Gameday: 4 Lean Snacks More Delicious Than the Originals

You and your guests look forward to a big, tasty spread come Gameday Sunday.  There's no reason you have to eat yourselves into fat- and calorie-packed food comas every year — the ones that leave you groaning on the couch with bloated bellies for the better part of a week. Instead, make some easy adjustments to your favorite Gameday party recipes. When you substitute healthier alternatives to a few critical ingredients, you'll be able to chow on all your favorite flavors without regret. And best of all, without noticing there's anything missing!

Buffalo Wings. Yeah, we love these zesty, greasy nuggets of goodness, too. But just one of these fried beauties weighs in at 103 calories and 7 grams of fat — and that's before you even dip it in the essential blue cheese dressing. So, how can you keep the delicious nosh but make it less of a calorie bomb? Swap the wings for chicken skewers. One small lobe of skinless, boneless chicken breast weighing ¼ lb. — that's enough for about two skewers — contains 150 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. Now you can dip away with impunity!

Cheese Nachos. Hot, crispy and cheesy, a mere eight of these party must-haves contain 346 calories and almost 19 grams of fat. That's without any added ground beef, and before you dip them in sour cream. But honestly, who can stop at eight nachos? Almost 140 of the calories in eight nachos and some six grams of fat come from store-bought tortilla chips. The solution: Make one simple adjustment to your recipe that will allow you to eat many more nachos without any more groan factor, by starting with a base made from 6" soft corn tortillas, the ones you use for traditional-style tacos. Cut each one into six triangles and toast slightly in the oven before adding toppings; your eight nachos will now start with a base of about 46 calories and a negligible amount of fat.

Chili and Sliders. Let us hear you say YUM to both these party classics. However, switching to ground white meat turkey from 85% lean ground beef will save you big in the calorie and fat department. Consider: four ounces of turkey have 140 calories and three grams of fat, while the same amount of beef contains 241 calories and 16 grams of fat. By making this swap-out. you won't feel so guilty about loading up your bowl or your bun with all the extra creamy, cheesy fixins.

Dips. Everyone's got their favorite party dip (or more likely: dips). And pretty much every one of those dips is an artery-clogging bowl of addicting deliciousness. The reason? They all start with sour cream, which has an astonishing 494 calories and 38 grams of fat in just one cup. As luck would have it, there's an easy work-around in the form of whole, plain yogurt, which is just as delectable, just as rich and tangy, but will only bog you down with 149 calories and seven grams of fat per cup.

Trust us, these recipe hacks are just as delicious as the originals. We'll even eat our own football if any of your guests come close to tasting the difference.