March 11, 2012

by Lisa Viger · Published March 12, 2012 · Updated October 3, 2019

 Breakfast

Green Smoothie 1

serves 1 ~ $3.88 per serving

1 orange ($.40)

1 small bunch kale ($1.69)

1 mango ($1.49)

2 bananas ($.30)

1 cup water

ice cubes

St.
Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays, right up there almost
with Christmas. When my kids were little, every year on St. Patrick’s
Eve (yes, there was an eve involved) they would make leprechaun houses,
for any visiting leprechauns to camp in if they happened to stop by. The
next morning the kids would find all sorts of little leprechaun
artifacts in their cardboard houses; walking sticks, pipes, blankets,
coins, letters that had to be read with a magnifying glass … as if the
leprechauns had left just minutes before. So the night before St.
Patrick’s Day I was usually busier than I ever was on the night before
Christmas. I kept our leprechaun tradition until my youngest was 14. He
never did say exactly when he stopped believing in leprechauns, he just
let me enjoy myself. 

So, in honor of the green and the upcoming St. Pat’s Day …

This
is a very basic green smoothie recipe. In my smaller blender, I find
that blending the orange and kale first can help this turn out smoother,
but really it’s just about pureeing all the ingredients in a blender
until smooth. Add some ice cubes at the end if a chilled smoothie is
desired.

 

 

calories: 528

fat: 0 gr
carbs: 132 gr
protein: 8 gr

 

 Lunch

Green Smoothie 2

serves 1 ~ $2.89 per person

5 ounces spinach ($.98)

6 leaves romaine ($.75)

1 cucumber ($.49)

1 apple ($.40)

2 bananas ($.30)

1 cup water for blending

ice cubes

I
had thought about doing a day of green smoothies, to see just how much
something like a green smoothie feast would actually cost. I didn’t do a
full day, but it would be very possible to do a day of green smoothies
for $10 a day (or less!).

The directions for this recipe are the same as the one above, just puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

 

calories: 436

fat: 0 gr
carbs: 106 gr
protein: 12 gr

 

Dinner

Green Soup

serves 2 ~ $1.31 per serving

5 ounces spinach ($.98)

1 avocado ($.88)

1 small cucumber ($.45)

1/4 onion

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)

1 cup water for blending

salt and pepper

2 green onions, sliced ($.10)

Raw
foods are really so flexible. If it’s green and sweet, it’s a smoothie
… green and spicy is soup. And I’m really enjoying raw soups lately.
The avocado really makes this creamy, too.

This,
again, is a very simple blended recipe. Puree all ingredients in a
blender, except the green onions, until smooth and creamy. Salt and
pepper to taste, and top with sliced green onions. Pour extras into a
canning jar for later.

 

calories: 310

fat: 32 gr
carbs: 28 gr
protein: 2 gr

 

Dessert

Green Parfait

serves 6 ~ $1.38 per serving

green ice cream 

1 small bunch kale ($1.69)

1/2 pineapple ($2.00)

2 bananas ($.30)

1 avocado ($.88)

3 tablespoons agave ($.30)

macadamia cream

1/2 cup macadamia nuts ($2.50)

1/2 cup water

2 dates, soaked to soften ($.30)

3 tablespoons agave ($.30)

pinch salt

I
know, I know … I did green ice cream last week. I’m doing it again,
mostly because my grandkids love it so much, but we added some macadamia
cream and made a parfait.

In
a blender, puree all the green ice cream ingredients until smooth.
Process in an ice cream maker (thanks again Heidi!) or put in a
container in the freezer and stir every twenty minutes until firm.

Puree
the macadamia cream ingredients until very smooth and refrigerate until
chilled and thickened. Layer into parfait glasses or another suitable
dish.

 

calories: 304

fat: 13 gr
carbs: 28 gr
protein: 2 gr

 

Total cost for the day: $9.46

total calories: 1,578

total fat: 45 gr

total carb: 280 gr

total protein: 27 gr

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