While you may be counting the days until it's time for your beloved corned beef and cabbage dinner, your kids might not be that jazzed about the melt-in-your mouth meat. (Small humans are, in fact, a little crazy.) Chances are, if they're anything like mine, they're much more interested in something sweet. And — as we all know — everything's more fun on St. Patrick's Day when it's green.

Green Velvet Cupcake Shamrocks

Everyone will be feeling lucky with these super cute cupcakes on the table. Halve full-size cupcakes to make the shamrock stems or use mini cupcakes. Either way, they'll be eaten up in no time.

Mint Shakes

These creamy shakes will make you forget all about the fast-food favorite. Blend high-quality ice cream, a little whole milk, pure vanilla extract and peppermint extract for an extra-refreshing treat. Just a few drops of food coloring will give the shakes their fun and festive hue.

Lime Poke Cake

If you still haven't made a poke cake, now's the time. After you bake this not-too-sweet buttermilk cake, let it cool, then use a fork to poke holes all over the cake. Pour lime gelatin all over the cake so it can drizzle into the holes, giving each slice of cake a beautiful green tint and an extra dose of flavor.

Green Punch

This kid-friendly punch takes only five minutes to make and is filled with sweet-tart flavors that will please all palates. The only recipe tweak we might suggest? Double the ingredients! This will go quickly.

Green Velvet Layer Cake

Kids and adults alike love a beautiful red velvet cake, so we came up with the next best thing for celebrating St. Patrick's Day: a green-as-can-be velvet cake. The creamy and fluffy frosting is the perfect complement to the rich cake layers. Let the kids help decorate the cake with green sanding sugar for extra festive flair.

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