Do St. Patrick's Day The Healthy Way With These Three Green Recipes!

St. Patrick's Day began as 1600's religious holiday that honored, of course, St. Patrick, Ireland's patron saint and a famous Catholic missionary remembered for spreading the good word around the country.

Over the years, however, it has evolved into a more secular holiday, one that has less to do with religion than celebrating Irish culture. This process began in the 1700s, when Irish immigrants held the first St. Patrick's Day parades in the United States to express their national pride.

Though the color originally associated with St. Patrick was actually blue, the color of St. Patrick's Day eventually shifted to green to better reflect the Irish flag and the abundant greenery that earned the country the nickname of the "Emerald Isles."

In traditional Irish lore, wearing green is also thought to render one invisible to those tricky leprechauns. While it's unknown if eating green has the same effect, St. Patrick's Day revelers are certainly eager to!

Food-wise, St. Patrick's Day celebrations can involve everything from green potatoes to green beer. However, what we should all really be doing is seizing the opportunity to enjoy some green vegetables.

Given the current worldwide health crisis, attending a party or heading to the bars is probably the last thing you want to do anyhow. Since you're already staying in, why not show your spirit by trying these super-healthy recipes?

Our Green Smoothie is jam-packed with antioxidants thanks to four different fruits and vegetable, and our light Green Lentil Soup is full to the brim of immune-boosting and fat-burning spices.

If you're in the mood for something heartier, you can whip up our Chicken Green Patties for a healthy and satisfying St. Patrick's meal. In fact, you could try all three for a green breakfast lunch and dinner!

Finally, if you want to be a little more traditional this St. Patrick's Day, you could check out these tasty recipes featuring cabbage, an Irish staple!