Whether you’re a diehard football fan or a dedicated winter games enthusiast, the spectator snacks are almost as important as the sporting event itself. You’ll find healthy versions of all your favourites in this round up, including lightened up recipes for crowd-pleasing selections such as dips, wings, potato skins, meatballs, sliders, and nachos.
Dips and Spreads
The secret to creating memorable dips with healthy ingredients? Incorporating big, bold flavours whenever possible. We’ve added some of our favourite high impact ingredients with lower point values into these dips — think roasted red peppers, sriracha, artichokes, and caramelized onions. Serve these dips and spreads with sliced veggies, pita chips or with a bowl of tortilla chips.
Wings, Poppers and Potato Skins
Although the recipes in this section are traditionally deep fried, you’ll find that a hot oven or an air fryer can help you achieve just-as-crispy results. While many of these wings, poppers, and potato skins can be prepped in advance, you should save the final baking step for right before you plan on serving them. This will keep the outside crispy and the interior piping hot, an especially helpful tip if melted cheese is involved.
Serve up a platter of these pub-style favourites:
Meatballs and Sliders
Both meatballs and pulled meat or poultry can be partially made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen for up to 3 months, making it possible to serve these snacks with little to no notice. For pulled meat or poultry, portion the cooked meat into smaller portions. This way, when you need to defrost the meat, it will thaw faster than if it was frozen in one large portion. If you want to reduce the point value of any of the following slider recipes, try substituting thick slices of cooked zucchini, eggplant or portobello mushroom for the buns.
Treat your guests to a selection of meatballs and sliders:
Snacks By-the-Handful
These homemade munchies will keep you feeling satisfied throughout even the longest sports events. For the fluffiest popcorn, try soaking the unpopped kernels in water overnight (similar to the method of soaking beans and pulses before cooking.) Roasted chickpeas should receive the opposite treatment, give them time to dry completely on a clean kitchen towel before popping them in the oven or air fryer.
Grab a handful of these WW-friendly munchies:
Nachos
You’ll have plenty of fans when you wow the crowd with a platter piled high with hot nachos. Present these loaded chips family style, letting your guests serve themselves. Provide an additional selection of condiments such as pickled jalapeño peppers, salsa, olives, sliced green onions. and Greek yogurt or low fat sour cream so that everyone can customize their nachos exactly the way they like.