If you’re going to cheat on your New Year’s resolution, please go big and feast hard next Sunday. Because Sunday is like the Super Bowl of Snacks. Well, yes, that’s exactly what it is. We’ve been eating so healthy around here lately, but I think a splurge might be in order as we cozy up on the couch to watch the Justin Timberlake concert, ahem, I mean our beloved New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. To get your menu in order (I hope you also like to plan your meals a week in advance like I do), I’ve rounded up some of my favorite savory, spicy, and sweet Super Bowl Sunday recipes! And please, tell me in the comments what you’re going to cook up so I can daydream about delicious snacks.
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We are on a household mission this month to eat healthier. A really big part of our plan is to cut down on carbs. It’s so very hard since I literally think about pasta and pizza and croissants and bagels constantly throughout the day. Instead of thinking about this healthier low-carb eating plan as a diet where I can’t have the things I want, I’m trying really hard to think of all of the delicious recipes that I can have so there is something to look forward to. I’ve been digging through Pinterest, tearing out healthy ideas from resolution-fueled January issues of my favorite magazines, and brainstorming like crazy to concoct new recipes with a better-for-you twist. I’ll admit, healthy recipes have never been a focus on this blog (I mean, I posted about BBQ chip crusted mac and cheese and three ideas for loaded potato skins earlier in the week), but I really am trying to turn a new leaf and give it a try.
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In those first few weeks after the beginning of the New Year, everyone is on a healthy-kick, whether we made resolutions about it or not. It’s time to get back into routine, kick those bad-holiday habits, and buckle down with some healthy eating. We have been staying on track at our house with healthy meals during the week. In order to keep my sanity with this healthy-eating, I need to allow myself one day a week to cheat a little and indulge. There is no better day to indulge in the middle of the winter than football Sundays. The term “go-big or go-home” applies to both the actual game on TV, and how I feel about Sunday football snacks.
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At the very end of the year, I took an informal survey on my Instagram page. I asked what exactly my followers wanted to see more of on the blog, and there was an overwhelmingly large response for easy weeknight dinners and meal prepping ideas. I previously wrote a big post about how we plan our meals out for the week to help us stay on budget, reduce food waste, and most of all, hopefully eat a little healthier. If food is pre-made in the fridge for lunches, or if I have a clear plan of what is on the menu for dinner each night, we make much better food choices and cut down on my frenzied panics about what we’re going to eat.
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I didn’t really grow up a huge football fan, but when I moved to Boston for college I began to see a lot of the appeal. The winters here are cold, and hibernating with your friends and family on the couch on a Sunday afternoon to watch the game is a pretty nice way to spend your day. Also: football snacks. Yea, it’s the snacks really sold me on the whole football thing. I’m always looking for new treat ideas to bring to family and friend’s houses when we’re over for a Sunday afternoon hang, and that’s where the idea for these football marshmallows came from. The recipe is in the new issue of Family Circle Magazine on stands now! 
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I think that post-holiday brain must be a real medical condition, because I totally have it. I’m on a constant mission to reduce food waste in our house and use up ingredients we have on hand in the fridge when I’m meal-planning. This week, we had leftover roasted chicken in the fridge and I thought about how tasty it would be with some pasta, brussels sprouts, and a squeeze of lemon juice. YUM. I started jotting the recipe idea down and got to cooking. When the meal was ready I moved it over to the window to take a few pictures so that I could share here on the blog. Then I dished it up into a few small bowls for us to eat for lunch. As I took the first tasty bite, it occurred to me: I never put the chicken in the pan! I blame it on this terrible post-holiday brain, it’s really the worst.
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Is it okay to have cupcakes for breakfast? If you’re celebrating the holidays (all month long, like me), then yes, you absolutely can. I’ve had a box of Trader Joe’s pumpkin bread mix in my cabinet for the past few weeks, and the other day when I was hunting for something to indulge my holiday sweet tooth I got an idea! I decided to make the pumpkin bread batter and bake it into muffin tins. It’s a sweet and spiced bread that came out nearly cupcake-like.
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I am so incredibly excited to get our Christmas tree this year. Since it’s Jane’s first Christmas, it’s like I’m experiencing the holidays for the first time too. You should have seen her eyes widen when we walked down the holiday decorations aisle at the store the other day, and she saw all of the trees and lights and giant blow-up lawn decorations. She was in complete awe. I know these moments of childhood holiday magic can be fleeting, so I’m determined to start new traditions right away and take advantage of this time when the holidays have that extra special sparkle.
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Can I make a secret holiday confession? Until this year, I never tried eggnog before! It’s almost ridiculous, considering how much I love a holiday-themed drink, that I waited this long to finally try it. My friends at Hood shared some of their eggnog with me to try and it was delicious; I’ve clearly been missing out on this sweet and delectable seasonal drink. Once I tried my first sip, I realized I better do my research and get to the bottom of the best (and creative!) ways to serve this drink at the holidays so that I can make sure the rest of my friends and family don’t miss out like I did for so long.
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As if I didn’t already love dip enough, stick it in a bread bowl and I’m on cloud nine. I thought it would be fun for the holidays to put a new spin on this dip and bread bowl combination and found an easy way to make my own bread “wreath” to wrap around a bowl of Heluva Good! Dips. This is a holiday entertaining DIY for those who are short on time but still want to put something extra special out during this season for guests.
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