8 Fun and Healthy St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

One of the main themes and traditions surrounding the St. Patrick’s Day holiday includes the color green. We celebrate and engage in festivities wearing green clothes or jewelry, eating green foods, and so on. Because of this, one would think eating an abundance of health-promoting, natural green foods such as spinach, kale, or broccoli would be particularly easy on this day. The unfortunate truth is that instead of turning to naturally green foods to celebrate the day, most people turn to the traditional junk foods tainted green with man-made, harsh, chemical food dyes.

Instead of turning to these toxic “festive” foods at the grocery store, try one of a multitude of ways to celebrate and be festive without sacrificing your health! Below is a list of some of our favorite ideas, suggestions, and recipes to help you and your family have a fun, health-promoting, and green St. Patrick’s Day!

Avocado Basil Spread:

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in food processor or mash in a bowl with a fork until combined. Then spread it on your favorite bread, crackers, or veggies!

Cilantro Pesto:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
• 6 small or 4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Get the full recipe on Recipes.SparkPeople.com !

All Green Fruit Skewers:

Grab some green fruit of your choice and dice or cut ‘em up in the size you prefer, and put ‘em on a skewer. Serve fresh.

Fruit Ideas:

• Green grapes
• Kiwi
• Honeydew melon
• Green apple
• Limes
• Pear

Or for a different look, select fruits of many colors and make a rainbow on each skewer.

Basic Green Smoothie:

Ingredients:

• 2 honeycrisp apples, cored and cut into chunks
• 2 small bartlett pears, cored and cut into chunks
• 1 white peach, pitted
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 chunk of ginger
• 3 to 4 cups water

Get the full recipe on NourishingMeals.com !

Also check out the green smoothies and juices on Sunwarrior News!

Shamrock Tortilla Chips:

Ingredients:

• Spinach Tortillas
• Sea Salt

Get the full recipe on SpicedBlog.com !

Rainbow Veggies and Hummus:

Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup of fresh baby spinach
• 1 6 oz. can of quarter artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/4 cup of olive oil

Get the full recipe on KidsActivitiesBlog.com !

Green Muffins:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
• 1 large egg substitute
• ¾ cup pure maple syrup (Grade B)

Get the full recipe at PamelaSalzman.com !

Mint Fudge:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups coconut oil
• 1 1/5 cups nut or seed butter
• 1/2 cup sweetener of choice (raw honey or grade B maple syrup)
• 1/2 cup or more dried parsley flakes
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Get the full recipe at WholeNewMom.com !