Orange Julius Drinks

Four ways to make Orange Julius Drinks with just two ingredients, fresh oranges and extra protein. (Two are recommended, two are definitely not – I include them because some times knowing what "doesn't" work is just as useful as what "does work".) By all rights, these are Orange Julius "style" Drinks because they are made without frozen orange juice concentrate and without added or refined sugar, usual ingredients in copycat orange julius recipes.

Fresh & Seasonal, Perfect for Winter Citrus. Just Two Ingredients! Weekday Easy, Weekend Special. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

Why Do We Drink Less Orange Juice?

Why, exactly, are we drinking so much less orange juice? Research cites the reasons but I have my own radical idea.

Twas big news last year, 2014: Americans are drinking far less orange juice, about half what we drank just ten years ago. [Source: WSJ 8/18/14]

The reasons? We're not making time for breakfast. We're limiting sugar. Prices are up.

But no one is citing what I think is the real reason: how orange juice tastes!

Yes, taste.

Grocery-store orange juice just doesn't taste very good! It's just not special. If it tasted good, wouldn't we make room for it in our schedules, our diets and our budgets?

Enter fresh oranges!

Last week, a case of honeybell tangelos dropped on our doorstep – it was 3 degrees above zero at the time, yeah, I know, COLD.

The honeybells were grown at family-owned and -operated Boudrias Groves in Florida and a much-appreciated gift from good friends and long-time Kitchen Parade fans Charlie and Jan. (Hey, guys!)

Gorgeous, these honeybells! They are ever-so-sweet and so-so-so-juicy! Usually, I read, they are also seedless; these were pretty seedy but the oranges are so good, no complaints from here, I promise.

On the spot, I gifted some to a friend who was in the house that afternoon, she told me that she and her partner make "Orange Julius Drinks" with just oranges and egg whites.

The next day? So did I. So good! I was so pleased that just one egg white added both satiating protein and satisfying volume to my Orange Julius Drinks. Win!

Let's Talk Orange Juice

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you drinking less (or more?!) orange juice than you once did? How does it fit into your beverage choices today? Do you like a special brand? Those who grown your own oranges, what varieties are extra-special? If you have a favorite recipe that calls for oranges, I'd love to know about it!

MEMORIES OF ORANGE JUICE My dad's brother Marv was the "orange juice guy" in the family. During snowbird winters in Florida, he selected a precise mix of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and lemons off the trees in the back grove planted by my grandfather in the 1950s, then juiced the fruit on a rough wooden board out by the back shed. Gorgeous, Uncle Marv's juice, I can still taste it. If you remember a favorite glass of orange juice, please do share the story!

HOW TO BOOST ORANGE FLAVOR I keep frozen orange juice concentrate in the freezer to dole out spoonful by spoonful to boost the orange essence in favorite dishes. Really! It works! Scroll down a bit in the orange recipes for recipe ideas using orange juice concentrate, savory and sweet.

A Good Substitute for Raw Eggs (And Two Awful Substitutes)

Copycat Orange Julius drinks nearly always call for uncooked eggs. We're okay with raw eggs but not everyone will/should eat raw eggs.

So just to see, I experimented with substitutes often recommended.

• MERINGUE POWDER = No! Meringue powder is often recommended as a replacement for raw egg white for meringue and meringue-like frostings like Royal Icing for sugar cookies. But the powdery taste is most distasteful. I don't recommend meringue powder for Orange Julius drinks.
• PROTEIN POWDER = No Way! I also tried to boost the protein with a protein powder but once again, yuck. There was no way I wanted to adulterate these beautiful oranges with processed food powder!
• PASTEURIZED EGGS = Yes! The grocery store carries pasteurized eggs, especially treated with heat to eliminate any risk of salmonella and other raw-egg risks. Here we are sticking with egg whites and whole eggs, albeit with pasteurized eggs, just like I use for Christmas eggnog. Excellent!

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Just updated! First published back in 2015.

ORANGE JULIUS DRINK RECIPES
with FRESH ORANGES & PROTEIN

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Time to table: 5 minutes

#1 ORANGE + EGG WHITE
(my favorite, yields 1 cup)

• 1 orange, preferably cold, peeled and seeded
• 1 large egg white
• Splash buttermilk, optional but delicious

#2 ORANGE + WHOLE EGG
(richest, yields 1 cup)

• 1 orange, preferably cold, peeled and seeded
• 1 large egg

#3 ORANGE + EGG WHITE + PROTEIN POWDER
(NOT recommended, yields one cup)

• 1 orange, peeled and seeded
• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon protein powder

#4 ORANGE + MERINGUE POWDER
(NOT recommended, requires 2 oranges to yield 1 cup)

• 2 oranges, peeled and seeded
• 2 teaspoons meringue powder

In a blender, blend all ingredients for 1 - 2 minutes on high. Serve immediately with a cute but silly stripe-y straw. Or not.

ALANNA's TIPS Honeybell Tangelos "combine the characteristics of a tangerine with the sweetness of honey" so are sweeter than some other oranges. If you'd like your drink a little sweeter, try a touch of honey or the traditional Orange Julius sweetener, powdered sugar. High-powered blenders are all the rage now, aren't they? A Vitamix or a Blend-Tec may take less time and/or make a less fiber-y Orange Julius Drink but for me, replacing a $19.99 Target special remains low on the priority list. One thing I noticed, a single orange blended all on its own yields one skimpy glass of orange juice, it would "drink down" quick quick. That's why whole fruit makes so much sense: a whole orange just "seems" like more food, even though it's the same amount.

NUTRITION INFORMATION The nutrition information below assumes a big, juicy heavy-in-the-hand eight-ounce (220g) orange that yields about 3.5-ounces (100g) of edible orange flesh once the skin and pith is removed. Compare these great nutrition numbers with the outrageous 400 calories in even a small real Orange Julius you'll find at Dairy Queen or a shopping mall. YIKES!

WEIGHT WATCHERS TIP Since the introduction of SmartPoints, whole, unsweetened fruit is "free" except when it's juiced or smoothied.

#1 Per cup: 64 Calories; 0g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 55mg Sodium; 13g Carb; 2g Fiber; 9g Sugar; 5g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 2 & SmartPoints 3 & Freestyle 2 & myWW green 3 & blue 2 & purple 2.

#2 Per cup: 120 Calories; 4g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 211mg Cholesterol; 71mg Sodium; 13g Carb; 2g Fiber; 9g Sugar; 7g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 2 & PointsPlus 3 & SmartPoints 4 & Freestyle 2 & myWW green 4 & blue 2 & purple 2.

#3 Per cup: 80 Calories; 4g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 211mg Cholesterol; 71mg Sodium; 13g Carb; 2g Fiber; 9g Sugar; 7g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1 & WW PointsPlus 2 & SmartPoints 3 & Freestyle 3 & myWW green 3 & blue 3 & purple 3.

#4 Per cup: 131 Calories; 0g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 35mg Sodium; 32g Carb; 4g Fiber; 23g Sugar; 4g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 2 & PointsPlus 4 & SmartPoints 6 & Freestyle 6 & myWW green 6 & blue 6 & purple 6.

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Savoring Winter Citrus

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~ How to Cut an Orange for Slices ~
~ more orange recipes ~
~ more grapefruit recipes ~
~ more tangerines recipes ~

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ orange recipes ~
~ egg white recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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