We love outdoor shindigs when the weather is still warm with just a whisper of crisp to it. Buuuuuuttt, there’s just one fly in the apple cider: how to keep food safe.

Ellen: I’ll admit it, I am the food poisoning police. I blame my Microbiology degree and delicate stomach. I cannot stand to serve mayonnaise based foods at a picnic or tailgate, because unless they have been kept at exactly the right temperature, you’re serving your aunt’s famous pasta salad with a side of staph aureus toxins. Why do all of the picnic foods seem to be dripping with mayo?!

Erin: My reason is simpler. I HATE mayonnaise. Picture me gagging. For real.

Ellen: Any reason that takes you to a safer end when it comes to oil and eggs is a good reason, I always say.

Erin: Imma gonna get that embroidered on a dish towel for you. Anyway, we both realized we had no-mayo recipes in our go-to party food arsenals, that when we combined them together, made a pretty great menu plan.

Ellen: Now while these recipes are without eggs, cheese, and mayonnaise, they are not miraculous. You still need to transport the ones that need refrigeration in a cooler and they can only sit out for 2 hours AT THE MOST. If it is hotter than 90 degrees, they can only be out for an hour.

Erin: You’re so sensible.

Ellen: Awwww. Anyway, whether it be a picnic, pool party, or tailgate, these recipes are easy, delicious, . . .

Erin: And MAYO FREE!

1. Appetizer/Snacks

Old Bay Lemon Pepper Seasoned Pretzels

These pretzels are so easy to make and practically scream football. Why worry about refrigerating dips and spreads when these snacks are so jam-packed with flavor you don’t need them? Warning: you should make a double batch because these tasty creations have a very hard time making it out of the door.

Full Printable Recipe Here

2. Main Dish

No Mayo Chicken Salad

Don’t get us wrong. We love chili and chicken wings at a tailgate, but this is what we make when there are no outlets for our crockpots. This chicken salad keeps so well because there is NO MAYO, only avocado! With the added crunch of walnuts, apples, and grapes, this recipe feels very appropriate for fall. We often just set out a bowl of this yummy-ness with crackers and rolls, but we have been known to make paninis ahead of time if they don’t have to spend too long in the cooler.

Full Printable Recipe Here

3. Side Dishes

I. Cilantro Dijon Mustard Roasted Potato Salad

Potato salad has always seemed like mush to us . . . until this recipe. Here, the potatoes are roasted and the mustard dressing is light. The additions of roasted corn and cilantro bumps this recipe up to total fabulous-ness.

Full Printable Recipe Here

II. Crispy Colorful Vinaigrette Coleslaw

If you want to be praised to the high heavens, then serve this slaw. We are not kidding. People go nuts for it. It’s so flavorful without a heavy, fattening dressing. It’s perfect as a side, as well as on a sandwich, but especially by the spoonful.

See Full Printable Recipe Here

4. Dessert

Super Chocolate Chex Mix

What can we say? This dessert has it all. It’s quick and easy to make and take; it doesn’t require cutting or utensils; and it disappears so quickly you won’t have to worry about packing up leftovers.

Full Printable Recipe Here

Do you have any great additions you would make to this menu?

No mayo! No worries! Tailgating menu plan! Easy and Delicious!

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If you are reading this right now, you, like us have not thought about Sunday’s festivities until this very moment. With homework and travel teams and field trips and snow days and having to clothe and feed people EVERY SINGLE DAY while the Polar Vortex numbs your brain, things like the Super Bowl can be forgotten.

But we love watching football and we love hanging with our families, so the Super Bowl is a perfect time to do both. This menu is a procrastinator’s dream because it is quick, easy, and expandable so you’re set whether you invite the whole neighborhood over or just need to feed your own fun-sized crew.

But this is not just any game, it’s a SUPER game and that calls for something super special. We found this awesome Ballot Sheet that will keep everyone engaged in the pigskin party. With categories like “Numbers of Sacks” snuggled up with “Does Bruno Mars Wear a Fedora?” there is something for everyone. Print them out for the whole gang.

If you’re feeling even more ambitious because you saved so much time using our recipes, you can print out these free Super Bowl Bingo Cards. They really are worth the effort of loading the printer with paper. And if you still haven’t run out of ink (this must mean you DON’T live in Ellen’s house), check out these fun Rate The Commercials Signs.

Okay, time’s ticking away. This an easy Super Bowl party, but it’s not a miracle. Let’s just get to the grub, shall we?

So first the APPETIZERS . . .

Lazy Girl’s Black Bean Cream Cheese Dip

You know what? Be a hero and make a double batch from the start.

This dip has four ingredients: cream cheese, black beans, salsa, and shredded cheese. The most involved step is draining the black beans. We have found it ups the appeal to use gourmet salsa, but really that’s like saying the red convertible made the Homecoming Queen even more popular. This dip is always the first to go. Just make sure you buy enough tortilla chips because people have been known to clean the dish out with a spoon. Or their tongues. And no one wants to see that.

Full printable recipe

Ellen’s Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ellen makes this all of the time, but there is still no picture because it goes too quickly! The secret to the scrumptious-ness of this dip is cooking the chicken in the crock pot the day before or earlier in the day. You MUST cook the chicken this way to get raves; if you just use plain shredded chicken, we can’t be responsible for the yawns you will incite.

And now the recipe is even better. Ellen use to recommend a baking step, but that step has been punted. Now, we do EVERY step in the crock pot. Maybe “lazy” should be in the title of this recipe, too.

Full printable recipe

On to the MAIN COURSE . . .

All right, so everyone is wowed by the appetizers. Time to kick the laziness up a notch.

Erin: How did we go from “easy” to “lazy”?

Ellen: Truth in advertising?

Erin: Let’s call it what it really is–SMART.

Ellen: Whatever. Let’s just get to it.

The Smartest Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Lazy or smart? Poe-tay-toe, Pu-tah-toe.

There will be no printable recipe , because you’re a smartie and we believe in you.

Three ingredients: 5 – 8 pound pork tenderloin, package of dry onion soup mix, and one 16.9 oz bottle of Coke.

Throw it in the crock pot and let cook for at least 7 hours. Shred the meat with a fork.

You can do it!

Ellen: Alright, we may be lazy, but we can’t throw health completely to the wind. Gotta have some veggies.

Erin: See! That’s smart!! Seriously, we should drop the lazy.

Ellen: Easy, lazy, smart . . . once again, whatever. Although this menu is starting to sound more like a conflicted valedictorian.

Crispy Colorful Vinaigrette Coleslaw

Best Cole Slaw EVER!

This coleslaw is the best, because it doesn’t have a drippy, creamy dressing. It perfectly tops the pulled pork on a bun or takes the heat away from the Buffalo Chicken Dip. The recipe calls for some chopping of vegetables, but if you want a ~~lazier~~ smarter version, you can just dump a bag of shredded cabbage, a bag of broccoli slaw, and a bag of shredded carrots in the bowl and call it a day.

Full printable recipe

Some Kind Of Awesome Creamy Chicken Salsa Soup

This is the definition of crowd-pleaser.

Another option play would be this fabulous soup. If you’re already cooking the chicken for the buffalo dip, why not just double it? Even if you don’t want to serve this at the game, you can have dinner ready for Monday because as we mentioned before, the feeding NEVER ends. Now that we think about it, maybe you really should save this soup for the next day because it is SO good people will never leave your house.

Full printable recipe

Can’t forget about DESSERT . . .

Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

You can whip these up in minutes to be declared the MVP of all time of all Super Bowl parties. Yes, they are that good. Brownie mix, Oreos, and peanut butter: three ingredients that make your taste buds go boom!