October 23, 2011

by Lisa Viger · Published October 24, 2011 · Updated October 3, 2019

Breakfast

Beet Strawberry Lemon Smoothie

serves 2 ~ $1.70 per serving

a few large handfuls beet greens ($1.00)

1 cup strawberries, frozen ($1.30)

juice and zest of one lemon ($.80)

2 bananas, sliced and frozen ($.30)

water for blending

Red and green are complimentary (opposing) colors, which neutralize each other. Some of the nicest grays and browns are made with complimentary colors. But, in the same way, when making smoothies with greens and reds, the result is a brown smoothie. They taste great, but aren’t all that pretty. I had a pile of very red beet leaves from my epic fail at raising beet roots and used them to make the most gorgeous dark red smoothie with strawberries.

In a blender, add the beet greens and enough water to blend and puree until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.

calories: 245

fat: 0 gr

carbs: 55 gr

protein: 7 gr

Lunch

Greens with Sweet Orange Dressing

serves 2 ~ $1.83 per serving

5 oz mixed greens ($2.50)

juice and zest of one orange ($.55)

2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)

2 tablespoons agave ($.40)

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

This is too light a meal to last long, but it’s tasty and refreshing and the dressing went really well with the arugula that’s growing like weeds around here.

In a small cup, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Serve over the greens.

calories: 275

fat: 13 gr

carbs: 35 gr

protein: 7 gr

Dinner

Lemon Garlic Greens

serve 2 ~ $1.93 per serving

5 oz leafy greens, such as kale, tat soi, chard, cut into ribbons ($2.30)

1 medium onion, sliced ($.05)

2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)

2 tablespoons agave ($.40)

juice and zest of one lemon ($.80)

3 cloves garlic, pressed ($.10)

1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

This is a good way to use greens that may be a little mature … it will soften them up quite a bit.

Stack the washed greens and roll them up. Use a sharp knife to cut across the end of the roll, making ribbon shaped pieces.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the greens and sliced onion. Toss to coat thoroughly. Spread out on a dehydrator tray and let dehydrate for about a half hour to warm (don’t walk away and forget about them, which is what I did!).

I served this using a can to form a round tower. Because I’d already left them in the dehydrator too long, it really would have been better to have just piled them loosely on a plate. Either way, even if not the prettiest dish, they taste fantastic.

calories: 285

fat: 15 gr

carbs: 38 gr

protein: 8 gr

Dessert

Chocolate Orange Beet Smoothie

serves 2 ~ $2.55 per serving

a few handfuls beet greens ($1.00)

juice and zest of two oranges ($1.10)

2 cups almond milk ($.80)

4 bananas, frozen ($.60)

4 tablespoons cocoa powder ($.40)

4 tablespoons hemp protein ($1.20)

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

pinch salt

In a blender, puree the beet greens, orange juice and zest, and almond milk until very smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and, again, puree until smooth and creamy.