Healthy and Yummy St. Patrick’s Day Treats

Top of the mornin’ to ya! It’s time to celebrate all things green, Irish and fun – St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17th and we have some delicious treats for you and your little ones to celebrate – and maybe even get them to fall in love with some new healthy foods!

Edible Rainbow

Gather up all the colorful fruit you can find to create an edible rainbow! For each color, choose a corresponding fruit:

• red = strawberries, raspberries or watermelon
• orange = cantaloupe or orange slices
• yellow = pineapple or canary melon
• green = grapes, kiwi, honeydew melon, or green apples
• blue = blueberries or blackberries
• purple = grapes, plumbs

Arrange the fruit in concentric arches to create a rainbow. Garnish with mini marshmallows at the ends to make clouds. Don’t panic if your child doesn’t love every kind of fruit in the rainbow, maybe the fun of it will inspire them to try something new!

Green Smoothie

St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect time to have fun with all things green! Green decorations, green clothes and of course, green food. This delicious smoothie can be a little scary looking for parents, but rest assured, it is delicious and sshhhh healthy too:

• 1/2 cup of fresh spinach
• 1 cup fruit such as pineapple, mango, apple, oranges
• 1 cup juice (apple or orange) or water

Blend until smooth and beautifully green!

Pot of Gold Veggies

Speaking of delicious green foods, how about a healthy pot of gold snack? Create a platter of only green veggies: broccoli, celery, green peppers, green tomatoes, cucumbers, endive, asparagus, snap peas, zucchini, and or avocado. Some veggies might be better steamed or blanched (i.e. asparagus). Don’t hesitate to mix up raw and cooked – you never know which texture will be appealing.

Next, create a cheese sauce using shredded cheese, butter and milk. Let your littles dunk and munch to their heart’s content.