A Not-Too-Cutesy St. Patrick’s Day Lunch for Bigger Kids
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up quickly, so I’ve been brainstorming ideas for fun lunches for my boys to celebrate the day. In the past I’ve filled their lunch boxes with shamrocks, rainbows, gold coins (aka cheese crackers) and the occasional leprechaun, but this year I have to come up with a new idea for my sixth grader because he has put his foot down: absolutely, positively nothing cute. I get where he’s coming from and I don’t want to embarrass him in front of his friends but I’d still like to do something fun, so I’ve decided to pack him a lunch filled entirely with green foods. It’s silly and festive, but subtle enough that tweens will go for it.
Foods that you need to make this lunch:
- large spinach tortilla
- guacamole
- turkey (skip it for a vegetarian lunch)
- lettuce
- cucumber
- sugar snap peas
- green grapes
- kiwis
- green chile tortilla chips
- decorative picks or toothpicks (optional, but helpful)
How to make this St. Patrick’s Day lunch:
Begin by putting the sandwich wrap together. Lay the tortilla on a flat surface, then spread on an even layer of guacamole. If your child doesn’t like guacamole, you could use an herbed cream cheese or edamame hummus instead. Next, add a layer of turkey slices and some lettuce leaving a little space clear on two parallel edges. (These will be folded over later.) Finally put on a few cucumber spears and some sugar snap peas.
Fold the guacamole only edges of the tortilla over the fillings, then roll the whole thing up burrito-style.
Secure the wrap with a couple of picks, then cut it in half with a serrated knife. I happened to have four-leaf clover picks, but toothpicks would have worked fine. If you do go the toothpick route, make sure your child knows they’re in there so they don’t accidentally bite into one they don’t see.
Round out the lunch with some chopped kiwi, grapes and some green tortilla chips. If you can’t get your hands on green tortilla chips substitute another crunchy green snack. A quick trip down the snack aisle at my grocery store turned up several options: pesto-flavored crackers, veggie sticks (pick a handful of the green ones out of the bag) and veggie booty.
About those green foods…
I know, I know! It can be a struggle to get some kids to eat any veggies at all — let alone green ones! If your child doesn’t like the fruits and veggies I’ve put into this lunch it’s pretty easy to swap them out for green foods that they do like. Here’s a list of green foods that might be better received (depending on the individual kid, of course!):
- artichoke
- asparagus
- avocado
- broccoli
- brussels sprouts
- cabbage
- celery
- edamame
- green apple
- green beans
- green olives
- green onions
- green pepper
- honeydew melon
- pear
- peas
- pesto
- pickle
- sea weed snacks
- tomatillo salsa
- zucchini
Mix and match until you get a combo that’s appealing to your kid. Nobody will pinch this St. Patrick’s Day lunch!
More Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day:
- Hanging Rainbow Paper Plate Craft
- Shamrock Eggs with Rainbow Fruit
- Personalized Gold Coin Cookie Stamps
