Thursday, September 17, 2009

Healthy Tailgate Foods

Fall football season is in full swing, despite the fact that baseball is still going on (is it just me, or do all the sport seasons run together so we never get a break!?!?!). Where is the synchronized swimming season?!?! (for those of you who don't know ... I am a synchronized swimmer).

Being in a college town... and by town I mean a town where the population grows by nearly 40,000 students each year when school rolls around again... means you cannot escape football, basketball, and hockey seasons. Thus, we need lots of good, healthy recipes for the year-long sporting events ;-)

One thing Frog Prince and I love doing is having International students over to watch the game -- treating them to tailgate food, and teaching them (and me) the rules of the game.



For the big square-off in our state we made homemade pizzas!



The girls loved making the pizzas, learning how to use the oven and getting to enjoy a healthier version of a traditional football Saturday snack.





If we don't go all out for the pizzas, we love munching on:

Dried fruit (and this year I can't wait to make apple chips!)




Nut-Free Trial Mix



Cheesy Crackers



Ranch Pretzels



Broccomole Dip


and,

Black Bean Dip!



The dips are excellent with Multi-grain chips, or veggies, or with homemade pita chips (recipe below)!

Homemade Pita Chips - SnoWhite

1 package of whole wheat pitas, slip open
butter
garlic salt
parsley, dried (to taste)
*optional seasoning: lemon pepper

Preheat your oven to 350.

Spread each pita with a light layer of butter and cut into quarters. Place onto a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt and dried parsley (or lemon pepper).

Bake for 10-12 minutes until browned (watch carefully so they don't burn!).

Cool completely and then enjoy. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Happy football/basketball/hockey/gymnastics/soccer/swimming/baseball season!

For more recipes, check out URS: Healthy Appetizers & Snacks!

9 comments:

  1. How wonderful that you get to hang out with the International students! I hope you get to learn as much from them as they do from you. :-)

    I'll have to try making your pita chips - they look yummy!

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  2. #1. I love that you guys invest in international students, i was very involved with them on my college campus too.

    #2. I love those plates in the pic, too cute!

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  3. Goodness you have a site full of delicious finds. The Ranch Pretzels and Chessy Crackers are two things I've never made but want to try.
    Have a wonderful day - great post!
    Happy Twirls

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  4. What a wonderful tailgate party. It all looks delicious. This was a great post.

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  5. What a great way to reach out to your community! I love how yummy all of your tail-gating foods look (especially the black bean dip)!

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  6. Broccomole dip sounds delicious!!! Whata fun post!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! Its always great to meet another Michigan blogger! When I lived in the dorms at Michigan State, I lived with an exchange student from Korea. she was wonderful, and I enjoyed sharing different American traditions with her. In fact, she came to my family's Thanksgiving celebration that year. Where are you in school?

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  7. How fun!! What a nice thing for you to do!! We are 30 minutes away from Ole Miss, and we drive over a lot to eat on the weekends. It's amazing how much different the traffic and crowds are during school months!
    All the food looks yummy, too!!

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  8. Oh yum, I will have to try those cheesy crackers! I made your tomato basil bread last night, TO DIE FOR!!! Even the girls loved it:) Thanks for all your great recipse!

    And yes, I will try to soak in the moment at the Twins game, I just loathe baseball....

    Blessings,
    Cara

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  9. When I make pita chips, I cut them into wedges, separate layers, spray with butter flavored cooking spray, sprinkle with seasoning salt, garlic powder and dried basil - YUMMY

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Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you; especially how you're finding JOY in your kitchen.

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