celebrate

Shamrock Shake

It’s that time of year again. Time for green food, green beer (for some) and green shakes! I read somewhere that the McDonalds Shamrock Shake has 57 ingredients! What?! It’s a shake, that seems like a lot! (that seems like a lot for any recipe) Don’t get me wrong, I love McDonalds just as much as the next person. I’m not really a fan of any fast food, but occasionally, it happens. Sometimes convenience wins. And nothing against their Shamrock Shake, it tastes great. But this one only has a few ingredients, and personally, I always vote for home made.

We’re not Irish, however, we are a family that loves to celebrate! St. Patricks day is the perfect excuse for a vanilla-y, minty, chocalate-y treat! YUM! Plus, bonus… It’s so easy to make!! Just five ingredients if you count the garnish, the shake itself just three. Oh I love easy!

Since my kids were quite young, we’ve made it a tradition to have a shamrock shake on St. Patricks day. They always look forward to it. I’m a believer in ‘everything in moderation’, so while this isn’t healthy, per se, it is a treat that is simple, easy and festive.

One thing I like to do when we are having treats, is make sure we make up the healthy in another area. So we’ll make sure we have plenty of nutrition in our dinner or lunch that day. Shepherd’s Pie is one of our favorite Irish-type meals. I love it because it’s all-inclusive. You got your meat and veggies and starch all in one dish. And, you can make it ahead of time and cook it when you’re ready. Serve it with some fruit and dinner. is. done.

And don’t think this recipe is just for the kids… grown ups will love it too!

Print Recipe

Shamrock Shake

Ingredients

2 cups vanilla ice cream
1/2 tsp mint extract
4-5 drops green food coloring
whipped cream optional
chocolate sauce optional

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream and chocolate sauce if desired.

Do you have any St. Patricks Day traditions? What are your favorite Irish meals?

If dessert in a cup speaks your language, check out these too!

This Presidents Day Dessert is easy, healthy, and scrumptious!

Presidents Day Dessert

Celebrate Presidents day with an easy and healthy dessert! What?! Celebrate Presidents day? Who does that? Well, the government does for one. Often, government employees are off, and if you’re kids are as excited about getting the mail as mine, they’ll tell you there’s no mail that day. Technically, it is a National holiday. Many schools are closed that day.

3 Reasons to celebrate

But why celebrate? Whether your kids are home with you, or in school during the day, life is filled with teachable moments. As far as schooling goes, we homeschool, AND we public school. I never thought I’d be doing both, but that’s another topic. When we wrestled with what was best for each child, my heart didn’t want to send them away all day. But, what I realized is just because they’re not with me all day doesn’t mean I’m not involved in their lives. So we make the most of each moment we have. And we love learning! So why not learn about Presidents day?

When my kids were younger, and I was trying to make it through Michigan winters (cold, gray, dreary, mundane, did I mention cold?), I would look for opportunities to celebrate, which would make those dreary days more exciting. For example, we celebrated ground hogs day for a couple of years. My now older children, still ask me “what are we doing for groundhogs day?”

Lastly, it’s an excuse to eat dessert!! Haha! But you can feel good about this presidents day dessert, because it’s good for you. Greek yogurt, anti-oxidant berries, and no sugar added makes this the perfect treat. So let’s recap:

Celebrate Presidents Day because~

It’s a teachable moment
It makes an ordinary day extraordinary
It’s a good excuse for dessert

Not sure what to say about Presidents Day? Here’s some resources made for kids:

A brief overview on how it started
A little more in depth history
Activity pages
Crafts
Coloring pages and crafts

Parfaits are super easy to make! All you do is choose your ingredients and layer them in a jar or dish of your choice. In the recipe I’ve put approximate measurements to make 1 parfait. You really just want to layer the yogurt and the fruit, so when you’re making this, just do what looks best to you. It could vary depending on the size jar or dish you are using. In our family, the kids love getting their own jar to eat out of. I don’t know why, but they think that is awesome. You can make these up ahead of time and store them in the fridge. This would also make a great breakfast or snack!

Happy Presidents Day! Go make today extraordinary!

Print Recipe

Presidents Day Dessert

Ingredients

1 6 oz container coconut yogurt
2 Tbs fresh blueberries plus more for garnish
1 Tbs fresh raspberries plus more for garnish
1 tsp unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

Start with a layer (about a tablespoon or 2) of yogurt on the bottom of a mason jar or other serving container.
Place 1 Tbs blueberries on top.
Layer more yogurt.
Place 1 Tbs raspberries.
Layer more yogurt.
Place 1 tbs blueberries on top.
Finish with a dollop of yogurt, fresh berries and a sprinkle of coconut.
Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Looking for more easy recipes? Try these:

Mango Parfaits
mango_yogurt_parfait-7

Breakfast Banana Split
healthy_banana_split-3breakfastpin

Triple Berry Smoothie
triple_berry_spinach_smoothiepin-2