6 Time-Saving Smoothie Tips

Buying greens in big containers or bags can save you money, but not if those greens wilt by the time you get halfway through. Save money and time by freezing your greens. Measure one- or two-cup portions in labeled freezer bags, or puree greens in a blender and freeze them in ice cube trays to use later.

Instead of adding plain ice cubes to the blender, throw in frozen cubes made of coconut water to add more essential electrolytes to your glass. Depending on the size of your ice cube tray, each coconut-water cube is equivalent to about two-thirds to one ounce. For reference, one ounce of coconut water contains five calories, four mg of calcium, and 60 mg of potassium, so grabbing cubes is an easy way to measure without actually measuring.

Adding calorie-free green tea to smoothies can suppress your appetite and increase your metabolism, but it takes time boiling the water, letting the tea steep, and then chilling the tea. Save time by brewing a larger batch of tea and chilling it in a pitcher in the fridge. You can also freeze your brewed tea in ice cube trays if you know you won't go through a whole pitcher within a week.

If you're really pressed for time or like to use ingredients that you can't buy frozen like pears or melon, make smoothie freezer packs. Note what liquid and extra ingredients to add on the bag, and your smoothie will be ready in minutes.

Grab your favorite unsweetened almond milk, and use that to make ice cubes. One cup makes about eight ice cubes (depending on the size of your tray), so it's an easy way to know how much you're using without having to measure (and dirty) a measuring cup.

Peel, slice, and freeze bananas on a pan or plate lined with parchment paper or in freezer bags. The smaller pieces make it easy to choose the amount you like, and they blend faster too.