Game Day Food!

Game Day - the perfect excuse to eat all of your favorite foods and not feel guilty about it! In preparation for the big game, here are some of our favorite appetizers and comfort foods to enjoy while watching football! 

Jalapeno Poppers are great, and we took these up a level with bacon... Try these Cheesy BLT Stuffed Jalapenos. 

 

Chips and dip are probably my #1 guilty pleasure. You can't go wrong with this 5-minute dip that tasted like a loaded baked potato. Loaded Baked Potato Dip! 

I must have something for loaded baked potatoes! These hot Loaded Baked Potato Bites really are the perfect bite. Make your mashed potato a day ahead of time to make assembling these cute little bites a breeze! 

Pinwheels are perfect little bite-sized appetizers and can be hot, using Crescent rolls, or cold, using flour tortillas. Try these Baked Pinwheels or these cold Tortilla Pinwheels. 

I think deviled eggs always belong when having an appetizer party. Try these Western Style Deviled Eggs with ham, onion, green peppers, topped with pickled mustard seeds. 

You might want to eat the entire tray after trying one of these Sweet Ham and Swiss Sliders (say that 10 times fast!). Gooey melted cheese and baked ham on a toasted roll, all topped with a sweet and spicy Dijon and brown sugar butter glaze - perfection. 

You'll want to make these just for the creamy and cheesy roasted jalapeno sauce! Smothered Chicken Burritos - the chicken cooks in your crockpot all day, and then assemble and bake when you are ready to eat! 

Crisp, buttery grilled bread stuffed with creamy melted cheese and a hot and bubbly spinach artichoke spread. It's like everybody's favorite party dip in a sandwich. Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese - 

Finally, making pizza at home can be a lot of fun. This pizza combines a Philly Cheesesteak with a make-at-home pizza - Philly Cheesesteak Pizza. 

Enjoy!! 

 

Banana-Oat Muffins with Walnuts

Healthy, whole wheat banana muffins with oats and walnuts, sweetened only with maple syrup. 

I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe yet!!! I first made and photographed these muffins a YEAR ago, and have made them so many times since, but somehow the post sat as a draft for a quite some time. So there's no time like now to finally share these muffins with you.

Over the past year I have made several types of muffins using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour and pure maple syrup instead of white sugar - Healthy Apple-Walnut-Raisin Muffins, Carrot Muffins with Walnuts and Raisins, Whole Grain Blueberry Muffins, and some Banana Chocolate Muffins that I still need to photograph and blog! All of these muffins are so yummy and healthy (you won't miss the sugar!), and are a great choice for breakfast on the go or a mid-morning snack.

One of the best things about these muffins is that it uses up those over-ripe bananas you probably have sitting on your counter. And if you are like me, you also have a bag of over-ripe bananas in your freezer. My second favorite thing is that you don't need to use a mixer at all - just your hand, a whisk, and a spoon. Super simple!

Finally, they freeze so well! I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap followed by foil, and then put them all in a freezer bag. I pull one out of the freezer at night and let it defrost in the fridge overnight, and by the time I'm going to work it is perfect to eat with my cup of tea.

Banana-Oat Muffins with Walnuts
Adapted from: Cookie and Kate

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup 
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp granulated sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and fill your muffin tins with cupcake liners (12)
• In a large bowl, beat the oil and syrup together with a whisk. 
• Add in the eggs and beat well. 
• Stir in the mashed bananas, milk, baking soda, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
• Add the flour, most of the oats (save some for topping) and the walnuts; mix with a spoon until just combined. 
• Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining oats and a pinch of sugar.
• Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
• Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. Remove the muffins from the tin after 5 minutes and let them cool completely before storing. Muffins will store for 2 days at room temp or 4 days in the fridge. If you plan on freezing any, freeze them on the first day for best results. 

Peanut Butter and Banana Granola Bars

I have always wanted to make my own granola bars. Something healthy, and something I can feel good about eating and giving to my daughter. You can definitely feel good about these bars, packed with real, healthy ingredients and no added sugar. 

The granola bars I made started with toasting walnuts and oats with some cinnamon. 

The glue that brings it all together is a mixture of mashed banana, peanut butter, vanilla and honey. 

For another texture, I added dried mixed fruit - raisins, cranberries, and golden raisins. 

Once everything is combined you spread it out in a baking dish lined with parchment paper. It bakes in the oven for 25 minutes. Once cool you put the dish in the fridge to set. 

I was worried that they would crumble or fall apart once I took them out but nope - look at this huge bar! I used a glass Pyrex baking dish so my bars were on the thicker side. I cut this large bar into 9 bars. For thinner bars, you could use a cookie sheet with a short edge. 

These bars are dense but very tasty and filling. They are not sweet at all so if you are looking for something like the big brand, storebought bars, you'll need to add a bunch more sugar. But if you are looking for a healthy, good for you bar with lots of textures and flavors, this is it! 
Peanut Butter and Banana Granola Bars Adapted from: Spoon University
Ingredients

• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 1 c chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 c creamy, natural peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c mixed dried fruit (I used the raisins, golden raisins, cranberries mix from Trader Joe's)

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
• Mix your oats with the nuts and cinnamon. Spread on a cookie sheet and place in the oven to toast for 12 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes.
• Mash your bananas with a fork. Mix the bananas, peanut butter, vanilla extract and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until combined and warm, about 5 minutes.
• Place the oat/nut mixture in a large bowl and mix in the berries. Pour in the banana/peanut butter mixture and stir until fully combined.
• Line a baking sheet or glass baking dish (the size is up to you!) with parchment paper. Spread the granola mixture out evenly in your dish, using the back of a spatula to flatten.
• Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely and then place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 
• Remove the bars from your dish using the parchment paper ends as handles. Use a sharp knife to cut the granola into bars.