Super Bowl Sunday Feel-Good Snacks

Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner and many of us enjoy watching the game with a variety of appetizers and some beverages. If you’re on a journey of getting healthier and the thought of consuming wings, beer and pizza makes your stomach gurgle, try some of these healthier swaps to keep from feeling like a brick hit your stomach. Outside the commercials, the snacks are one of the best parts of Super Bowl Sunday.

Oven Baked Jalapeño Poppers

10 Jalapeños, cut lengthwise and deseeded

1 cup chive cream cheese

½ cup shredded cheddar

4 strips turkey bacon finely chopped

Panko bread crumbs

Mix cream cheese, shredded cheddar and turkey bacon in a bowl. Spoon the mixture into each half pepper, press the open side of pepper into breadcrumbs and place on the baking sheet. Continue until all pepper halves are filled and coated. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 15–20 minutes.

Protein Packed Queso Dip

1 cup cottage cheese, blended until smooth

½ cup shredded cheddar

½ can Rotel

1 tablespoon taco seasoning

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Serve with some cut veggies and tortilla chips.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

1 lb ground chicken

1 egg

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 carrot, grated

1 celery stick, minced

¼ cup Franks Buffalo Sauce

3 tbs ranch or blue cheese dressing

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken with your hands, breadcrumbs, celery and carrot. Create bite-size meatballs by rolling a spoonful of mixture between your hands and place on a lined baking sheet. Baked for 20 minutes or the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Once cooked, toss in a bowl with heated buffalo sauce. Drizzle with dressing of choice before serving.

Black Bean Salsa

1 cup drained black beans

½ cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup diced red onion

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp cumin

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill before serving with a side of tortilla chips.

Now, if you simply cannot enjoy the football game without a few beers, just do so in moderation and hydrate throughout the evening to ward off feeling like garbage when you arrive at work the next day.