Are You Ready?

We’re just two days away from the moment when most American’s will start to bend the rules on those healthy eating resolutions: Super Bowl Sunday. There may be the Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham, and July 4 apple pie, but few holidays can match the sheer number of calories that Superbowl Sunday packs. From wings to steaks to fries, and a whole mess more, I couldn’t even fathom a guess at how many calories are going to be set out across our tables come Sunday.

Now, there’s surely nothing wrong with plenty of the dishes that’ll be served on Sunday (as long as that beef is grass-fed!), but there will be plenty of traps out there for those who have quit gluten and grains. For instance, if you decide to have a bunless burger, you’ll need to know to avoid ketchup as well (lots of gluten and sugar there). Consider unsweetened organic tomato sauce.  I thought that, since I’m always asked what can be served to make a dinner Grain Brain-friendly, I’d offer a few suggestions for what you can serve your guests this weekend:

• You’ll probably start having guests over around 5PM, still 90min to kick-off. Since this means they’ll be over for quite some time you’ll want to be ready with a nice selection of finger foods for them. For sure, you’ll need to have guacamole. Instead of chips, serve it with a sliced cucumber for dipping. Additionally, hummus always makes for a great dip, served with carrots, celery, broccoli, bell peppers or whatever you like! But keep in mind that hummas is actually fairly high in carbs. There’s plenty of great cheese in the world, and nobody ever says no to a cheese plate, so pick up 2-3 of your favorites and serve on a plate with some mustard-based sauces. For those of you looking to set a top-of-the-line menu, a large shrimp cocktail always delights (though you may need a whole boatload of shrimp).
• What about when guests are ready for some main courses? Well, if you skipped the guacamole you could bring together avocado and olive oil (two members of the anti-Alzheimer’s trio) in an avocado and tomato salad that will add a kick of color to your buffet table. For the main course, your options are only limited by your kitchen hardware. If you like the sound of burgers, then get cooking! On this site, we’ve got great options, such as slow cooker roast beef and beanless chili. Nobody will be left hungry.
• Of course, the sides are just as important as main dishes, and a great way to sneak in some brain-healthy vegetables and vitamins/nutrients. Roasted nacho cauliflower is a hearty dish perfect for the wintertime. How about some zucchini pasta?

How about you? What’ll be on your dinning room table? And if you make any of these recipes, let me know how they turn out!