Celebrate St. Patty's Day with a Twist: Shamrock shake gets a new whirl

Happy St. Patrick's Day, friends! At the Gilmore house, a new holiday means a new challenge to find healthy ways to celebrate and have fun. With the help of my little shamrocks, I just created a Minty Shamrock Shake (Move over, McD's) and tried out Irish Soda Bread with healthy twists. Yummy! You could always go digging in your refrigerator or browsing at your farmer's market for green fruits and veggies. Try sliced kiwi, limes, green peppers, asparagus, cucumbers - even apples!





We know it may sound weird but spring is the time for sweet peas so why not utilize their natural color? They have a light flavor but do not dominate a smoothie so your kids probably won't even notice. And the good news is, you don't have to use those yucky dyes to make your food green. If you're gun shy, try a tablespoon first just to get a little color. Just be a sneaky chef and leave a comment so we can hear if your little leprachauns liked it.

Minty Shamrock Shake

-3 cups raw whole milk (or your fave type of milk)

-1 tray of ice cubes

-1/2 teaspoon organic peppermint extract (depends on how minty you like it!)

-3 tablespoons honey (or organic sugar, if you prefer)

-1/4 cup frozen organic sweet peas



1. Whirl these ingredients in your blender until smooth.

2. Serve with a straw.




I found several recipes for Irish Soda Bread and decided to create my own. A special thanks to Maura Marmo and Peggy O'Brien-Bremer from my elementary school on the South Side of Chicago, who inspired me with their bread recipes. I've never used caraway seeds before but they are a fun addition that give this bread a distinct flavor. I would serve this up for breakfast, lunch or a dinner appetizer.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

-3 cups whole wheat flour

-2/3 cup organic evaporated cane juice (sugar)

-1 tablespoon baking powder

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-2 beaten eggs

-1 1/2 cups buttermilk

-2 tablespoons organic butter, melted

-1 cup raisins

-1 teaspoon caraway seeds



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan or mini loaves.

2. Sift flour into bowl. Add sugar, baking powder and baking soda.

2. Beat eggs. Add milk and butter. Blend into dry ingredients until batter is incorporated and moist.

3. Add raisins.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until golden brown on top.

6. Cool, slice and serve with butter.


Here are more St. Patty's Day healthy recipes from one of my fave online sources, Eating Well Magazine.

*This post was pulled from the Health-full archives.

Recipe of the Week: Gouda Mac & Cheese & All Your Leafy Greens

We tried out this recipe for our "Deceptively Delicious" Cooking Club on Saturday. All the recipes had to include some kind of "hidden" veggies. This one is my kicked-up version of an old classic. Some restaurants might call this "Adult Mac & Cheese" because of the fancy cheese and greens. I say feed it to your kids and let them enjoy the tasty benefits of a homemade comfort food. Our family could eat off this dish for days - great leftovers for lunches.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs or 1 cup Trader Joe's Fried Onion Pieces (These onions are like the kind used on green bean casserole but TJ's brand doesn't use all the nasty preservatives like MSG and other chemicals found in other brands.) do.

1 8-ounce package uncooked whole wheat pasta (We love rotini - the curly noodles - because they hold the sauce well.)

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup shallots or green onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups milk

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed, optional

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup smoked gouda cheese (or cheese of your choice), shredded

1/2 cup parmesan, grated

3 cups spinach, kale or swiss chard, coarsely chopped (frozen or fresh)

Olive oil spray

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Boil water for pasta, cook and strain.

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet melt butter of medium heat.

4. Add chopped shallots or green onions and garlic and cook about 1 minute until translucent.

5. Add flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in flaxseed, salt, pepper and milk.

6. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking until thick.

7. Remove from heat and add gouda and parmesan cheese. Stir until melted.

8. Spray 2-quart casserole dish with olive oil spray. Mix cooked pasta and greens in casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over top.

9. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs or fried onions.

10. Bake approximately 15 minutes until breadcrumbs/onions are browned and sauce is bubbly.

Serves 8-10.

Recipe of the Week: Dorina's Italian Chicken Sausage & Kale Soup

This time of year - when colds are plentiful and the air has that memorable chill - all I'm thinking about is SOUP! After perusing many Italian sausage soup recipes, I decided to create my own healthy variety and it was a big hit with the family. The great thing about this recipe is it uses kale, which you can find fresh at the local farmer's market this season. Kale has huge health benefits, including being rich in beta-carotene (which protects against diseases of the skin) and a host of vitamins. One article on TheFoodPaper.com says, "The boost in immune support and antioxidant protection provided by these vitamins could help ward off the colds and flus of the season, not to mention more serious diseases."

Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale Soup

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 red potatoes, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes (or fresh, of course, if they're in season)
2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups (cage free, organic) chicken broth
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 package Italian Chicken Sausage, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces (I used Trader Joe's Wine & Cheese Chicken Sausage and baked it in the oven for 30 minutes. Some varieties are already fully cooked when you buy them.)

2 cups whole wheat pasta (I used rotini - the curly Qs)

3 cups thinly sliced kale (green or purple)
1 15-oz can canellini beans (or dried and cooked if you want to save some $$)

Garnish: Shaved parmesan cheese

1. Add olive oil to a large stock pot and turn to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, chop all vegetables.
2. Sweat (like saute but in a big pot) the veggies with the garlic until soft.
3. Add chicken broth, spices and sausage. Bring to a boil and add pasta. Boil approximately 8 minutes until noodles are tender.
4. Reduce heat and add kale and beans to pot. Cook an additional 10 minutes.
5. Serve with shaved parmesan cheese for garnish.