Football season is in full swing and that means tailgating and eating. We all want to have a good time without overdoing it! One sure way to do this is to make sure there are healthy choices to choose from. Take some time to plan out what you’ll be eating and bring some healthy swaps with you.
* Wine spritzers or sparkling water
* Fruit for dessert
* Raw veggie platter
There is no reason you can’t enjoy your favorite chip and dip appetizers with friends. You just need to make it yourself and add a few tweaks. Here are two recipes that are high in flavor and low in saturated fats and sure to be a hit.
Spinach & Artichoke Dip
1 cup spinach, finely chopped 1 tsp. garlic 1 Tbsp. olive oil, or grape seed oil 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt ¼ cup canned artichokes dash of salt & pepper
Double or triple the recipe for larger crowds.
In a medium saucepan, sauté spinach and garlic in the oil. Remove pan from heat and let it cool. Once mixture has cooled for a few minutes, stir in non-fat plain Greek yogurt and a dash of salt and pepper.
Pour mixture into a serving bowl and enjoy with homemade tortilla chips or low sodium pita chips and or raw cut up carrots and celery.
Homemade tortilla chips ingredients: 2 whole-wheat, low-carb tortillas (La Tortilla Factory makes a good one) or other whole-grain tortilla with approximately 50 calories per serving cooking spray
Directions: Slice each tortilla into 8 pieces. Spray a baking sheet with non-fat cooking spray and place each tortilla slice individually on the pan so that they are not overlapping or touching each other. Bake tortilla chips at 350°F for about 3 minutes on each side. chips.
Greek 7 Layer Dip-
8 ounces hummus, store bought or homemade
1 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp red onion, minced
1 cup English cucumber (about ½ large), ½-inch dice
1 cup Roma tomato, seeded, ½-inch dice
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
Mix the garlic, dill, lemon, salt & pepper in w/the Greek yogurt and set aside. In a 8 x 8 glass dish, layer humus, yogurt mixture, red onion, cucumber, tomato and olives. Serve with homemade chips or pita chips.
Enjoy without all the fat!