Game Day is coming! Do you know what that means? It’s a time when family and friends gather in excitement to watch sports and cheer for their favorite team! Whether it is Super Bowl or Little League, there’s always fun in rooting for someone with an adrenaline rush because of all the action taking place. But all that can make us really hungry!
When having Game Day with the kids, sometimes, our food preferences don’t match what they would like to eat, especially when we’re talking about hot, spicy buffalo wings or caesar salads. Sure, you can purchase salted French fries, store-bought chips, or gummy bears, but Game Day doesn’t happen every day, and it’s surely an event you want everyone, including the kids, to enjoy! Worried about complicated recipes? Don’t be. Here are some ideas that are both kid-friendly and amazing:
Sports-themed serving trays and plates
First, get in the vibe of sports-watching and athleticism by following the theme! There are many options online for plates that look like soccer balls, basketballs, and even golf balls! Oval serving trays can come in the appearance of a football. If your family or friends are die-hard fans of a specific team, then there would often be options in the market for serving trays and plates with their logo, theme, or colors!
Hotdogs
When we see segments of our favorite TV shows featuring its characters and their participation in Game Days, there’s usually a hotdog vendor or people munching this yummy treat. Feel free to use this idea! Not only is it easy to prepare, but it’s also very filling and affordable!
You can buy a pack of hotdog buns from the supermarket, which usually offers an array of hotdog options such as cheese dogs, sausages, chicken hotdogs, Frankfurter, Bratwurst, or Schublig! Depending on the hotdog style you want to prepare, condiments and toppings are not too expensive. If you wish for the New York-style hotdog, add mustard, onion sauce, and, optionally, sauerkraut. Another loved style is the Colombian hotdog, which has ketchup, pineapples, mashed potato chips, and a boiled quail egg smeared on top of everything.
Jersey-shaped cookies and brownies
If you love baking cookies, take your delectable treats to the next level using a cookie cutter shaped like a jersey shirt! After that, you can use a pastry bag to design the cookie in the jerseys of your favorite athletes!
It’s simple! Most often, you’ll only need two colors per sports team, if ever: one for the jersey shirt’s base color and another for the color of their name and jersey number! Do you have extra food coloring, and are the people you will watch the sports game split into two groups of fans who support opposing teams? Then you can go beyond one team and make jerseys for different sports groups.
You can even create this into a game where you can only eat the jersey-shaped cookies if the other team has a foul or your team scores! If you’re not a fan of cookies and would rather eat brownies, you can still use this idea for brownies or other treats. If you have candy-coated chocolates, these can also be used to decorate jersey-shaped cookies or brownies!
Chicken nuggets with different flavors
Kids love chicken nuggets. Adults love chicken nuggets. Everyone loves chicken nuggets! Take this all-time favorite and pair it with various dipping sauces and powders. You can offer chili sauce, barbeque sauce, mustard, ketchup, or cheesy sauce for the sauces.
You can also craft your own barbeque honey mustard sauce by combining barbeque sauce with mayonnaise, honey, and mustard. Another option is Cajun sauce, which was popularized because it was featured in a special, limited edition meal by a famous fast-food restaurant. You can make this by mixing tomato paste, onion powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and Cajun powder. For the powder options, like cheese powder and sour cream powder, you can provide a container or paper bag for shaking the nuggets with the powder.
Fish and chips
Originating from England, this dish features deep-fried, golden brown, juicy fish with French fries called “chips.” Often the fish used for this dish is cod, which is tender and mild. Fish and chips are usually paired with tartar sauce or ketchup. The batter of the fried fish is typically a combination of baking soda, beer, white flour, and salt. Because of that, it’s important to consider alternatives to the beer ingredient of the batter or not to include beer at all as a whole.
Football pizza
Currently, frozen cheese pizzas are available in many supermarkets. Instead of simply baking it at home and presenting it to your guests, you can slice pepperoni into the shape of footballs. You can also add string cheese and arrange them to look like the laces of a football net! Need a finishing touch? You can sprinkle some herbs, so the pizza looks like the grassy football field, minus the dirtiness, and more fun!
Mango graham float
Also called “Crema de Mangga” in the Philippines, Mango Graham Float is an icebox cake delicacy consisting of layers of graham crackers, condensed milk, sweet & ripe mangoes, and whipped cream. The saltiness of the crackers perfectly complements the tangy sweet flavor of mangoes and the creaminess of condensed milk. It is easy to prepare and is enjoyed mainly by children because of its taste. Because there’s mango, you’re also presenting the children with good health benefits, such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, dietary fiber, and Vitamin B6, and perhaps even building their love for fruits! Yummy and healthy? What a great deal!
Charcuterie board
Not sure what dish to serve? Then skip choosing one food, and instead bring a charcuterie board featuring many options for everyone! Considering who you’re sharing this board with would be a good idea. If there mostly would be children in the room, then you can add four to six bowls of candy, chocolate, gummies, and pretzels. If your family and friends aren’t fond of meat slices and cheeses, we recommend the following: chicken wings, popcorn (cheese or caramel), carrot sticks, chips, cheese dip, ranch dip, Chex mix, crackers, white grapes, and strawberries.
Whether your favorite team wins or loses, at the end of the day, what’s important is the fun times shared and the companionship you share with your friends and family! Although there are some things to adapt when including children in events like this, it’s totally worth it when you see the smiles on their faces and, imaginably, in their tummies!