Super Bowl 46: Game Day Strategies for a Leaner Party Spread
Like the majority of the U.S. population, I’ll be tuning in to watch the NY Giants take on the New England Patriots on Super Bowl Sunday. For many, the game is more about partying than the game. But for me, I’m a super fan of football and I’ll be keyed in on every play, penalty and hoping that the Giant can just keep “moving the chains” against the Patriots.
For most, the four food groups of Super Bowl are chips and dips; wings; pizza and beer. Not necessarily a dietitian’s most-recommended options. To help you create a leaner Game Day menu, I’ve got my super substitutions that will slash calories and fat but still pack in plenty of flavor and fun.
Blitz on Chips and Dips
Some of the other ways to make a Super Bowl spread healthier is to always serve a veggie crudite and enjoy baked chips instead of those that are fried (save 50 calories per serving). Opt for healthy dips like black bean, salsa and hummus (I like some of the new exotic flavored hummus from Sabra) and use nonfat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream or mayo in your creamy dip recipes. (see recipe below)
. You can also use hummus in place of mayo in most recipes like I did with the deviled egg recipe below.
Guacamole is always a football fave, and we’ll eat more than 70 million pounds of them on game day. Choose a guac recipe that calls for vegetables like tomato, onions, corn or peppers for more nutritional oomph. (see recipe below) Forgo any recipe that calls for adding mayo our sour cream to your avocados. They’re rich and creamy on their own so don’t ruin them.
Another great idea is to make a Green Goddess dip (see below). I serve this with veggies at my house.
Best Half-Time Eats
For the mainstay of your party, nix the wings and blue cheese dressing (100 calories a wing) and pizza (300 calories a slice) and make something healthier like turkey or roasted veggie sub sandwiches. I also make pizza on my own with whole-wheat crust and topped with pesto, fresh tomato, goat cheese and basil. You can make a great faux wing recipe with baked, broiled or grilled chicken tenders on a skewer that you brush with a hot Buffalo-style sauce. You’ll shave hundreds of calories and at least a day’s worth of fat from your menu with those substitutions alone.
Bench the High-Cal Beer and Beverages
Since beer is the fourth food group of Super Bowl Sunday, there are some super light options now available that make it easy for the calorie-conscious to put a few away. You can find some ultra-light beers are as low as 55 calories and many varieties of light beer are around 100 calories a bottle. Regular beer has 150 and mixed drinks often pile on 300 or more calories per drink.
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Super Bowl 46 Snack Stats
Here’s a preview of just a few of the munchies we’ll be downing on Super Bowl Sunday.
1.25 billion chicken wings
70.2 million pounds of Hass avocados
$240 million worth of soda
30 million pounds of snacks
11 million pounds of potato chips
8 million pounds of tortilla chips
4 million pounds pretzels
2.5 million pounds of nuts
2 million pizzas
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Football Foods to Bench
7-Layer Dip Chicken Wings
Cheesy, meaty pizza
Sour-cream based dips
Fried chips
Cheese Fries
Pigs in a Blanket
Cheesy Nachos
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Healthier Super Bowl Recipes
Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip with Dill
Makes 2 cups
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (the brand I used has only 5 grams fat in 1 cup)
1 cup fat-free Greek Yogurt like Fage Total 0%
1-2 tsp. dried dill weed (depending on how much you like dill)
Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Seasoning Packet (or any other brand of Ranch Dip Seasoning)
1-2 tsp. onion powder (can also use finely grated onion if you don’t have onion powder)
Put cottage cheese in food processor with steel blade and process about one minute, until cottage cheese is well blended. (It will not be completely smooth.) Add yogurt, dill weed, onion powder, Hidden Valley Ranch Dip (or other brand) seasoning packet. Blend about 30 seconds more, until all ingredients are well combined. Chill several hours before using.
Gridiron Guacamole
Ingredients
* 5 ripe Hass Avocados, peeled and seeded
* 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
* 1/2 large onion, chopped
* 11tomato, diced
* 2 cloves, crushed
* 1 cup low-fat Cheddar cheese, grated
* 2 green chilies, diced
* 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl, coarsely mash avocados, leaving some chunks
2. Stir in lemon juice
3. Fold in remaining ingredients and serve
Green Goddess Dip (from the Amazing Avocado)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain, fat-free Greek-style yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 medium ripe avocado, diced
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
Instructions
Combine the yogurt, buttermilk, avocado, basil, cilantro, Worcestershire sauce, dill, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt (if desired) in a food processor or blender. Process or blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator. The dressing keeps about 3 days.
Hummus Deviled Eggs
Makes 12 pieces
6 eggs
1/3 cup+1 Tablespoon hummus
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons relish
Paprika for garnish
1.Put eggs in pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn off the heat and let sit for 14 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and run cold water over the eggs. Cool eggs 10 minutes.
2.Once cool enough to peel remove the shells. Cut in half and scoop out the yolk and reserve in bowl of a food processor. Repeat with the remaining 5 eggs.
3.To the yolks add, hummus, olive oil, pepper, salt and puree in the food processor. Add the relish and pulse 3-5 times to incorporate.
4. Put the yolk mixture in a piping bag. (Use a tall glass and fold the edges of the piping bag over the glass to make it easier to transfer the mixture.) Pipe about a teaspoon of the mixture into each of the egg white halves and sprinkle with paprika.
