Healthy Tailgate Snack Idea - the Fruitball Player!

For me, football games are more about the socializing than the actual kickoff.

It's a fun time to relax with friends, enjoy snacks, and let the kids run around and play.

While the guys are actually watching the game, we girls are usually chatting around the kitchen table. In Texas, it's not an official get-together without everyone around the table munching on chips and salsa. However, after a few hours of a football game any healthy diet has been shot down due to all those calories. (And if you're like me and my friends, we are still trying to lose the rest of our pregnancy weight.)

There has to be a better way to snack! Thankfully, people with more willpower than I have created all kinds of healthy snack options for a tailgate or home viewing party. With healthy snacking, you can lose that baby weight and eat fabulous foods! 

One healthy tailgating alternative is nuts. Nuts are the perfect finger food. They are easy to hold, easy to share, and high in healthy fats and oils. For example, cashews are high in fiber and protein. Walnuts supply omega-3 fatty acids. My Dad keeps a tub of almonds on hand all the times, and switching to that healthy snack has helped him lose weight.. The FDA suggests that eating additional servings of certain nuts may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Awesome, right?

I believe that simply having healthy alternatives on hand at home are super helpful. Keep a fruit basket on the counter. Keep your kid's favorite vegetables stocked in the fridge. Make it a priority to serve fruits and vegetables at every meal. You can even suggest that a vegetable must eaten before additional snacks. As the parent, follow along and eat healthy food with your kids.

Inspired by healthy snack ideas, I set out to make a kid-friendly vegetable snack for football season.

I dub these creations - "Fruitball Players!!!"


Simon and Grace had so much fun putting these "fruitball players" together. On the left is Simon's boy player, and on the right is Grace's girl player.

First gather up fruit, toothpicks, yogurt, and anything else you desire.


Use sturdy fruits to build the body, and then start adding football equipment, arms, and legs.
Here you can see banana shoulder pads, strawberry arms, and a grape head. Everything is attached with toothpicks.

After he was assembled, we cut an apple slice into a football. A toothpick held the football in front. Then, Simon really wanted him to wear a football helmet. I carefully cut out the insides of the strawberry and cut through the end just enough to show a face. Then I used yogurt to add eyes, a nose, and a smile.

Grace's girl "fruitball player" had apple legs, apple leg pads, strawberry arms and feet, and a grape football. I also painted a yogurt face on her.

Simon really wanted to add banana socks to the boy's grape shoes.


After everything was made, the kids admired their "fruitball players" with hungry eyes. . .

And then we ate then all up - yum! Cheers for healthy, kid-friendly tailgating food!

I hope find your healthy snack inspiration. Here's to good football and good eatin'!