Recipe
So now we know the offense & defense aren’t on the field at the same time, a down is a play, and there’s more ways to score than a touchdown. Read the rest of my girl’s guide to football here.
So what’s all that other stuff they talk about? Fumbles, turnovers, penaliies?
The quick and dirty:
Fumble: butterfingers drops the ball
Interception: the other team butts in the way and catches the ball
(Psst those are called turnovers.)
Red zone: the last 20 yards before the end zone
Hail Mary: a final act of desperation. The quarterback throws the ball hoping somebody somewhere will catch it.
Blitz: a defensive player abandons his duties and goes after the quarterback
Sack: tackle of the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage
Illegal formation: not enough offensive players are on the line of scrimmage
Ok enough of that football jibber jabber. This is a food blog, so let’s talk about some food. Football food!
Wings, pizza, & nachos are always some favorites, but how about a couple healthy options to balance the spread out?
Like….
Spinach Dip
10 oz frozen spinach
16 oz sour cream
1 cup mayo
1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix
8 oz chopped water chestnuts
Try subbing the mayo and/or sour cream for things like Greek yogurt or vegenaise.
or how about…
Homemade Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp cumin
2 small garlic cloves
~1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Add more spice depending on how you like it. Or jazz it up with roasted red peppers or roasted garlic.
What’re your favorite healthy football munchies?
P.S. Have you heard the corn big-wigs are trying to change the name of high fructose corn syrup to “corn sugar”? Check out what I think about the corn sugar name swap over at The Health Hoot.
Recipe
At every family event growing up, my mom made spinach dip. It got to the point where it was expected of her- if it wasn’t there, something felt wrong.
When I officially moved out on my own, one of the first things I did was ask for my mom’s recipes- you know, all 4 that she ever made. Spinach dip was first on the list.
I knew the spinach dip used a packet of dried soup mix, but I felt utterly cheated the first time I went shopping for the ingredients and turned the Knorr vegetable soup packet over.
Right there, staring me in the face, was my mom’s spinach dip recipe. I should have known.
10 oz frozen spinach
16 oz sour cream
1 cup mayo
1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix
8 oz chopped water chestnuts
Of course I made the dip anyway. Even if it’s not some prized secret family recipe, it still brings back memories of defrosting spinach with my mom late at night before family gatherings so the dip could sit overnight and do it’s magical flavor enhancing thing.
I do have to admit I never have the forethought to make the dip ahead of time, so it’s never quite as good. Or maybe it’s just not as good because Mom didn’t make it.
Perhaps it’s the unending substitutions & variations I make: mayo, vegenaise, sour cream, Greek yogurt…pretty much anything that’s creamy goes. And measuring is obsolete, though I always use 2 packs of frozen spinach because that’s the best part of the dip.
Yesterday the spinach dip was the star of the snack show as the husband’s family joined us for the first college game day of the season.
Can you tell what team we route for? (Don’t ask. I learned a long time ago it’s easier to just join them in their fan-hood.)
With spinach dip, there’s something for everyone: carrots, tortilla chips, celery, and pita chips.
Game day in the SoS house is literally a day- morning through night, it’s all about football. I can only handle so much, so for me it’s an excuse to enjoy adult beverages in the middle of the day without anyone blinking an eye.
(My all time favorite, despite it’s slightly inappropriate name- Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen.)
The snacks held us over til the end of the game and it was time to grill. Thank goodness we were victorious or who knows what the husband would have done to our dinner. 😉
Hamburgers for the crowd, stuffed peppers to keep me happy. Stuffed peppers are probably my favorite veggie-grilling go-to.
Some how we managed to get through the day without anyone touching my apple crisp. You bet I’m being selfish with this one. 😉
Are you a football fan?
