Healthy Super Bowl Snacks

With the Superbowl tomorrow, everyone on a diet is dreading a day typically full of chips, beer, and calorie-heavy snacks. There are a ton of articles with healthy recipes (check out Hungry-Girl and Poked and Prodded for some that look great). If you’re going to a party and you’re on a diet, bring your own yummies and try to avoid (or at least minimize) the other stuff.

For my Superbowl plans, I’m running in the NYRR Gridiron Classic (4 miler) first thing in the morning. I ran over to NYRR today to pick up my packet/t-shirt, and it was 4.95 miles roundtrip, which I did in 42 minutes. 8:40 pace! Let’s see if I can pick it up to 8:30 for the 4 miler. I wore my new running gear because it was so warm out (42 today), and it was perfect for that weather. I felt so light running in it compared to heavy cold weather gear! It was a good test run and I’ll probably wear the same outfit for tomorrow’s run. I have to say, 5 miles felt like absolutely nothing – I’m getting really used to the long runs! I also stopped at Tasti-D on the way home, mostly because my willpower sucks. My route had me going right past it, and as I went by, I saw the big sign that said apple pie flavor. I’ve never tried that, and it sounded amazing! So I turned around, tried a sample and loved it, and picked up a small to-go container before running home to eat it. I know there is a study these days for everything, so can someone please find me one that says Tasti D is better for running recovery than either beer or Gatorade? Thanks 🙂

After the race tomorrow, I have a Cornell women’s alumnae brunch, and then I’ll probably have to do a lot of work, though I’m going to do it from home and will keep the game on in the background (so I can watch the commercials and the halftime show). I’m cheering for the Giants, but it’s not even because I’m big into football. I’m from Albany, which is where the Giants have their training camp in the summer. I waitressed at Johnny Rockets part-time, and that was the team’s favorite place to go after practice. Because the Rockets managers knew I didn’t care about football (whereas everyone else was flipping out whenever the team came in), I always ended up being their server, so I would always talk to them about random non-football stuff. Gotta cheer for my friends now that they’re all famous and Superbowl-y!

Since I’m not having a party, I’m just making a few things rather than a big assortment. I’ll post some full recipe notes/nutritional info/reviews tomorrow after I make the food, but my plan is:

• 30-Minute Turkey Chili. I use less oil, no salt, and lean ground turkey.
• TGI Friday’s Spinach Dip. I use fat-free sour cream, fat-free mayonnaise, fat-free mozzarella, and fat-free parmesan. I know with all those substitutions it sounds like it would be totally devoid of flavor, but it’s actually still really good. And I’m planning to have this with cut veggies and a SMALL serving of chips.
• Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce. I use lean chicken, skim milk, fat-free parmesan, and fat-free sour cream.
• As for something sweet, I’m going to eat a serving (or two) of that Edy’s Cheesecake Diva ice cream I raved about earlier in the week. Not homemade but I don’t care.

I’ve made all three of those dishes several times before and they are all four or five star recipes, so trust me, they will be good 🙂