Super Bowl Snacks: Healthy Eats for the Big Game!

Avid football fan or not, I'm going to bet you have a Super Bowl Party to attend this weekend. And let's be honest, unless you are a fan of the two teams playing, this Sunday is much more a gathering for good food, ranking your favorite commercials during the Super Bowl and of course, watching the Halftime Performance. 

Worried about how you are going to stay on track with healthy alternatives during Gametime? Fear not, My Engineered Nutrition is to the rescue! I've gather my FAVORITE healthy recipes perfect for watching Big Game. You'll be a hit at your Super Bowl Party if you bring one of these dishes...and no one will be the wiser that it's healthy!

APPETIZERS

Brussels Sprout Chips

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Gametime Guacamole

Avocado Lime Dressing

MAINS

Buffalo Chili

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Bison Sliders

BBQ Chicken Pizza on Cauliflower Crust

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

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Another healthy snack alternative comin' atcha! Ditch the store bought chips that are high in fat and artificial flavorings. Opt for these homemade sweet potato chips that are perfectly crispy, simple and delicious. 

I must stress that baked sweet potato chips work best with SWEET POTATOES, not YAMS. Sweet potatoes have a white interior and a pale brown skin. Very different from a yam, which has a bright orange interior. If you want to learn more about the difference in potatoes I suggest reading this article! What's the Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes?

If you ask me, the key to great chips is starting with thinly sliced sweet potatoes, all of which are uniformly cut. This ensures even baking. I can't stress how much easier a mandoline slicer makes your life with this step!

Next, you need patience. You need to allow the chips ample baking time and you need to be diligent and watchful so that they do not burn! It is important to space the chips out on multiple baking sheets. If they are too close together they won't bake properly. Additionally, you will need to flip the chips one by one, halfway through their baking. 

Tedious? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely!

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Prep Time: 10-015 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 small/medium WHITE sweet potatoes, peels and sliced (14 oz)
• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line multiple baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare your potato chips by peeling your potatoes and then thinly slicing (about 1/8" thick) with a mandoline slicer or parring knife. Once both potatoes have been sliced, toss with olive oil and salt. 
2. Evenly space chips out on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until bottom sides of chips begin to brown. Carefully flip each chip over and return to oven to continue baking for another 10 minutes. During this step it is important to keep a watchful eye on the chips. I remove individual chips if they have baked fully, allowing the remaining to continue baking. 
3. Remove from oven and allow chips to cool - this also allows them to crisp up! Once cooled, enjoy!

Nutritional Information (1 serving)

110 calories - 2 g Protein, 21 g Carbohydrates, 2 g Fat

Brussels Sprout Chips

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Why are chips so addicting? Why is it that you can never just have one?

It's the salty, crunchiness of the chip that makes them just so damn tasty and addictive. 

With a little extra effort, these brussels sprout chips provide a guilt-free alternative to the not-so-good-for-you bagged chips you find  in the grocery store and at nearly every party. For the longest time I never attempted making brussels sprout chips because...well, they seemed like more effort than what they were worth. 

Boy, was I wrong. 

I PROMISE that these are so worth it. So much so that you won't want to share. But, I urge you to share (maybe the second batch) at your next party! These would be a perfect snack to nibble on while watching football this fall or as a great snack for a cocktail hour with friends. 

Brussels Sprout Chips

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 2

Note: This recipe is EASILY scaled, just keep the ratio of 3 cups brussel sprout leaves to 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients:

• 3 cups brussels sprout leaves, yielded after separating
• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
2. To separate leaves, but bottoms of brussel sprout off and discard. Carefully separate the outer leaves from the sprout until you are just left with the sprout core. Transfer the leaves into a mixing bowl. You can keep the sprout core for a different use - I usually slice in half and roast separately like normally done with brussels sprouts. Continue to separate the sprout leaves until you have 3 cups of leaves. Toss brussels sprout leaves with olive oil, salt and garlic power.
3. Spread brussels sprout leaves in a single layer on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until leaves become golden brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately. 

Nutritional Information (1 serving)

52 calories - 1.4 g Protein, 3.6 g Carbohydrates, 3.6 g Fat