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Sitting on the couch watching anything for more than two hours cannot be considered exercise under any guise, even if you have one of those vibrating abdominal belts or a Shake Weight. Typically, game day comes with a bevy of delicious snacks including hoagies, chips, saturated fat-heavy dips, cookies, candies, etc. Combine limited exercise (sorry folks, screaming at your favorite player and living room victory dances don’t count) with thousands of calories in sugary, sodium-heavy snacks and presto, you have an unhealthy effect that even an extra 15 minutes in spin class won’t alleviate.
No need to be glum though, chums! The following list is a compilation of 11 game-day snacks that are simple to make, healthy, and delicious. So get excited, it’s game day and the people are hungry.
RELATED: First We Feast - The Best Game-Day Recipes to Make for the Super Bowl
Mini-Bagels with Fresh Ricotta and Strawberries
Toast several mini whole-wheat bagels (regular or “flats”) and spread with fresh ricotta and fresh, chopped strawberries. Talk about scrumptiously indulgent.
Caramel Rice Cakes Topped with Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Chips
Uh, hoping this one is pretty self-explanatory; you can choose whatever flavor of rice cake you want. For a more savory experience try pairing the white cheddar flavor with tomato paste, fresh basil, and pepperonis.
Sesame-Parmesan Popcorn
Bake some popcorn (if you get the packaged kind from the store make sure there is no salt or butter included) and shake it up with sesame oil, shaved parmesan cheese, and chopped garlic. Shake that! Shake that!
Colorful Carrot Salsa
If you’re looking to add some spice to your game night, try Colorful Carrot Salsa. Unfortunately, if you don’t own a food processor or one of those really cool chopping machines, you’ll have to dice up these ingredients by hand. Grab eight baby carrot sticks, four Roma tomatoes, one green and yellow pepper, one jalapeño, one onion, a garlic clove and get chopping! Squeeze at least a tablespoon of lime juice on that baby for a zesty splash and enjoy.
Cheese and Grapes
Great repast if you’re feeling even a bit fancy. Go for reduced fat (five grams of fat or less) and pair with seedless red or purple grapes.
Homemade Trail Mix
Toss together one serving of any whole-grain cereal (granola or muesli), several tablespoons of dried fruits and chopped nuts, and a handful of yogurt chips. You’re ready to go.
Tortilla Sandwiches
Fill halves of whole-wheat tortillas with slices of lean, deli-style meats, tomatoes, and avocado wedges. Not only will this fill you up, but you’ll feel good while eating it.
Carrot Chips
Who doesn't love Carrot Chips? Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place carrots in a pan and into the oven for 20 minutes. After the carrots are finished, sprinkle them with any kind of spices you want. For a sweeter touch, sprinkle with a touch of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; for a more savory taste sprinkle the carrots with a tiny pinch of salt, pepper, and garlic.
Nutella and Banana on Crackers
Extremely self-explanatory, but also extremely delicious. What more do you need?
Frozen Yogurt with Fresh Fruits
Berries and apricots tend to go nicely with frozen yogurt, but you can vary the fruits depending on your preferred flavor. This snack assuages those cravings for super fattening, but oh-so-tempting ice cream.
Tropical Yogurt Parfait
Top one cup of low-fat Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla) with strawberries, kiwis, mangos, various berries, and melons. Add a drizzle of honey for a sweet little kick to go with that field goal.
