The Super Bowl is all about football, booze, commercials, and most importantly: snacks. But don’t worry, just because we say guilt-free doesn’t mean we did away with the wings and chili. To make sure you have enough healthy snacks to last through the halftime show, we’ve rounded up 25 of our favorites—from chips and dips, to meatballs, quesadillas, and sweet treats to blitz your party-goers.
1. Chips and Broccamole
Guacamole is an instant win, but this brocc-amole is a delicious way to make for a healthierwin. While there are actually no avocados in the recipe, the mix still turns out creamy and green like the old-fashioned stuff. The broccamole is a low-cal, low-fat dip with lots of vitamin C—over 100 percent of the daily recommended value in a cup .
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2. Roasted Corn and Cheese Dip
This warm and gooey dip sounds totally naughty, but it’s got veggies in it! Greek yogurt and cheese add richness to corn, red bell pepper, onion, and jalapeño. A little of this dip goes a long way because just one half cup of corn has 6 grams of filling fiber and 8 grams of protein.
3. Zucchini Fries
We know, we know, fries are supposed to be made out of potatoes. But we promise the Parmesan crust does an excellent job at hiding the green color of the zucchini—a good source of vitamin C and manganese, the nutrient that promotes calcium absorption. We love dipping the baked goodies in low-cal barbeque sauce!
4. Herby Chicken Skewers with Harissa
The chicken on these easy-to-assemble skewers puts its party dress on with rosemary, thyme, oregano, and cumin. Dip them in spicy (and pretty intense) harissa sauce made from roasted red peppers, chili, olive oil, lemon juice, and other spices. Plan on at least 10 grams of protein per skewer!
5. Lightened–Up Jalapeño Popper Dip
This dip is perfect for a jalapeño popper that lasts longer than one pop. Made of Neufchatel cheese (essentially lower fat cream cheese), Greek yogurt, and a little mayo, this dish stays light while achieving the perfect creamy consistency. Spicy green chiles and jalapeños add some heat while panko breadcrumbs bring on the crunch.
6. Creamy Avocado Cucumber Rolls
Melding two classic sushi ingredients—cucumber and avocado—these rolls skip the salmon and seaweed. While slicing the cukes paper-thin can be pretty tricky (Tip: use a mandoline), there’s no baking, grilling, or sautéing involved in order to get this appetizer to the table.
7. Mac and Cheese Bites
These little guys are unreal. There’s no fruit or veggies in this snack, but they’ve got portion control built right in by baking up in a mini-muffin tin. The recipe uses whole-wheat elbows, whole-wheat cracker crumbs, and Greek yogurt to turn a classically sinful meal into a healthier snack.
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8. Simple Sweet Potato Skins
This recipe tackles a notoriously unhealthy junk food and morphs it into a snack you can feel good about eating during the big game. With fiber-filled sweet potatoes as the base and guac and melted cheddar as toppers, these skins perfectly combine sweet and savory. Add chopped roasted veggies to sneak in an added nutrition boost.
9. Gorgonzola Turkey Burger Sliders
These game-day mini sandwiches will appeal to most everyone at the party. The simple recipe stacks mini turkey burgers onto whole-wheat buns with Gorgonzola, a schmear of mayo, lettuce, and pickles. Each slider is a touchdown at 170 calories and 14 grams of protein.
10. Mini Corn Dog Muffins
These little muffins harbor a fun surprise in the center. The popable cornbread bites have a fairly short list of ingredients, including all-beef hotdogs—or you can sub for your favorite meat-free version. Make them gluten-free by using a gluten-free cornbread mix (the ones in the photo were made with this option!). The tiny corndog bites will be swiped up before the first down. Serve with a side of ketchup and good ol’ yellow mustard.
11. Brie, Apple, and Arugula Quesadillas
Quesadillas are a total winner at any sports gathering, but they aren’t exactly guilt-free. We searched the Web for a fun combination of ‘dilla fillings and fell in love with this green and fruity combo. They’re easy to make, gooey, crispy and even have some greens and fruit tucked inside. We don’t have to tell you that an apple a day is a healthy choice!
12. Baked Coconut Shrimp
These shrimp have a tropical flare with their shredded coconut crust and a spicy pineapple sauce (made with pineapple chunks, mint leaves, and a habanero pepper). While most restaurant coconut shrimp are fried, these little guys are baked until golden brown. Bonus: 8 jumbo shrimp have 9 grams of protein.
13. Sweet Pea Crostini
Guacamole doesn’t have to be the only green item at the party. Dish up a budget-friendly winner with this quick and healthy snack. Season peas with lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, and fresh cilantro before spreading on slices of whole-wheat baguette. Toasted chia seeds and shredded Pecorino cheese are the final touch.
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14. Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Consider these little guys a crowd pleaser. They take just minutes to prepare—combine chopped spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil and stuff the mixture into portabella mushroom caps. Bake, and they’re ready to serve.
15. Simple Healthy Wings
A televised sports gathering without wings is like jazzercising without Jane Fonda. We suggest these super simple wings that are broiled instead of fried. To bump down the fat content even more, try boiling the wings before broiling. Serve with carrot and celery sticks and extra hot sauce. The best part: You can snack on four of these wings for about 150 calories. Not bad!
16. Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Classic spinach and artichoke is usually loaded with cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, and shredded cheese. This version gets its creaminess from white beans and sesame seeds, instead. Feel free to add a little plain Greek yogurt to up the creaminess level even more. There’s tons of fresh flavenoid-rich spinach packed in the dip bowl .
17. Individual 7-Layer Dip
These snacks actually encourage double dipping. The ingredients inside the clear cups (must be clear so you can see each part!) are the same ones used in traditional layered dip, but transferring them out of a casserole dish makes for easy portion control. Plus, there are veggies tucked in there! Pair with whole-grain tortilla chips, and sub plain Greek yogurt for sour cream for a healthier layer of tang.
18. Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Do away with all the guilt that comes with conventional mozzarella sticks with this baked version. For mess-free baking, freeze the sticks before popping them in the oven to help them hold their shape. Serve with marinara sauce or sriracha for a spicy kick.
19. Swedish Meatballs
You can’t really go wrong with meatballs. They’re easy to eat and take just minutes to prep. This version gets a minor makeover by using whole-wheat bread instead of white and light sour cream instead of heavy cream. One serving (six meatballs) is just under 300 calories, and has nearly 30 grams of protein.
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20. Chipotle Chocolate Chili
This smoky chili gets it’s richness from a touch of unsweetened cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate. Don’t expect it to taste like chocolate fondue—the chili has got all the normal seasonings, beans, and ground turkey you’d expect, with the added bonus of cocoa powder (which studies suggest can lower blood pressure and regulate levels of the stress hormone cortisol) .
21. Cauliflower Pizza Bites
We’ve called upon our friend the mini-muffin tin yet again! Instead of using less-than-healthy white pizza dough, these pizza-esque treats turn to cauliflower for the base. The nutrition breakdown is pretty stellar too, with just over 20 calories each, 1 gram of fat, and 2 grams of fiber. Serve them warm with a bowl of pizza sauce for dipping!
22. Sunny Rice Crispy Treats
These grown-up treats have only five ingredients. Plus, they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. Why are they so sunny? The rice gets extra flavor from a hearty helping of sunflower seed butter, which has significantly more magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper and selenium than either almond or peanut butter. If you’re feeling extra spirited, try shaping the treats into footballs!
23. Individual Nachos
Nachos may not be the healthiest snack out there. But adding homemade bean dip, salsa, guac, sliced olives, and some shredded cheese to individual tortilla chips not only makes for even distribution of toppings, but it also helps with portion control.
24. Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
Hummus is always an easy party-time hit. But it’s time to do away with the store bought beige stuff, and try this colorful version instead. The chickpea hummus gets it’s hue from an entire jar of sun-dried tomatoes, as well as a little tomato paste. Serve it with your favorite chips, whole-wheat pita, or veggie sticks. Plus, chickpeas are a good source of important vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and folate !
25. Strawberry Footballs
Talk about an easy game-day dessert. These chocolate-covered strawberries (one of our favorite healthier ways to satisfy your sweet tooth!) take no time at all and are so cute you might not want to eat them. On second thought, who are we kidding? Added bonus: Strawberries have a ton of immunity boosting vitamin C.
Read more at Greatist.com
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