Game On! Healthy Superbowl Snacks You Need To Know About
Especially on days when healthy fare is typically sparse, like Superbowl Sunday, I’m often asked for nutrition advice on how to plan for the day. While one day of bad eating won’t completely sabotage you, it’s always better to come up with a solution for making a healthier version of your favorite football junk foods. And I promise it’s easier than you think. Start by giving these recipes a shot.
Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins
Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, which means they help you stay full for longer so you’re less likely to overeat. And that’s especially helpful when you’re surrounded by all sorts of unhealthy bites at Superbowl parties. The chicken provides a nice boost of protein, and who doesn’t love cheese? Cheese is the ultimate comfort food after all! You’ll need:
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast about 2 small
- 1/4 cups olive oil
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 3 whole chipotle pepper minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons
- chili powder
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups spinach half a 10oz bag
- 5 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese grated
- chopped cilantro for garnish
- greek yogurt for serving
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash your sweet potatoes and prick throughout with a fork. Place in the oven and bake 50-60 minutes or until tender. Place the chicken in a baking dish and rub with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake the chicken for 25 minutes. Allow it to cool and shred the chicken with a fork or your hands. When the sweet potatoes are done, cut in half and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes. In a medium sized bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chipotle peppers, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, then set aside. Heat a small skillet over medium heat to wilt the spinach. Toss the spinach and shredded chicken together, set aside and keep warm. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Scrape some of the sweet potato out of the peel and brush the skins with some of the chipotle sauce, then bake for 5-10 minutes or until crisp. While the skins bake, mix the spinach, chicken, and chipotle sauce together. Remove the skins from the oven and stuff with the chicken mixture, top with shredded cheese, and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the skins are crisp. Optional: serve with chopped cilantro and greek yogurt.
Buffalo Cauliflower
Instead of greasy, fried buffalo chicken wings, give this baked buffalo cauliflower a shot. Cauliflower offers all sorts of nutritional benefits, plus the almond flour in this recipe provides some healthy fat. You get all the same flavor and fun of dipping, but in a much more nutritious way! You’ll need:
- 4 cups cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- garlic powder to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup buffalo sauce (depending how saucy you want it)
Cut your cauliflower into bite size pieces. Mix together almond flour, seasonings, and almond milk into a batter and let sit for a few minutes. Toss cauliflower florets in the batter to coat combine cauliflower with all seasonings in a ziplock bag and shake to coat. Shake off the excess batter and place on a baking sheet and bake in a 450 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, coat with buffalo sauce, and put back in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Dip modestly in blue cheese dressing. (Pro tip: if going the store-bought route, look for a blue cheese dressing that’s yogurt based.)
Nutrition advice for going the store bought route
One of the best pieces of nutrition advice I can give is to prepare your own food as much as possible, regardless of the day. But if that’s not an option for Superbowl, give these ready made (or nearly ready made) options a shot.
- Vegetable crudite with hummus
- Sliced banana topped with a spoonful nut butter and a sprinkle of unsweetened shredded coconut (make sure your nut butter doesn’t have any added ingredients.)
- Fresh fruit platter
- Air popped popcorn with grass-fed butter or coconut oil
- Raw, unsalted nuts
