| A Healthy Twist For Your Super Bowl Party!Don Oswalt

A Healthy Twist For Your Super Bowl Party!

As Super Bowl Sunday get’s closer we are all planning our parties and planning our menus. It’s a day to have fun with friends, family and enjoy some good food and great football. I know those scrumptious foods such as wings, meatballs, cheese sticks, chips and dips and nachos will be some of the foods served at your party. It’s still early in the year and you or someone you know may have made a resolution to be healthier, if this is true, then some of the tips, suggestions and recipes below may find room on the table at your party.

Serve these fun foods at your party:

*Large cherry tomatoes stuffed with chicken or tuna salad: Dress the salad with celery and onion, herbs for flavor and use minimal mayonnaise or use half mayonnaise and half non-fat Greek yogurt or try mixing the salad entirely with non-fat Greek yogurt.

*Quesadillas: Fill them with lean meat such as grilled or baked chicken and load up on your vegetables. For example, add mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach or arugula and maybe a few olives. Add a small amount of low-fat cheese, skip the sour cream and add non-fat Greek yogurt or just a few slices of avocado. Cut into several pieces and serve.

*Get creative with pizza: Use a Flatout 100% stone ground whole wheat wrap for a pizza crust. Spread it with tomato sauce or pre-made spaghetti sauce and load it with your favorite pizza foods like artichoke hearts (in water, not oil), tomato, arugula, mushrooms, garlic or red onion. Sprinkle with a strong cheese so you are using less cheese but getting a great flavor. Some of my favorites are blue cheese, gorgonzola or feta. Bake it so it’s steamy hot, cut and serve.

*Create a light and fresh Caprese salad: Use good quality, flavorful tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and a small amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

*Black Eyed Pea Dip: If you are making dips include this fresh, and tasty dip compliments of Paula Deen. Serve with blue corn tortilla chips. Click here for the recipe.

*How about a colorful, flavorful Six Layer bean dip? Use this healthier version and still enjoy so much flavor. Try shredded spinach in place of the romaine and make the colors even more deep. Compliments of the Food Network Kitchens. Click here for the recipe.

*Drop the sloppy Joes and pork sliders and instead try shrimp salad sliders: Use low-fat mayonnaise and low-fat cream cheese for your base. Add celery and bell peppers to give it some crunch. Add lemon juice and chives for flavor and horseradish to give it some heat. Put a nice sized scoop on the potato bun or small sour dough bun and top it with caramelized onions or thinly sliced cucumber or even just some fresh tomato.