Will the leprechaun be visiting your house for St. Patrick’s Day? Maybe he should leave a special breakfast for the kiddos. These St. Patrick’s Day pancakes and fruit rainbow are the perfect breakfast for that special day.
St. Patrick’s Day Traditions
My kids, Maddy and Jamison, look forward to a visit from the leprechaun each year on St. Patrick’s Day. That little rascal always makes a mess and leaves the kids some treats. We try to trap him every year, but he always gets away. We’ve tried many different traps over the years. This year I think we’re going to test out this awesome leprechaun trap from Fun Money Mom. Maybe we’ll actually catch him!
A few years ago, Jamison made a leprechaun trap in preschool. He spent an hour setting it up perfectly before bed. When he woke up, he was so disappointed that there wasn’t a leprechaun in his trap. Yes, there were tears. Only one thing turned off those tears – St. Patrick’s Day pancakes.
I told Jamison the leprechaun left us a very special surprise in the refrigerator. He opened the refrigerator door to find a blender filled with a green liquid and a note from the leprechaun. The leprechaun mixed some batter for green pancakes. He even left us a shamrock-shaped cookie cutter. Jamison was so excited to make green pancakes that he forgot all about the missing leprechaun. We’ve had green pancakes and a fruit rainbow every year since then.
St. Patrick’s Day Pancakes
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The recipe for my St. Patrick’s Day green pancakes is super easy. I even mixed up the batter in my blender the night before to cut down on prep time in the morning. When I was planning my green pancakes, I knew I didn’t want to use food coloring to get the green color. I prefer finding healthier ways to color foods. I wanted something that wouldn’t change the flavor too much, but I wanted the bright green color. Spinach was just what I needed. The blender pureed the spinach so much you couldn’t tell what it had been. It also gave it a beautiful green color. Plus, I knew the kids would eat it, since the leprechaun made it. If mommy made green food, it would be disgusting. However, the leprechaun can do no wrong.
First, put a handful of spinach, a cup and a half of flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, one teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in the blender. Then, add one egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and 1 cup of buttermilk to the blender. Blend until all of the ingredients are combined. At this point, you can refrigerate the batter overnight.
In the morning, you might need to pulse the mixture a few times to evenly distribute everything. Then, you’re ready to make the pancakes. Grease your griddle or pan. Heat it over medium-low heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Wait until bubbles start to form on the surface of the pancake. Then, flip the pancake to the other side and cook for one more minute.
You can serve the pancakes just like this. Since the leprechaun brought us a shamrock-shaped cookie cutter, I use it to make shamrock-shaped pancakes. With a little bit of syrup on the side, these are a delicious breakfast.
And a Fruit Rainbow
If you want to take your St. Patrick’s Day breakfast to the next level, you can add a fruit rainbow to the plate. As I was grocery shopping for the ingredients, I had to sing the Cat in the Hat rainbow song to make sure I had something for every color. Red (strawberries), orange (clementines), yellow (pineapple), then green (green grapes) followed by blue (blueberries), indigo and violet (purple grapes for both of these) – That’s a rainbow song for you! Jamison and I always used to sing that song together. To assemble your fruit rainbow, just cut the fruit and arrange it in a rainbow shape.
This delicious breakfast of St. Patrick’s Day pancakes and fruit rainbow will set the stage for the rest of your St. Patrick’s Day fun. I’m so excited that St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year. We don’t have to rush to eat our yummy breakfast before heading out the door to school.
Check out my St. Patrick’s Day Unlock the Box Mystery to get your students excited, too. Find out more about using Unlock the Box Mysteries to engage your students.
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What Do You Think?
What special treats to do you make for St. Patrick’s Day?
Let me know in the comments below.
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