Winning Game Day Recipes

American’s number one reason to throw a party is -- the Super Bowl! Surpassing any other party event of the year – including New Year’s Eve – the big game of the football season draws more people together for home gatherings than even traditional family holidays such as Thanksgiving or Christmas.

And the people at these parties seem serious about their eating. Statistics show Super Bowl Sunday ranking second in terms of the greatest volume of food consumed in the United States in one day. Only Thanksgiving ranks higher. Last year, more than $55 million was spent on Super Bowl foods, including the purchase of a whopping 30 million pounds of potato chips – apparently the Bowl Game snack of choice.

It seems that when it comes to bowl parties, there is almost the same enthusiasm for the food being served as there is for the game itself. When party-goers come up to the buffet line to scrimmage with your party fare, they’re interested in a variety of foods and snacks that will add to the fun of getting together – as well as providing the energy to cheer, holler, and, of course, rant when the favored team's chances are imperiled by a particularly incompetent team of refs. If you’re on the special team in charge of the party menu this year, put together a winning strategy that features great-tasting foods that are also healthier and more satisfying than the typical bowl party menu of high-fat, high-calorie foods and beer.

OK, so maybe you'll want to stick with the beer, but there are plenty of nutritious options for the rest of your menu that allow your armchair quarterbacks to satisfy their munchies without fumbling away their health.

Kick Things Off with Healthy Snacks

Unless your guests are looking for the body of an offensive lineman, you might want to re-think those potato chips. A one-ounce serving contains 150 calories, 90 of which are from fat. That might not sound all that bad until you learn that a one-ounce serving is generally just 10 to 20 chips, depending on the brand and the type. It's probably as likely a bowl party guest will drop 20 chips in the couch cushions as it is they'll stop eating after that amount, so some addition (or multiplication) is may be necessary to figure the real impact of chips.Just a few handfuls of potato chips have the potential to add several hundred calories to the dietary scoreboard...and that doesn’t include the high-fat dips you’re dunking them in.

Healthier options include pretzels and unbuttered popcorn. They’re lower in calories and fat, and can be just as filling than potato chips. To add a little pizzazz to your Game Day popcorn, try one of Frontier’s Popcorn Seasonings: Cheddar Cheese, Cheddar & Spice, Nacho Cheese, or Sour Cream & Onion -- or make several flavors available, and let guests choose for themselves.

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