How to pack for those all day tournaments??

 I'm heading out to a tournament this weekend ... here is an article I wrote last summer about what has worked for us when there aren't always food vendors on site.  

Have a great weekend!

Krista

 

Refueling For All Day Events

 Playing in tournaments, invitationals, or other full day sporting events are great opportunities for young athletes to reach new levels of play and have some fun while doing it!  It can also be a challenging day, whether you are the parents supporting the athletes or the young athlete who is working very hard to do well and keeping up their energy to keep playing what they love!
After coming back from a soccer tournament this past weekend, I emptied out all the coolers, cleaned out my car with 20-plus water bottles and other recyclables, and thought about what worked and what didn’t “sell” in my cooler that I had brought for my family’s nine games that were played.  Bottom line … every kid is different in what they like!  I have a few guidelines for you as sometimes these all day events don’t actually sell food and the options on the roads aren’t exactly what you want.

Snacks that are great between games (less than 2 hours apart):
*fresh fruit (my daughters’ teams love grapes, watermelon, strawberries)
*small bagels with a small amount of spread (peanut butter, hummus, cream cheese)
*smoothies (you can bring them from home – ex. Stonyfield Farm)
*pasta salad (make it the night before – a little goes a long way for them)
*cheese stick with crackers
*carrot sticks/celery sticks/cherry tomatoes



Small meals between games (2 hours or more):
*Grilled chicken salad (ex. A Panera salad is great with some bread and a small smoothie)
*Turkey sandwich with some lettuce and tomato (ex. Subway gives you some options that allow you to keep their sandwich just “right” and not too heavy)
*Chicken noodle soup, hearty wheat roll and an apple (ex. Panera does this in a bread bowl with an apple)

Avoid these kinds of foods to deter low energy and belly aches:
*Carbonated drinks
*High fructose corn syrup drinks
*Anything with caffeine
*fried foods
*candy
*highly refined dry cereals

Drinks to bring:
*water
*low sugar fruit drinks
*sports drinks with low sugar (or dilute a Gatorade with water)
*diluted lemonade or fruit juices

Note on drinking during very hot days:  make sure you are sipping consistently versus gulping an entire drink at once to avoid nausea.  See my article on hydration from May.


Hope you are enjoying your summer of sports everyone!  Stay cool and keep refueling those young athletes!  If you are interested in more information please follow me on: facebook: Krista Daley - Holistic Health Coach or @kdaleynutrition on twitter .

“Winning is not everything, but the effort to win is.”
-Zig Ziglar

Sneaking the Spinach In ...

If you have kids you know the end of the school year is filled with all kinds of goodies to celebrate graduations, pool parties, birthday parties, and of course the start of Summer!!!  I am guilty of buying some non-traditional food to celebrate too!  Kids love this ... at least in my house!  I bought a bag of marshmallows to have on hand for s'mores and found it empty the next day.  No one will fess up to it but I realized I need to find a new hiding spot or use the safe ... not kidding.  There is a sugar fairy in this house who I can never catch!  Lol!

Anyway I just wanted to share the easy way to hide greens ... not all kids will eat salad as you know.  My kids used to eat spinach salad and now they turned their noses up to anything but romaine lettuce ... not quite as heavy in the nutrients!

This recipe was posted on my facebook page this week but if you missed it here you go:

Ok so here's the deal ... Use fruit to hide the greens in the smoothie recipe I promised you:

Pink Smoothie for Non-Veggie Lovers:
•1 banana
•1/2 cup frozen mango
•1/2 cup frozen pineapple
•1 cup frozen mixed berries
•1 cup coconut milk, rice milk, or orange juice
•1teaspoon ground flax seeds (to start)
•1 handful of baby spinach
•agave or honey to taste

Blend till smooth ... Serves 2.

This is a good way to start with the greens and flax seeds. Add more if you would like to get extra good stuff in your little ones.

Hope you have a great Sunday ... the first official weekend of Summer!
Keep those veggies coming into the house ... and hide as needed :)
Krista 

The day after school ended we hit the beach!  Sweet!

 

Breaking the fast ...

Hey Mommas,

Are you prepping for kids busting out of the school yard at any moment?  I'm trying to get my lists together (yes, this is the summer they will learn to do their laundry, make their own breakfasts, lunch and help out with all those jobs they have no clue even exist!)  I love summer, but I tend to get off schedule (my tendency everyday!) and forget to eat breakfast!  Before I know it, it's lunchtime and I  have the shakes from coffee and no food!  Sound familiar?

Here's a nice and easy way to keep yourself ready to go ... and keep up with all the kids' activities ... oh and just a bonus ... keeping yourself fed, feeds your metabolism and you burn off more calories!  Don't let yourself fall into the "emergency" zone your body thinks it is in if you forget to eat.  Your hard working bod will think you are starving it if you don't feed it!  It will hold onto all that you do put into it.  Simple ... fuel the fire and it will burn :)

Breakfast in a Jar

6-8 ounces of plain yogurt (I use Fage Greek)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 peach or nectarine (substitute whatever fruit you love) chopped
1/2 cup granola (I use Kind Healthy Grains)
1 Tablespoon of your favorite nut butter  (I found a great banana/peanut butter)

1. Combine chia seeds and yogurt in a separate bowl, mixing well.  Divide in half.
2. Layer half of the yogurt with chia seeds on the bottom of the jar.
3. Cover with half the granola.
4. Add half of the fresh fruit.
5. Repeat layers one more time.
6. Finish with your favorite nut butter.

This is full of protein, fiber and is very low sodium and low sugar!  Chia seeds alone are packed with 6 grams of fiber, three grams of protein and 2.9 grams of Omega-3 fatty acids!  Yogurt is packed with high protein as is the granola.   

Give yourself a great start to the day ... better yet, make it tonight and have it ready for tomorrow morning!

Here's to Summer :)
Krista

Sideline Observations

The coolest parents are really just that ... cool.  Not too many ruffled feathers to get in the way of watching their kids play.

I have laughed with, chatted among and observed some quite interesting parents in hundreds of games the past decade.  But today for some reason, it really made an impression on me the importance of training children to be good citizens.  Simple as that.

If they are argumentative on the field, disrespectful on the field that is one thing.  If the parents encourage that behavior ... well that is scary to me.  You've all seen this before if you are reading this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't we promote some good stuff instead of the negative vibes?  Yelling at players on the fields from the sidelines is just so sad.  My daughter came home upset from her game where the other team's parents were calling her names.  Really?  How old are we?

Just sayin'...

Breed love not hate :)

Krista

"I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me ... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being."
                                                                                                                              ~Jackie Robinson

3 Ingredients ... That's It! Mango Lassi

The Heat is On!

Yes, we're in Summer mode here in NJ for the next few days.  The humidity and sunshine is high which is a big switch from last weekend!

Our kids are all feeling the change as they were playing in 45 degrees and rain last weekend and now they will be on turf tonight with 91 degrees.  That's a big adjustment for all of us (yes, those of us watching too!  Lol!)  I went from ski jacket on Sunday to shorts tonight!  Anyway, I have a great little sweet treat for you that is easy to make and has just 3 ingredients.  This includes some protein, natural sugar and a bit of fat depending on the yogurt you use.  Remember to use the 20 minute window to refuel after events ... they are sponges at that point and it's a good idea to take advantage of it especially in the heat.  AGAIN... remind them to refuel before the event with water ... start 2 - 3 hours before and taper off as you get closer.  It's no fun to run with water sloshing around in their bellies!

I personally love it as a dessert for myself when it is hot ... and I love it thinned down with Thai spicy food!

Mango Lassi

1 cup of frozen mango cubes/1 fresh mango
6-8 ounces of vanilla yogurt
ice cubes (optional)
pinch of cardamom

Put ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  If you're using frozen mango there is no need for more ice cubes unless you'd like to use a spoon to scoop up.  Thin with water as needed.

Two of my favorite things together!  Mango and Hibiscus!

Enjoy!
Krista
 

Hydrating those kiddies ...

After this weekend in the northeast, the idea of more water may seem a bit insane.  Although the ground needed water, all our soccer games did not!  Lol!

I noticed we are actually warming up in temperature outside!  As sports are in high gear right now, it's really important to remind your kids to drink their fluids.  Not only should they drink during their games and practices, they should drink up before getting there to prime those muscles for some action!

Page 35 from my book states this:
"Hydrate with water.  Water should be a young athlete's primary fluid.  It is difficult to compete with the ads for the sports drinks--I completely understand!  But is it really worth the money to supply these drinks?  No, there really is no benefit to using these drinks, but if you feel your child needs a little something extra, you have a few options:

• Dilute a sports drink with water to get flavor and sodium and still reap the benefits of rehydrating.
• Add a piece of fruit like a lemon or orange slice to a water bottle.
• Dilute lemonade or other fruit juice, especially in the summer months.

• Avoid the following:  carbonated drinks (causes pH leverls to change in the stomach), unfiltered apple juice (can cause cramping), caffeinated drinks (dehydrates them), high fructose corn syrup (not fully digestible and more energy is needed to process)."  

In addition to drinking before their event, it's important to flush out the toxins, rehydrate muscles, and regulate body temperature after the game or training session.

Have a blissful week everyone,
Krista

One of the three games in the rain yesterday!  Don't know how they do it!

Oh yes, the fireplace is still cranking to dry shoes, boots, etc.  Love that thing!

Momma's Day ...

Hope your Mother's Day was fantastic ... Was it what we all dream of? ... a day without laundry, cooking, cleaning or picking up dirty clothes?  Ahh yes!  Sounds like bliss!

The other night I was going through my old teaching stuff.  Yeah, it's time to finally release all the old teaching posters, books, bulletin board papers, books, etc.  I came across my old calendars from my time before kids.  What a kick!  Distances run, miles biked, weekends away, and dinners with friends were all over the boxes!  I had a good laugh and couldn't wait to show my husband when he came home with my daughter from a scrimmage late into Thursday night.  The days before kids were full of fun!  What I had no idea about was what I really was missing.  I looked at the calendar and thought  what did I really do before I became a mother?  Well, I was having fun and loved my students greatly, but I couldn't imagine life right now without them.  I'm sure you all feel the same way as being a full-time mom is sometimes over-whelming, with no time off, but you wouldn't want to change things one bit!

Hopefully yesterday gave you a few minutes to lie in bed a little longer, enjoy a meal that someone else lovingly prepared or even if you're like me you were on a field cheering on your children (I used to laugh when I'd hear parents complaining about Mother's Day games, our league doesn't ever give Mother's Day off and they were shocked we had to play)!

Time to ourselves is precious.  We are constantly doing for others and often times forget to give to ourselves.  I hear this all the time from friends and clients.  The thing is this ... if we don't make time for ourselves, our families feel the strain.  We give, give, give and eventually this gets old.  The vibe in our voices, the health of our bodies, and our relationships begin to weaken.  Here is one simple tip that I have found works for everyone:

Add Yourself to Your To-Do List!

If you really want to feel better and have a family that reflects your happiness, make time for yourself.  Even 10 minutes a day can have profound effects on your health.

*Turn off your smartphone ...  even if it is just for 30 minutes during the day.  The constant connectedness never ends ... ours brains never focus on just one thing anymore as we are constantly being pulled in many directions.  Try it ... you may like it!!!
*Schedule your time ... sometimes we just don't have enough hours in the day for ourselves.  Put the scheduled "you" time into your calendar and stick to it.  Get that walk in, go to the movies, take a nap, play that game, etc!
*Create rituals and routines ... we all know routines work but somehow we tend to avoid them.  My biggest tool lately is the sticky pad!!  I use them to remind me of my intentions for the day and rip them off my "list wall" every time something is completed.  Woohoo!  That feeling of success is motivating!

By creating some "You Time" you will be able to enjoy your family with a bit more perspective.  Before you know it, they're grown up!  I could never really appreciate this until lately, as many of my friends' kids are off to college.  My daughter begins high school in the Fall!  We will be expanding our driveway as now we will have 3 cars in the driveway in the coming year and a half. We are getting our sights set on how to find a college that fits her needs, and so on.  How did this happen so fast?  While it is really difficult to not get caught up in the "busy-ness" of the days, I try to take a step back every day and enjoy my kids and our crazy schedules!

 

Hannah's 7th birthday party!

Sophie turning 12!

Much Love and Positive Energy to You All,
Krista