Posted by Scott Smith on Jan.28, 2009

The biggest game of the year is just days away! Where will you watch the Super Bowl this year? You could attend an extravagant, wasteful bash and consume 2,000 calories in just a few hours… or you could set a good example for your friends by planning a green, healthy Super Bowl party.

To cut down on the environmental impact of traveling, stay at home and invite local friends to your party. Save money and natural resources by using an online invitation site such as evite.com. Ask your friends to carpool, and encourage them to select designated drivers before the game gets started. There’s nothing healthy about driving under the influence.

Recipes for a Green, Healthy Super Bowl

Instead of picking up processed chips and dips at the grocery store, take the time to prepare homemade dips and spreads.

Made from chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, and onions, hummus is a tasty and easy-to-make homemade dip. Try one of these quick hummus recipes from about.com:

• Hummus with Tahini
• Hummus without Tahini
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
• Roasted Garlic Hummus
• Black Bean Hummus
• Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
• Spinach Hummus
• Spinach and Feta Hummus * my personal favorite
• Kalamata Olive Hummus
• Peanut Butter Hummus
• Low Fat Hummus with Yogurt

Now, if you’re going to take the time to make healthy dips, don’t negate the effort by serving them with greasy, processed potato chips! Hummus is traditionally served with pita bread, and it also goes well with raw vegetables. To be truly green and healthy, buy locally grown, organic vegetables and make your own veggie platter rather than buying a pre-packaged platter at the store. You can also make your own organic fruit platter.

If you’re a meat-eater, you may be wondering, “Where’s the beef?” While meat isn’t necessarily unhealthy, the production of meat has a devastating impact on the environment, and that’s why vegetarian dishes are inherently greener.

With that in mind, here are two more recipes for vegetarian dips as well as a recipe for vegetarian chili from vegetariantimes.com:

• Tomato Avacado “Salsamole”
• Beer Cheddar Spread
• Black Bean and Red Bean Vegetarian Chili

Visit famouschilirecipes.com for other great chili recipes. Also consider vegetarian hot dogs and homemade vegetarian pizza. Go light on the cheese and heavy on the veggies for a healthier pizza.

But, even if you were to serve all of the above delicious foods, chances are you’d still have a couple of disgruntled football fans asking, “Where are the hot wings?”

Let’s face it: some people don’t like veggies, and they want their meat – especially on game day. But that doesn’t mean you have to order 100 greasy, fattening chicken wings from your local pizza delivery establishment. For a healthier alternative, make chicken fingers using free-range skinless chicken breast strips. Dip them in milk and bread crumbs and bake at 425 for about 10 minutes; serve with mustard and barbecue sauce. Chicken fingers make clean-up much easier, too.

Organic Beers and Other Healthy Beverages

You can’t throw a Super Bowl party without beer. Fortunately, in the last few years, many organic beers have become widely available. Stone Mill Organic Pale Ale, for instance, is produced by Michelob Brewing Company and available nationwide. Visit stonemillpaleale.com to find a retailer near you. Wolaver’s Organic Ale, brewed in Vermont, is another popular organic beer.

New Belgium wins the award for the greenest brewery. Their wind-powered brewery features a highly efficient brewing process, green design, and on-site energy production. They also publish annual sustainability reports.

If you want to offer mixed drinks as well as beer, check out modmixbeverages.com for organic cocktail mixers. As for the liquor, Square One vodka is the first certified 100% organic American rye vodka. Several varieties of organic wines are now widely available, too.

Don’t neglect the non-drinkers at your party. Instead of buying expensive bottled water, invest in an affordable home water filter. Bottled water is neither healthy nor eco-friendly. See Choosing A Water Filtering System to learn more. Have a few organic fruit juices on hand, too.

Reduce, Recycle, Reuse

Avoid paper products to reduce waste. Serve food on reusable plates and beverages in reusable glasses. There’s nothing like sipping on an organic beer in a frosty glass mug. Give each guest a cloth napkin or towel rather than paper napkins; you could even buy them with your favorite team’s logo and give them out as party favors.

Be sure to designate recycling bins for paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass. When it’s time to clean up, reach for a biodegradable garbage bag.

Get off the Couch

Nobody wants to budge from the couch while the game’s on; however, with a little creativity, you can get your guests on their feet during commercials and halftime.

For instance, pass out small, reusable plates, and don’t place snacks directly in front of the couch. Set up a snack table in the back of the room or in the kitchen so that guests will have to get off the couch if they want more food.

During halftime, line up a tag football game or dance contest. If nothing else, toss the ol’ pigskin around in the yard for a few minutes.

Don’t Forget about the Kids

If children will be in attendance at your Super Bowl party, make sure that someone will be able to watch them for the entire party. Since it’s difficult to entertain guests and kids at the same time, you may want to hire a baby-sitter. Set up one party room for the adults and another safe, entertaining room for the kids. When preparing the food, set aside some healthy snacks for the kids, too.

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Posted under Drinks, Food, Nutrition & Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Living.