Kid-Friendly Naturally Green Foods for St. Patrick’s Day

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If you are a mom, and you have picky kids, St. Patrick’s Day should, hand’s down be your favorite holiday. St. Patrick’s day is the one day a year, that your kids will eat their vegetables and be begging for more.

 

You might be thinking that I don’t know a lot about feeding picky kids, after all my oldest kid is only two. She’s also a weird one who will gobble up almost any food I put in front of her (exceptions: meat {I have a two-year old vegetarian} and potatoes {yeah, the “vegetable” that everyone likes, go figure}). While you might be right about my kids, before I traded in my paycheck for dirty diapers, I got my share of experience planning and preparing menus for 100 preschoolers.  They’re a tough crowd, that’s for sure, but when I was done with them they were begging for more vegetarian quinoa nuggets.  So basically, I’m a get kids to eat rockstar.

Okay, bragging aside, what is it about St. Patrick’s Day that makes it so great for converting veggie-hating kids? Let me answer that with a story.

My mother-in-law is my hero.  The woman had eight children.  You read that correctly, eight.  On purpose.  With no twins.  And she still has all her hair and her shoes always match, which I think is a feat in and of itself.  But in addition to bringing eight children safely into adulthood, and keeping herself out of an insane assylum, she made life SUPER FUN for her kids.  Every holiday in her house was (and still is) a production.  St. Patrick’s day is no exception.  She served all dyed green foods, and even hid money in green muffins.

Kids LOVE experiences.  My number one trick for getting kids to eat is to make it an experience.  St. Patrick’s day is the perfect opportunity to introduce your kids to all sorts of naturally green foods.  They will eat up this opportunity, quite literally, especially when you tell them they will be rewarded for gobbling up all the green goodness by finding the pot of gold the leprechaun left at the end of the rainbow.

While dyed green foods can be fun, I went on a quest to find a great collection of my best food blogger friend’s naturally green recipes.  I did this mostly to amp up the health factor of our holiday celebration, but also because of a harrowing experience involving a white honda civic winding through the canyon, green food coloring, and a nauseated husband.  I will save you the gruesome details, but suffice it to say that green food coloring doesn’t make it to our table anymore. Ever.

I’m so excited by what I’ve found, here are 20 green foods for every course that will be the perfect addition to your St. Patrick’s Day menu.

Naturally Green Foods for St. Patrick’s Day

Green foods for an appetizer/soup

Avocado Pesto from Salt and Lavender

Ginger  Miso Edamame Spread from Crumb Blog

Indian Green Pea Soup from Spice in the City

Irish Leek and Potato Soup from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Edamame Hummus from Two Healthy Kitchens

Green Foods for the Side Dish

Asparagus with Green Beans and Shallots from Call Me Betty

Pesto Potato Salad from Taste and See

Greens and Black Beans from Bourbon and Honey

Oven Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Garlic from Longbourn Farm

Garlic Green Beans from Taste and See

Green Foods for the Main Dish

Going Green Spinach Pesto Israeli Couscous with Prawns from  My Kitchen Love

Ultimate Green Panini from Vegetarian Gastronomy

Vegan Alfredo Pesto Pasta from Avocado Pesto

Artichoke Avocado Pasta Salad from Bowl Me Over

BLT Stuffed Avocado from Wholesome Yum

Zesty Spaghetti with Olives and Pine Nut Gremolata from Pinch and Swirl

Green Foods for the Dessert

Naturally Green Shamrock Shake from Art from my Table

Vegan Lime Squares form Veggie Inspired

Avocado Grasshopper Bars from Raia’s Recipes

Basil Ice Cream from Spices n Flavors

I hope you’re as inspired by these recipes as I am.  Try them out this holiday, and let me know if any of them make you a “get your picky kids to eat veggies rockstar” that I know you can be.

Cheers, and Happy St. Patty’s day.

 

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