A Healthy Twist On A Game Day Classic

From your Henry Mayo Nutritionist: Liz Tarabour, MS, RDN
Game Day Game Plan:
Pregame Warm up:
- Start the day off right with a work out.
- Have a healthy breakfast.
- Hydrate well. Drinking lots of water right before (and during) a party will help fill you up and prevent gorging on high calorie foods and drinks upon arrival.
Offensive Strategies:
- Bring something yummy and healthy that you can choose to eat instead of other unhealthy options.
- Choose plant based goodies: hummus, bean dip, guacamole, etc. Use veggies as the dipping stick/chip.
- Have a glass of water between each alcoholic drink.
Defensive Strategies:
- Allow yourself to enjoy some tasty treats. If you refill your plate, go for the healthier choices.
- Sit far away from the food. Limit your trips to this “red zone”.
- Enjoy your day, but don’t let the game-day excitement and food table get the best of you. Go prepared with a plan.
Baked Buffalo Wings With Blue Cheese-Yogurt Dip
Recipe and Photo courtesy of Food Network Kitchen
From: Food Network Magazine
For the Dip:
3/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon skim milk or buttermilk
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Wings:
Cooking spray, for the baking sheet
3 pounds chicken wings, split at the joints, tips removed
4 stalks celery, cut into thirds
4 carrots, cut in half
2 bay leaves
1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup Frank's RedHot sauce (or 1/2 cup other hot sauce)
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
Directions:
Make the dip: Pulse the yogurt, blue cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, milk and lemon juice in a food processor until combined but still chunky. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the wings: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Put the chicken wings in a deep skillet; add 3 pieces of celery, 3 pieces of carrot, the bay leaves, chicken broth, hot sauce, paprika, butter, honey and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the chicken is almost cooked through, about 18 minutes. Transfer the wings to the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer; reserve the sauce in the skillet.
Bake the wings, turning once, until the skin is golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes. Meanwhile, simmer the reserved sauce over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Discard the celery, carrot and bay leaves. Reserve 1/4 of the sauce for serving. Return the wings to the skillet and toss with the remaining sauce. Serve the wings with the blue cheese dip and reserved sauce; cut the remaining celery and carrot into sticks to serve on the side.