Game-Day Grub [1]
for Pint-Size Fans
The Game Plan
- Invite kids to decorate the house with banners, posters, pennants, and pictures of their favorite team and players.
- Hang streamers and arrange balloons in the colors of the two teams playing that day.
- Cover a table with dark green felt or a washable green tablecloth, and let your kids use chalk to create yard lines.
The Food
1. Souper Bowl Chili
- Cook 1 pound ground turkey in a pan until it’s no longer pink.
- Drain and place in a slow cooker, along with a 28-ounce can diced, undrained tomatoes, one 15-ounce can each garbanzo, kidney, and black beans (rinsed and drained), an 8-ounce can tomato sauce, a 4-ounce can chopped mild green chilies, and 1 or 2 tablespoons chili powder.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Let the kids help prepare the toppings: grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. Serve the chili in a super-size Super Bowl bowl.
2. A Guac That Rocks
- Have kids prep the ingredients—squeeze 1 lemon and mash 3 avocados.
- In a bowl, combine the mashed avocados, 1 small, finely diced onion (red or yellow), 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix well, cover, and refrigerate. Serve with tortilla chips and sliced raw veggies.
3. Easy, Peasy Punter’s Pizza
- Start with a ready-made pizza crust, or use a tube of refrigerated pizza dough your child can roll out (follow package directions).
- Your favorite pigskin fan can also scoop out and set aside 1½ to 2 cups tomato sauce, grate the mozzarella, or set out 2 cups pre-grated cheese.
- Slather the crust with sauce, sprinkle on the cheese, and finish the pie with cooked broccoli, thinly sliced pepperoni, or crumbled and cooked hamburger.
- Bake according to package directions and slice into sixths.
4. Homemade Deli Sandwiches
- Set aside sliced ham, lean roast beef, turkey, cheese, and other cold cuts your child likes for a kid-size version of the classic tailgate hero.
- Make sandwiches beforehand, or set out ingredients so kids can build their own. You’ll need a loaf of bread, too.
- For a whimsical presentation, spear a mini sweet pickle with team-colored frilled toothpicks.
- Platter the sandwiches, scatter cold veggies, and serve.
5. Touchdown Dessert
- Early in the day (or the day before), grab a log of prepared sugar cookie dough and let the kids roll it out.
- Cut into football shapes and bake.
- As part of the pre-game festivities, have kids frost the cookies with store-bought chocolate icing and add white decorating gel to make football laces.
- Cupcakes work, too. Make a box mix and frost with green icing. Create yard lines with a tube of white decorating gel. Let kids squirt white icing onto a “football” (a chocolate-covered almond) and place it on top.
When game day arrives, set out one or all of these five grab-and-go tailgate-inspired foods for the youngest fans. Super-easy, super-tasty super snacks!