With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, you can make mealtime a little more festive for your children with these fun green food ideas!
If you read my Valentine’s Day post last month, you know I like to celebrate the holidays with fun food ideas and St. Patrick’s Day is no exception. Plus, since this holiday is centered around the color green, it gives parents the opportunity to sneak in some healthy fruits and veggies in a festive manner!
I happen to be very lucky that Emily loves both fruits and veggies, so it’s not that hard for me to get her to eat them. However, I remember myself as a child and I was a lot more hesitant before putting something green on my fork. How about you? Are your kids healthy food lovers or no?
I’ve compiled a list of fun and festive green foods for every meal throughout the day. I hope you find a few ideas to try and that your children love them!
Breakfast
Mini Broccoli & Cheese Quiche – These are super easy to make and not only great for little hands to eat, but provide a healthy and filling breakfast for the whole family. My husband loves these and sometimes even sandwiches one between a toasted English muffin.
Avocado Toast – Smash an avocado in a bowl and then spread on toast. I find 1 avocado make about 4 slices of toast. Sprinkle a little salt on top, if desired. Emily loves this and so do I!
Green Scrambled Eggs – Stir some chopped fresh spinach into a few eggs, whisk together and scramble in a frying pan as usual. Sprinkle a little shredded cheese on afterward, if desired. My whole family loves these, including Emily.
Lunch
Spinach Tortilla Roll-Ups – Take deli turkey/chicken/ham and a cheese slice and roll up in a green spinach wrap. Add in other veggies, if desired. Lunch doesn’t get much quicker or easier than this!
Cucumber Sandwiches with Veggie Cream Cheese – Spread vegetable cream cheese on whole wheat bread, top with cucumber slices. Cut into quarters and serve. Serve with sliced green peppers or grapes to keep the color theme going!
Green Fruit Salad with Yogurt & Granola – Mix together chopped fruits like green apples, kiwi, grapes, and pears. Serve with a side of yogurt and granola for dipping! This is one of Emily’s favorite lunches and while it may seem light, she seems pretty full afterward and works well if you’re having a large breakfast or dinner.
Dinner
Whole Wheat Pasta with Pesto – Cook pasta according to package directions, after draining return pasta to the cooking pot and stir in homemade or store-bought pesto. Top with parmesan or shredded mozzarella cheese if desired. This is one of Emily’s current favorites!
Broccoli with Pot-of-Gold Sauce – In a small, microwave-safe bowl, place 1 Tbs. unsalted butter, 1 Tbs. brown sugar and 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir to combine. Serve alongside steamed broccoli for dipping or drizzle on top. My husband, who isn’t the biggest broccoli fan, will go back for seconds when I serve it with this simple sauce, which I consider a major dinnertime win!
Pizza topped with Green Veggies – Top a homemade or store-bought pizza crust with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and green veggies, such as: spinach, green peppers, basil, asparagus, and artichoke hearts.
Dessert/Snacks
Grape “Snakes” – Place several green grapes on a cake pop stick. If desired, add two candy eyes to one end with a little cream cheese or peanut butter for “glue.” *Note: Because Emily’s only two, I only serve her chopped grapes, so while she can’t enjoy these now, I know she will one day!
Tropi-Kale Green Smoothie – This smoothie from Lydi out Loud is one of our favorites! It’s easy to make and packed full of healthy fruits, veggies, and dairy. Yum!
Guacamole with Green Vegetables – Mash together 1-2 avocados with a tablespoon or two each of tomato, red onion, and cilantro. Add a minced clove of garlic, if desired. Serve with cucumber slices, celery, and green peppers. You could also serve it with green tortilla chips to keep with the green food theme if you wanted something other than vegetables.
I didn’t realize how many green food ideas were out there until I started compiling this list. There are really so many fun and delicious ways to fit healthy green foods into your diets, whether they be from fruits or veggies. I truly hope you’ve found at least a few ideas on this list you might be able to try this month!
Fun!
So glad you like the ideas, Lisa! I hope you find a few to try out 🙂
What a yummy collection! Thank you so much for including my smoothie, I’m so glad you love it! 🙂
Thanks, Lydia! You’re so very welcome 🙂 I love healthy recipes like yours where you’d never know there was something like kale in it! It’s so good!
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