Feb 12, 2016

Smoothies are a great way to combine everything you need for a fast and on-the-go meal, but some places aren’t serving up quite as healthy of a smoothie as you may think!! 

Take Dairy Queen’s Orange Julius ® for example, the large size contains:

• 480 calories,
• 102 grams of sugar,
• 113gm of carbohydrates, which is like 2 really large meals-worth of carbohydrates.
• Contains zero fiber…..wait….What? No Fiber?  How can this be if an orange was added to this???.....That’s because they didn’t add a whole orange to your smoothie and it is likely orange juice without any pulp. 
• A measly 6 grams of protein (not a lot to stick with you)

Here’s another one….Jamba Juice’s Orange Dream Machine ® Smoothie – 16oz contains: 

• 350 calories
• 71 grams of sugar
• 76 grams of carbohydrates
• Zero fiber (again where’s the whole orange at with the fiber?)
• 8 grams of protein 

So the next time you think of paying Top Dollar for a smoothie at a juice bar or smoothie place think again!!  Making your own smoothies are a much cheaper and healthier way to have them. 

Here is a homemade version of a creamy dreamy orange smoothie that contains far less calories and carbohydrates, actually contains fiber – and a good amount of it as well as a pretty decent amount of protein.   

If you want to keep the nutrition of this recipe as it is below then don’t add any honey and rely on the banana to add sweetness naturally!

Dreamsicle Smoothie

Preparation Time: 3 minutes    Number of Servings: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen overly ripe banana, chunks*
• 1 Navel orange, peeled OR 2 clementines, peeled
• ½ cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• Honey, to taste (optional)

*Take ripe bananas peel and slice into chunks and freeze them

Directions:

1. Add almond milk, Greek yogurt, frozen banana, and orange segments to your blender.  Blend on high until creamy and mixed well.
2. Taste for sweetness and add honey to your desired taste preference.
3. You can also add ice cubes if you would like it to be thicker in texture.

Tips:

--You can add ¼ of an avocado, 1 tablespoon chia seeds OR 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed for a more filling smoothie & a dose of heart-healthy fats!

--Add more or less ice depending on the texture or thickness you desire.

--Add a handful of baby spinach to add some veggies to your smoothie.

Nutrition Facts (for the recipe does NOT include honey):

Calories:  265     Total Fat: 3gm          Protein: 15gm          Total Carbohydrates: 49gm   

Cholesterol: 0mg        Dietary Fiber: 7gm        Sodium: 234mg

Melanie Kluzek, Registered Dietitian for County Market

 

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