Healthy Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

Healthy Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally celebrated with too much green beer, too many green sugar-laden treats, a heavy, high-calorie traditional dinner and not enough sleep for party-goers. This year, make your holiday extra lucky by skipping these unhealthy traditions, and incorporating festive, healthy activities and food into your celebration instead. Your summer body will thank you!

Our tips will help you have a healthy St. Patrick’s day celebration with friends and loved ones.

Make Your Own Shamrock Smoothies

Avoid artificially flavored and dyed smoothies and shakes this St. Patrick Day, and make your own healthy version at home. Use kale or spinach as your green base, and toss in a ½ cup of plain yogurt, a banana, some chopped mint and a teaspoon of Stevia for a delicious, natural alternative.

Serve Healthy Themed Snacks

Get creative and whip up a variety of green and holiday-themed eats. Avocado toast and fries, bell peppers cut to look four-leaf clovers, zucchini chips, and rainbow fruit kebabs are all fun and tasty choices.

Break Out the All Natural Green Food Coloring

Forget the green beer this year, and opt for green water instead. Enjoy a refreshing glass of water infused with lime and cucumbers and a dash of all natural green food coloring and toast to a healthy holiday.

Incorporate Irish Dancing and Music Into Your Day

Get into the spirt of the holiday by playing some Celtic music while you go about your day or sit on your patio. Watching some Irish dancing is another fun way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Search the internet for a variety of Irish dance videos. You may be inspired to dance a jig of your own. It’s the perfect way to incorporate some heart-healthy physical activity into your holiday.

Festive Games

Skip the pub crawl and play some games instead. Holiday-themed scavenger hunts, relay races, ping pong and corn hole are all fun ways to celebrate for kids and adults. Laughing and being active are good for your health too.

Guilt Free Dessert

It’s time for the holiday’s and if you’re trying to be mindful of maintaining a healthy diet, desserts may tempt you and throw you off course. I thought this would be a good time to share with you a healthier option below from my Fat to Fit cookbook. To purchase all the recipes, follow this link here. 

Cindy’s Peanut Butter Pie.

Taped Segment 

Ingredients: 

-1 (8 ounce) package low fat cream cheese 

 -1 1/2 cups baking stevia 

 -1 cup peanut butter 

 -1 cup almond milk 

 1 (16 ounce) package sugar free frozen whipped topping, thawed 

 2 (9 inch) prepared reduced fat graham cracker crusts 

Directions: 

1.       Beat together cream cheese and stevia. Mix in peanut butter and almond milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. 

2.       Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm. 

Squash Pie :) YUMMY!

Squash Pie :) YUMMY

Ingredients:

6 medium yellow squash, sliced

1 stick smart balance butter

1/2 cup all-purpose wheat flour

1 cup baking stevia

1 tablespoon lemon extract

3 eggs

Three 9-inch prepared frozen pie shells, defrosted

Directions:

Put the squash in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until tender, 20 

minutes. Drain and press the squash with a spoon to remove any excess water.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Transfer the squash to a blender. Add the smart balance butter and wheat flour and blend until pureed. 

Add the stevia, lemon extract and eggs and blend until smooth. Evenly divide the filling among the pie shells.

Bake until the filling is set, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let the pies cool to room temperature before slicing and 

serving.