Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

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Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Every Spring we are inundated with oranges, so we squeeze a lot of fresh O.J. for the kids, and I often find myself enjoying a delicious orange creamsicle smoothie.  If I don’t use them up, the kids will use them to practice their juggling, and I’ll have orange juice all over the house. 

orange tree, california, fruit, orangesWe have an orange tree in our back yard, plus we have friends with trees who love to share. The difference is, our tree is really a bush.

You see, when we first purchased our little orange tree, we lovingly planted it in our backyard. Soon after we planted it, we adopted an adorable little Lab-mix puppy from the shelter. Well, that sweet puppy chewed on everything, as puppies do. And everything included our brand new orange tree. She turned our promising little tree into a sad stump. Literally. She chewed it down until it was nothing but about 10 inches of trunk sticking out of the ground.

Why we left it planted in the ground is beyond me.  It surely seemed hopeless, but then something wonderful started to happen.  Little buds started forming, and soon we were watching our tree come back from what we thought was certain death.  Now, a few years later, we have a little miniature orange tree that produces deliciously sweet oranges for us every year! You may not be able to tell from this picture, but our little orange bush is only about 4 feet tall. 

I really want a lemon tree and a lime tree.  I’m hoping if I bring those home, she’ll leave them alone.

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But let’s get back to the orange creamsicle smoothie.  It’s really good, and I believe one of the reasons I like it so much is because of the orange zest.  It gives it a little “zip”.  After it’s blended, there are still tiny pieces of orange zest in the smoothie, which I love. 
orange_zest_1

 

 

Morning Sunshine Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

If you don't like cottage cheese in your smoothies, you can swap out the cottage cheese and add in a scoop of vanilla protein powder.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 cup 1% cottage cheese
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1 Tbsp Orange Juice
  • stevia to taste
  • 10 ice cubes

Instructions

  1. Zest one orange.
  2. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until the cottage cheese is smoothed out - no lumps should be left.
  3. Add ice (you can add more or less depending on your preference).
  4. If you'd like it thicker, add 1/2 tsp. of glucomannan powder.
http://debbielundphoto.com/blog/orange-creamsicle-smoothie/

Here are some links to help you out.  My favorite stevia, and glucomannan.  (These are affiliate links.  If you purchase through these links, I get a small percentage of the sale.)
 
Morning Sunshine Orange Creamsicle Smoothie has been shared on:
Monday Meal Plan & Recipe Share
Trim Healthy Tuesday at Stacy Makes Cents & Gwen’s Nest
Wellness Wednesdays at Nourishing Treasures
Allergy Free Wednesdays at Whole New Mom
A Peek into My Paradise Not So Wordless Wednesday[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]