If you’re like me, Sunday football is a must-do activity during the fall and early winter. While rooting for your favorite team won’t cost you any calories, some football festivities have major penalties, especially when the game heads out to restaurants and bars.

Piling Up
Spending the afternoon at a local bar and grill can get you into more trouble than you might think. Let’s crunch the numbers…

Let’s say you meet up with friends to watch a couple of games. You arrive around 1pm and plan on leaving by 6pm, in time to make it home for the night game.

Let’s assume you consume 2 beers an hour, plus munch on chicken wings (5 pieces), some nachos (1/4 order), plus a cheeseburger (no fries, you’re being “good”).

Hold on to your helmet! That comes out to 3150 calories in 5 hours. That’s over 150% of the calories most folks need in an entire day. Eat like this for 16 regular season weeks and you’ll tackle over 50,000 calories (14.5 pounds), and that’s not counting the Super Bowl party!

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Giants versus Patriots . . . or pizza versus lobster rolls?

As if the big game wasn’t enough excitement, we’re placing the teams’ hometowns head-to-head in a culinary battle. Put the football aside for one moment and decide – who’s got the better food?

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Don't skip the game day wings you crave, just bake them instead of deep-drying.

It’s not exactly breaking news that deep-frying is one of the least healthy cooking techniques out there. You won’t find fried chicken wings, mozzarella sticks or French fries at the top of any healthy food lists. But they are tops on every football party menu. Wings, especially, are a must-have for game day, especially The Big Game. We’d never suggest you watch the biggest football game of the year without this favorite football snack, but we will recommend that you bake them instead of deep-frying them. You’ll get that same crispy, hot sauce-covered wing you crave, without the guilt (and without your house smelling like burnt oil).

The wing recipe featured in the latest issue of Food Network Magazine is a healthier twist on the classic bar snack; the wings are first cooked in seasoned chicken broth spiked with hot sauce so they’re extra juicy, then they’re baked in the oven until the skin is crisp and golden. Instead of high-fat blue cheese dressing, make your own blue cheese-yogurt dipping sauce to dip your wings and celery in.

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Robin's cheesy calzone -- a great way to use up leftover vegetables.

It seems like everyone’s really fired up for football this year. I mean, like more than usual. Maybe we need a distraction from the roller coaster economy and political fanfare. No offense to those of you who celebrate this much every year, but you have to agree, it’s over the top. The entrances to supermarkets and stores like Wal-Mart and Target are piled high with “gear and goodies” for football viewing. Cases of soda, family-size bags of chips, shelf-stable cheese, beer, sports jerseys and more. That got me thinking – instead of potato chips and onion dip, how about food that’s really awesome, easy and healthy? Check out my recipes – a gooey and garlicky broccoli and cheese calzone, crunchy and cheesy parmesan chicken fingers and hearty black bean guacamole with corn and whole grain chips. With these amazing recipes on your team, everyone wins!

Broccoli-Cheese Calzone

This is a great way to use up leftover vegetables and cheese. Use any vegetable or veggie combination you want – I really like the mixed vegetables for stir-fry (like bell peppers and onions) sold next to the other mixed vegetables in the freezer aisle.

Olive oil cooking spray
2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets, thawed if frozen
1 pound fresh or frozen bread or pizza dough, thawed according to package directions
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic and herb seasoning or Italian seasoning (preferably salt-free)
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

If using fresh broccoli, blanch the florets in boiling water for 30 seconds or steam in the microwave for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Roll dough out into a large circle, about 1/2-inch thick, and transfer to prepared baking sheet (don’t worry if some dough hangs over the edge – you’ll be folding it in half).

Combine mozzarella cheese and seasoning and toss to combine. Top one half of dough with mozzarella mixture. Top mozzarella mixture with broccoli. Fold over side of dough without toppings and pinch edges together to seal.

Spray top of calzone with cooking spray and sprinkle parmesan cheese all over top.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting crosswise into slices.

Serves 6

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