So you're looking for St. Patty's Day food for the family and you don't want to go traditional because corned beef and cabbage just isn't their thing?  Just go green!  There are a lot of simple ways to put green on your table without a lot of green out of your wallet.  Call me crazy, but here are some ideas I've done for my family.

  • 1

    Green Mashed Potatoes

    You don't have to serve corned beef, you can do some baked chicken, a meatloaf or even roast a turkey (a clash of holidays?).  You make it Irish by adding some green food coloring to your potatoes as you're mashing or whipping them.

  • 2

    Green Cottage Cheese

    Green food coloring is your friend on St. Patrick's Day.  If you're watching your calories how about peaches or pears served with cottage cheese tinted with green food coloring.

  • 3

    Guacamole

    Clash of cultures?  Maybe, but yummy and green!  Do Mexican fare for St. Patrick's Day with the focus on the guac, as we call it in our household.  Avocados have 20 essential vitamins and minerals, plus they are heavy in monounsaturated fatty acids (the good fats).

  • 4

    Green Eggs and Ham

    Make Dr. Seuss proud by serving green eggs and ham.  Breakfast for dinner is always good and it celebrates St. Patrick's Day because it's green.  My suggestion would be not to serve green ham, but you can easily make your eggs green by whisking in some pesto sauce with them before cooking.

  • 5

    Frozen Pistachio Dessert

    I got this recipe from a girl I worked with at St. Mary's Medical Center (now Essentia).  I didn't think I'd like it but it was so good I asked for the recipe and my family loves it!  The best part is it's super easy to make.

    For the Crust:  Mix together 48 Ritz Crackers crushed fine and 1 stick of melted butter.  I put the butter in the 9x13 pan and put it in the oven while it's pre-heating.  While it's pre-heating I crush the crackers in a big zip-lock bag with a rolling pin, then dump it in the pan with the melted butter and mix together with a fork.  Once it's mixed, I put on my disposable kitchen gloves and press it in the 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, set side.

    For Filling:  Mix together 2 small packages of pistachio pudding, 1.5 cups of milk and 1quart of vanilla ice cream that has been softened (but not melted).  Pour on top of the cooled crust then put an 8oz container of cool whip over the top of that and freeze overnight.  I garnish it with heath bits just before serving.  TIP:  take out of freezer for several minutes before serving so it's easier to cut.

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