Fresh Orange Smoothie ("orange julius")

I LOVE Orange Julius'.  Right now we have a lot of fresh YUMMY oranges, so I went looking for a recipe to make an Orange Julius, using fresh oranges.  I found this recipe at gimme some oven and it is delicious!!  We have already made it several times.  My kids beg for it!  It is quick, easy and healthy...three of my favorite things:)

If you have oranges with a lot of seeds, I would try to get most of them out.  A couple of seeds will be okay, but too many and your smoothie will be a little bitter.

Fresh Orange Smoothie ("orange julius")

Ingredients: 

4 fresh oranges, peeled

2 cups ice

1/3 cup milk (your preference – regular, soy, coconut, etc.)

2 Tbsp. honey (or agave nectar, or sugar) – optional 

1 tsp. vanilla

zest of 1 orange

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add more ice if you would like.

**Ali at gimme some oven suggests that you pop the peeled oranges in the freezer for 30 minutes prior to making these. So that they’re not thoroughly frozen, but definitely chilled and beginning to freeze. Then you can use slightly less ice. :)