Healthy Super Bowl Food Alternatives

Wings are iconic football food and are sure to grace the buffet table at most Super Bowl soirees. A classic buffalo wing recipe deep fries chicken wingettes and then smothers them in butter and hot sauce. Tasty, for sure, but did you know you could skip part of this process and still serve dynamite wings? Try roasting the wings instead. Lay them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Then prepare them as you like. I love a classic lemon pepper wing: toss the roasted wings in butter, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon pepper seasoning, and serve. For a sticky but delicious combo, coat the wings with balsamic vinegar and soy, like they did over at Gourmet.

This just in: guacamole is good for you! Loaded with potassium and healthy fats, avocados are one of the healthiest parts of a game day feast, whether it's the Super Bowl or not. Skip the store-bought kind loaded with its fillers, preservatives, and hard-to-pronounce ingredients. Make yourself a homemade batch using the classic combo of mashed ripe avocados, chopped tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and some fresh lime juice. (Helpful hint: Goya adobo seasoning is the secret ingredient for a perfect guacamole!)

Want to jazz up your guacamole experience even more? Pineapple and guacamole are a match made in heaven, as shown here at Better Homes and Gardens, where they throw in some black beans for good measure. High schooler and food blogger Erica grills her avocado first before mixing it with Parmesan and basil. Cat at The Rustic Willow promises we will swoon for her banana guacamole with cashews, inspired by a dish at her favorite restaurant.

If you adore the idea of cheese-loaded carbs (read: if you're human), then nothing quite fits the bill like loaded potato skins. The classic recipe calls for white potatoes that are halved, scooped, and deep-fried before being filled with cheese, bacon, and sour cream. Mouthwatering? Yes. But not terribly easy on the waistline. If you're aching for a potato skin that offers more in the way of nutrition, consider making your potato skins with fiber- and nutrient-packed sweet potatoes.

Sally goes classic with her sweet potato skins and uses a technique similar to a twice-baked potato to achieve those elusive crispy skins. At the Food Network Kitchen, they bake their sweet potato skins with part-skim mozzarella cheese and top them with avocado and salsa verde. Kara Lydon makes a vegan version using black beans and cashew cheese topped with dollops of vegan sour cream.

Looking for even more ways for your crockpot to give you a hand on Super Bowl Sunday? Well, it turns out that a slow cooker is the ideal place to make a large batch of the pulled meat of your choice. (It can also be done in the oven.) Added bonus? Pulled pork, chicken, or beef is a make-ahead dream and is surprisingly healthier than you may think. Allow guests to serve themselves with rolls or cornbread or ladled into bowls with fixin's like homemade coleslaw.

Christal at Nutritionist in the Kitch makes a super-simple pulled chicken in her crockpot, using chicken breasts, spices, and canned tomatoes, which she tops off with fresh avocado and lime juice. Skinny Ms. shares a recipe from Amy's Cooking Adventures for a slow cooker Mexican shredded beef that is seasoned with cumin and jalapeno. Over at Muscle and Fitness, we see how easy it is to make a pulled pork that is delicious and low-carb. Not even bison gets left out of the pulled meat party — an easy paleo version is available over at Civilized Caveman Cooking.

Ask anyone with kids — healthy eating can be all about presentation. And what better way to present healthy-for-the-bod fruits and veggies than in a football-themed display? Grab yourself a sharp knife, a melon baller, and a watermelon, and check out the easy tutorial above to make a watermelon football helmet. Fill it up with easily scooped-up balls of your favorite fruit. For a decadent addition, surround your creation with these chocolate strawberry footballs from Domestic Fits.

The kiddos can even help with this touchdown-worthy veggie tray at Creative Kids. Celery sticks and string cheese make a convincing football field with carrot and bell pepper "fans" in the stadium to cheer them on. If you have a little more spare time on your hands, check out this "snackadium" from 52 Kitchen Adventures with just the right amount of healthy to last you until the very final commercial.