Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Three Low Carb, But Delicious Game Day Snacks

Last week, I heard the crack of a bat striking a baseball at a nearby park; and I got giddy.  I love baseball season!  But, what I don't love...football.  Sorry guys, but unless it happens under the Friday night lights, I'm not a fan.  Guess what I do love?  Game day snacks!  Today I'm sharing THREE of my favorite game day snacks that are perfect for my low carb, Trim Healthy Mama friends, but tasty enough for everyone else.

First Up: Chicken Tacos

This is one of our favorite meals anytime.  Odds are, if you have eaten at my house; I've served you this!  It's a super simple, slow cooker meal.  You can use the chicken for salads, quesadillas, enchiladas, but chicken tacos are my favorite.  


Into your slow cooker add 4 chicken breasts, about half a bottle of Italian Dressing, a packet of ranch mix, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of cumin, and 1 tablespoon of chili powder, and cook on low for 5 hours.  I usually end up adding a little more cumin and chili powder, but that's up to you!  You can even live on the wild side and add cayenne!


**EMportant Note: If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, toss your cooked chicken into your mixing bowl and it will easily shred your chicken and save you lots to time!

I wrapped my chicken in a low carb tortilla with a little bit of pepper jack cheese and a dab of sour cream.  Perfect!



Next Up: Frank's Buffalo Dip...With a TWIST!  

It wouldn't be Super Bowl Sunday without Frank's Buffalo Dip, but I thought it might be fun to put a spin on it and put it in a...wait for it...mushroom.  Fun fact about me, I was NOT a mushroom fan until a few months ago.  Now, I cannot get enough of them!  I was missing out!
Mix up Frank's Buffalo Dip, as found here on their website.  Combine 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, 2 cups of shredded chicken, 1/2 cup of Frank's, 1/2 cup of blue cheese dressing (or ranch dressing) and 1/2 cup of mozzarella.  


Hollow out some mushrooms, carefully.  Then brush a little olive oil over the caps.


Then spoon about a tablespoon of the Buffalo dip into the mushroom, and top with a little mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  


Wow...these were perfection!  In fact, I was typing this I realized I had a few leftover in the refrigerator and I went and ate one, ok two...ice cold...and they were still good!

Bonus: If you have more dip than you do mushrooms, you can pour the remainder into a casserole dish and bake it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and enjoy it with baked, blue corn chips.  


Last, But Not Least: Jalapeno Poppers!!

Seriously, you have to make these!  We used 6 fairly large jalapenos, 6 pieces of bacon, 1 cup of cheese (use whatever you have on hand, I used a combination of cheddar and pepper jack), 8 ounces of cream cheese, SUGAR FREE BBQ Sauce and toothpicks.  **It's EMportant to note, at first my husband wanted to make half with regular BBQ sauce, until he tasted the sugar free.  It was so good, you would never know it is sugar free! 


There's my hubby, my personal hand model, showing off how to how to clean out a jalapeno.  The seeds are what makes it hot, so if you want a mild, family-friendly version; leave no seed behind!


Take your 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and combine it thoroughly with 1 cup of shredded cheese.  


Stuff your peppers with the cheese mixture and wrap half a piece of bacon around each pepper.


Secure with a toothpick and brush BBQ sauce liberally over over peppers.


Now, you can either bake in your over at 275 degrees for 45 minutes OR you can grill them for 25 minutes or until the bacon is done.


This is the definition of a game day snack!  You won't be disappointed.  


So, let me "football" it for a minute.  I'm going to be honest I normally pick my teams based on the color coordination of their outfits (aka uniforms), BUT this year that's difficult.  Personally, I love a good turquoise and black combo...so, classic.  BUT...navy with orange as a pop of color is so tasteful.  What's a girl to do...

I guess, I'm going to pick based on an actual football player.  I read this blog on Peyton Manning this week, and might have shed a little tear.  What a class act!  OK, enough, football!  Go make some snacks!

Go Broncos (said the Texas Ranger fan)!

Emily
P.S. I'm linking up with the ladies at Delicious Dish Tuesday and Rattlebridge Farm!  Go check them out for other yummy ideas!


8 comments:

  1. Yummmmmm! I'm not a fan of any sports but absolutely can support the foods that accompany the game if I'm going to be forced to watch it. HA! Who am I kidding?! I'll be reading a book through the game while sitting in a room full of crazy people yelling at the TV.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I use to go grocery shopping during the Super Bowl. The grocery store was a ghost town!

      Delete
  2. Buffalo chicken dip is always a hit at football parties and I never thought to add them into mushrooms. I'll definitely have to try this recipe to eliminate the chips.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yum! You had me at buffalo dip and jalapeno poppers - I love spicy food! These are great recipes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I hope you'll try them out! Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Thank you! We don't have any plans either & we ate all our yummy game day food on Monday night when I made it for "photography reasons!" Ha!!
      Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete

Blogger template designed By The Sunday Studio.