Chocolate orange smoothies are so good!

I love, LOVE, love chocolate. I really do, and I have no guilt around it. Life’s too short and I don’t believe that there should be any guilt around food.

That being said, I do like to be aware and mindful of what I’m putting into my body. This time of year it’s a bit more common for sugar intake to be high. With all of the holiday festivities, sweet treats are bound to happen more often.

My family hasn’t had sweets with loads of sugar this month, but we’ve each had a handful of gingerbread cookies, chocolate peanut butter truffles, thumbprint cookies and some chocolate dipped mandarin oranges. They were all homemade, so I got to control what went into them … but still, they’re treats.

This is where one my favorite smoothies comes into play …

I’m craving chocolate, but not wanting something heavy or too sweet. My solution for this is almost always smoothies. Smoothies are so refreshing, especially with citrus flavors like orange. One of the best chocolate flavor combos ever is  CHOCOLATE + ORANGE.

I love that I can control the ingredients in smoothies. If I want to make it on the healthier side, I know I can easily do that. I prefer to make smoothies with at least one nutrient-dense ingredient, a healthy fat + fill it up with protein.

This smoothie is made with frozen fresh orange juice {vitamin C} and whole milk or coconut milk {great healthy fats}. I like to freeze most of the liquid first to help thicken the smoothie, it really helps make a lovely texture.

I also add in raw cacao powder {antioxidant + high in magnesium and iron} for the chocolate flavor. For extra vitamins and minerals, I add Celtic sea salt {trace minerals} and whole food non-synthetic vitamin C powder. Plus a small amount of raw honey for a sweetener.

Last but not least, I add my favorite superfood ingredient … collagen! I love adding it to smoothies for an extra protein boost. Collagen is known for helping support digestion and gut health, helps support bone and joint health, helps build and restore muscle, helps support metabolism + so much more.

I only recommend using a quality grass-fed collagen. Knowing the source and where the collagen comes from is very important. My favorite brand is Perfect Supplements Hydrolyzed Collagen. I am so impressed with the quality of their collagen + they have wonderful customer service.

BONUS: Perfect Supplements has a 10% off your entire order coupon code just for Recipes to Nourish readers! Just follow the link here and enter NOURISH10 at checkout.

So there you have it, all of the components that make up this absolutely delicious smoothie. Now is the best time of year for this smoothie since oranges are in season. So grab some oranges next time you’re at the farmers market or grocery store … or better yet, pick them from an orange tree if you have one.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Orange Smoothie

Healthy Chocolate Orange Smoothie

Yield: 2 medium adult sized servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

This smoothie is made with frozen fresh orange juice {vitamin C} and whole milk or coconut milk {great healthy fats}.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups frozen organic orange juice "ice" cubes {See Notes}, preferably from fresh oranges
• 3/4 cup frozen organic milk or coconut milk "ice" cubes {See Notes}
• 1/3 cup organic milk or coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 2 scoops grass-fed collagen (<-- recommend)
• 1-2 tablespoons raw honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (<-- salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon whole food vitamin C powder - optional

Instructions

1. Add frozen orange juice and milk "ice cubes", milk or coconut milk, cacao powder, collagen, raw honey, vanilla extract, sea salt and optional whole food vitamin C to a high powered blender.
2. Blend until smoothie is thick and fully combined. Note - I use the ice cream setting on my blender. If you're not using a high powered blender, you will most likely need to add more liquid in order for the smoothie to blend. More liquid will end up producing a thinner smoothie consistency.
3. Taste smoothie - if desired, add more honey.
4. Pour smoothie into glasses. Serve as is or top with raw cacao nibs or chopped fair trade organic chocolate and garnish with fresh orange slices. Drink up!

Notes

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND freezing the orange juice and 3/4 cup milk or coconut milk first. This really helps improve the thickness of this smoothie. The texture kind of falls between a thin smoothie texture and a milkshake texture. I just fill up my silicone ice cubes mold with orange juice and milk/coconut milk the night before I want to make the smoothie. If you choose not to do this, just add the orange juice and milk/coconut milk as is to the blender. The smoothie will still taste great, but it will be very thin without the frozen cubes.

Yield: Makes about two medium size servings for 2 adults or 3 small servings for children.

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  Tovolo Perfect Cube Ice Mold Trays, Sturdy Silicone, Fade Resistant, 1.25" Cubes, Set of 2, Capri Blue

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 757Total Fat: 52gSaturated Fat: 44gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 646mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 4gSugar: 36gProtein: 19g

This nutritional information was auto-generated based on serving size, number of servings, and typical information for the ingredients listed. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

Are you on Pinterest? I pin lots of yummy real food recipes + more there. I have a board just for Beverages and Gluten Free Treats too. Come follow along.

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