Kansas City…it’s that time of year, football time. This means big game football watch parties, with food. Which can lead to LOTS of extra calories consumed. So, we came up with a few tips to still enjoy the big football game, but save on some calories. We looked at some common football party snack foods, and offered some ideas to save calories, while enjoying the foods you love. So, here we go!
Football Party Healthy Food Ideas
Potato Boats- Sub Greek Yogurt for sour cream and butter, 
go light on the cheese, use bacon bits instead of real bacon.
Air Fryer Wings- Add some seasoning to your chicken wings and cook in the air fryer. Try to skip or go light on the dipping sauce.
Cauliflower Bites – Try something new with a healthy snack idea, roasted Cauliflower Bites. Click on the link for a recipe.
Nachos – Nachos can be loaded with calories, or you can save on some of the calories. Here are a few ideas. Use fewer tortilla or corn chips, sub sour cream for plain Greek Yogurt, add pepper, onion and lettuce, add black beans instead of refried beans, sub guacamole for fresh avocado, try a little less cheese. Top with chicken or lean beef/turkey for extra protein. Here is a recipe for Light Sided Nachos for some different nacho ideas.
Meatballs – Add cooked meatballs (turkey or lean beef are best), and BBQ sauce to crockpot. Skip the jelly and honey sauces, opt for a lower calorie BBQ sauce like J Hughes, Gates, Arthur Bryant’s, or others. Also, meatballs are a great source of protein!
Veggie Tray – Fresh vegetables are always a great addition to a party snack table.
Try adding some yellow and red peppers to make it Kansas City football fan friendly. 
Ranch Dip – Look for light or fat free ranch dip/dressing. Or make your own with a Ranch seasoning packet and Greek Yogurt or Cottage Cheese.
Air popped Popcorn, Skinny Pop, or Smart Pop – If you choose popcorn without all of the cheese
and butter, it is not a bad snack. Try homemade air popped or purchase different light flavors. 
Chili – Reducing calories in chili can be easy. Go light on the cheese toppings, use lean ground beef or turkey, sub in black beans for some of the chili beans.
Drinks- Try out a Bubly, LaCroix or other zero calorie soda. Crystal Light or water flavorings are also great calorie savers. Need something more, mix the two options. A little Bubly and a little water flavoring make a nice combo. Another option is add a lemon or other fresh fruit to your drink.
Hope you found some tips to cheer on your football team, while saving some calories you take in.
Go Kansas City Football!
*Peppers Photo by Shannon Nickerson on Unsplash
*Chicken Wing Photo by Syed F Hashemi on Unsplash
*Popcorn Photo by Pylz Works on Unsplash