Sports Parents: Cooler items

frompster
frompster Posts: 27 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I live on a ballfield nearly every day of the week. I have a 9 yr old baseball player and an 11 yr old competitive softball player.

I keep a cooler purse on me for tournaments. I refuse to spend crazy money or eat ballfield food. Plus it isn't good for my little athletes to eat all that heavy food between games. My daughter will play 6-8 games in a weekend and she's a pitcher. Lots of exertion and no need for heavy foods to make her feel gross.

Things I keep are fruits (grapes, apples, bananas, cutie oranges, watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple), hummus cups, cheese sticks, coconut water, and water (I steer clear of powerades/gatorades).

All this to ask, do you carry snacks/meals with you to the field? What are some grab and go items you keep? Must be good at room temp or cold, and easy to eat finger foods.

Thanks :)

Replies

  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,024 Member
    This was my first year with my boys wrestling.. which included 8 hour matches on Sunday's. I would always make sure to have plenty of beef jerky, a couple sandwiches PB&J is a good one for some energy...(plus if you wrestle a kid who is allergic it will be a quick pin) Raisins, apples and bananas were normally in there too maybe a bag of cheeze-its.
  • tuckervc
    tuckervc Posts: 30
    My son plays travel ball also. I carry lots of fruit, peanut butter, and crackers. If we have time between games we will leave and go eat so I research places close to the park so that way I know ahead of time what I will be eating. At the last tournament I took fruit salsa which was delish. (recipe on pinterest) I have also carried chicken salad.
  • bpwparents
    bpwparents Posts: 359 Member
    I lived at the ballfield with just one of my kids playing rec & travel and lived out of my shoulder cooler. For my son it was the old staple of PB & J. He doesn't eat much meat and I wanted to keep his protein up. Sliced apples, grapes, granola bars, cheese crackers & cheez its were usually in there too. My bag had a seperate front pocket to keep the non-perishable supply in and so I didn't have to refill it everyday. Water/gatorade loaded up with ice & out the door.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Our cooler is for adults, but here are some of our standbys:

    Hard boiled eggs (peeled at home)
    Sandwiches made on sandwich thins - usually meat, lettuce, hummus, salsa and cheese.
    PB (pre portioned at home, or cups)
    Baby carrots
    Celery
    Cucumber (with chile and lime, if you like spicy)
    Multi grain pita chips for hummus
    Nuts - usually plain, but sometimes almonds with dark chocolate chips)

    If it is cold out and I have extra time, I also bake casseroles, like eggplant lasagna, wrap them in a towel and place in the cooler to have a warm meal.

    In the summer, you may find she needs sports drinks. NUUN and camel Pak make tablets that add a light flavor and plenty of electrolytes if you are trying to avoid sugar.
  • NickFiedlerswife
    NickFiedlerswife Posts: 26
    We spend an awful lot of time at the ballfield too, and I am glad to find this topic!! I never thought to bring a cooler with me....(who would have thought..common sense....guess I forgot to bring that too LOL) Thank you for the posts!!!
  • lesliev523
    lesliev523 Posts: 366 Member
    I have spent the last 10 years in an ice arena, and when my son was younger he would often play two games a day. I always packed cold cuts, bread, and condiments in a cooler for the between game meal. And we had snacks, like apples, grapes, oranges on hand as well.

    Hockey is a winter sport, so keeping things cool was always easier.....
  • cbeckl
    cbeckl Posts: 79
    Bump. To keep track of the items. I two daughters, both are gymnasts and soccer players. I need the ideas! :smile:
  • jenlarz
    jenlarz Posts: 813 Member
    PB &J, granola bars, lunch meat sandwiches, trail mix, crackers, juice boxes (100% type), fruit, yogurt/plastic spoons, baby carrots
  • Barrettmomof3
    Barrettmomof3 Posts: 140 Member
    For the Hot summer days, we take frozen grapes

    Also trail mixes, chicken fingers, dried fruit

    Love all the ideas as we spend every summer weekend at the ball field and at least 3 nights a week.

    Thanks
  • proverbs2410
    proverbs2410 Posts: 18 Member
    We do lots of fruits... especially melons in the summer because they are full of water. We also do sandwiches of all kinds, baby goldfish, dried fruits, lots of cold water, and as someone mentioned earlier... we also love to marinade cucumbers in lemon juice and add chili. Yum! =D My favorite sandwiches for my kids are turkey sandwiches and for me veggie sandwiches or tuna sanwiches. I also bring raw nuts to snack on too if I don't pack sandwiches. I really try to leave the nuts at home if I can help it though because it is a high allergy and I would feel HORRIBLE if someone had a reaction to it. My friend's daughter's throat will close up if she so much inhales the smell of peanuts. I hadn't realized that allergies could be so bad. Anywho, we do string cheese a lot too! I just thought about that one. I also use tortillas instead of bread to do sandwhich roll ups too (whole wheat is healthier but I have to be honest... I don't really like the whole wheat ones). And I do salmon jerky! =D I hope some of this helps.
  • frompster
    frompster Posts: 27 Member
    All very excellent thoughts. Thanks so much :)

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