Smoothie lover shares genius hack to save time and money: 'Why have I never thought of this?'

Smoothies are an easy way to get a lot of your daily essential nutrients in one meal. With a few fruits and veggies, nut butters, and protein powders, smoothies become an ideal solution for anyone with a busy schedule, regardless of whether you're a busy parent or a competitive athlete.

The only issue with smoothies is that estimating the batch can be difficult when you are working with fruit that is not a standard measurement or when you are making a different recipe every time. No one wants to toss leftovers or be pressured to eat more than they can stomach. 

@nianoniche just tryna help the gworls #fyp #smoothie #smoothies #smoothietok ♬ original sound - Michael Prince

The scoop

TikToker Nia (@nianoniche) shared her favorite tip about how she avoids throwing out excess prepared smoothies. In her video, she shows herself pouring her leftover smoothies into an ice tray to be preserved and used at a later date.

"I freeze any leftover smoothie I have in an ice tray, making it easy for me to make one the next day. It helps me out [on] those days I'm in a rush. Plus, frozen fruit is too expensive to waste," she notes. 

How it's helping

Nia's tip is a game-changer for consumers who want to streamline their meal prep, those who want to avoid food waste, or those who want to take advantage of leftover produce from programs like Too Good to Go and freeze their delivery.

This tip can be taken even further by purposely preparing bigger batches so you can buy food cheaper in bulk and make multiple servings at a time, saving you time and money instantly.

Avoiding food waste at home is not only great for your wallet, but it's a big help to the environment. The U.S. currently wastes 38% of all food yearly, according to Feeding America. This adds up to 92 billion pounds of food and is worth $473 billion. 

What everyone's saying

One user commented, "Why have I never thought of this?" The OP replied, "It really just hit me one day!"

While we cannot always predict our meals, if we can find ways to save our leftovers and preserve them for a later date, we can stretch our dollars, time, and energy.

What's the most common reason you end up throwing away food? Bought more than I could eat Went bad sooner than I expected Forgot it was in the fridge Didn't want leftovers Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Check out these guides if you want to learn how to keep your food fresh for longer and do more with your leftovers.

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