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It\u2019s football season!\u00a0 Many of us wait anxiously for fall and all the fantastic on-field mash-ups it brings.\u00a0\u00a0 Whether you\u2019re watching your own kids at a nearby ball field, setting up a full-fledged tailgate party in a parking lot, or hosting a big watch party, you do have healthy menu options that are still tasty!<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk about dogs.\u00a0\u00a0 A great alternative to the traditional hot dog is a turkey brat.\u00a0\u00a0 Here\u2019s the trick:\u00a0\u00a0 boil them in beer.\u00a0\u00a0 They\u2019ll come out with a lot of flavor, and you\u2019ll have just saved about 300 calories and 26 g of fat.\u00a0\u00a0 Soak them in mustard for even more flavor.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If you\u2019re counting calories, eat yours without the bun (but you already knew that).<\/p>\n
My favorite kebabs don\u2019t even require a grill \u2013 how easy is that?\u00a0 Load your skewers\u00a0 with varying combinations of the following:\u00a0\u00a0 cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cubes, artichoke hearts and black olives.\u00a0\u00a0 Put them in a pan and drizzle them with low-fat Balsalmic vinaigrette or low-fat Italian dressing.\u00a0\u00a0 These Italian-style \u201chearty skewers\u201d are very filling . . . and delicious.<\/p>\n
If you or your gang likes wings, swap out boneless, skinless chicken for wings. \u00a0\u00a0Experiment with marinades and sauces until you find one you like best.\u00a0 I like a nice lemon-mustard marinade, and a light honey mustard is also goof.\u00a0\u00a0 You can even use barbecue sauce since you\u2019ve given up the chicken skin.\u00a0\u00a0 If you find a sauce that simulates the traditional flavor of wings, by all means, cut up some celery to accompany, but opt for low-fat or fat-free sour cream.<\/p>\n
A boiled shrimp tray is a nice way to throw a little protein at your gang without a lot of fat, and cocktail sauce isn\u2019t on my no-no list.\u00a0\u00a0 These also require no cooking, another big plus!<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t have to tell you that a raw veggie platter is 100% healthy and satisfies the urge to crunch and chew.\u00a0\u00a0 But if you absolutely have to have something salty, swap out your regular chips and dip for baked chips and salsa.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lays and Doritos both come in a baked version.\u00a0\u00a0 The salsa cuts out all the calories and fat found in the sour cream which serves as\u00a0 a base for so many dips.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You can also look for vegetable chips, which provide both a salty satisfaction and crunch.<\/p>\n
When it comes time to load the cooler with beverages, keep thinking \u201clight.\u201d\u00a0 Light beer saves an average of 50 calories per beer.\u00a0\u00a0 Of course I advocate for moderation when it comes to beer, and the waistline on your pants will back me up on this.<\/p>\n
Stay away from regular sodas;\u00a0 opt for unsweetened tea instead, or add Stevia.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You can also make your own lemonade, using soda, lemon and Stevia.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Throw lots of bottled water in the cooler, and remember to drink a lot of water before you eat.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ll be surprised how much that \u201cfull\u201d feeling cuts down your appetite.<\/p>\n
Think of this as your Fantasy Football Menu.\u00a0\u00a0 Keep making trades until you\u2019re lean and happy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Whether you\u2019re watching your own kids at a nearby ball field, setting up a full-fledged tailgate party in a parking lot, or hosting a big watch party, you do have healthy menu options that are still tasty! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[401,6,9,11,19],"tags":[27,65,133,479,156,168,419,470,418,420,473],"class_list":["post-610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-football","category-health","category-meal-tips","category-nutrition","category-weight-loss","tag-american-dietetic-association","tag-calories","tag-fitness","tag-football","tag-grilling","tag-healthier-eating-habits","tag-healthy-recipes","tag-nutrition","tag-tailgate","tag-watch-party","tag-weight-loss"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsnutritionauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsnutritionauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsnutritionauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsnutritionauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsnutritionauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=610"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsnutritionauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":635,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsnutritionauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610\/revisions\/635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsnutritionauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsnutritionauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsnutritionauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}