College football season starts next week! This morning I shared some ways to upgrade your tailgate spread on the health front.
Touchdown Tailgate Dip for your sliced veggies and whole grain pita
Every game day needs a delicious dip. I shared my spinach and artichoke dip made with
Hellmann’s Vegan Carefully Crafted Dressing and Sandwich Spread. I made this recipe as a member of the Unilever Agents of Change program, which I am really excited to be a part of along with nine dietitians from around the country. We are supporting Unilever’s mission, which is to provide food that tastes good, does good, and doesn’t cost the earth. They do this by continually reformulating their products to make them more nutritious and by sustainably sourcing their ingredients. You can find my tailgate dip in the previous post!
A dietitian-approved grilling option
Veggie kabobs are my go-to healthy grilling option. I shared ones made with sweet bell peppers, yellow onion and Smithfield’s Marinated Fresh Pork. I LOVE these because they are slow marinated and perfectly seasoned for you so all you have to do is cook them up and they are ready to eat. I used the tenderloin, which is a leaner cut, but it it also available in a variety of cuts including your sirloin and chops. They are also available in delicious flavors – my favorite is the Sweet Teriyaki.
Cheers to tailgate season with a red wine punch in lieu of beer
This is a fun gamed beverage, especially if you are a red wine lover! I shared my red wine punch this week made with the Trivento Reserve Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. This wine is tailor-made to enjoy with full-flavored, grilled food so its perfect your tailgate! It retails for $11 a bottle and is available in most of our local retailers. This punch is easy to throw together – the strawberries pair seamlessly with the natural aromas of the wine. As a dietitian, I like red wine for its antioxidants.
Upgrade your tailgate snacks
I shared one of the top trending snacks to try right now by Consumer Reports and Martha Stewart. They’re chickpea snacks by Lebby — they have a dark chocolate and honey sesame variety. We know chickpeas are a great source of protein and fiber. Theirs are dry roasted so no oil is used and although they are sweet, they only have 6-7 grams of sugar per snack. You can find these on amazon and at lebbysnacks.com. They will be releasing white and milk chocolate varieties next month so keep an eye out!
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