Game night is right around the corner, and snacks are an essential part of game night. Whatever games you and your family decide to play, you’ll need fingers dry to move pieces around without staining them. Therefore, you’d want snacks that won’t be messy, that can be finished quickly, and deliver balanced nutrition. Healthy options are often overlooked. If you’re struggling to find ideas on what healthy and delicious snacks to offer, struggle no more! Here you’ll find a list of 12 snack options that are not only healthy but mouth-wateringly delicious.
- Chips and Dip
This is one of the most common snack options that people of all ages enjoy. For chips, you can include cheese crackers, corn chips or nachos, a variety of nuts, pretzels, apple or banana chips or a combination of both. For dips, you can have a variety of it too. For instance, a spinach artichoke dip, veggie dip mixed with greek yogurt, hummus, chicken enchilada dip, or for easier options, you can go with tomato sauce, sweet chili sauce, honey, peanutbutter, or healthy guacamole.
- Pigs In A Blanket
These are basically mini sausages wrapped up in crescent dough. You can use almond and tapioca flour for a healthier option for the dough. This famous appetizer will give you and your family the much-needed protein kick. The best part is that the dough can be made ahead and stashed in the
refrigerator for at least three days. On the big game night, all you need to do is roll the sausage in it and let the oven take care of the rest. You can place toothpicks on these, too, to make it easy to eat.
- Air-fried French Fries
Yes, french fries fall into the junk food category, but it’s healthy. Typically, french fries are deep-fried in oil. Have you tried air-frying? Air-fried snacks exclude about 70 to 80 percent of calories that are usually present in deep-fried snacks. In addition, you’ll be safe not consuming a lot of oily snacks. Airfry frozen french fries, and you’ll immediately see the difference. French fries come out crispier and without the fats, oils and calories. You’d never have ever tasted a healthier and more delicious version of french fries.
- Sweet and Sour Corn
Made with a mixture of chicken powder, chili powder, apple cider vinegar, and a little bit of salt and sugar, this appetizer will become everyone’s favorite. Mixed with mayonnaise, cream cheese, and regular cheese and topped off with ground pistachios, you will have before you an ooey-gooey
crowd-pleaser.
- Whole Wheat Garlic Bread
Garlic bread is a popular snack item usually served with pizza, pasta, or any main course. Switching the bread flour to whole wheat gives this appetizer a healthier outlook, including a lot of fiber minus the calories.
- French Toast
Dipping the bread on a mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, and a little bit of salt and vanilla essence and frying it in oil makes a heavenly delectable snack. But what about the excess oil, you ask? You can air-fry toast after dipping them in the mixture. For a healthier option, always go for whole wheat bread as they provide more fiber and are low in calories. You can later cut them up in squares or circles and place toothpicks for easy pick-and-eat.
- Fruit and Veggies Platter
Fruit and veggies platters are the healthiest choice in the snack category. If you’re out of fruits and vegetables and don’t want to make that shopping trip, you can have fresh fruits and vegetables delivered to your doorstep. To make the platter more fun and interesting, you can slice them up in
various shapes using cookie cutters or decorate them on a big plate for the kids. For grapes and berries, you can place small decorative toothpicks on top so they can quickly pick and eat.
- Roasted Peas
Roasted peas are tasty, flavorsome, healthy, and easily portable snacks, especially for the kids. This vegetable is very popular among children and gets them excited about trying other new veggies too. A small bowl of these and roasted chickpeas or nuts will add even more flavor.
- Popcorn Chicken or Meatballs Everybody loves chicken or meat! And when they are the size of a small ball that can be popped in your mouth without the mess, that’s the ultimate comfort food right there. For this too, you can air-fry it rather than deep-frying to make it crispier on the outside and get juicy, tender meat on the inside. You may wonder why fried chicken isn’t mentioned because children, especially, love it as a snack item. That’s because, during game night, you’ll be busy using your hands to move around board pieces or slide cards, and fried chickens may stain your fingers. It’ll interfere with the game’s flow, so popcorn chicken or meatball it is!
- Veggie Nuggets
The best way to get your children to eat more veggies is to turn them into nuggets. It’s mess-free, easy to eat, and dip in their favorite sauces for extra flavor. It is also super easy to make too. Just blend in some steamed veggies of your choice, eggs, cheese, and breadcrumbs with spices such as
onion powder, garlic powder, a bit of salt, oregano, and paprika. Make a shape of your choice and air-fry. You can fry them in butter for extra flavor.
- Mini Pizzas
This can be done by making a big pizza, and then, with the help of cookie cutters, you can cut them into bite-sized pieces. You can also place toothpicks on top of this item too. You can have healthy options for the toppings, such as shredded carrots, broccoli, chicken, potato, and lots of
cheese. When it comes to pizza, you can include any topping of your choice, which is why this makes it a healthy option for the whole family.
- Something Sweet
How can something sweet be healthy? Sweet doesn’t necessarily mean they are unhealthy, only if the amount consumed is limited. If you’re looking for healthier options, you can have some bite-sized pieces of dark chocolate (which are healthier than milk ones). In addition, you can include
peanut butter cups wrapped in chocolate, oats bars, some chewy candy bites with different flavors of fruits, chocolates containing nuts, and so on. Cookies, butter biscuits, dates, fruit roll ups all can be included in the sweet section of your game night snack category. You can also add cupcakes or cake balls that can be eaten quickly and easily. Pancakes are also a good healthy option with honey, hazelnut spread, or jams for dips. Chocolates, in itself, are rich in flavanols such as epicatechin and phenolic acids, improving brain function. As long as they are taken in small amounts, you can serve them on your game night to improve concentration and focus.
Tips For A Perfect Game Night
Hosting a perfect game night involves listing all the games everyone would like to play and snacks; lots of it! Here is a list of some things that you should have ready for the game night to go smoothly:
● Keep the healthy snacks mess-free by providing a bunch of finger foods. You can also add in toothpicks or separate bowls and spoons for snacks that require it.
● Keep napkins on standby because you never know if it’s less messy with children involved.
● Bring out unused paper plates and cups you’ve stored for birthday parties.
● Use a charcuterie board to place all the snack items in one place. You can use two boards if there are more. It’s easier for everyone to pick food, and looks cleaner and organized.
● Use lids on children’s cups, so there’s no spillage to ruin the night.
● For adults, healthy juice blends are available to order if you’re looking to strictly maintain your diet.
● Keep a trash can or bin nearby to throw out used napkins, toothpicks, fruit stems, etc.
Takeaways
Eating healthy is all about having a balanced diet of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and other essential vitamins and nutrients required for our body to function. As game night draws nearer, you should ensure you and your family munch on healthy snacks rather than gobble down junk food that would harm their system in the long run. There are several healthy snack choices to choose from, and as you begin
playing, you’d like to have those mess-free snacks that don’t require much labor when eating. Above are some examples of such healthy snacks that you can prepare for your friends and family and have fun playing without interference.
