Everyone is a little Irish on St. Patrick’s Day so why not celebrate by feasting on greens.  There are so many fun and delicious ways to incorporate all things emerald into the day’s meals.

Start off by taking a page from Dr. Seuss and enjoy some green eggs (scrambled with chopped spinach or spinach quiche) and ham for breakfast.  Or really have some fun and add green food coloring to your pancake or waffle batter.  You could also make a healthy Shamrock Shake (green smoothie) by blending spinach and peppermint extract into a basic banana smoothie recipe.

Make a mid-morning or mid-afternoon fun and thematic by serving up shamrock avocado toast.  Using a cookie cutter, shape sliced bread into shamrocks and top with mashed avocado.  You could also use the cookie cutters to create crispy green clovers; cut spinach tortillas and toast them up to dip into guacamole or spinach dip.

Play up the different shades of green in a fruit salad combining green grapes, kiwi fruit, honeydew melon, green apples, and pears.

Create a St. Patty’s Day popcorn mix by combining pop corn with green marshmallows and candy.  Take it a step further and drizzle the mix with green candy melts.

Wash down the sage colored snacks with some green juice (add a few drops of food coloring to apple juice) or make a kid-friendly green beer by mixing up root beer floats with green ice-cream or sherbert.  To really make them feel as if they’re enjoying a sudsy treat, serve the float in a clear beer glass or stein.

For lunch try serving up a buffet of green foods with an ombre veggie tray (celery, cucumbers, broccoli, zucchini, green peppers, snow peas) to dip into edamame hummus or a leafy green salad (which can be topped with some of those crispy clovers).  Put a spin on classic corned beef and cabbage by serving cabbage rolls or stuffed vine leaves.  Enjoy pesto pasta (use zucchini noodles to really go green) or puree peas and combine them into a cheese sauce for a color themed mac and cheese.   You could also use pesto instead of tomato sauce to make a vibrant pine colored pizza.

And to end things off on a sweet note, try serving a St. Patrick’s Day Parfait or trifle.  Use brownies or add some green coloring to store bought cake mix then layer with mint ice-cream or pistachio pudding (if allergies are a concern, green food coloring can be added to vanilla pudding). Garnish with green sprinkles for a fun and festive dessert.

These are just a few ways to be green this St. Patty’s Day and who knows, you may have the luck of the Irish on your side in getting your little leprechauns to try some new foods. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!