With football season in full swing, odds are you are either watching the games to cheer on your favorite teams…or because you enjoy sipping a cold beer and eating nachos with chorizo.
While some of the writers and staff here at Diets In Review are avid fans of their hometown football teams, others (like myself) are in it purely for the halftime noshes.
Brandi Koskie, Managing Editor Favorite College Team: Oklahoma Sooners Favorite Game Day Eats: “I can’t watch a game without tacos and homemade guacamole. To keep it healthy, I use ground turkey with sauteed onions, green chilies, black beans and corn tortillas.”
This week marks the beginning of the college football season and after a summer of cookouts and picnics, most healthy eaters are tired of grilled vegetables and black bean burgers.
If you want to socialize without blowing your diet during football games this year, stick to fresh, simple recipes to boost your team spirit, whether you’re in the stadium parking lot or watching on your neighbor’s flat screen TV.
As you plan your menu for the next big game, consider some of these healthy tailgating recipes – all just as delicious and crowd-pleasing as their fattening counterparts.
We’ve all been there: Kid #1 has a soccer game in one part of the town, kid #2 has a lacrosse match two cities over at the same time, and somehow, you’ve got to get everyone fed a quick, nutritious meal to fuel them right.
Sure, you could hit a fast food drive thru – if you want a meal full of fat, calories and goodness knows what else. It’s a great idea to have a few tried and true meals that are easy on the wallet and high in both taste and nutrition in your rotation.
Here are some of our favorites here at DietsInReview:
Brandi Koskie, Director of Publishing, loves to make a Pulled Pork BBQ. Place a pork tenderloin – one of the best cuts of pork, as it’s low in fat – in a crock pot for several hours. When it’s finished cooking, shred it, mix in some BBQ sauceand serve on a whole wheat bun. Served with cut up veggies and fruit, this is a meal that can be on the table literally in minutes.
It’s that time of year – time to break out the barbecue and invite your friends and neighbors over for a cookout. Spring and summer are prime time for great food, good friends – and great food to celebrate the warm weather.
Of course, we all know that with summer on the horizon, bathing suit season is just around the corner. Don’t undo all of the hard work you’ve done at the gym this year. To keep your diet balanced, celebrity nutritionist Carl Germano, RD, CDN, shared five simple swaps to keep you eating great tasting foods – and looking and feeling great.
Instead of: Beef Burger or Sliders with Cheese
Try: Turkey Sliders with sliced tomato
Ground turkey breast is leaner than most types of ground beef and sliced tomato will offer a powerful punch of lycopene – without the saturated fat in most cheeses. If you must have cheese, try a sprinkling of feta, which is lower in fat and calories than most varieties.
Imagine getting a second chance at life, how would you use the rare opportunity? It’s something that doesn’t come along for too many people, but it did for Hilary Williams. Hilary’s the author of Sign of Life, a new memoir in which she shares the harrowing tale of her near-death experience after a near-fatal car crash with her sister on the way to their maternal grandfather’s funeral. Hilary rose from the rubble of that wreck to undergo 23 surgeries to repair her broken body. Told she’d be in a wheelchair or on a cane the rest of her life, Hilary refused to let that be her fate. Today, she’s working on building her music career (Download Hilary’s singleSign of Life from iTunes).
The story will give you goosebumps, and you’ll laugh and cry along with this endearing young woman as she regains her life. While her story is a rare one few people will identify with, it is a human story of strength, resilience and perseverance that all of us should identify with.
In our new series “Fit in Five,” Hilary answers five questions.
Was it a therapeutic experience to share your story?
“It was good for me to get it out on paper and then move on.”
What motivated you to keep with it and persevere?
“I didn’t want to be stuck in a wheel chair the rest of my life. I wanted to sing and get back on the stage. I just kept that in mind.”
Favorite healthy food?
Protein shakes – chocolate powder, kale, and fruit. “You can’t taste it when you mix with the fruit.” And almond butter.
Favorite guilty pleasure?
“Pizza. Jet’s Pizza in Nashville, really deep dish and really fattening.” She likes cheese and pepperoni or vegetable.
Win a copy of Sign of Life! Leave a comment telling us how you’ve persevered through your toughest struggle. We’ll choose one winner March 31, 2011.
DISCLAIMER: Only residents of the U.S. are eligible to win. DietsInReview.com will draw one winner March 31, 2011 and will notify winner via the email used in the comment form. Winner has five business days to respond and claim prize or forfeit prize. DietsInReview.com is not responsible for lost or stolen packages, nor failed shipments due to user providing incorrect address. DietsInReview.com may replace the prize with one of equal value if prize is not available. Prize value is $24.00; not redeemable for cash.
While some of the writers and staff here at Diets In Review are avid fans of their hometown football teams, others (like myself) are in it purely for the halftime noshes.
