Game Day Grub That Is Good for Your Gut
Great tasting and crowd pleasing game day food doesn’t have to end in gut misery and bloating. Remember, a little butter, here and there, actually provides some benefit to our gut health, but our food shouldn’t be saturated in it. Try frying your food in avocado oil for a heart-healthy alternative, or a light saute on low-medium heat in avocado or olive oil. Be careful not to go past 400 degrees cooking temperature with your olive oil. Once it goes past it’s smoke point, it can produce carcinogenic compounds. Try baking with avocado oil, or a little canola from time to time is acceptable. Here are some acceptable and lightened up versions of some traditional game day faves.
Lighten up your buffalo wings with cubed chicken breasts. You can add buffalo sauce to the eggs wash, and this will give a nice flavor without having to bath it in buffalo sauce after cooking. Almond flour can be substituded for bread crumb or panko as the crunchy coating. Homemade dips are quick and simple to make without all the preservatives that can be toxic to our system found in store bought dressings. Want to get fancy with your buffalo chicken next game day? Use a biscuit cutter or tin can to layer brown rice or quinua, topped with mashed avocado/guacamole, and finished with a layer of buffalo chicken cubes. Add a nice drizzle of your homemade sauce and serve with crudite, pita, or nacho chips. This would even be good placed on a green salad. Another alternative would be transforming your chicken into a healthy wrap utilizing whole grain/high fiber/high protein wraps or a fresh lettuce wrap. Pile your desired topping: diced tomatoes, colored bell peppers, cucumbers, avocado, a sprinkling of cheese, and voila! Even your biggest and hungriest game day guests will be pleased.
How about game day meatballs? Try some lean lamb. Add Greek seasonings and bake to your desired doneness. This is tastey served alongside a spread of hummus topped with a fattoush salad. It’s also another great appetizer or entree that can be whipped up into a wrap. Layer all ingredients, drizzle some tzatziki sauce or a harissa/yogurt sauce, and you’ve got yourself a party!
Take spinach artichoke dip to a whole new level by swapping out mayonnaise and sour cream for Greek yogurt and blended cottage cheese. Top with parmesan and bake. Or whip up all of your ingredients fresh in a blender and serve as a cold dip topped with fresh tomato and basil and serve with warm pita and crudite.
I’m excited to make one or two of these tonight for the Cleveland Brown’s playoff game! I’ll post pics. Please share your favorite healthy game day foods with me!
