Kiss the Blarney Stone with out kissing your wasitline goodbye!

What up party peopllllllllleeeeeee! It’s St. Patrick’s Daaaaaaayyyyyy!!! (Burm burm burm!)

P.S. you should have read that like a basketball announcer and the “burm” is a blow horn! Right? Yah! It’s awesome!

So, yes, its St. Patrick’s Day. Just when you think the holidays of gorging yourself on delicious food and drink are over…have no fear! The Irish won’t let you get away that easy!

Who is celebrating today? Anyone going to a cool party? I have a real exciting evening planned. I will start by cleaning my house…yes the entire town house. Then, I’ll make a quick dinner and probably fall asleep on the couch watching TV. I know! I’m out of control. To be honest, even when I was in my twenties I wasn’t too keen on going out on holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day. I can remember going out with my roommates for Cinco De Mayo one year when I was in college. I had never gone out or really celebrated Cinco De Mayo before so I was stoked! When we got to the bar I only got one drink because it was so packed. I could barely move and forget about hearing each other or the music. It was lame. I was so disappointed. I finally had a chance to hang out with the cool kids and do what cool kids do and it sucked.  We just ended up going back to our apartment and hanging out there. Which, was a safer option anyway. All of those people were bound to drive home at some point.

Although St. Patrick’s day has progressed into a drunkin’ holiday it originally was a day of feast. Think Thanksgiving but in March! But that doesn’t change the fact that celebrating St. Patrick’s Day won’t bring you any closer to your beach body. Or will it? There are plenty of food and drink items you can partake in today that won’t set you back with no return. I’ll go over some of the menu items you can get, if you’re going out, with little regret. If you choose to stay in, like myself, I’ll give you some easy options to make sure you can still celebrate in the most delicious way possible.

If you’re venturing out for St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll probably end up at a bar. I mean, beer, well alcohol in general, goes hand and hand with St. Patrick’s Day. Going to a bar typically doesn’t lend itself to healthy eats. While bar food has certainly come a long way it can still be difficult.

One of my FAVORITE bar treats are chicken wings! I’m obsessed. The great thing with chicken wings is while many places offer the fried, breaded wings they also offer non-breaded grilled or baked wings! If you get grilled or baked wings you save yourself an enormous number of calories and carbs and if you have a gluten sensitivity you save yourself a lot of tummy trouble. 

I like my wings pretty simple. I try to eat them without a dipping sauce and served tossed in hot sauce. This keeps the calories and fat even lower plus; the hot sauce helps boost the metabolism which I am always trying to do! When I splurge and order a dipping sauce its always ranch dressing. It isn’t that I don’t like blue cheese, but blue cheese is not gluten free. So, try to keep your wings as simple as you can while still enjoying them. Oh and eat some of that celery and carrots between wings. They will give you some added veggies and help fill you up so you don’t devour a whole chicken.

Guacamole is another one of my favorites. It’s made with simple ingredients, full of good fat and way better for your than the spinach artichoke dip you’ve been eyeing. Now, guacamole is usually served with chips. Fried corn chips. While this isn’t the worst thing you could have, ask your server if they have any celery or carrots you can use to dip in lieu of the chips. If you’re lucky they may even have some plantain chips you can sub for which is amazing!

If you go to a little more upscale bar they may have additional items such as lettuce wraps, grilled artichokes etc. Always ask for the ingredients. Even when you get wings. If they are dry rubbed the rub may have sugar or gluten which you’ll regret later.

Let’s get real though. You’re going out to drink. The food is great but its secondary to celebrating the holiday. When it comes to drinking, I rely on the saying “failing to plan is planning to fail.” Decide before you go out what you are going to drink. Pick maybe one or two drinks you will partake in and don’t deviate. This will keep you from consuming way too much sugar and keep you from drinking something that may not agree with you later.

Some great low calorie drinks include 

-          -Vodka, Soda Lime

-          -Moscow Mule

-          -Ginger Whiskey Sour (not gluten free)

-          -Old Fashioned ( Sans sugar)

Take a look at the drink menu as well. Many places now offer “skinny” versions of their regular cocktails.

If you are looking to go more of the beer route try choosing a low calorie beer such as Michelob Ultra or Bud Select. If I drink beer I typically go for a gluten free beer like Red Bridge or a Hard Cider such as Angry Orchard. While these are not necessarily low calorie, they agree with my body better.

If you are being one of the cool kids, like myself, and staying in well, the world is your oyster my friend! Your food options are endless as long as you are willing to put a little work in.

Here are some of my green favorites:

-Brussels sprout salad

-Brussels Sprout with Bacon, Garlic Aioli

-Sweet and Crunchy Green Beans

-Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Pair these with any protein and you have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day feast!

And we can’t forget about dessert! Which, to me, is the most important part of any holiday. DUH!

Whether you’re going out or staying in there is always room for dessert.

For St. Patrick’s Day I wanted to make a sweet treat for you guys. How do Chocolate Mint Cups sound?

I thought they would be a light, sweet treat at the end of the evening and easy to make.

With rich, dark chocolate and a hint of mint these little gems are sure to bring you the luck of the Irish!

 

Chocolate Mint Cups

Makes 6-8

Ingredients:

1 Cup Unsweetened, shredded coconut

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 Tablespoon melted coconut oil

1 Tablespoon raw honey

12 oz Dark Chococlate Chips

Instructions:

1.  Add coconut, mint, coconut oil, and honey to a food processor. Process for two minutes

2.  Melt the chocolate chips using a double boiler

3. Place 6 cupcake wrappers in a muffin tin. Scoop a small amount of the chocolate into the bottom of each wrapper. Scoop a heaping teaspoon of the coconut mixture on top of the chocolate. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes.

4. Scoop enough chocolate on top to cover the coconut mixture.

5. Place back in the fridge for 30 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened.

6. Once the chocolate has hardened, remove the muffin liners. Store in an air tight container in the fridge or at room temperature. 

Hey! Dont forget to check out the blogs instagram. I posted a fun workout i found on Pinterest!

Also, any of the recipes i suggested for staying in tonight, if you'd like any of the recipes e-mail the blog at barbellsandboyshorts@gmail.com