As a type-A personality, I love to plan and prepare and organize. Figuring out life is like a challenging and fun Tetris game that amuses me, but there are still some things in life you just can’t plan for – like losing a parent unexpectedly. I’ve had a flood of emotions and memories from my childhood, some good, some bad, but all bittersweet. You can’t help to feel the guilt – I should have gone home to Pittsburgh more, I should have text and called him more, I should have….
But you can’t plague yourself with that, and instead – after the grieving you move on and do things to help remember and memorialize them is the best you can do.
One Heluva Good Memory
One of the things dad loved was football. I mean, come on we did grow up in Western PA. He was your typical full-blooded yinzer. He grew up on a farm, had a serious hillbilly father, worked on the railroad and played guitar in the band. He was the definition of a “good ol boy” – and I, his tom boy daughter, followed right along in his footsteps. It wasn’t surprising to hear people tell me stories of me tromping right behind my dad in my cowboy boots when they’d see us in town.
So this week, we’re honoring dad with two things we both loved – football and food. I remember dips and chips always being a staple in our football watching – especially the big game when he would let me stay up late on a school night to watch with him. I still remember those nights – me more waiting to watch the commercials while plunging chips into a heaping bowl of french onion dip.
There might be a little bit of honky tonk in me, but I still like my citified side, too – so I decided to merge the two with a simple, delicious recipe that would be perfect to honor these memories, and sit out for our next family football game – something both dad and I would love.
Heluva Good Yinzer Chicken Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 container Heluva Good! Buttermilk Ranch Dip
- 1 avocado
- 1 can chicken
- 1 half lime, juiced
- small onion chopped
- 1 handful cilantro, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- plenty of black and gold accessories
- thick, smoked bacon to garnish
- chips to dip! (these shown are spinach chips – just don’t tell Max!)
Literally mix everything together with the Heluva Good! dip and serve – with hot, crispy bacon. We like to keep things simple back in the burgh’ – and we love our fried food so bacon had to make an appearance, especially with ranch (which is honestly hard to find in NYC – but Heluva Good! Buttermilk Ranch IS available on Peapod delivery)! Football is about easy recipes that are comforting to eat and enjoy with others – and this travels well, so you can take it down to Heinz Field for tailgating if you want, too!
Why Heluva Good! Should be Your Staple Go-To Ingredient
We’ve been using Heluva Good! dips for as long as I can remember – French Onion right out of the container was dad’s choice! But fast forward to 2017 with all their new flavors like Jalapeno Cheddar (one of my faves!) and Buttermilk Ranch, and your options for creating new and exciting recipes expands (just like your waitband during football season!). Other varieties you can find in the dairy aisle from Pittsburgh to NYC (made with sour cream and flavorful spices!) include White Cheddar & Bacon and Bodacious Onion.
This is a sponsored post by Heluva Good! All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting Football Food and Motherhood!
New Yorkers are notorious for their brunching habits, but sometimes it’s just nice to enjoy a day at home among the rat race. And one of my favorite things to do is make a massive brunch spread for Max and I that also preps us for the week. He gets his abundance of 
Not only do these taste delicious, but they’re doing you a favor when you eat them. I make the full 12-muffin batch and then place two-per-bag in the fridge for the week. I pop them in the toaster over for 7 minutes in the am, wrap in foil and throw in my bag to eat on the commute into the city.
Inside, these recipes aren’t over-the-top with tons of hard-to-find ingredients, in fact, many of the ingredients you might already have on hand, and the best part – they’re delicious, fast and SHOCKER – not bad for you. They remind you (and help you stay on track) to make “S Meals” or satisfying meals – ones that will fill you up with good fats, protein and still taste pretty yummy – and “E Meals” or energizing meals that will use carbs to boost your energy, not load you down with starches and sugars.
Instead of hot dogs we’ve been noshing on venison dogs (yes, that’s right – hot dogs with deer meat from our friends own hunted deer), and lots of avocados in fun new ways. While I like to just eat 
