Healthy Green Foods to Make for St. Patrick's Day

Having recently dined in an Irish pub with my family I was thinking about coming up with some Irish inspired healthy dishes.  I'll call them “Healthy Green Foods” which can have two meanings.  One could be because the first color that comes to mind when you think about all things Irish is green, and the other because green foods just sounds like healthy foods.  I’m sure we’re all familiar with the saying “Go Green.”  Well this is what I’m trying to get at.  Now the recipes that I want to come up with don’t necessarily have to be traditionally Irish. Of course when we think of traditional Irish meals potpie, fish and chips, and bangers and mashed come to mind.  But what about green eggs and ham (lol I meant to say green peppers and eggs), green corn muffins, kale chips, spinach potato pancakes, and green smoothies.  I'm thinking we could put a new twist on the idea of traditional Irish cooking.

Healthy Green Foods to Make for St. Patrick's Day

• Green Pepper and Eggs

  • One breakfast option for egg lovers on St. Patrick’s Day is to use green pepper slices in the frying pan to cook eggs. Simply crack the egg in the pepper as you would into the pan and cook normally. The peppers are shaped just like shamrocks!

• Green Pesto Pasta

  • Pesto is green, very green and healthy! Create a fun pasta dinner by using pesto.
  • You can make it fun by using bow tie noodles and calling them leprechaun bow ties. (You can make up a fun story as well to go along with it that your child(ren) will enjoy.)
  • Pesto is available at almost all grocery stores. You can also make your own quite easily like this 5 minute Basil Pesto recipe from Food Network.

• Green Smoothie

  • Many families already have a favorite green smoothie, and it’s the perfect meal or treat (freeze it for an ice cream like substance) for St. Patrick’s Day.
  • Check out my simple and healthy green smoothie and these great green smoothie recipes from Simple Green Smoothies. 

• Snacks

  • Put a twist on daily snacks. You can purchase these super cute little shamrock shaped cutters and cut just about any green fruit or veggie into these shapes for your little ones to enjoy!

• Superfood 5-Minute Green Sauce

This 5-minute sauce is low carb, it is vegan, gluten free, it has the most simplest ingredients on the planet and it is SO POWERFUL, HEALTHY, it bursts with flavor and nutritious vitamins are practically jumping in your belly and your body says: "Thank you for feeding me this AwesomeSauce!" Definitely a Superfood. Find the recipe here

• Kale Chips

• I didn't know I can make my own kale chips until I have purchased a bag of organic kale from my local supermarket. On the back there was an easy recipe for Kale chips.

Place Kale in a large zip-lock bag. Add 1T olive oil, add some salt, pepper, close bag and shake to coat leaves. Optional: add 1 T vinegar (any flavor) and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese. Close bag and shake again. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread kale in single layer and roast for about 15 minutes. Flip the leaves and then bake for another 15 minutes or until crisp. When done, remove from oven, sprinkle with sea salt and Parmesan cheese and serve. These Kale chips is now my #1 Favorite Healthy green snack. Even my kids approved.

• Green Muffins

  • Green muffins can make a great snack or breakfast for anyone in your family, including yourself! They are as easy to make as it is to make a smoothie. Check out this recipe on the Super Healthy Kids site. Add more banana into this recipe for a lighter coloring to the muffins, or top them with some naturally dyed frosting. (Avocado frosting works great!)

• Spinach Pancakes

  • Pancakes! Another great breakfast, lunch or dinner food! There are many varieties and most kids and adults alike enjoy eating pancakes. Try out this spinach pancake recipe from Healthy Nibbles and Bits. Don’t they look delicious!

• Natural Green Food Coloring

Beware of Artificial food coloring and artificial dyes!

• Food coloring can turn just about any foods unique colors, and it’s great for Holidays and special occasions to make colored foods. But all of those dyes can often create digestive issues, health issues and are overall not good for you. Try making your own, or purchasing some all natural dyes to use with any food. For St. Patrick’s Day try dying some of your normal every day foods green for a fun treat!
• Check out The Simple Homemaker site for some great ways to make your own green food coloring for St. Patrick’s Day!
• These India Tree Natural dyes are also a great natural alternative to store bought food coloring and although they are a bit pricey, they will last quite a while.

What healthy green foods are your favorite? And what healthy green foods will you make for St. Patrick's day?