Go Green for St. Patrick's Day!

There is no better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than to "be green"!  Get the whole family involved.  Here are some "green" suggestions:

Pick a green fruit or vegetable to try. 

•  Let your family members pick out a green fruit or vegetable for the whole family to try.  Asparagus is often available in the spring and is particularly tender and flavorful this time of year.  When it comes to green fruit, you have many choices.  Will it be a green apple?  A kiwi?   For a list of green fruits and veggies, visit our previous blog post.

Have some fun with green food coloring

• Give your food a St. Patrick's Day look by adding a few drops of green food coloring to mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, or a fruit smoothie.  What else can you color green today?  (Food coloring does not add flavor or calories).

Make a special meal with cabbage, potatoes, or some seriously green ingredients!  Visit our recipe section and try Beef and Cabbage or Easy Cheesy Spinach Pie.   Need more recipes, try a Shamrock Smoothie or Green Pizza.

Take "going green" to another level

Consider setting up a composting station.  Keep coffee grounds, vegetable peelings, and other food scraps in a plastic container.  Encourage your family to be "green" year-round, by recycling as much as possible.  Many places in Maryland recycle glass, cans, aluminum, and cardboard.  Once you find out what you can recycle in your own area, you will be amazed at how much smaller your trash will be!  Learn more about composting from our friends at the Home and Garden Information Center.

Going Green for St. Patrick's Day

With all the festive green clothes, decorations and clovers on St. Patrick's Day, why not add the green color into your food?  Here are some healthy recipes that will keep you eating healthy all day long while enjoying the festivities.

This shake is a great way to start your morning or drink for a mid-morning snack!  It is packed with fresh fruit and yogurt that will give you a burst of energy!

Shamrock Smoothie

Ingredients:
6 kiwi fruit, peeled and cut into quarters
1 cup seedless green grapes
1 banana
6 ounces low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cup orange juice
3 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup ice

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. If texture is too smooth add a few more ice cubes.
4. Pour into glasses and garnish with kiwi fruit slices.

Green Pizza

Ingredients:

1 prepared whole-wheat pizza dough

2 cups broccoli, chopped

1/4 cup water

5 ounces arugula, chopped and stems removed

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

Pinch of salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place oven rack in lowest position.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Add water and chopped broccoli to skillet and cover.  Let cook for about 3 minutes or until broccoli is tender.
3. Add arugula and cook by stirring for about 1-2 minutes or until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Mix olive oil and garlic together and spread over prepared pizza crust.
5. Top with broccoli and arugula mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake until crispy and golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Don't forget to try fun activities with the kids too!   With all the delicious festive dishes, remember to include physical activity on St. Patrick's Day!  Below are some fun ways to increase physical activity with the entire family.

St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt

This scavenger hunt is a great way to add physical activity with the entire family!  Using outdoor objects is a quick and inexpensive way to create the game!

Look for:

1 long branch

1 leaf from a tree

1 spring flower

1 four-leaf clover

An usual shaped rock

Four-leaf  Clover Squats

These squats only take 5 minutes and can be done just about anywhere!  They are especially great to do during a commercial break.

1. Stand with feet should width apart.
2. Bend until your legs are at a 90-degree angle.
3. Slowly straighten your legs to a standing position.
4. Repeat this motion 12 times.  Do 3 sets!

St. Patty's Day the Healthy Way

Green and St. Patrick's Day go together, so why not celebrate this fun day by trying new green foods with your family?

Plan a special grocery shopping trip with your children to pick out two or three new green fruits and vegetables.  Be sure to give yourself enough time to let your children see, smell and feel all of those yummy green foods at the store.  Then make the foods for a healthy meal or snack in the next day or two when they will taste the best.

What might your children pick?  Here are some ideas:

Vegetables
Have they tried broccoli?   Add a bit of low-fat ranch dressing or hummus on the side for dipping!  Have they ever tried fresh green beans or asparagus (a real treat that is often on sale in the spring)?  Simply add a bit of water and microwave them for a very short period of time and your family will enjoy crisp and flavorful veggies.  Or buy celery, cut up a stalk, and add peanut butter and raisins for an old snack favorite, Ants on a Log.

Fruits
Slice into a kiwi and surprise the children with the juicy green fruit inside that funny, furry brown skin.  Green grapes are often a big hit with children.  Honeydew melon slices are another option.  They are sweet with a pretty shade of green.

So many choices!  Go green the healthy way and have a fun St. Patrick's Day.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day -- The Healthy Way!

St. Patrick's Day is just a few days away!  Have you decided how to celebrate with your kids yet?  There are many ways that you can enjoy the day with your child.  Try some of these fun tips this year!

• Have a green fruits and veggies tasting!  Take your child to the grocery store and let them choose 2-3 fruits and veggies that they want to try.  Invite friends over to let them try these foods too!  A list of green fruits and veggies can be found on a previous blog post here!
• Get a shamrock cookie cutter!  Let your child (or you may need to help them) use the cookie cutter and make their sandwich or other fruits and veggies into a shamrock to celebrate.  These cookie cutters may be found at the dollar store.
• Add a little coloring to milk!  Surprise your child in the morning with "green" milk.  Your child will love that it is a fun color to drink.
• Cut green peppers!  Did you know that when you cut a green pepper from side to side, they make a shape of a shamrock?  Cut peppers up and serve with low-fat dip for a tasty snack.
• Search for a pot of gold!  St. Patrick's Day isn't complete without letting your child go search for a pot of gold.  Give them several clues to search for their own pot of gold.  Your child won't even realize that they are getting physical activity while having a lot of fun.  For the pot of gold, let your child decide what they want for dinner or have them help choose a healthy dessert.

Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day with these fun tips.  How do you plan on celebrating St. Patrick's Day?

Add "Green" To Your Plate for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner!  How about making St. Patrick's Day fun this year by making healthy recipes with green foods for you and your family to enjoy.  St. Patrick's Day can be a great excuse to add green fruits and vegetables to your family meals.

Adding green foods into your diet can help make your body strong inside and out.  The nutrients found in green fruits and vegetables can help the immune system, fight and prevent diseases and also help with managing your weight.

Check out the list below.  How many green foods can your family eat this week?

	Green Fruits	Green Veggies
	·         Avocado ·         Green Grapes ·         Honeydew Melon ·         Kiwi ·         Green Apples	·         Artichoke ·         Asparagus ·         Broccoli ·         Brussels Sprouts ·         Green Beans ·         Leafy Greens ·         Celery	·         Cucumbers ·         Peas ·         Green Peppers ·         Snow Peas ·         Spinach ·         Zucchini

Check out the SNAP-Ed recipe finder for easy, quick recipes.  You can search by food, so enter in any of your favorite green foods for a yummy recipe to try.

Enjoy St. Patrick's Day!