Healthier Game-Day Snacks
Kristin Coppens
| 2 min read
Football has officially begun: bring on the rivalries, tailgates, football parties, and team pride. From finger-foods to heartier dishes, plan your party with an emphasis on being nutritious without sacrificing taste. Furthermore, with the abundance of healthy alternatives to your traditional game day snacks, there’s no threat of ruining your entire day’s diet.
Remember that portion control is still a key factor in enjoying these game day snacks. These options, some from gourmet chefs, are a healthy spin on typical party fare, low-calorie and easy to make!
Some of my must-try choices include:
- Potato Salad with Hummus and Yogurt Dressing: This staple uses two Middle-Eastern ingredients as a substitute for the traditional mayonnaise dressing.
- Winter Vegetable Chili: Perfect for when that weather starts to cool down, this chili alternative is chock full of fresh vegetables and kidney beans.
- Boneless Buffalo Wings: These “wings” are made with white-meat chicken and pan-fried in whole wheat batter instead of deep-fried with butter.
- Parmesan Potato Skin Chips: Taking the healthiest part of the potato, the skin, these chips are baked with olive oil and seasonings.
- Tomato Salsa with Cucumber “Chips:” As simple as it sounds, this “chip” and dip alternative uses thinly sliced cucumbers in place of typical chips. The tomato salsa makes this dish nearly fat-free.
- Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks: Simply cut strips of zucchini, douse in whole-wheat flour and cornmeal, and bake in the oven for a healthy and delicious alternative to french fries.
See the whole list of snacks from Food and Wine Magazine and Eating Well Magazine.
What else do you do to watch your calories on game day?
Photo credit: Maggie Hoffman
