Tailgating is the quintessential fall activity! Whether you are grilling in your backyard or the stadium parking lot, tailgating brings a big crowd with big appetites. You don’t have to spend all day cooking for your hungry guest – let Hy-Vee be your resource for delicious “semi-homemade” tailgate treats!

HealthMarket

• • Hy-Vee Hummus and FSTG multigrain chips. Make a wholesome snack!
  • Hy-Vee Salsa and HealthMarket Blue chips
  • Hy-Vee Sweet potato chips
  • Xochil corn chips with Desert Pepper Bean Dips Or Amy’s Black Bean Salsa with Corn
• Hy-Vee plain yogurt for dips, add to ready-made dips
• Black beans (no salt added) for salsa, tacos, burritos and eggs.

• Hy-Vee Meat Counter
  • Pre-made BEEF kabobs (think school colors!)
  • Buy pre-cooked smoked pulled chicken and spend time preparing your secret sauce!
  • Hormel pre-seasoned pork loins are fantastic – ready on the grill in just 45 minutes – they are moist and tender! Try serving it sliced or on a ciabatta roll.
  • Whether you grill Alfresco or Aidell’s chicken sausages, you can spend your time with the many delicious toppings (sauerkraut, grilled onions and peppers, hot mustard sauce). Yum!
• Salad Bar
  • Make your favorite dip with fat-free/light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, but let the Hy-Vee Salad bar cut up all those veggies and fruits for you!
• Produce
  • Give your veggie tray some pizzazz by using vegetables for “dishes” – cabbages, tomatoes and peppers cored all make fantastic bowls for dips.
  • Fruit and vegetable kabobs can be served raw or grilled with your own special sauce or dip. Again, think School Colors (Nebraska – strawberries, raspberries, apples, pears, alternated with small pieces of pound cake)
  • Avocados as a dip or a sandwich spread.

Team Spirit Steak Kabobs
Serves: 6

All You Need
¼ cup finely chopped green onions
¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1–½ tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 pound flat iron or sirloin steak, cut into small cubes
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (or use your favorite team colors!)

All You Do
1. Combine onions, soy sauce, brown sugar, water, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and black pepper in a small bowl. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add marinade and steak to resealable plastic bag and marinate for 15 minutes to 2 hours in the fridge.

2. Remove steak from marinade; discard remaining marinade. Thread strips of steak onto skewers alternating with bell pepper pieces. Transport assembled kabobs in clean resealable plastic bag in cooler to the game.
3. Grill for 8-11 minutes, turning once. Use meat thermometer to check for doneness 145 degrees medium rare and 160 degrees for medium well.

Nutrition per 3-oz serving: 150 calories; 9 g fat; 3 g saturated fat; 45 mg cholesterol; 276 mg sodium; 4 g carbohydrates; 1 g fiber; 13 g protein 

Mushroom Bites                           Serves 8

 All you need:

4 oz. mushrooms (Produce)

1 (15 oz) pkg Hy-Vee spinach dip

2 oz. grated cheese

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (Produce)

1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped (Produce)

1 tbsp minced fresh basil (Produce)

 All you do:

1. 1. Remove stems from each mushroom. Using a spoon, scrape out and discard the black gills in each mushroom cap.
   2. Fill each mushroom with about 1 teaspoon spinach dip. Warm in oven for 12 min. 350 degrees.
   3. Top with cheese, chopped tomatoes and bell peppers.
      

 Win Big with Beef at your Tailgate Party

 Are you tailgating this Saturday at the Stadium?

 Watch out for our #Hy-Vee Dietitians Becky Guittar and Carrie Nielsen. Are you cooking beef for your tailgate party?  You could win a coupon for one of our BEEF Hy-Vee Mealtime Kits! Our dietitians will be browsing the Husker Nation Tailgate Party from 5 pm – 7 pm this Saturday!  All you have to do is cook BEEF with your family at your tailgate party and Win!

High-fiber Shopping list  for school lunches:

Regular Girl (GF and Fodmap friendly)

Beanitos chips  (GF)

Crunchin cuts Sweet Potato Fries (GF)  Pick up a free sample at the store. Email Becky at bguittar@hy-vee.com

Triscuit crackers

Blevita  breakfast biscuits (Dietitian’s Pick of the Month)

Whole wheat tortillas, English muffins

Crunchmaster multi-grain crackers  (GF)

Harvest Snaps black bean crisps (GF)

Clif bar (oats brownie bar)

Stay regular with more dietary fiber and probiotics.  Always go slow to add fiber to your meals and snacks and drink plenty of water.  See a Hy-Vee Dietitian for more help.

When school starts, students and parents are packing lunches. It’s a good idea to think about including whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  Tummy troubles can be helped with more dietary fiber and water. Some good examples of whole grains are whole wheat tortillas, whole grain crackers, whole wheat English muffins or rolls. Choose foods with 3 grams of dietary fiber or more. Regular girl with 5 grams of prebiotic fiber per serving can also help with regularity and maintaining a healthy digestion. Regular girl is tasteless and odorless dietary supplement, in a packet. It’s so easy to mix  with water at  room temperature. For your student, add directly to cereal, overnight oats,  milk, juice or a smoothie. Plus, Regular girl also contains active probiotics, the healthy bacteria in your gut. I especially like because it is also gluten-free and is FODMAP friendly. See regulargirl.com for more information or ideas.  You can find Regular Girl at Hy-Vee HealthMarkets or ask your Hy-Vee Dietitian to help you find it on the shelf.

Use My Plate to guide food choices and fill the bento box,

Have kids pack their own sack lunch with a lunch stations like this on your counter and

in your refrigerator.

• Purchase a Bento Box or similar style lunchbox
• Use silicone cupcake liners for dips or sauces
• Get kids involved in meal planning and lunchbox choices! Sit down with kids and make a list of their favorite food items then post this list for inspiration.
• Make food fun!

-Cut sandwiches into shapes using cookie cutters

-Make fruit/veggie skewers or sandwiches on a stick, pack fresh grapes in a small sandwich bag

-Add raw veggies to a salad dressing container

-Make pinwheels by wrapping sandwich contents in a tortilla and roll it

-Hide notes of encouragement or “I love you” in the lunchbox

-Include a small treat like a few marshmallows or animal crackers

-Kids love to dip! Contact your local Hy-Vee dietitian for healthy dip recipes. Some ideas may include hummus, sunflower seed butter, guacamole, bean dip, yogurt ranch dip, vanilla Greek yogurt or spinach dip.

• Have kids help make homemade ice packs: soak a sponge in water, put it in a plastic bag and freeze overnight! As the “ice” melts the sponge will reabsorb it for repeated use.
• Think outside the lunchbox-don’t feel obligated to serve only typical lunch food items. If your kid loves breakfast foods, serve them a peanut butter waffle sandwich in place of a regular sandwich to increase lunchtime excitement. If your kid enjoys snacks, turn snack foods into a meal!
• Utilize “meal planning bins” to speed up your morning. Take time on the weekend to prep fruits, veggies, sandwiches, etc. into plastic bags. Fill refrigerator bins with items from different foods groups. In the morning simply grab a bag from each bin to put in the lunchbox.
• Encourage water or milk as a beverage