March 25, 2012

by Lisa Viger · Published March 26, 2012 · Updated October 3, 2019

Breakfast

Wild Green Smoothie

serves 1 ~ ($.80 per serving)

big handful dandelion greens

2 bananas, frozen ($.30)

1 orange ($.50)

1 cup water

8 ice cubes

The
word Dandelion comes from the French, Dent de Lion … teeth of the
lion. That’s an old dandelion seed packet above. The jagged, tooth-like
leaves, and yellow flowers are super easy to identify (top photo) and it
grows nearly everywhere throughout spring and summer. Whenever foraging for wild edibles,
just be certain you know what you’re picking. Be familiar with what’s
edible but also what may be toxic or poisonous.

For this morning drink, I just put all the ingredients in a blender and pureed until smooth.

calories: 314

fat: 2 gr

carbs: 78 gr

protein: 7 gr

Lunch

Mango Salad

serves 2 ~ $2.32 per serving

1 mango, diced ($.98)

1 avocado, diced ($.88)

1 medium onion, finely chopped ($.20)

2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)

1 tablespoon agave or other sweetener ($.10)

juice of one lime ($.69)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 bunch leaf lettuce ($1.69)

microgreens

I also love spicy and sweet
together, like the mango and cayenne that tops this salad. For this
salad, I chopped the avocado, mango, and onion, and added the olive oil,
agave, lime juice, salt, pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. I
mixed this well and let stand and somewhat marinate for a few minutes.
Then I spooned it over a bed of leaf lettuce and dandelion greens. I
planted the microgreens in a flat with an inch or so of potting soil and
snipped them off about 8 days later.

calories: 362

fat: 22 gr

carbs: 45 gr

protein: 6 gr

Dinner

Greens and Grapes

serves 2 ~ $1.62 per serving

1 bunch mixed greens ($1.69)

1 cup green and red grapes ($.45)

1 medium onion, sliced ($.20)

1/4 cup walnuts ($.30)

2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)

2 tablespoons agave or other sweetener ($.20)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar ($.20)

1 clove garlic, pressed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

This is a pretty and fairly light salad that was perfect for a summer dinner.

I
put the grapes, walnuts, and onions on a bed of mixed greens and dressed
them with a basic vinaigrette of olive oil, agave, vinegar, salt,
pepper, and garlic whisked together until emulsified.

calories: 390

fat: 24 gr

carbs: 46 gr

protein: 7 gr

Dessert

Mango Ice Cream

serves 4 ~ $.84 per serving

2 mangoes ($1.96)

2 bananas ($.30)

1 avocado ($.88)

2 tablespoons agave or other sweetener ($.20)

1/2 to 1 cup water for blending

pinch salt

Raw
ice creams seem almost too good to be true. I’m still amazed at how
healthy and delicious these are, and yet so incredibly simple to make.

This
can be made in a food processor with an “S” blade or blender, either
one. Puree all ingredients until very smooth, then process in an ice
cream maker until firm. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, just place
in the freezer and stir every so often until firm.