There is absolutely nothing better than a creamy, icy, cold, citrusy drink on a hot day.
We’ve been having some good warm weather here in the Silicon Valley in California, and I know my kids need lots of fluids and a little cold goodness makes everyone quite a bit happier! Citrus trees are a pretty common thing around here, so many of you may be able to make your own freshly squeezed orange juice for this recipe! Starting in February through about June, we have beautiful, delicious oranges in our front yard. I didn’t realize what a delicacy this was until my dad, who works with Young Life in Asia and the Pacific, brought some of his friends over to meet our family. When they saw the orange tree, they all took pictures with our family in front of the orange tree, because it was something they didn’t have and they wanted to show their families! How cool is that?! I have not taken our easy access to those delicious oranges for granted since then!
My kids love being a part of making these! They get little ladders, grab some oranges, cart them inside, and then help me juice and blend everything. It’s something we really enjoy on a hot afternoon and is a fun distraction for everyone! We’ve done this post dinner quite a bit too, as it’s a fun little dessert and cools everyone off right before bedtime! We juice our own with THIS juicer, but you can also use this great TOOL! If you don’t have access to oranges, you can definitely use a store bought orange juice, but I strongly recommend unpasteurized and organic, as you’ll get the most nutrients and vitamin C from high quality OJ.
I hope you enjoy this as much as our family has! It really is absolutely delicious!! Steps with pics below, but you can jump to the bottom where the recipe is if you need to! Grab those oranges and grab little helpers if at all possible!
First, you’ll want to take the skin off the oranges. This used to take me a long time until I figured out a quick and easy way to peel them. I cut off the top and bottom and then work around the sides like this.
They should look like this when you’re done. It’s not a huge deal to get it all, but if you leave too much, you’ll get bitter orange juice.
Then you’ll juice the oranges and put it in the blender with the 2 pastured eggs. I always wash the outside of my eggs before using them even though I trust my source. I would NEVER use eggs that I buy from the grocery store or a large chain. I only use the eggs if I’ve been able to purchase good quality eggs that week. It will look like this before you blend.
You’ll then blend your eggs and OJ for about 30 seconds on high, and it will become very foamy and bubbly.
You’ll then add your banana, ice, vanilla and blend again until smooth. Enjoy!!
Ingredients
- 4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (this is usually about 10 large oranges through our Omega Juicer)
- 1 ripe banana with a good amount of brown spots
- 2 cups ice (feel free to add more if you want a really good icy julius!)
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
- 2 pastured eggs
Instructions
- Wash and peel your oranges like pictured above
- Make your orange juice with a orange press or juicer
- Place orange juice and eggs in a blender on high for 30 seconds
- Add ice, ripe banana, and vanilla and blend until smooth
- Enjoy!!
Notes
**Once again, I always wash my eggs very well with soap and water before using them
**You can omit the eggs if you don’t have access to a good quality provider with pastured eggs, but it will lack a little bit of the creamy taste
**Freezing the bananas ahead of time can make for more of a “smoothie” type consistency and you can use less ice