And here we go – my first 2€ smoothie recipe. The series is opened by Shrek smoothie which is named after the ogre from the well know animated movie. Shrek smoothie has become one of my favorite ways to disguise spinach for small (and adult) children. Because I don’t have kids I test my recipes on Aljaz who is pretty picky especially when it comes to green vegetables in all shapes and sizes. His comment about this smoothie was: “It great because you have to get through the healthy part (green) to get to the good (gray) and the best (brown) part.”.
But not to get ahead of myself – let me first make an introduction that is suited for the first post in a 2€ smoothie series.
What is 2€ smoothie and who is it for?
Because I love fruits and vegetables and because I love to enrich (or replace) breakfast with different smoothies, I decided to implement this little ritual in my blog. My goal is to introduce smoothie making to everyone who may think that it’s time consuming or expensive. Every week (usually on Friday) I’ll prepare one simple smoothie recipe that can be easily made at home. Smoothie will be made from affordable ingredients and their combined value will never surpass 2€ (2.35$).
My goal is not to brag with any kind of culinary perfection but to bring the smoothie making close to people who are not used to making smoothie or think that they can’t afford it. I’ll try to use as may seasonal, local ingredients as possible. But some extra additions may be a bit more exotic.
What do we need?
For smoothie making you need a blender that will be able to handle all the blending. For presentation purposes I also suggest the use of 0.5l (17oz) glass. Next to that you will also need some time and a little bit of effort.
Where can I get the ingredients?
Before every smoothie recipe you will find a table with ingredient, their price and the location of purchase. Please note that I buy all the ingredients in my home country that is Slovenia, Europe. Most of the stores that I shop in are available all across Europe and some may even be found in the US. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful with online or other alternative but please use this table as an inspiration to scout for similar ingredients in your country. If I’ll be using ingredients from my garden or orchard (I strongly encourage you to do the same if you have the chance) I’ll try to find a similar supplement in the store and include its price in the end price of a smoothie. I’m hoping that everyone will be able to make a smoothie no matter if they own a home garden or not.
Let’s begin!
shrek smoothie
ingredients
Ingredient | Quantity for 17oz Smoothie | Price | Store | Size of Packaging | Price of Packaging |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Smoothie Price: | 1.52€ (1.81$) Vegan version: 1.67€ (1.99$) | ||||
Bananas | 420g (15oz) - 2 bananas | 0.42€ (0.50$) | Aldi | 1kg (35oz) | 0.99€ (1.18$) |
Pitted dates | 25g (1oz) - 4 dates | 0.16€ (0.19$) | Spar | 200g (7oz) | 1.29€ (1.54) |
Baby spinach | 60g (2.1oz) - handfull of spinach | 0.58€ (0.69$) | Aldi | 125g (4.4oz) | 1.19€ (1.42$) |
Whole poppy seeds | 16g (0.6oz) - 1 tbsp of poppy seeds | 0.11€ (0.13$) | Spar | 200g (7oz) | 1.27€ (1.52$) |
Greek yogurt or Soy yogurt | 100g (3.5oz) - 2 tbsp of yogurt | Greek: 0.25€ (0.3$) or Soy: 0.4€ (0.48$) | Greek: Lidl or Soy: Aldi | Greek: 1000g (35oz) or Soy: 500g (17.5oz) | Greek: 2.49€ (2.97$) or Soy: 1.99€ (2.37$) |
Please note: The prices stated above reflect my shopping habits and may not be the cheapest on the market. I buy all the ingredients in my home country that is Slovenia, Europe. Most of the stores that I shop in are available all across Europe and some may even be found in the US. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful with online or other alternative but please use this table as an inspiration to scout for similar ingredients in your country.
Procedure:
Brown layer:
Blend half of banana, 4 pitted dates, a tablespoon of real cocoa and a small amount of water in a blender. Make sure that the mixture is not too dense otherwise the upper layer will immerse in the bottom layer. Pour the brown mixture on the bottom of the smoothie glass and place the glass in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Gray / white layer:
Mix 100g (3.5oz) of Greek yogurt (vegan: Soy yogurt) with 16g (0.6oz) whole poppy seeds. Remove the glass from the fridge after 15 minutes and carefully add the gray mixture of yogurt and poppy seeds on top of the brown mixture.
Green layer:
Blend a handful of spinach (around 60g (2.1oz)) and 1.5 bananas in a blender. You can use young matador spinach or any other variety that you may have in the garden (i.e.: new Zealand or Malabar spinach or chard). Pour the mixture in a smoothie glass, on top of the gray/white layer. Add two spinach leaves on top of the glass. The leaves represent Shrek’s ears.
Serve or keep in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Happy blending!
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