The Football Fan’s Diet

By Nicole Sebula
For The FFD

What an exciting weekend we just had in the world of football. Every home team (except for the Pittsburgh Steelers) lost. So much for home field advantage, I suppose. This weekend should prove to be even more exciting as the winning teams match-up to decide who will be making their way down to Tampa for the Super Bowl.

Hopefully all of your guests/fellow tailgaters enjoyed the suggestions from last week. To keep things fresh and not boring I have a few more healthy snacks that will score big in the hearts (and stomachs) of your friends.

Let’s start out with something hearty. It’s going to be cold in most of the country this weekend and why not eat something that, as they say, sticks to your ribs… Chili. Chili is an excellent meal for either tailgating or that at home shin-dig. It can be made hours ahead of time and only gets better as the time passes. It also can be a very healthy meal, depending on what you put in it. Using extra lean ground beef (or if you wanted to try something a little different ground turkey or chicken) is preferred when making chili. If you really want to make healthy chili, make it vegetarian style.

Chicken Kabobs are perfect for the tailgating crowd as well as those at home. You can make them on your indoor grill too (if it is a little too cold to fire up the barbie). Not only is chicken a great source of protein and healthy, you can mix and match vegetables and fruits (I like pineapple and tomato on mine) or do all chicken. You can add a Greek or Indian flare to your flavorings to add something extra and unexpected to your kabob. It’s all up to you and how easy is this dish to clean up… just toss the sticks and your done.

If your craving chicken wings but don’t want all the fat (or the mess of the bones) how about grilling up some chicken tenderloins and putting your favorite hot wing sauce on them. It will cut down on a lot of the fat (because these bad boys won’t be fried) but not on the taste. You can also do this same thing with shrimp.

My last idea for this weekend, munchies, every party needs some sort of munchies. I am suggesting a low fat spinach and artichoke dip. If you use low-fat mayo and cream cheese you can cut a lot of calories and use tortillas or baked pita chips instead. Also it is my thinking that if you watch throughout the rest of the game, a little fat here and there will satisfy your urges and needs and you will not overdo it down the line.

Enjoy the games this weekend… they should be as exciting as last weeks.

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