When it comes to watching sports in our house I’ve learned that the best thing to do is to toss some food on the coffee table and let the sports fans go. Whether it’s a Saturday afternoon Red Wing game, the Rose Bowl or the Super Bowl, I know that my family and our guests are happier if there’s some substantial food which is easily accessible and that they can eat without utensils. This realization birthed the notion of Munchy Meals.
Usually when people watch sports they set out snack foods. But I learned long ago that enough snacks would be consumed during the game to preclude any sort of meal later on. So I started putting out filling foods and sneaking in some healthy snacks to make sure that everyone had something resembling a meal.
A couple favorite tricks for getting healthy foods in are to serve a veggie tray and a fruit platter. I’ve even been known to set these out first, then disappear for a little while before putting out the rest of the food. That way they get some fruits and veggies in.
Then I bring out some of the family favorites, including sloppy joes and spinach artichoke dip. Then, of course, we have some chips, pretzels and peanuts too.
This is an embarassingly simple menu and I’ll even share recipes for the only two foods on here that have to be cooked.
Sloppy Joes
This is an old family recipe passed down to me by my mother. It gets rave reviews and my kids love it. Simply brown one pound of lean ground beef. Drain off the grease. Mix in one bottle of Heinz chili sauce. Warm and serve with your favorite hamburger buns. This is great to make up and set out in a crock pot dialed down to the ‘warm’ setting.
Spinach Artichoke Dip (and I have to admit that I’m not even the one who makes this, my hubby does)
One package of frozen, chopped spinach; thaw and drain. 8 oz block of cream cheese. 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese. 1/2 cup parmessan cheese. 1 can artichoke hearts (approx 15 oz.) – drain and dice. 15 oz jar Alfredo sauce. 2 large cloves of garlic minced and sauteed. Mix it all together in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly (approximately 30 minutes). Give it a stir and serve with tortilla chips for dipping.
Whip those up and you have totally over-the-top Super Bowl Sunday snacks!
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