Creamsicle in a Glass

Back when my parents owned half of a camper trailer, and later when they had a pickup camper, we frequently spent three-day holiday weekends or sometimes an entire week in the summer fishing at Big Stone Lake, on the border between South Dakota and Minnesota.  Sometimes we went with friends or other family members; other times it was just the four of us.  As you might expect, many of my sharpest memories of those expeditions center around the food - the crispy fried perch, the wild chokecherries and grapes we picked (probably illegally) for my aunt to make into jelly or wine, the fresh pastries from the bakery in nearby Milbank, and of course the junk food available at Schmidt's Landing, where we usually rented a boat.  Although we rarely got ice cream at home, the rules were relaxed when we were on vacation, and a trip to Big Stone was not complete without at least one Orange Push-Up or Creamsicle.

This smoothie tastes a lot like an Orange Creamsicle but it doesn't contain as much sugar - and drinking these for breakfast or lunch should help me use up this year's orange harvest.

Creamsicle Smoothie

1 cup orange juice (if you can't get fresh, try Simply Orange medium pulp with calcium)
½ cup low-fat or fat-free unflavored yogurt
1 scoop vanilla-flavored whey-based protein powder (my favorite is made by Body Fortress)
Ice

Pulse on "ice crush" in a blender until slushy.  Variation: For fewer calories, omit the protein powder and use vanilla-flavored yogurt or a splash of vanilla extract.

“Orange is the happiest color.” ~ Frank Sinatra