Green Foods to Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day!

Get in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit with festive green foods and easy recipes

March is a month of green, thanks to St. Patrick’s Day. Green fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients that support your health, including fibre, vitamins K, A, C, and E, as well as magnesium and folate. Did you know that the darker the leafy green, the higher its levels of polyphenols—plant compounds with antioxidant properties? Research has also linked green vegetables to benefits for colon and heart health.

Keep reading for five green St. Patrick’s Day food ideas and recipes to help you celebrate deliciously and nutritiously.

Key Takeaways

• Green fruits and vegetables are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support overall health.
• Choices like kiwi, broccoli, bok choy, spinach, and green apples offer a variety of important nutrients.
• Green produce is versatile and easy to add to meals like smoothies, salads, stir-fries, and soups.
• Pairing fruits and vegetables with protein and dairy helps create balanced meals.
• St. Patrick’s Day is a fun way to enjoy more green fruits and vegetables.

Here are 5 green fruits and vegetables to enjoy this month: 

1. Kiwi

This small fruit is mighty, packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and fibre. It’s delicious in smoothies, salads, and sorbet. For another fun green addition to your plate, try a kiwi salsa with avocado and jalapeño.

Check out these blog posts for tips on eating more fruits and vegetables:

Eating the Rainbow

Make Your Veggies and Fruit Stay Fresher Longer

2. Broccoli

The little “trees” of this vegetable are packed with vitamin C, along with vitamin K and phosphorus. The stems contain the most fibre, so be sure to include them on your plate. Enjoy broccoli in a fresh salad, roasted and topped with grated Parmesan cheese, or added to stir-fries, casseroles, and soups.

Here are a couple of broccoli recipes to try:

Cheesy Broccoli Bites

Cranberry, Broccoli and Toasted Almond Salad

3. Bok Choy

Both regular and baby bok choy are packed with nutrients such as beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, folate, and selenium. Bok choy has a mild, slightly peppery flavour that makes it a great addition to many dishes. Enjoy it raw in salads, grilled, or added to soups and stir-fries.

Here are a couple of recipes to try that feature this tasty green:

Sesame Ginger Bok Choy

Fast Fish and Fresh Herb Packet

4. Spinach

Not only is spinach high in iron, potassium, and fibre, it’s also rich in vitamins like vitamin C, which helps your body absorb iron from spinach and other iron-rich foods such as meat. Spinach is delicious in salads and wraps, sautéed into eggs or pasta, or added to soups, casseroles, and stuffed chicken.

Try these delicious spinach recipes:

Pear Walnut Blue Cheese Salad with Spinach

Spinach Feta Pasta

5. Granny Smith Apple 

These tart, tangy apples are an excellent cooking apple because they hold their shape well. Enjoy them raw with a sprinkle of cinnamon, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and a drizzle of honey, or use them in pies, tarts, chunky applesauce, stuffed pork loin, or diced into salads.

Here are a couple of apple recipes to try:

Apple poppyseed coleslaw recipe

Apple Cinnamon Oat Breakfast Cookies  

And there you have it! Let us know in the comments below how you enjoyed these green St. Patrick’s Day food ideas!

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