Game Day Fun

So I think it’s fair to say that everyone knows what’s happening on Sunday evening…even those of us who don’t really follow the NFL know that this Sunday is the big daddy of football!  I may not know much about the game itself, but living in a house full of boys I have learned to love watching football games…once in a while!  And when Super Bowl Sunday rolls around we plan some family time centered around the TV and food!  We bake up a BIG tray of buffalo wings for game night…and it’s most likely the only day of the year my husband and I splurge on the messy goodness!   It’s such a special game but always falls on a school night which keeps us from hosting big parties…so I often serve some game day snacks that are extra festive for our family celebration!  But this year, besides the wings which are now a must-have tradition, I’m trying to keep it a little lighter, healthier, but still decked out in football style!  It’s only a few days until the big game…let’s get ready to party!

super-duper Super Bowl snacking…

we always look forward to the Super Bowl…it’s a fun evening to spend together!  and like most of our celebrations it’s just the four of us, but that’s no reason not to make it feel like a party!  my boys have wanted to have friends over for a big Bowl party for many years…but that darn thing called school always stood in the way!  so to ease the disappointment of not having guests, i started dressing up the snack table with yummy treats and party decorations, and it’s a tradition that just stuck!  It can be really simple to do too since plenty of party stores have cute & affordable supplies!  so with a couple new paper products and a quick dig through my storage bins, i could add some football inspired fun to our snack table!

the football globes have been used for several game day parties and were so easy to hang above the treats with some twine.  some simple rick-rack trim is randomly strung across the back and secured with a little tape!

the cute bingo cards from Party City will add some more fun to the night as we all anticipate the funny commercials!  i might even have a prize up my sleeve for the winner!

i trimmed two sheets of decorative paper from Michaels to line my square platters.  the pattern on the paper looks like grass and i thought it’d be a fun look-alike to astro turf!  and under the paper plates and bingo cards is simply an oversized piece of green felt…easy!

the leftover paper & some stickers were perfect for embellishing the tiny treat bags.  and to keep the snacks from bleeding grease into the paper, i just tucked a cellophane bag down inside and rolled it over the edge of the bags!

even low-cal popped corn varieties can still leave a greasy mess all over the bag…and since i went to the trouble of making the sacks look festive, that’s the last thing i want!  now they can sit all night and look as good as when they were first filled!

because Valentine’s Day is approaching and we’ve just gotten through the past holidays that drowned us in sugary sweets, i really wanted to keep most of our game snacks relatively healthy!  so along with the lighter pop corn i decided to fill some snack cups with veggies.  a small bake cup holding ranch dressing is nestled in the middle of some favorite, fresh munchies!  i think they look darling in these party cups from Party City!

and rather than traditional soda, some cola flavored Lacroix is out for some sipping!  since my hubby is employed at the company that manufactures the sparkling waters, we’re usually well stocked!  i bought the can sleeves last year on clearance (at 17 cents a piece!)  and tucked them in my party supply bins so i wouldn’t forget to use ’em!  they’re a tad wide for the skinny can but that just leaves room for a straw!

and even though i’m striving to keep the snacks healthier, it wouldn’t be a super snack spread without a LITTLE sugar!  so i opted for some sweet snacks that were still a little healthier than others.  we got turned onto yummy pocky sticks a couple years ago.  they’re not overly sweet and lower in sugar and calorie content…not to mention they look so fun loosely stacked in the baking cups embellished with another sticker!  these little shortbread cookies are packaged in singe-serve bags which i love for controlled snacking!  you can find them in the Asian section of most grocers.

and another kid-favorite treat that’s tasty but not a diet deal-breaker…rice krispie treats!  or in this case, cocoa krispie treats shaped like little footballs!  so easy!

and for a little more game night fun…some cowbell noise makers!  just in case our team needs some loud encouragement or the boys just want to annoy us with them!  i can put up with it for one night!

so with some healthy & semi-healthy snacks and some simple supplies, it was a cinch to make a festive table to celebrate the end of the season…

Go Team!

supplies:  paper, sacks, stickers, paper plates & napkins from Michaels Stores, cowbells, baking cups & trim from Walmart, Bingo game, snack cups, and globes from Party City