Dude Food: Football Parties

Yesterday was the end of rivalry week.  And I'm happy to say that my team squeaked out a 1-point victory at the very end.  Phew!  We watched it over at my sister in laws house, and The Hubs had gone out and bought a bunch of snacks to contribute ~ chips, cheese balls, dips, sausages...you know, {cough~cough} healthy stuff!

You know the old saying, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail" and I totally didn't plan any football treats so that there could be healthier options for me.  Oops!

I could give you a list of excuses about how worn out from Thanksgiving cooking I was, how there was no room in the fridge right now since it is loaded with leftovers and bla, bla, bla.  But the truth is, I really had no plan in place.

It's situations like these that I need contingency plans for.  The plan I can pull out super fast and pull together some good healthy treats like its nothing.  So I need to think up some good dude food that is FAST, and super EASY to make.

So I'm digging deep.  Trying to remember some of the fast finger foods I have made in the past.   Making lists.  Planning.

Some of my ideas so far:

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

These are so super easy!  

Get your mushrooms, a variety of types if you'd like, pull the stems out, turn them upside down and fill with pesto.  You can make your own pesto if you're so inclined, but if we're going for the super fast, and super easy, then just go buy a nice bottle of pesto.  Eat them raw, or heat them on a low heat in the oven for a few minutes.  Easy Peasy!!!

 Southwestern Black Bean Burritos

I love how fast these are too.  

I make them sometimes on those I-don't-want-to-cook-nights.

These are so easy, and you can play around with the amounts depending on how many people you will be serving, or how spicy you want them.  Here's what you'll need:

*  Morningstar Farms Chipotle Black Bean Burgers {found frozen at Costco and other places}

*  Salsa

*  Shredded cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese or pepper jack cheese {or a combination of all of them!}
*  Flour tortillas

Thaw the black bean burgers and crumble them into pieces in a bowl. Add salsa and cheeses to taste. Mix together and spoon into flour tortillas and roll up.  Sprinkle cheese on the top and bake until heated through.  I like to add smashed avocados on top of my burrito after they are finished cooking.  Yummy!

Fresh Jalapeno Poppers

I'm not sure where my recipe for this one is, but it basically entails de-seeding the fresh jalapenos, stuffing them with cheese and microwaving them until the cheese melts.  {You might steam the jalapeno in the microwave covered with plastic wrap for a few minutes until they are softened a bit ~ I don't quite remember without the recipe in front of me!  Sorry!} .  You can serve these with a raspberry all-fruit jelly as a dip and it's pretty tasty too!

You might be able to fill these with cashew cream, if you're not doing dairy, but I haven't officially tried that yet.

Apples and {Healthy!} Caramel Dip

This one may not look exactly like real caramel, 
but it tastes surprisingly quite close to it!  
And!  It is a much healthier version!

* 1 cup dates

* 1/4 - 1/2 cup almond milk or other milk of choice {combine 1 cup nuts + 2 cups water, blend and strain through cheesecloth, then measure amount needed for recipe}

* dash of sea salt

* 1 tsp vanilla extract

* 3-4 apples, sliced

Throw everything except the apples into the blender, starting with 1/4 cup of your almond milk and adding more if needed to help it blend.  You want to keep your mixture nice and thick though.  Once it is thick and creamy, spoon it into a bowl and dip your sliced apples in.

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Let's see.  What other healthy, easy and quick items could be added to my list?  I'm thinking an assortment of sandwiches, but haven't figured out which ones yet to add to my list.  And probably a trail mix with nuts and dried fruits.  But what else?

Please leave me a comment if you have any other ideas for me!  I'd love to hear them!