How to make breakfast smoothies for meal prep?

What is the best way to meal prep smoothies?

The most practical method is freezer packs: put everything except the liquid into a bag or jar, freeze it, and blend with milk or water in the morning. The fruit chills the drink, nothing gets soggy, and there is no daily chopping.

Step by step

1. Wash and chop fruit; peel bananas first.
2. Portion one smoothie per bag: fruit, greens, oats or seeds, and any powder.
3. Squeeze out the air, label and freeze flat.
4. In the morning, tip the bag into the blender, add liquid and yogurt or nut butter, and blend.

Blending ahead

You can also blend a batch and store it in sealed bottles in the refrigerator. Smoothies may separate; shake before drinking. Food safety: the FDA says to keep the refrigerator at 40 degrees F or below and to chill perishable food within 2 hours. Freezer should be 0 degrees F. The FDA says frozen food stays safe indefinitely, though quality may decline, and food past its use-by date should be discarded. There is no official smoothie-specific number, so our cautious rule of thumb is a day or two and discard anything that smells off.

Ingredients that work well

• Frozen berries, banana, mango and spinach.
• Oats, chia and flax (they thicken as they soak).
• Dry protein powder and nut butter.

Add yogurt and milk when blending rather than freezing them in the pack, unless you like it thick.

Keep it healthy

Tufts University advises whole fruit rather than juice, no added sweeteners, protein and healthy fat, and about 12 to 16 ounces per serving. This is general guidance.