It’s a personal challenge to see how my vegetables I can get kids to eat. Jumping on St. Patrick’s Day as a great opportunity to make “green food”, this turned into a super fun dinner party for my 7-year old and friends—with parents. With 10—TEN!—vegetables, it was a meal everyone enjoyed.

I set out the appetizer—Edamame Guacamole and green veggies—when they first arrived.  The snap peas were a big hit with the kids, the other veggies not so much. I’ve discovered many kids are likely to eat the broccoli if it is steamed (soft but with a bite, never mushy) rather than raw. I steamed the appetizer broccoli with the Green Mac n’ Cheese broccoli.

For those who needed encouragement to eat their veggies, my daughter showed them the graham cracker Leprechaun house “constructions” supplies.

After they’d munched some veggies, they were allocated their construction supplies, including a “preview” of two M&M and two jellybeans to eat—yes, before dinner. It’s not realistic to expect them not to eat any candy while using the candy to make their leprechaun house. My daughter reminded them that those who ate more than the allocated share, would lose their leprechaun house constructing privilege to those who did follow the rules. It was pleasantly surprising that her friends followed the rules and everyone got to build their own leprechaun house.

Menu

Appetizers

Epicurious: Edamame Guacamole

with snap peas, green bell pepper and celery sticks, slightly steamed, broccoli chunks. This could also be a regular guacamole; simply mash an avocado with 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1/2 finely chopped tomato and 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion.

Dinner

Chicken Breasts with Cilantro Pesto

Weelicious: Green Mac n’ Cheese

Arugula and Cucumber Salad

Peel and cut a cucumber into bite-size pieces, toss with arugula (or spinach) and CMF Basic Salad Dressing (lime version)

Dessert

Graham Cracker Leprechaun Houses

Weekend Before

  • Make the Cilantro Pesto. Tightly seal and refrigerate
  • Can prepare the Green Mac n’ Cheese and freeze so it need only be baked the day of the dinner party

Day Before

  • Prep the veggies for the appetizer
  • Make Edamame Guacamole. Store in serving container, cover tightly and refrigerate.
  • Make the CMF Salad Dressing (Lime version)
  • Make Green Mac n’ Cheese (if it wasn’t made over the weekend)

Day Of

  • Remove Green Mac n’ Cheese from freezer
  • Prep chicken breasts. Cut in half, and cut the thicker half horizontally so all pieces are a similar thickness. Toss chicken with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place on roasting pan.
  • Prep salad. Peel and cut cucumber, toss cucumber pieces with arugula.
  • Set up platter with veggies
  • Set up “Leprechaun” house making station

1 1/2 hour before serving

  • Preheat oven to 350. Put Mac n’ Cheese in Oven
  • Remove Mac n’ Cheese from oven. Raise heat to 400 and put chicken breasts in oven for 15 – 18 minutes.
  • While chicken is in the oven, finish prepping salad, tossing with salad dressing
  • Remove chicken from oven, place a spoonful or two of pesto on each chicken breast and serve.

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Produce

Avocado

Broccoli

Garlic

Red onion

Tomato

Cilantro 2 bunches

Snap peas

Celery

Green bell pepper

Cucumber

Arugula

Lime 2

Refrigerated

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts – 3 whole  (6 half chicken breasts)

Frozen edamame

Frozen peas

Milk

White cheddar – 4 cups

Pantry

1 lb elbow macaroni

Graham crackers

Green candy (M&Ms, apple licorice sticks, jellybeans

Powdered sugar

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