While many of us are just happy to be able to watch the madness of basketball tournaments this March – we know that it will not be like other tournament years. We will not be gathering for parties, many of us are still not eating in restaurants/pubs, and we cannot watch the games live yet (in most cases) – so you will likely be fixing the game day snacks yourself. When you plan your game-day menu, do not throw out your goals of a healthy diet – keep in mind that there are better snack choices.
You may have heard of the new 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans which focus on several messages that you can follow for a great game-day snack plan:
- Limit food and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium
- Limit alcoholic beverages (eat your calories instead of drinking them)
- Focus on eating nutrient dense foods which include a variety of vegetables, whole fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins (including meatless meals, nuts, eggs, and fish)
Looking at those guidelines lets choose a few tourney time snack options that keep us on track for a more healthful diet overall:
- A vegetable tray with hummus or bean dip instead of high fat (and usually sodium) dip
- Cheese and whole grain crackers or bread
- Fresh fruit skewers with yogurt and nut butter dip
- English muffin mini pizzas with veggies on top (instead of ordering takeout pizza)
- Buffalo cauliflower bites (instead of wings, I personally LOVE these!!)
- Homemade Banana Nice Cream
- Infused water made with fruits the color of your favorite team (mine will be scarlet berries)
Most of these snacks can be made the night before for easy game-time serving, you will just need to make your mini pizzas quickly and heat your buffalo bites. I will share a buffalo bite recipe that I enjoyed recently (and I do not even like cauliflower). If you compare this recipe to many others online, it has no butter and a lot less breadcrumbs – and trust me – it still tastes great! I preferred the oven-baked to air-fryer, but air-fryer was super quick.
I cannot wait to hear your favorite healthy versions of tourney time snacks. Comment below to let us know what you serve.
Source: Start Simple with MyPlate Today, file:///C:/Users/barlage.7/Documents/Dietary%20Guidelines%202010/2021%20-%202025/DGA_2020-2025_StartSimple_withMyPlate_English_color.pdf
Writer: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County.
Reviewer: Roseanne Scammahorn, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Darke County.
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