17 Green and Gluten Free Foods for St Patricks Day

17 Green and Gluten Free Foods

17 Green and Gluten Free Foods

 17 Green and Gluten Free Foods for St. Patrick’s Day

Your kids will get a kick out of seeing a table covered in green food and they might be surprised by all of the foods they like that are green! Here’s a selection of green treats you can make for a fun lunch or afternoon snack on St. Patrick’s Day. And they can easily be gluten free so no one feels left out! Most of these are simple and require little preparation. Of course, we tossed in a few green ideas for dessert!

Avocados: Make guacamole and serve with tortilla chips or celery, another green food. Or look for some “green” tortillas if gluten is not an issue. Many stores are now carrying flavored tortillas for wraps.

Spinach: Kids love raw baby spinach in a salad? Add some green grapes and almond slivers for a simple and delicious salad. Add a little poppy seed dressing to sweeten it up.

Green grapes: Have you tried to trick of putting them in the freezer? It makes them fun to eat and a special treat your kids will enjoy.

Cucumbers: Most kids enjoy the mild flavor of cucumbers. Get creative and make cucumber sandwiches with some cream cheese on a nice whole grain bread cut into shamrock shapes. You can even add a little green food coloring to the cream cheese to make it green, too!

Lettuce: Lettuce comes in so many shapes and varieties, what’s your favorite? Use iceberg to make some tasty chicken lettuce wraps. Use romaine to make a beautiful Caesar Salad.

Cabbage:  How about some cabbage rolls stuffed full of ground beef, rice and a little tomato sauce? Yummy! Try making your own Coleslaw!

Greens: Collard, kale, chard, dandelion and beet greens are so healthy for our kids but not always popular as they can be bitter, spicy or have a strong flavor. Try cooking them with another vegetable like mushrooms. You can also try hiding them in other foods like using them as filler for meatballs!

Scallions (green onions): These are delicious on the barbecue and helps to soften and sweeten the taste. A great summer side is grilled scallions and greentomatoes!

Zucchini: Planning a barbecue for Saturday? Slice the zucchini in long thin slices lengthwise and place directly on the grill, with just a touch of olive oil, salt and pepper. Or cut them into circles and put them on a skewer. Either way, grilling them is a great way to serve them.

Granny Smith Apples or other green apples: Serve slices of green apples with cream cheese, peanut butter a slices of cheese for a simple, healthy snack.

St. Patricks day green foods

Parsley: Yes, we know, you can’t serve parsley as a snack or main dish but let your kids decorate all of the serving plates with sprigs of parsley and encourage them to taste it. Parsley is excellent for your digestion!

Celery: Have fun with this one, serve filled with green cream cheese (you could add a little parsley or chives or just some food coloring to color the cream cheese.) You can also serve with peanut butter or other filling you love!

Broccoli: Always a healthy choice. Serve Broccoli “trees” (as we call them) raw with Ranch dressing as a dip or serve it lightly steamed with a touch of butter and salt. Of course, you can always cover it in cheese sauce if that’s your preference!

Oh no, we keep thinking of more and more green foods: asparagus, jalapenos, green peppers, snap peas and split pea soup just to name a few! So maybe there are more than 17 green foods on our list, but you get the point!

And now for the not-so-healthy gluten-free green treats that you know your kids will love.

Gummy worms, bears, fruit or other shapes, only in green! Kids love gummy candy and this is a perfect time to serve it. Get creative and make the “Dirt Pudding” featured in this post or make some vanilla pudding and die it green with a touch of food coloring.

Green jello: Add some green grape slices or diced apples to the jello for texture and added vitamins.

Green Jolly Ranchers: Sour apple was always my favorite flavor as a kid!

Green jelly beans! You could probably find a variety of green-flavored jelly beans at your local candy store that sells them in bulk.

I found a few great ideas for a Green Candy Dessert Buffet. Making a candy bar is a super fun party idea: looks gorgeous and tastes great, plus you get to use all those beautiful glass vases and crystal bowls collecting dust in the China cabinet!

Looking for some cute decorations for your table, check out our post on St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock crafts.

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