Orange Banana Smoothie (Orange Julius Copycat)

Smoothies.. amiright? Let’s chat Orange Julius…
I used to looove Orange Julius when I was younger. I lived for their smoothies and used to think they were so healthy and full of nutrients. However, their drinks are filled with absolute CRAP that is so bad for you. I have gone onto their website and grabbed some nutritional facts about their popular drinks…

In their small orange smoothie, here are some of the toxic ingredients that stood out to me:

In the yogurt: sugar syrup, corn syrup, mono and diglycerides, polysorbate (usually used as an emulsifier in cosmetics & cleaners), and carrageenan.

In the “orange juice” and “sweetener”: frozen concentrated orange juice, high fructose corn syrup and sodium benzoate. Wow, that’s a lot of toxic shit in a smoothie. Toxic shit that does NOT need to be in there!

Let’s chat sugar for a minute..
We all know that sugar (in processed forms) is horrible for you and your brain. The type of sugar is important too. For example, high fructose corn syrup is horrible for you (always try to avoid this one) and it’s in the majority of processed foods in typical big-chain grocery stores. Be aware of this one. If you want to sweeten something up, look into using local & raw honey, organic maple syrup, soaked dates or coconut sugar. Yes, they are still sources of sugar, but they are a more natural source of sugar. Everything in moderation 🙂

As for carrageenan, you can learn more about it here.

Orange Banana Smoothie (Orange Julius Copycat)
*kid-friendly*

2 oranges
1 banana
1 cup almond milk
A few drops of vanilla extract (under 1/4 tsp- if you add too much vanilla, it can be over powering in this recipe)
2 tbsp hemp hearts
Ice
Optional: you can add some vanilla yogurt or vanilla coconut vegan yogurt if you want. This will make it a lot creamier. 

1. Blend it all up and garnish with an orange wedge and sprinkle of hemp hearts if you’d like!

I hope you enjoy this smoothie!!

Marcy xo