6 easy tips for an effortless game day

I hope you enjoy this sponsored post and tips I came up with on behalf of Red Baron. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

With how serious we take our football parties, you would probably think they are planned weeks in advance, right? Would you be surprised to know that our game days are typically planned the day of? It’s true. Sometimes we will get a last-minute offer to go watch the game at friends houses, and sometimes I’m told Sunday morning that people will be coming over for the game. Either way, we’re talking almost no time to prepare.

So, for us, the best football party is one we can throw together in just minutes {no pun intended}. Being able to put together a party on the spot isn’t as hard as it sounds with just a little bit of advance planning. I’ve had years of last-minute party planning practice and have it down to a science at this point. Here are 6 of my favorite tips for an effortless game day:

1. Stock your freezer ahead of time with the good stuff. If you have a freezer full of Red Baron, you already have a party in the making. We shop in bulk and load up on both the Red Baron Minis and Deep Dish Singles from Sam’s Club so we always are ready for fun. Not only do you save money by purchasing them at Sam’s Club, you also save a ton of time if you stock up in the early part of the season and then just pull from your own freezer.
2. Invest in some simple reusable game day decorations. My first time hosting a game day party was a little over the top and I had all of these one-time use decorations that I paid way too much for. If I had just bought the football reusable table cloth and decorations back then, I would have never had to run out for parties again and my party decor would be as easy as pulling out the Seahawks tablecloth, banner, cups, and helmets. I highly recommend getting a small tote or case that all of your game day decor fits into nicely so it’s all ready to go and you don’t have to hunt down items the day of.
3. Keep your menu simple. Last minute party planning is not the time to make fancy appetizers or cook a large main meal that will require lots of prep and hands-on time {or worse yet, require trips to the store}. Make sure your food choices are simple enough to make, yet still crowd pleasers that will actually get eaten. Better still is if you just serve up appetizers you already have on hand, like chopped veggies or some chips and dip.
4. Make food in waves. Although people will be snacking all day long and appetizers will likely be out the whole game, the full meal doesn’t need to be timed like a fancy dinner party where everything comes out at the same time. Some people will be hungry as they arrive, and others will snack a bit and then get hungry around half-time. Plan accordingly and have food available at different times throughout the game.
5. Use a toaster oven for quick and easy party cooking. For over two and a half years I cooked exclusively in a toaster oven and it really wasn’t as bad as you are imagining. I realized quickly that just about anything you make in a larger oven can be modified for toaster oven cooking. And, want to know why I still love my toaster oven even though I do now have a nice full-size one? Because my toaster oven cooks so much faster than a regular oven and requires almost no preheating. Pop in a Red Baron pizza into the toaster oven and lunch is ready in mere minutes and it’s always done to perfection. The toaster oven method also makes people eating at different times more manageable so it doesn’t feel like we’re all stuck in the kitchen all day and missing the game. For game day, it’s time savers like this that help me keep my sanity and enjoy myself while hosting.
6. Be a #WingMama. Always prepared, never flustered. People are always surprised when I can pull together an event with almost no notice at all, but that’s part of being a #WingMama. It may seem like a given, but if it’s not fun for me, it won’t be as fun for anyone else. So, I like to make it as easy on myself as possible with the help of Red Baron at Sam’s Club. In my opinion, it is the one absolute essential part of entertaining. 

What are some ways you rock your game day party planning and prep? 

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