St. Patrick's Day - Trim Healthy Mama Style!

St. Patrick’s Day is among my LEAST favorite holidays… I mean, who likes being pinched just because they forgot to wear a certain color? Not to mention the people who say “my eyes are green, so you can’t pinch me”… regardless, it is fun to make a day special in other (non-pinching) ways. Kids or no kids, here are a few different THM compliant suggestions to celebrate.

If you have kids, we’ll start with those ideas… because holidays are often more fun when celebrated with friends and family, ESPECIALLY kids. I have two boys under two and holidays have definitely changed since our family has grown.

St. Patrick’s Day with Kids

Although we don’t do santa, or the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy and so forth, when my children are older I STILL thought it would be really fun to design leprechaun traps for St. Patrick’s Day. Instead of trying to catch a leprechaun (and never succeeding), you could design traps simply for the fun of stretching your imagination for what is possible (a great skill). And if you DO decide to teach about leprechauns, then by all means, try to catch leprechauns. It would be fun either way, the goal would just be different.
Baking THM approved treats would be another great activity. There is a delicious sugar cookie (S) recipe by Esther Allison (author of Trim Healthy Indulgence) on the Trim Healthy Membership site that I just made, which rolls out beautifully and are easily the best on plan sugar cookies I’ve had in several years. Top them with some green icing and enjoy a treat! Don’t have the membership? No problem! These Creamy Key Lime Pie Bars are delicious and you could dye the filling green with food coloring to make them more festive.
Decorate your home and let your kids help! Even light decorating can help the atmosphere feel more festive, and kids often love to participate (no party needed).

THM Style St. Patrick’s Day Sans Kids

Although you could certainly do these activities WITH kids, these are things that kids are less likely to get as excited about.

I love this corned beef and cabbage recipe from Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved. It’s been awhile, so it’s high time to make it again… but if that’s not your cup of tea, there are many traditional recipes you can try (and I even saw a list of other Irish recipe options on the corned beef and cabbage recipe).
Listen to traditional Irish music. My husband LOVES to listen to music that is not in our traditional realm of listening, especially music he “cannot understand” because it helps him focus. Who knows? You might discover a new favorite genre or artist!

Green, Green, Nothing But Green

Although St. Patrick’s Day is very… well, GREEN, you aren’t limited by anything but your imagination! Mix up some green shaving cream “paint” with your kids and paint the tub, or make on-plan cupcakes and fill them with a green surprise like green frosting or on-plan green sprinkles. If you are feeling extra motivated this year, hide gold “coins” (the plastic kind if you want to be on plan) around your home and let your kids hunt for them. It would be like a special scavenger hunt!

You can celebrate holidays AND health at the same time, without destroying it. Cheers and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!