Recipes

Fueling your body on fall favorites

There seems to be a split between those who enjoy fall and just can’t wait for it to begin, and those who would rather bask in the summer fun a little longer. Fall signals the end of summer activities and the beginning of school, football season, and all things pumpkin and apple-spiced. The temperatures start to cool down (or not) and you get ready to cheer on your favorite little league, high school, college, or pro football team.

Football is one of the most popular sports in the South. On average a college football game last a whopping 3 hours and 22 minutes, and during that game fans are usually sitting and snacking high-calorie foods. High school football games usually offer an assortment of candy, nachos, and cold beverages. For a college or professional game, the options are endless—wings, nachos, loaded fries, and adult beverages are usually on hand, just to name a few.

Here are a few alternatives to the options listed above. After all, you still should enjoy some delicious snacks while watching your favorite game.

1. Make a charcuterie board with healthy snacks. Suggestions for your board include your favorite vegetables (celery, peppers, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli), fruits (apples, pineapple, grapes), nuts, and cheese.
2. Instead of deep-frying wings, toss wings in olive oil and use an air fryer OR prepare boneless chicken breast or tenderloins and toss them in your favorite sauce
3. Top nachos with lots of veggies, see the recipe below

 

Loaded Veggie Nachos

Ingredients

• 1lb-93% lean ground turkey OR plant-based crumbles
• 1 package low low-sodium taco seasoning
• 1 yellow onion
• Guacamole (store-bought or made from scratch)
• Salsa (store-bought or made from scratch)
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• Olive oil
• 1 can of black beans, drained
• 1 can of southwest corn, drained
• Baked tortilla chips
• Grain-free tortilla chips

1. Heat skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Chop one-half of the yellow onion finely and add to the skillet and stir for 1 minute (until soft)
2. Add the ground turkey/ plant-based crumbles to the skillet and cook until done. Drain fat off the meat/ crumbles, add taco seasoning and 1/3 cup of water, and allow the meat to simmer on low until sauce thickens
3. Chop bell peppers and tomatoes and cilantro
4. Drain beans and corn and place in a bowl
5. Arrange baked chips or grain-free chips and top with meat/ crumbles, veggies, beans, corn, salsa, guacamole, and fresh cilantro
6. Enjoy!