Happy St Patrick's Day - Include some healthy greens tonight for dinner

Happy St Patricks Day.  And I ask you do you have your "Greens" on?    

St Patrick's is all about the green!  So take advantage and introduce some healthy greens tonight at dinner time.  You can use St Patrick's Day as a way to entice the kids to adventure into the healthy "green zone" of foods.  It doesn't have to fancy or complicated, what is important is keeping it positive and fun for kids so they become more curious about green foods.

"Green" facts you can share at tonight's dinner.

• Lettuce is a member of the sunflower family.
• Darker Green lettuce leaves are more nutritious than lighter green leaves.
• Americans eat about 30 pounds of lettuce every year. That’s about five times more than what we ate in the early 1900s.
• In the United States, lettuce is the second most popular fresh vegetable.

• The name asparagus comes from the Greek language and means "sprout" or "shoot."
• Asparagus is a member of the Lily family.
• Asparagus is related to onions, leeks, and garlic.
• One of the most popular varieties of green asparagus is named after Martha Washington, the wife of George Washington.
• California grows about 70% of all the asparagus grown in the United States.
• More than 50,000 tons of asparagus are grown in California every year.
• We are eating 900% more broccoli than we did 20 years ago

• The most popular sweet pepper in the United States is the bell pepper.
• Most peppers belong to the Capsicum annuum species.
• As bell peppers mature, their color changes from green to red and they become sweeter.
• Chile peppers are hot.

• Escarole
• Avocado (actually a fruit)
• Beet greens
• Green and red cabbage
• Bok Choy
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Kohlrabi
• Brussel sprouts
• Lettuce: romaine or green leaf
• Cauliflower
• Mustard greens
• Celery
• Chicory
• Parsley
• Chinese cabbage
• Green Peppers
• Chives
• Collard greens
• Turnips
• Dandelion greens
• Spinach
• Endive
• Zucchini

• broccoli, dice it up and mix it in spaghetti, rice or in their favorite casserole
• make your kids favorite dip (low-fat) and cut up some green vegetables into small pieces for dipping
• have the kids help create a salad with at least 2 green vegetables or fruit