Low-Carb Football Playoff Appetizers & GO PANTHERS!

Alright now, Charlotte is officially ELECTRIC, and I don't know if you watched last night's playoff game at all or if you even give a hoot, but our team is f-u-n. Young guys filled with energy, passion, compassion ... and maybe they're just being coached really well by their public relations managers, but did you notice that in the post-game interviews, they are always first to give credit to their fellow teammates and the fans for their successes? 

Class act, guys. Way to make the Queen City proud!

So, let's talk food. (standard)

Navigating this playoff game menu with my recent gestational diabetes diagnosis was a bit more challenging than usual, but we didn't really have an option. Typically we would have had the classics -- chips and dip, pigs in a blanket, pizza, brownies. 

My new meal plan stresses the importance of watching my carbohydrate intake and balancing it out with proteins. I'm still learning, and I have a LOT more to learn, but I wanted to share the lower-carb appetizers we made for dinner last night ... and they were a success! Taste-wise and health-wise. An hour after eating, my glucose level was 90 when I pricked my finger which was great. 

First, I made these little zucchini "pizzas." I sliced the zucchini and placed the slices between paper towels for a few hours to get a lot of the moisture out. Then I sprayed a cookie sheet with Pam, stuck them in for about 8 minutes on 375 degrees until the bottoms were golden brown, then flipped them. On top I added a small amount of marinara sauce (Aldi's organic version), some Italian shredded cheese, and then halved pepperoni slices or olives. Baked for about 8 minutes more until the cheese was just starting to bubble. These were great, and even Camille had a few with her dinner!

I can't take credit for these beautiful wings. Ian is the wingmaster in our home. He made half with lemon pepper seasoning and half with a buffalo butter sauce (are you drooling yet?). He grills them, and they are as delicious as they look. 

Deviled eggs were also an easy way of getting in a non-meat protein. I went classic with the filling this time (mayo, mustard, salt, pepper, relish, egg yolks) but sometimes I like mixing it up by adding blue cheese dressing and capers to the yolks for a twist. 

And I just noticed from this photo that I left off the paprika last night. Shame on me -- someone come take away my Southern card. ;)

Last appetizer - my trusty old fondue pot. I got this in college, back in 2003 or so, and it is a powerhouse. Fondue is just fun and so, so easy. For this cheese fondue, I rubbed the heated pot with a halved garlic clove, added in half a bottle of Ian's beer, then two cups of shredded sharp cheddar and a tablespoon of flour. Gave it a good stir, and we enjoyed it with celery sticks. I also had a very small amount of sourdough bread, so I cubed up some of that, and even ended up having three pieces of it since the rest of my dinner was low on carbohydrates. 

My fondue pot is by West Bend but I couldn't find it on Amazon ... I did find this Oster one for $35 (Amazon Prime eligible) which looks like a great option if you are in the market. 

And for the record, once the baby is here safely and I can resume my normal diet, I am TOTALLY making a huge pot of milk chocolate fondue with crushed Oreos and marshmallows in it. My very, very favorite combo!

So, that was our menu last night, and hopefully that will give you some ideas to prepare for the most awesome Super Bowl ever (wink)! 

Oh! And I'll be updating our Tipsy Bunny shop on Etsy over the next few days with cute Panthers bows for the little ones, if you are in the market. You can find our shop HERE. 

Gooooooooo PANTHERS -- keep pounding!