Lightened Up Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip is the healthyish football snack you need this time of year.

It’s easy to blow coverage on healthy eating plans while watching football or at a tailgate party. Between the buffet and the booze, you need a strong defense to stay on track. Lightening up fan favorites is an easy way to go on the offense for a good game plan.

Welcome to the Good and Good for You™ newsletter, a quick 5-minute read with ideas on ways to help improve your life – including a tasty and healthful recipe.

Good and Good for You™ the real-life way I lost 65# and have kept it off for 4+ years. It’s the real-life way I am 58 years old on no meds. It’s the real-life way my bloodwork is better than it has been most of my adult life. Good and Good for You™ is about whole body health gain, not solely about weight loss. It works and you can do it, too.

This issue shares:

• Best Life Living Tip: 30 Minutes of Wonderful ⏰
• Self-Care Strategy: Battling the Buffet 🏈
• Ideas and Inspiration: Bone Up with a Sweet Treat🦴
• Good and Good for You™ Recipe: Lightened Up Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip🔥

Thanks for reading. It’s amazing to see the reaction to this newsletter. We’re all ages, mostly women in some form of “pausal”, with the desire to make our lives better.

Read on for more — including this flat-out delicious Lightened Up Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip!

(Bonus: the serving size is realistic, not a mere dollop for 4 million calories!)

Best Life Living Tip

Julia Roberts’ most famous quote as Shelby Eatenton in Steel Magnolias is, “I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special”. This line reflects her character’s optimistic spirit and desire for a fulfilling life, even in the face of adversity.

This is not about Steel Magnolias; this is about what you eat.

Sometimes, no-fat, low-fat, and reduced-fat foods are pumped with sugar, salt, and “flavoring agents” aka chemicals to make them taste better (or even palatable).

You can find Zero Point Dessert in a WW forum that uses diet citrus soda and fat-free cake mix, but do you really want to eat that? It’s a science experiment. My answer is no.

Think balance. This recipe uses reduced-fat cheese and low-fat yogurt, but also full-fat, salty, umami-rich blue cheese, too, which gives it the big, bold flavor of Buffalo Dip we’re looking for.

Eat foods that can satisfy you. No one wants sad food.

(PS Did you love Steel Magnolias, too? Check out my Armadillo Butt Cupcakes!)

Self-Care Strategy

Buffets of any sort can be hard to navigate. Adding nervous energy about your team winning or losing — or dealing with the person who is nervous about their team winning or losing — can be tough. Stress eating is real.

Here are some self-care strategies for buffets at tailgate parties so you can enjoy yourself without blowing your healthy eating plan:

Before the Party 🏈

• Eat a small healthy snack so you’re not starving.
• Drink water to hydrate and help fill you up.

At the Buffet 🏈

• Scan first and choose only what you really want.
• Go easy on dips, sauces, and fried foods.
• Portion out the chips! (And, this Lightened Up Spicy Buffalo Dip tastes great on a lettuce spear or a carrot stick, too!)

Pay Attention 🏈

• Eat slowly and enjoy.
• No grazing all day – unless it’s veggies!
• Start with protein to stay full longer.

Raise a Glass 🏈

• Alternate alcohol with water.
• Pick lighter options (seltzer, light beer, spritzer).
• Remember, NAs can be high in calories, too

The After Party 🏈

• Did you blow your lead? Don’t punish yourself, simply balance it out with a lighter next meal.
• Stay active. Walk it off.

Ideas and Inspiration

Bone health is especially important to women as we age.

We think of prunes — and many of us think of them as a remedy for constipation, aka old people’s food. (Ever think about why old people might need prunes? They take a lot of meds!)

Yes, prunes will help keep you regular. And, they are also sweet and delicious with so many other benefits.

Give Dr. Wittstein a follow and eat your prunes! I’m ordering a copy of her book, The Complete Bone and Joint Health Plan: Help Prevent and Treat Osteoporosis and Arthritis 

Remember, it’s never too early or too late to make changes for a better life.

You can do it!

Good and Good for You™ Living Spotlight

It’s almost hoodie season!! This plush hoodie is old school. Available in classic grey, white, and pale blue, it is soft and comfortable, plus the hand warmer at the front is like a pocket. I LIVED in mine last year; it’s great for after a walk or a workout.

Check it out here: You Can Do It! EcoSmart® Pullover Hoodie Sweatshirt

It’s also cool because this supersoft fleece is made with up to 5% recycled polyester from plastic bottles.

PS – There’s ONE cabin left for the French River Cruise next April — contact Brook for more information or to get on our mailing list.

Make it Count

Thanks so much for reading. Please follow along on IG @virginiawillis for more best life tips, self-care techniques, inspiration, and healthy recipes.

Believe in your heart that as long as you’re doing what’s Good and Good for You™ more often than not, you’re on the right track.

You can do it! 🙌🏻

Bon Appétit Y’all — and Go Dawgs!!

Virginia Willis

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Lightened Up Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip

This makes 4 cups to serve 16, or about 1/4 cup per person, a realistic serving.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, hors d'oeuvres, Snack

Cuisine: American, Southern

Keyword: buffalo chicken, dip

Servings: 16

Calories: 74kcal

Author: Virginia Willis

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Neufchatel
• ½ cup fat-free yogurt
• ½ cup reduced-fat shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese divided
• ¼ cup Buffalo-style hot sauce
• 2 green onions divided
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• Celery sticks carrot sticks, and other veg for serving

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350°F. Combine cream cheese, yogurt, Cheddar, half the blue cheese, and hot sauce in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Fold in chicken and 1/2 of the green onions. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle over the remaining blue cheese and green onions. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Serve with vegetables.

Nutrition

Calories: 74kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 208mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 110IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 0.3mg