It’s February 3rd, and you’re hosting a solid 20+ mob of friends, family and football-possessed fans … people looking for food & beverages and waiting for the big-screen HD kick-off of the year. What should you prepare to keep your guests’ gullets full and focused on the game? Here are some healthy cooking ideas for your quickly approaching “Giants vs Patriots soirée”.
Make your own samies
Rather than purchasing 6” long Italian subs packed with calories, saturated fat and sodium, give your guests the option to make their own sandwich. Serve a platter of lean cold cuts, fresh veggies, sides of light/low-fat spreads (don’t say they’re light and the men will never know), wheat bread, buns and pitas. The more toppings the better. They’re easy to prepare and your guests will be impressed — chopped onions, sliced tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, carrots, sun dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, sprouts, cucumber slices, radishes and artichoke hearts.
Break out the Foreman Grill
A Foreman-like grill is a major plus to help cut out extra grease, oils and fats, or you can bake your meats. Experiment with different types of proteins such as tuna, chicken or shrimp. If you can’t break away from the hot dogs and hamburgers, no problem — use low-fat hot dogs and turkey burgers (even veggie burgers taste fantastic these days). - Replacing your regular beef hot dog with a low fat beef hot dog will save 110 calories, 12 grams of fat, 4.2 grams of saturated fat and 83 grams of sodium- You gain about 3 grams of fiber by replacing white buns with whole wheat buns Addicted to nachos? Join the club….Beware: An order of nachos rakes in 1570 calories! That’s a waistline disaster, not to mention 78% of your caloric daily value (DV). the entire order has 115 grams of fat (177% DV), 58 grams of saturated fat (290% DV), and almost 3,000 grams of sodium (124% DV).
Make your own nachos!
Brown lean ground turkey in a skillet; then spread over a plate of baked tortilla chips. Top your dish with chopped jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, onions, olives and a can of fat-free refried beans. Throw (or, bam!) some low-fat shredded cheddar cheese on top, then set out sides of low-fat sour cream and salsa. You will save more than just a few calories!
Hydration is key
Many game-day gatherings include alcohol — a diuretic which can lead to dehydration. Make sure to have plenty of water on hand. Guests drinking alcohol should alternate with a nutrient-packed, hydrating beverage. A great option is VitaminWater. Intensify your spread with bottles of VitaminWater that coordinate with team colors (15 VitaminWater varieties to choose from), the nutrients will help with Monday’s trip back to the reality of work-land. Don’t forget, many times people mistake hunger for thirst, so before digging in, first, hydrate.
Let traditional buffalo wings fly the coop!
Five pieces of traditionally prepared buffalo wings can contain over 500 calories, 28 grams of fat and over 2.000 mg of sodium. Try making your own “wings” using skinless chicken or turkey breast, cut into strips, dip in hot sauce and coat with breadcrumbs. Then bake, don’t fry. You can make your own bread crumbs using crushed whole grain fiber rich cereal. Then add some baked chips to the mixture for an added crunch. For an oh-so-delicious creamy ranch dip…swap the regular dressing for low-fat and you’ll save 80 calories and 10 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons.
Makeover Mom’s chili
Chili is easy to reduce in fat— use ground turkey, fiber packed beans, chopped onions, hot-spices and top with low-fat cheese.
Potato skins anyone?
Simple: scoop ‘em out (as much as you can before they get floppy) then bake ‘em up. Top with salsa, low-fat cheddar cheese and pieces of grilled turkey bacon (or bacon bits).
Chip and pretzel options
Swap out traditional fried options for baked chips and look for “no salt” pretzels. These are easy switches that will save loads of calories. Dessert anyone?
Whip up a batch of low-fat brownies. Use store bought brownie mix and substitute the oil with apple sauce. These will make delicious, moist brownies with a fraction of the fat. Provide light Cool Whip and plenty of fresh fruit such as apples, pears, peaches and berries for a healthy, tasty brownie topping.