5 healthier Super Bowl snacks
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Baked Boneless Wings
Typical Buffalo wings are double trouble because they are fried with the chicken skin on. One serving can easily pack 1700 calories and 50 grams of fat –and that’s before you dip them in blue cheese dressing! Lighten up without giving up great taste by baking boneless chicken breast strips in a delicious sauce made by whisking together hot pepper sauce, corn starch, white vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Opt for low-fat ranch dressing for dipping and your serving of wings has less than 300 calories and 10 grams of fat.
Greek Yogurt in Dips
Everyone loves a good dip, but make it with mayonnaise and you could be looking at over 900 calories and 78 grams of fat per cup. Make your dip with 0 percent fat-free plain Greek yogurt and you’ll cut about 800 calories and 78 grams of fat! Greek yogurt not only makes for a creamier texture, you also get a big boost of healthy, belly-filling protein, calcium, and vitamins A and D.
Lean Turkey Meatballs
Ouch! A six-inch meatball marinara sub has upwards of 750 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat. Avoid that by making your own meatballs with 99 percent lean ground white turkey topped with Rao's tomato sauce. Using lean turkey saves about 150 calories and 14 grams of fat per serving, and it helps that Rao's tomato sauce is super-low in carbohydrates. Go even lighter by skipping the bread and serve your meatballs on skewers.
Skinny Layer Dip
A cup of traditional 7-layered dip weighs in at about 700 calories and 80 grams of fat, but you can cut this in half by swapping a few ingredients. Instead of refried beans go with black beans and you’ll save 150 calories and 13 grams fat per one cup serving. Then ditch fat-laden sour cream for 0 percent plain Greek yogurt and you’ll trim another 380 calories and 48 grams of fat. Finally, use less guacamole by blending equal parts of guacamole and salsa, which saves an additional 120 calories and 11g fat per serving! Top it all off with a layer of fresh chopped lettuce and vegetables garnished with some shredded cheddar cheese.
Crispy Crunchy Chickpeas
Pretzels seem diet-friendly, yet a one ounce serving contains 135 calories and 29 grams of carbohydrates – equal to 2 slices of white bread. For tasty crunch that’s much lighter and more nutritious and filling, have dry roasted chickpeas instead. One ounce has 110 calories, and half the carbs in pretzels -- plus you’ll get 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein that make this a super filling snack.
For delicious high fiber meal plans, recipes and tips on healthy eating, drinking and losing weight, check out my latest book, The Miracle Carb Diet: Make Calories and Fat Disappear – with Fiber!