In our house we have runners, mountain bikers and fencers. And our house is located in one of the driest states in the union (at least in the top 5). Needless to say a day of running, biking, fencing or even just pool-siding means I have to think how to refuel the teens. Often the options available at the field are unhealthy to non-existent. After getting caught at a fencing tournament feeding my son vending machine candy and soda, I developed what items I would keep in the pantry all the time for grab and go for the summer season.
This post is sponsored by BodyArmor, but all opinions are my own.
Beef Jerky
This is my protein go-to. I am no longer dealing with pee-wee athletes, they need protein replacement after biking uphill on rocky terrain for an hour. If the weather wasn’t so blinking hot, I would do chocolate milk, but the cooler hassle just isn’t happening. And you will almost never find protein at a sports event without it being in the form of a hot dog and that vending machine I resorted to didn’t even have a bag of peanuts. So this one is a must carry. In fact, I just store some in the car as back up.
Sports Drinks
Our family just started drinking BODYARMOR. I get BODYARMOR at Harmons in UT, but it’s at Target or Smith’s/Kroger, too. It provides superior hydration with electrolytes, coconut water, and vitamins. Plus being high in potassium and low in sodium it aids with muscle recover (I really care about this in my quick growing son). Truth be told, what I really like is that BODYARMOR contains natural flavors and sweeteners. We each have a favorite flavor. Daughter loves lemonade. Son downs fruit punch. I prefer mixed berry and my husband’s favorite is whichever of the 9 flavors you hand him. To figure out your favorite flavor use this coupon that’s available from BODYARMOR.
Homemade Energy Bites
I don’t suggest this one for any special health benefit but because most of our sports nutrition is prepackaged. Which it totally good because shelf-stable is really important during hot summer days (see chocolate milk reference in #1). Buuuuut, something homemade sends just a little more boost of love when the team doesn’t win. Or when your athlete doesn’t make the cut after the first heat of runs. I really like my basic Peanut Butter Balls that aren’t fancy, but quick to make and easy to transport.
Water Bottles
This seems redundant with energy drinks but it’s not. Especially not in the desert of the West –you can almost never over-hydrate (which BTW has the same symptoms as dehydration). Aside from the practical purpose of being a simple way to down energy bites, water bottles are absolutely necessary to poor over your kid when the temps cross into 100 degrees. And since my son uses more for dumping it on his head than drinking it, I probably shouldn’t put it in the “grab n go snacks” list, but he does drink them too.
Fruit
This one is very dependent on weather and location. Like I said I don’t do coolers (well, unless I am bringing stuff for myself #SelfishMomMoment). But should I be able to keep fruit from getting overheated then I bring watermelon. I usually cut up the melon the moment we get it home, but the precut stuff at the warehouse food store is making a more frequent appearance. This one is also good because many teammates have allergies and this is a safe option to offer when they are in need
There you have it my grocery cart is filled with these things all summer long (or at least during the sport season) is full of these items. Cause if they aren’t already in the pantry they’ll never make it to practice.
What do you keep stocked for the athletes in your house?