Take Family Movie Night to the Next Level With These Recipes + DIY

Thinking dinner and a movie tonight for the fam? We’ve got you covered. We’re teaming up with Disney•Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur to make movie night even more special for your kiddos. First up, get your copy today of The Good Dinosaur on Blu-Ray, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere! Next up, a DIY project your kids can crank out themselves — Arlo contact paper placemats! And why not make healthy recipes that your little ones can help cook, too? We’ve got an herbivore-friendly dino kale pesto pasta and ground beef taco cups for the carnivores in your family. You can make *both* recipes in muffin tins for fun-sized tasty entrees the kids will adore.

We’ll definitely be celebrating with a dinner and movie night of our own :) Scroll on for the tutorial and recipes!

DIY ARLO PLACEMATS

These placemats are a cinch to make — all you need is contact paper, colored paper and some confetti. We decided to honor our favorite scene in The Good Dinosaur, when Arlo and Spot discover a field of fireflies.

Materials + Tools:
— clear contact paper

— large blue paper

— large green paper

— tissue paper (we used 4 colors)

— scissors

— pencil

— thick black pen

Let’s get to it!

Draw Arlo’s head on the back of your green paper in pencil, then cut it out. Draw his eyes, mouth and nose with a thick black marker and set aside.

Make confetti from the tissue paper by folding it multiple times and cutting small triangles. Repeat with all four colors.Cut a piece of contact paper to the size you’d like your placemat to be. Carefully peel off the paper backing.

Sprinkle confetti in a diagonal line to mimic the fireflies floating in front of Arlo. Press on Arlo’s silhouette, then add more confetti around him. Try to press all confetti flat — the less confetti sticking up, the fewer air bubbles down the line.

Carefully flip over your contact paper and place on the larger sheet of blue paper. Press down and use your fingers to push out air bubbles. Trim off the excess blue paper and confetti around the edges.

Cut another piece of contact paper slightly larger than your placemat, peel off the paper backing and carefully press on the placemat to seal.

Trim the excess contact paper around the edges, and you’re done!

How cute is he?

DINO KALE PESTO PASTA

On to the main course! In honor of Arlo and his herbivorous family, we’ll show you how to make a dino kale (see what we did there?) pesto pasta, baked in muffin tins for adorable, kid-sized servings.

Ingredients:
— spaghetti

— 12 ounces dino kale (aka Lacinato kale)

— ½ cup olive oil

— 2 cloves garlic

— 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

— ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

— pinch of salt

First thing’s first: Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Have your kiddos tear the dino kale off the stems. Discard the stems.

Roughly chop the garlic, then squeeze two Tablespoons’ worth of lemon juice.

Add the kale, garlic, lemon, Parmesan, salt and ¼ cup olive oil to a food processor or blender, then blend until combined.

Cook your spaghetti, then add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil to it in a large bowl.

Add your kale pesto and stir until your pasta is green!

Add a heaping forkful of spaghetti to each muffin tin and swirl with your fork so that it makes a nest.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the spaghetti is slightly toasted. Take it out of the oven, then top with some Parmesan cheese. Once the pasta has cooled a bit, it will be easy to transfer to a plate.

Et voila! Dino kale spaghetti nests for the herbivores in your life :)

GROUND BEEF TACO CUPS

If you’re cookin’ for some carnivores, try this ground beef taco cup recipe. They’re crazy simple to make, and the kids can add their own toppings as they please. Plus, you can eat these little guys with your hands!

Ingredients:
— 1/2 lb ground cooked beef, drained

— taco seasoning (optional)

— wonton wrappers

— shredded cheddar cheese

— tomatoes

— cilantro

We stuck to classic taco toppings, but you’re welcome to add in more here. These would be real tasty with some guacamole, don’t you think?

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add two wonton wrappers to each muffin tin.

Fill each tin with two Tablespoons of ground meat, then top with cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the wonton wrappers are golden brown.

Once the tacos have slightly cooled, add the toppings of your choice.

And there you have it! Two tasty entrees for your Good Dinosaur viewing party.

And really, no movie night is complete without a little popcorn :) Cheers!

If you make these recipes or DIY, let us know how they turned out! Snap a photo and tag #iamcreative and #GoodDino on Instagram so we can take a peek.

This post is a collaboration with Disney•Pixar.

Authored by: Maddie Bachelder
DIY + Photo Styling: Maddie Bachelder + Anita Yung
Photography: Kurt Andre