St. Patrick’s Day can be so much fun – especially if you have some great foods and pranks to serve up on the big day! Check out these really easy ideas from Simple Solutions Diva:
Morning Fun:
Those leprechauns can be so silly! And they just LOVE to play pranks to let little kids know they were there!
Magic Milk: Surprise the kids when you pour them their milk, the milk suddenly turns green! This silly surprise happens when you place a drop or two of green food coloring in the bottom of a glass, then pour milk into the glass — instant green! As an alternative, you can add green food coloring to the entire jug of milk, but be prepared to drink green milk for a while!
Bathroom Surprise:
Yes, this is a little gross, but I think it is Oh So Cute! I accomplished this sneaky prank by dropping green food coloring in the toilet (I used 4 drops). I then added an additional cup of water to mix it without having to put anything in the toilet. The footprints are made with hand lotion mixed with food coloring. You make a fist with your hand. If you notice, the side of your fist (side with the pinky) looks a lot like a foot! Place that edge of your hand into the colored lotion, then press onto toilet seat. Take a finger and dot on toe prints (note four toes instead of five!); repeat on other side with other hand! I had to do it a couple of times to make it look right.
Be sure to wipe off well once the kids have seen it!
Snack Ideas:
Leprechaun Cookies:
These are probably the easiest snacks, and they pack well in lunch boxes (once the chocolate hardens)! Melt 1 cup white chocolate chip morsels according to the microwave instructions. Using either plain or Cool Mint Oreos, dip the Oreo into the melted white chocolate, covering half of the cookie. Sprinkle with green sprinkles. Place in fridge to harden the chocolate.
Rainbow Fruit Platter:
A healthy, fun treat! Wash and cut up a variety of colorful, fresh fruit. I used strawberries, clementine wedges, pineapple, green grapes, blueberries, red grapes, and bananas. Arrange in an arch fashion, just like a rainbow. On one end of the rainbow, pile mini marshmallows (like clouds!). At the other end, place a small bowl filled with banana slices (the Pot ‘O Gold!).
Dinner Fun:
-Consider serving Green Spaghetti! Simply add green food coloring to the water as you cook the pasta.
-Or serve up Spinach Raviolis on Skewers, with a side of pesto sauce for dipping. It may help convince the kids they like things with spinach!
Shamrock Chips: Try this simple recipe for homemade chips. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Using large Spinach Wraps from the grocery store, fold one wrap in half. Use a Shamrock Cookie Cutter or trace a shamrock form on foam (I used pre cut foam pieces from Dollar Store). Using the form as your guide, cut a shamrock out of the spinach wraps using a sharp knife. You can get about four large shamrocks out of one large wrap.
Spray the shamrocks with olive oil spray, place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and bake for 5-7 minutes until lightly brown (watch them so they don’t burn). Serve with guacamole or green salsa.
Thank you to WTLV-TV’s First Coast Living for inviting me on to share these ideas!