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THERESA: Girlfriend and football expert/maniac Yvonne Dennis has got her own Daily News weblog up and running, devoted to the Philadelphia Eagles. Check it out! It's called 4th & 26.
Unlike Yvonne, I don't know much about football myself-- like a lot of people, I only get drawn in when my team makes the playoffs, and only then do I get totally swept up in it. And now that the Eagles are within spitting distance of the NFC championship (again) I find myself asking, what is about watching this game that makes us all want to pig out? Why does the spectacle of big, big, BIG guys lumbering up and down a big field on a cold day, cheered on as the pinnacle of athletic accomplishment, just give us the munchies? I was pretty conservative with the snacks during Sunday's game against Green Bay. No chips, salsa, cheese or crackers, grossly fattening hot wings or cheese curls. I had a little (lightly buttered) airpopped popcorn and a couple beers. But you know what? It didn't seem right to be so disciplined. For this weekend's game against North Carolina, forget about calorie counting. Bring on the fat. Bring on the salt. Bring on the nachos!
Wait a second! What am I saying? The fact is, every delicious greasy hot wing with ranch dressing costs me about 200 calories. A handful of 20 potato chips packs 150 calories. Even low-fat snacks like pretzels or Baked Lays are about 130 calories per ounce (what you get in a small bag). So, to avoid post-game guilt and sluggishness, I'll try to go easy on the junk food and chop up a lot of fresh raw veggies to serve with no-fat dressing instead. Baked chicken tenders dipped in the same no-fat dressing would be way healthier than wings. And I'd be smart to settle for baked tortilla chips with salsa instead of cheesy delicious nachos.
What are your favorite snacks for an at-home tailgate party, girlfriends? Do you have the discipline to keep it healthy?
YVONNE: Though still not perfect, I love to munch on Baked Ruffles (cheddar) during TV time. I think you can also get away with grapes and not be mocked too much by your sports buds. But Theresa's right - game time is the time to snack guilt free. Just don't gorge till your stomach is bloated. When you are full, stop. Get those finger foods out of hand's reach. Put them in the kitchen and you'll be fine until you are truly hungry again.
You know, crudites can be a good time to catch up on your veggie intake -- and thanks to advances in fat-free dressing, it no longer sucks!
Posted by: Wendy on January 13, 2004 10:39 AMA holiday houseguest brought me two pounds of French brie cheese. I love to light the fire, open a bottle a dry white wine and eat the cheese with some grapes and water crackers.
After almost six years here at the Daily News, I have become somewhat of a sportsaholic. I’m sure many of our readers are eating brie and drinking white wine while they watch the game. Dontcha think?? Don’t tell anyone, ok?
You will know where I’ll be Sunday. Also when we really need comfort food, we add summer sausage, which is a true Milwaukee treat. I suppose it’s an acquired taste and it can add five pounds in about an hour. But it’s darn good.
Posted by: Ellen on January 13, 2004 10:40 AMI'm trying to lose the 10 pounds I gained over the holiday, so I'll probably munch on veggies and low-fat snacks. It will be interesting to see how much will power I have. I want to run the Broad Street Run in May and I need to lose the 10 pounds I gained and at least another 5.
So bon appetit to everyone else!
I, too, am a fair-weather fan, drawn to the arena only when a championship is at stake. And then, I get so anxious while I'm watching, I either can't eat at all, or I sit there, unthinkingly stuffing whatever's in arm's reach in my mouth. It's a stress reliever to crunch and gnash and chomp, so I'll go for those kinds of things -- pretzels and chips. But it can also be carrots and almonds and celery, boring as that sounds. Anyway, if you're reasonably diciplined the rest of the time, what's wrong with indulging yourself in rich, calorie-laden food now and then, in the name of team spirit? It's almost un-American to do otherwise. I've had two more pieces of pizza this week than in the last two years. That's my contribution to the team's victory. Go (burp) Eagles!
Posted by: Jill on January 13, 2004 10:48 AMLet's compare regional delicacies!!!
Ingredients for a true Southern tailgate:
Beer
Southern Comfort
Ham biscuits (made from scratch preferred; second is buttered dinner rolls with Virginia ham inside)
Deviled Eggs
Beer
Wings
'Tato skins
Barbeque (in certain parts of the South, only bring the hash)
Fried chicken
Slaw
Potato salad
Biscuits
Banana puddin'
Beer
And if the party is big enough:
Roast pig for pickin'
Beer
Pig pickin' cake (yellow cake)
Beer
And then you sleep.
Posted by: Wendy on January 13, 2004 10:52 AMI say relax and enjoy yourself. But maybe before the game, hit the gym and maybe do a little extra something. Life's short. And the last time I checked, there was no swimsuit competition.
Football - Food - Booze - they are synonymous. Calories notwithstanding, it feels good to pig out when the game is on (it helps relieve the stress. You can always redeem yourself on Monday.
A good idea is to work out or take a run or walk before the game. Or if you're really efficient you can use all the time-outs to get a few reps in. That's at least 45 minutes of valuable work-out time.
If you're going to "be good" and eat veggies, make sure you are sufficiently fortified with a Margarita or two, beer is good, but it does make one "go" way too often.
In the end it's all about having fun, and girls just wanna have fun!
Enjoy the games!
Ivette Ricco
President
www.Femmefan.com