4 Ingredient Healthy Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

This 4 ingredient healthy orange creamsicle smoothie tastes just like an ice cream and contains carrot, kefir and only one portion of fruit

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Rather than creamsicles we have Solaros here in the UK – ice cream on a stick coated with a tangy fruit sorbet; refreshing and indulgent at the same time and a hot weather favourite.

The creamsicle flavours of the tang of the citrus with the creamy vanilla also make a delicious flavour combination for a smoothie. It is also a glorious colour to brighten the dullest of mornings and to transport you to a summer’s day.  It is also packed with vitamin C, to help ward off winter colds and ‘flu, as well as beta-carotene, which your body converts to Vitamin A and is essential for healthy skin and eyes.

I try to keep the amount of fruit in my smoothies to one portion or less, and add at least one portion of vegetables to help reduce the amount of sugar and mean I can enjoy a smoothie without the accompanying sugar hit.

Tips for reducing the amount of fruit (sugar) in your smoothies

For creaminess & thickness

• Try adding just a few chunks of frozen banana – I typically use about a third of a fruit
• Add a spoonful of nut butter
• Add ground flax (linseed) or some chia seeds
• Add a 1/4 of an avocado
• Add a spoon of yogurt

For sweetness

• Use frozen banana – for some reason it seems much sweeter
• Add a few frozen grapes
• Reduce the fruit content slowly to get used to it
• Start by adding sweeter vegetables – baby leaf spinach or kale, then carrot, then regular spinach.  Once you are used to the flavour you can progress to the hard core greens like kale or chard
• Experiment with the vegetables you use
• Invest in a decent blender that will give a silky smooth smoothie – it does make a massive difference, the texture of unbroken down leafy greens is, quite frankly, horrible

When blending this smoothie I threw in a peeled carrot as well as the peeled orange, it adds colour and texture, with the carrot flavour being almost undetectable. If you are not used to adding vegetables to smoothies then this is good one to start with.

I used milk kefir as my liquid base, it is thicker than milk and has a pleasant tartness and is well worth a try if you have not had it before.  Otherwise you can substitute a half and half mixture of milk and yoghurt (dairy or non dairy), or use a non dairy kefir.

What is Kefir and why is it good for you?

Kefir is a fermented milk drink, made by adding kefir grains to milk and allowing them to do their thing.  It’s a slightly sour drink, much like a thin drinking yoghurt. But unlike yoghurt, it’s made with kefir grains; these are a symbiotic combination of yeasts and bacterias that together ferment the milk. They collect into clumps of a couple of centimeters across or so, with an undulating surface much like cauliflower. There are many sources online to buy the kefir grains themselves and we’ve written a guide on how to make milk kefir at home.  The many benefits to drinking kefir include:

• It’s a powerful pro-biotic. Kefir grains can contain 30 different types of microbe; many more than yoghurt, so kefir is a great way of supporting gut health, particularly for those with digestive problems.
• Drinking kefir boosts calcium intake, giving stronger bones and helping to prevent osteoporosis.
• The bacteria in kefir transform the lactose in milk into lactic acid, making it far more palatable to those who are mildly lactose intolerant.
• Studies have shown that drinking kefir can help those with allergies and asthma, thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties.
• It’s a great source of protein, phosphorous, vitamins B2 and B12 and calcium.

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5 from 3 votes

Healthy Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

This 4 ingredient healthy orange creamsicle smoothie tastes just like an ice cream and contains carrot, kefir and only one portion of fruit

Servings: 2 Glasses

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time5 mins

Total Time5 mins

Ingredients

• 1.5 glasses Kefir
• 2 small oranges ((peeled or juiced))
• 2 small carrots ((peeled))
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 sprigs mint ((to garnish))

Instructions

• Chill the oranges and carrots overnight
  
• Put all the ingredients into a power blender and whizz until smooth
  
• Pour into 2 glasses, garnish with a sprig of mint and serve
  

Notes

If your oranges have lots of pips then squeeze them and add the juice to the drink. Add a spoon of nut butter for extra protein. I use the Optimum Blender from Froothie for a silky smooth blend every time.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Amount Per Serving

Calories 182 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 22mg7%

Sodium 127mg6%

Potassium 333mg10%

Carbohydrates 25g8%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 20g22%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 8975IU180%

Vitamin C 54mg65%

Calcium 276mg28%

Iron 0.3mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Breakfast, Smoothie

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Keyword: Creamsicle smoothie, Kefir Smoothie

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We used kefir from Bio-tiful dairy for the smoothie, which was rich, thick, tangy, but not sour and made the perfect base. Available in natural, Morello cherry or honey & mint flavours, as well as baked milk (not pictured).  If you have not had kefir before then it is an excellent place to start.

More smoothies with more vegetables and less fruit try

• My chocolate hazelnut spread smoothie
• My post workout quencher
• Andrea’s morning green juice

Another recipe to try using kefir is Choclette’s kefir kale pancakes.

Recipe for Orange Creamsicle Smoothie commissioned by Bio-tiful.   All opinions our own.

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