No Need to Trade Your 6-Pack for a Beer Gut this Football Season!

Football Season is Here!

I love football, food, and adult beverages. However, I do not love all the additional calories it can bring with it. Here is a list of simple things I have found to keep your taste buds happy this wonderful season, while keeping your waist line in check:

The Swap:

Swap beef burgers for turkey or veggie burgers

Skip the queso and stock up on salsa

Skimp on the mayonnaise or opt for a low-fat one

Add veggies with low-fat ranch or hummus to the mix

Make your beer a light one

Mix your mixed drinks with a diet soda, crystal light, or low-calorie fruit punch mix

Swap your white buns for some whole wheat buns or make your burger a lettuce wrap

Opt for baked potato chips over regular potato chips


Some of my favorite tailgating recipes:

Tasty Chicken Strips (taken from “Hungary Girl”)

Ingredients
6 oz. Tyson (or another brand) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (raw); cut lengthwise into 5 strips
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal
1/4 cup Egg Beaters, Original
1/4 tsp. Lawry's Garlic Salt
Pepper (to taste)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Add garlic salt and pepper to crumbs. Place crumbs in one small dish and Egg Beaters in another. Next, coat raw chicken strips with Egg Beaters and then with crumb mixture. Place strips on a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Spray a light mist of nonstick spray on top of strips and place in oven. Cook for 10 minutes, and then turn strips over. Add another light mist of nonstick spray and cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes (until chicken is fully cooked and Fiber One looks crispy). Enjoy! Serves 1.
Serving Size: 5 pieces (entire recipe)
Calories: 240
Fat: 3.25g
Sodium: 805mg
Carbs: 26g
Fiber: 14g
Sugars: 0.5g
Protein: 42.5g

Lamb Kabobs with Mustard Glaze
• 12 ounces lean boneless lamb leg
• 1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
•2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
•16 tiny new potatoes, halved (about 1 1/4 pounds)
•1 small red onion, cut into wedges
•1 red, yellow, or green sweet pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch squares
•Hot cooked orzo (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 1-inch cubes. Place meat in a medium bowl.

For marinade, in a small bowl stir together mustard, lemon juice, green onion, and thyme. Pour half the marinade over meat, stirring to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally. Cover and refrigerate the remaining marinade for glaze.
Before grilling, place a steamer basket in a large saucepan. Add water to just below the bottom of the steamer basket. Bring to boiling. Add potatoes. Steam, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes or just until potatoes are tender. Remove steamer basket from saucepan; cool potatoes for 5 minutes. Break each onion wedge into 2 or 3 layers. Drain meat, discarding marinade.
On eight 6- to 8-inch metal skewers alternately thread meat, potatoes, onion, and sweet pepper, leaving 1/4 inch between pieces. Grill kabobs on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 12 to 14 minutes or until meat is slightly pink in the center, turning and brushing occasionally with glaze up to the last 5 minutes of grilling. (Or broil on the unheated rack of a broiler pan 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning and brushing occasionally with glaze up to the last 5 minutes of broiling.) If desired, serve kabobs with orzo.

Guacamole with Chipotle Tortilla Chips (from cooking light)
Chipotle chile powder gives the crunchy chips a smoky kick that pairs well with the buttery guacamole. Use ground cumin or regular chili powder in its place, if you prefer. Prepare the chips up to a day ahead, and store in a zip-top plastic bag.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 2 tablespoons guacamole and 4 chips)
Ingredients
Chips:
8(6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (such as McCormick)

Guacamole:
3 tomatillos
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped plum tomato
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 ripe peeled avocados, seeded and coarsely mashed
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.
To prepare chips, cut each tortilla into 8 wedges; arrange tortilla wedges in a single layer on 2 baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle wedges with 1/2 teaspoon salt and chile powder; lightly coat wedges with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes or until wedges are crisp and lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes.
To prepare guacamole, peel papery husk from tomatillos; wash, core, and finely chop. Combine tomatillos, onion, and remaining ingredients; stir well. Serve guacamole with chips.

Enjoy and Go Ducks!