Because every one deserves to have a little fun, this grown-up fresh Orange Julius is made from Florida Orange Juice, and is the perfect drink to celebrate with!
This post is sponsored by The Florida Department of Citrus. Thanks for supporting the brands and organizations that make TFD possible. As always, opinions are my own!
When it comes to the word “fuel”, we often think about fueling our workouts or fueling our performance, but what about fueling our fun? That’s right, what is that thing that could help you fuel a celebration?! You know, those small (or big!) victories? Whether it’s a promotion or buying a puppy or having a clean house, these are all wins worth celebrating.
And today we’ve got a couple big reasons to celebrate. Tomorrow, May 4th, is National Orange Juice Day! And Florida Orange Juice is no longer just for breakfast. It’s the perfect, refreshing beverage to fuel your fun. And that’s why today’s recipe is a fun grown-up spin on an Orange Julius! I don’t know about you, but an Orange Julius totally brings me back to my childhood. I remember there was this one smoothie stand in the mall that I loved ordering an Orange Julius from. But truth be told, I haven’t had one in years so I was excited to bring it back with a little adult-spin (aka a boozy Julius!).
So what else are we celebrating, you ask?! We are celebrating being (almost!) homeowners!! Yep, a few weeks ago we put an offer down on a condo in Boston and it was accepted! It happened suuuuper quickly and somewhat unexpectedly. We casually went to visit a few open houses on a Sunday just to get a feel for what we liked and didn’t like. Next thing we knew we had a realtor, mortgage lender, got pre-approved, and put down an offer by Wednesday. It was a total whirlwind! And still kind of is. I’ve never reviewed and signed so many documents in my life :).
Despite it feeling overwhelming at times, we’re super excited for this next chapter in our lives. The condo is everything we wanted and in our ideal neighborhood (where we currently are) so it all feels like it was meant to be. We’re set to close on May 27th, which will be here before we know it! Even though we’re not in our new home yet, it’s never too early to fuel your fun, right?!
And Florida Orange Juice is the perfect way to fuel. Not only does it taste delicious and refreshing, it’s packed with health benefits! It’s an excellent source of vitamin C, and a good source of potassium, folate and thiamin. Plus, fortified Orange Juice is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D too, which are nutrients that we typically don’t get enough of.
One of the questions I get from my clients is “wouldn’t it be better to eat an orange versus drink the juice?” The answer is you can have both! One of the most interesting things I learned about 100% orange juice is that it has one nutrition benefit that eating a plain orange doesn’t and that is hesperidin, which contains antioxidant properties. Hesperidin belongs to a group of antioxidants known as flavonoids, similar to resveratrol that’s found in red wine and catechin that’s found in green tea. Hesperidin is the most abundant flavonoid found in OJ and is found almost exclusively in citrus fruits.
So why doesn’t eating an orange give you hesperidin? Because it’s found in highest levels in the peel of the orange. When orange juice is made, those peels are crushed in the squeezing process and it releases the hesperidin. Research studies suggest that hesperidin has antioxidant properties and may play a role in cardiovascular health, cognition, and reducing inflammation.
Beyond that, there’s a lot of positive research (coming from NHANES) on the health benefits of those who consume 100% orange juice versus those who do not. Those who drink 100% orange juice are more likely to have higher fiber and whole fruit intake and meet fruit intake recommendations. They’re also more likely to meet the intake recommendations for vitamin C, potassium, folate, magnesium and vitamin B6. NHANES data and clinical studies also show that drinking 100% orange juice may help to lower blood pressure, lower total and LDL cholesterol, and raise HDL cholesterol.
I’d say that’s reason enough to celebrate National Orange Juice Day, wouldn’t you?! If you want to fuel your fun this weekend, whip up a batch of my grown-up fresh Orange Julius. I love the refreshing taste, creamy texture and hint of vanilla. You can make these as mocktails or cocktails depending on your mood and your audience ;).
What upcoming fun do you want to fuel? What could you celebrate this weekend?
Grown-Up Fresh Orange Julius
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
- Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup Florida Orange Juice, poured and frozen into ice cube trays
- 1 cup oat milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 ounces vanilla vodka (regular vodka or whipped cream vodka would work as well)
- 1/4 cup agave syrup
- 1 1/2 cups ice
Instructions
- Add frozen orange juice cubes, oat milk, vanilla, vodka, and agave to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Add ice and blend until smooth and frosty.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Leave out the vodka for a fun mocktail!
- Prep Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Cocktail
Because every one deserves to have a little fun, this grown-up fresh Orange Julius is made from Florida Orange Juice, and is the perfect drink to celebrate with! #orangejuice #cocktail
What upcoming fun do you want to fuel? What could you celebrate this weekend?
You May Also like
For more warm weather inspired beverages, check out my recipes below!
Yum! I will use just about any excuse to have citrus, so tasty! Time to put on some flip flops and try this. Your photography is beautiful as well. Thanks so much!
Same!! So glad it’s flip flop weather now too. Thanks, Heidi!
Congratulations on becoming an (almost) homeowner and good luck on the move! This grown-up Orange Julius looks so refreshing and perfect for summer!
Thanks, Shannon!!
Saving these to have at a garden party this summer! They look delicious!
Yay! Hope you and your guests enjoy them!
I had no idea about hesperidin! That’s really interesting it’s not found in the fruit but is in the orange juice – do you know how that works?
Because it’s located primarily in the peel! And we don’t eat the peel :). But OJ is made by aggressively crushing the oranges (including the peel!) so we get more of the antioxidants from the peel in juice.
I am dying to make this! What a fun summer cocktail!
It’s SO good. I’ll be making these all summer long.
This looks so tasty and refreshing! Perfect for summer!
Thanks, Stephanie! Agreed!
I did not know that about Hesperidin! Your Orange Julius looks amazing.
So cool, right?! Thanks, Alanna!
Oh, I love a good Orange Julius. At home, I use frozen bananas to get it creamy and sweet without the added sugar. Concentrate is a great idea! Thank you, Kara, for sharing this recipe!
Nice! That sounds great too!
Congratulations!!!!! Also – LOOOOVE orange julius, but haven’t had one since high school!! I think I need to make this 🙂
Thanks, Tara!! 🙂