Day 27 brought me back to my childhood.
At night, my dad and I used to share a similar bedtime snack. It was always right before I went to bed, I would grab two oranges & a tupperware container. We would sit on the couch together, peel our oranges, – hence the tupperware container for the peels – and chat about our day. Sometimes, if we were feeling good, an orange would turn into an orange julius. My dad’s specialty was a couple scoops of ice cream and a swish of orange juice, no frills, simple. It tasted heavenly; maybe it was the ice cream before bed, or the time alone with my dad, I’m not sure which one was better 🙂
Thinking of this memory gets me teary eyed. My dad and I literally did this for years; years & years. It is a routine, even at almost 30, I miss. (I know how lucky I am that my parents live across town; a five minute drive, & I see them often).
Tonight after dinner, I was craving an orange julius. I haven’t had one in years. I scaled our fridge for the proper ingredients; we had an orange, a banana, vanilla protein shake, and ice; it was almost humorous. We didn’t have ice cream or one of my staples – almond milk. The need to be creative was pounding in my brain – MUST. HAVE. ORANGE. JULIUS.
I mixed together the minimal ingredients I had; it was a refreshing little bedtime snack after dinner, something new that will rotate through our dessert menu.
Vanilla (Healthy!) Orange Julius
Ingredients:
- 1 orange
- 1 frozen banana
- 3 scoops vanilla protein
- 1 1/2 cup ice
- 1 cup water
Steps:
Blend together ingredients (I used my amazing Vitamix) & ….
ENJOY!