For St. Patrick’s Day food, my kids don’t love traditional Irish fare. Corned Beef and Cabbage? There is no way they’ll be eating that.
But there are some fun, kid-friendly options out there! Here are some ideas.
Festive Foods
For in the morning, try green eggs and ham — they’re not exclusively for Dr. Seuss Day. Mix in a little green dye or if the family likes it, pesto sauce, for the green effect.
Or, get a green foods smoothie. I found a pre-made smoothie mix that had tropical fruit and kale mixed into it. I blend this up and kids wouldn’t even know that they are drinking their fruit and veggies for the day. And if you don’t want to make one yourself, check out Juice Box Fargo for the green machine cold press juice.
Want to stick to the go-to meals but change up the shape? Give your kids good luck with four-leaf clover shape cutters. Use the cookie cutter for shaping toast, pancakes, or sandwiches.
For lunch try the good ol’ Reuben Sandwich. This is an easy meal to put together. Grab some pre-sliced meat from the deli department, place on your griddle for a nice warm up, and you are good to go. Lastly, don’t forget to add a side dish, either fries or potato chips.
History of St. Patrick’s Day
Or go back to the origins of St. Patrick. Did you know he was from Great Britain? He was captured at the age of 16 by Irish pirates. While he was with the pirates for six years, he was a shepherd, escaped, then came back to Ireland later to fulfill missionary work.
Pay homage to that history with some fish and chips with fish sticks, shrimp poppers, or a salmon burger and fries. And another good option is Make-Ahead Shepherd’s Pie.
A fun dessert idea, even if the folk tale is not true, we can still play off it, “driving out the snakes” like St. Patrick did with doing dirt pudding or yogurt cups and adding in gummy worms to the mix. Simply grab the premade pudding or yogurt cups, gummy worms and crushed up cookie, or even better check the local grocery store shelf for the kits.
More dessert ideas include mint chocolate chip ice cream, key lime pie, or lime popsicles!
If you’re feeling a little adventurous with food coloring, you can dye your beverage just like they dye the Boston River every year for St. Patrick’s day. Make a Shamrock Shake, a Grasshopper Shake or for an adult treat, dye your beer green!
Going Out to Eat
If you would rather eat out, check out these restaurants local restaurants:
Wishing you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Cheers to you and yours — sláinte in Irish (which is pronounced a bit like “slawn-che”). Sláinte means “health,” or you can say sláinte is táinte (“slawn-che iss toin-che”), meaning “health and wealth.”
What are some ways you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a family? Let us know in the comments below!
And for more festive fun, check out this St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt + Free Printable.
