Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! More than just a religious holiday, St. Patrick’s Day has a found a home in our culture as a day to wear green, indulge in traditional Irish foods and drink Guinness (or some other Irish alcoholic beverage). You might not be able to take part in the excessive drinking today but there are still plenty of other ways you can celebrate this fun, festive day without entering a pub!

• Start a “pot o’ gold” piggy bank for your future baby. Put in a few lucky pennies or a some loose to change to start saving for your newborn’s college fund. Initiating this account on a “lucky day” is sure to bring good luck into his/her life!

• Take part in a Irish pregnancy tradition such as eating some honey to ensure that your baby will have a sweet disposition.

• Check out a local parade but make sure to leave plenty of space between you and your neighbors or else your belly could get some unwanted elbow jabs.

• Curl up at home and watch a movie that takes place in Ireland for a mind escape. One of our favorites? “Circle of Friends” which is a romantic drama that takes place in the 1950’s and stars Chris O’Donnell and Minnie Driver.

• If you have younger children, do a fun St. Patrick’s Day craft project with them such as creating a blarney stone or making a lucky pot of gold using items from your backyard (ie. stone) and a few things from the craft store. Looking for a some more creative ideas? Check out http://crafts.kaboose.com/pot-of-gold.html for awesome kid crafts!

• Head to McDonald’s for their limited edition Shamrock Shake. Yummmmmmm. Can’t get to the drive-thru make this replica at home. Great news is that if you love it, you don’t have to worry about not being able to get it again a few days from now!

McDonald’s Shamrock Shake Copycat Recipe

3 cups good quality vanilla ice cream

1 3/4 cups 1% milk

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Green food coloring if desired

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until completely thick and smooth. Pour into glasses and serve!

• Make some delish green treats such as green velvet cupcakes, green eggs and ham, or honor the Emerald Isle with traditional foods like Corned beef and cabbage or Irish Soda bread. We love the this recipe from The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten.http://www.foodnetwork.com/inas-irish-soda-bread/video/index.html

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. May the luck of the Irish be with you!!

xoxo,

The Moody Mamas