St. Patrick’s Day has always been a fun holiday for me, everything from pinching the poor hapless soul who doesn’t wear green (or orange!) to chugging more than my fair share of green beer back in college.
Funny, I can’t seem to recall partaking in any other tradition for St. Patty’s day.
Must have been all those neon green liquid glutonium. đ
Fun Family Activities for St. Patrick’s Day
My boys are itching to make some Rainbow Lava Lamps (how cool are those?):
Leprechaun Printable Coloring Page
Shamrock Smoothies
My family now eats very differently than we did when Sam and I were first diagnosed with celiac disease (before the additional food allergies hit us smack in the face). Not being one to give up entirely on Shamrock shakes (gosh, those were goood), we now make green Shamrock Smoothies and my kiddos haven’t skipped a beat. If you are looking to make a more authentic Shamrock shake though, try this recipe for Copy Cat Shamrock Shakes from Real Mom Kitchen (just be sure the ingredients you use are in fact gluten free – this recipe can also be easily made dairy free).
My kids love this green smoothie recipe, it has a kid-approved tropical flavor and is packed full of Vitamin C and healthy fats to keep them running all morning long.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Peaches, fresh or frozen
- 1 Green Apple, cored
- 1 Banana
- 1 cup Mango, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup Pineapple, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup Green Grapes
- 2 Kiwis, peeled
- 1 cup Baby Spinach, packed
- 1/2 cup canned Coconut Milk or 1 avocado
- 2 1/4 cups Water (more or less, depending on the consistency you prefer)
Directions
- Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
Notes
I personally use a Vita-Mix to make my smoothies so this recipe is formatted for the 64-oz. container of a Vita-Mix. If your blender has a smaller container, I would recommend cutting this recipe in half.
 Fresh Fruit Rainbow with a Pot of Gold
My kids really got a kick out of this…they polished off all the fruit in no time (it was the condition for getting to eat a couple of those gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, peanut and tree-nut free chocolate coins from Amanda’s Own Confections (click here to learn more about the ingredients and manufacturing practices).
asas
The boys really enjoyed these coins, which I purchased instead of making my own because I’ve been having a terrible time learning how to temper chocolate (so I don’t have to keep the chocolates in the fridge) and the gluten free chocolate candy wafers don’t play well with our allergens.
If dairy is okay for your family, I highly recommend Chocoley’s Chocolate Candy Melts, they’re delicious. If you’re short on time or need colored chocolate, Make’n Mold states that their candy wafers are gluten free (available in most craft stores).
Picks Make Everything Fun!
Use a Melon Baller
Muffin Tin Shamrock Snacks
When Kim shared this idea for using muffin tins in her post on 12 Healthy Snack Ideas, I thought it was brilliant and I knew I had to try it with my boys as soon as I saw this Shamrock Muffin Tin!
Green and Orange Snack Ideas: Cataloupe, Honeydew, Green Apples, Vegan Pumpkin Dip, Green Grapes, Kiwi, Orange Slices, Guacamole, Baby Carrots, Basil Hummus, Celery Sticks, Broccoli, Cucumbers, Shelled Pistachios, Cheddar Cheese Cubes, Green Goddess Dressing, Grilled Chicken Cubes tossed with Dairy Free Pesto (and perhaps your favorite gluten free pasta).
More Gluten Free Recipe Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day
Yes, you can STILL have green beer! Simply pop open your favorite gluten free pale ale and add a drop or two of green food coloring. Voila!
Corned Beef and Cabbage (this is an article on celiac.com which also shares information that will help you purchase a safe corned beef brisket.
One brand that isn’t listed, which I bought for my family is Wellshire Farms (according the company’s website, the corned beef brisket is free of gluten, dairy/casein, corn, and soy). I used the brisket recently to make this Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe and it was delish (we’d never had this traditional St. Patty’s day fare before, can you believe that?).
Straight up cabbage not your thing? Try making a Reuben Sandwich instead!
Surprise Mint Ice Cream (I’m soooo making this!)
Gluten Free Chocolate Pretzel Clovers (did you know Snyder’s has a new gluten free shape?)
What will you be eating (or drinking) on St. Patrick’s Day?
And welcome to my blog!
Whether you're here looking for advice on how to go gluten free (with delicious kid-approved recipes of course!), or to read some of the latest medical research on celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity...or even to read about one woman's rise from the depths of gluten-free despair to a place of downright enthusiasm, it makes no matter. The point is, you are here now so let's have some fun!
I saw a green smoothie in this month’s Family Fun recipe that we can actually eat so I’m trying that! We do the rainbow fruit as well. A sweet option is to add rice whip for clouds and bananas slices for coins.
Non-food, I LOVE the rainbow lava lamps. We are so doing those! Plus, this year, I thought it would be fun to have a rainbow treasure hunt (the kids will wake up to a house full of colored streamers leading to a pot of real coins. đ
Nicole,
What AWESOME ideas! I love the whipped cream for clouds and bananas for coins. And the rainbow treasure hunt is a must-do for sure!! đ
Thank you for the great ideas, Heidi. I will definitely be doing the rainbow lava lamps with my preschool classes to go along with making green eggs and ham.
Absolutely love that smoothie photo! Such beautiful colors…
HI Heidi,
We loved your St. Patrick’s Day ideas so much we included a link to this blog in one we did about this lucky holiday. http://bit.ly/zL55P4
Best,
Amy
I am so excited to try out the smoothies.. My son will surely gonna love it! Thanks for sharing.. đ
This looks so good; I will have to try this!