Just when you thought your New Year's diet was safe, one of the premier food events of the year appears: the biggest professional football game of the year. 

Although research by consumer group NPD reveals that veggies and dip are the most consumed item on the menu for "The Big Game," it might be hard to make cauliflower as much fun as Cheese Head Chex Mix.

That's just one recipe, found on the General Mills web property tablespoon.com, that can make entertaining a little easier this Sunday.

The Chex website, naturally, has many more recipes for Chex Mix. Because Chex is gluten free, it's easy to mix a snack for fans who must avoid that naturally occuring protein.

In fact, our LiveGlutenFreely website is featuring "Touchdown Scoring Gluten-Free Fare" that includes:

More veggie dips If it is veggies and dips that you're looking to serve for game time, tablespoon.com has even more quick recipes for dips, including a two-ingredient chili cheese dip.

The Bisquick website also has ideas, including this appetizer.

Pillsbury has enough Game Day Menu Ideas to last well into the off season, and you can share your ideas in the discussion area on the Pillsbury website.

If you would like to carry the competition off the field and into your kitchen, you can host a chili cookoff this Sunday. The easy option is to simply make one of the winning recipes, including the grand prize winning Kick-Butt Three Bean Chili.

For more recipes, tips and coupons, you can subscribe to the General Mills newsletters.

Make calories count at breakfast Although festivities around Game Day have the potential to tempt people from New Year's diets, you can start out the day with lighter fare.

One way to delay consuming too many calories is with healthified breakfast/brunch recipes from EatBetterAmerica.com.

The "healthified" Raspberry French Toast Bake takes the original 640-calorie recipe and pares it to 220 calories.

One reviewer of that recipe opted to whip it up for Valentine's Day, which by the way is nearly here, and wrote, "...made this as a V-Day dinner - it was so easy and delicious. Little fuss and lots of time to spend with my special someone."

Or you can always start the day with a bowl of Cheerios. Its website is now featuring an interactive page detailing the benefits of oats.

While you're there, visit the Do What You Love sweepstakes page. As the football season blends into the NASCAR season, one of the prizes is behind-the-scenes access at a major stock car race.

 Inside General Mills