Snacks for your family game night
You’re set for your family game night. You’ve picked out your board game. You’ve set the date and time – as well as the ‘no-devices rule’. But do you know that the family that snacks together will stay longer together during said game night?
Alright, I made that up. But people do linger longer when there are great snacks!
Whether your family likes sweet or savory, chewy or crunchy, I’ve got some ideas to make everyone munch a bit happier.
Set up a popcorn bar.
Pop some plain popcorn and fill a large bowl (or even a brown paper bag) with it. Add a large scoop of some kind so people can grab the popcorn easily and fill their own smaller bowls or lunch-sized bags. Here’s where it gets fun. Add some small bowls of various items including seasoning such as:
- hot sauce
- curry powder
- sugar and salt (think kettle corn)
- small candies including skittles, chocolate chips, etc
- grated cheese
- garlic salt
Use your taste buds and create seasonings and add-ons to create a one-of-a-kind flavor. (I love ‘everything bagel’ seasoning! My girls like a s’mores combination: with small graham crackers, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips.)
Energy Bites
There are a ton of energy bite recipes out there. Most have peanut butter in them and I love them all. But for something different, try this Coconut Lime Energy Ball, with just four ingredients.
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 cup dates (if dry, soak them in warm water first until plump)
- ¾ cup coconut flakes, divided
- juice and zest from 1 lime (2 tablespoons juice & 1 tablespoon zest)
Put the cashews in a food processor and process until mostly broken down. Add the dates and process until they come together to form a dough. Add ½ cup of the coconut and the lime juice and zest and process until well mixed. Scoop out heaping teaspoons of dough and form into balls. (I like using a melon baller or small ice cream scoop for this.) Roll each ball in the remaining coconut. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Pizza mini muffins
Pizza without all the drippy cheese and sauce mess? Yes, please. Even though these are only two bites and make a lot, you’ll see they are gone fast! (And of course you can substitute any pizza toppings you prefer for the pepperoni. Just make sure the items you choose are diced finely!)
- 1 10 oz can refrigerated pizza dough
- 20–25 pepperoni slices (finely diced)
- 1 jar pizza sauce
- Shredded cheese for pizza
- Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. Roll out pizza dough and cut it into 24 even squares using a pizza cutter. Press each square into muffin cups. Cut pepperoni slices into small cubes using a knife and mix with small amount of pizza sauce in a bowl. You can add more sauce as desired. Add small amount of pepperoni and sauce mixture into each muffin cup. Top with shredded cheese. Bake 10-12 minutes or until dough is a golden brown. Top with Italian seasoning and remove from pan to let cool.
