commonly combined with pea protein. Rice protein is gluten-free and hypoallergenic and provides essential amino acids and fiber.

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Amazing Smoothie Boosters

Smoothie enhancers are a wonderful way to make your smoothie even healthier. Add one, two, or more of these boosters to your next smoothie to give it an extra health boost.

Green Superfood Powder

Green superfood is bursting with vitamins A, C, and K, fiber, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. Plant sources include wheat grass, alfalfa grass, parsley, barley grass, oat grass, and spinach, and some even have sea greens. There are many green powders on the market, so head to your local natural grocery store to find one that’s raw, none-GMO, and unprocessed. Adding a green superfood to your smoothie is a great way to boost your health.

Spirulina

This blue-green algae is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and antioxidants that fight off free radicals. It’s also rich in beta-carotene, which may prevent cancer and aging. This superb organic source of vitamin B12 may also help decrease bad cholesterol, lower blood pressure, prevent infection, and naturally cleanse your system. Spirulina may also increase stamina, and help build lean muscle mass. Plus, it’s a compete protein. It really is as great as it sounds, so look for powdered varieties at your local health food store and give it a try.

Bee pollen

Bee pollen contains vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, lipids, protein, and a massive amount of amino acids. It may help the digestive system, boost the immune system, support the cardiovascular system, and aid with prostate and infertility problems.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has a massive list of health benefits.  To state a few, coconut oil will help you burn fat, stave off infection, improve cholesterol levels, heal skin, and improve brain function. This amazing fruit contains a unique combination of fatty acids with powerful medicinal properties. Populations that eat coconuts are among the healthiest on the planet. Add a tablespoon to any smoothie for a delicious and healthy boost.

Ground Flaxseed

Flaxseed is full of omega-3 fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acid (which may help boost immunity), and vitamin E. The shell of the flaxseed is to tough to break down, so we have to do so manually; simply place 1 tablespoon of flaxseed in a coffee grinder and pulse a few times; sdd the ground flaxseed to your smoothie and reap all its health benefits.

Maca Root Powder

Maca is grown in the Andes Mountains of Peru. It has been shown to help improve libidos, enhance mood, lower stress, ease tension, and increase energy. It is also used in holistic medicine as a pain reliever.