Mom...WHEN is dinner???

Most kids ask what's for dinner...however many sporty families have to ask WHEN is dinner? It's a difficult time period for all of us. If you feed your kiddos an after school/pre-game snack, what about you and your hubby? I have found that an after school/pre-game snacks works for my athlete, and I pack either dinner or HEALTHY snacks. Or that's my goal anyway...what's a healthy snack? If you have seen my FB page you know I am a protein bar junkie...we make these yummy and mega healthy bars a couple of times a week. They taste like a candy bar, and keep you full until you have a meal. I will have the recipe at the bottom of this blog. Many times if only one of my boys is playing, I will make dinner ( pasta in glass bowls, bisquik sandwiches wrapped in foil, or chicken and lettuce tortilla wraps) and take them to the field and we eat there. This "picnic" dinner at the park is usually the best option for us. However, I am rarely without some kind of protein filled snack for my boys. Sure, I could fill them up on concession stand junk but I choose to put in the extra effort and pack snacks.


Ok while I am talking about food, I am gonna hop onto a rabbit trail and talk about the importance of what they are eating and HOW much your athlete is drinking.  I tell my boys and my hubby(who is a coach) often tells his athletes "tomorrow's hydration starts TODAY!" Recently, I had one of my boys at the Dr. and he said anyone who is active should be drinking 100 ounces of non-caffeinated liquid a day! WOWZA! So that has been my goal...my boys are reluctant but I am pushing them to this goal.  This is a chart that I found online and it's an awesome guideline for hydration. 2-4 hours before game/practice/conditioning drink 14-20 oz. water or sports drink. During warm up your athlete needs 8 oz., during the game/practice 16 oz. ( which doesn't seem like much to me..) 14-20 immediately after activity. Dehydration impairs your athlete's ability to perform his/her best. Athletes can lose 2% of their body weight due to fluid loss during hard activity. ALSO, your athlete should NEVER have soda after their activity since it further depletes their hydration. Caffeine ( and anybody who knows me knows I am a soda drinker...lol) depletes your body of hydration, so if you drink one cup of soda you need 3 cups of water to replace the hydration.

SO now that I talked about hydration, let's talk snacks and protein.  I try to feed my athletes as much protein as I can get into them! It helps them build muscle and stay full longer, which is a benefit when you have hungry boys! Many body builders and hard-core pro athletes do what's called "carb loading" the day before they compete but the 8 articles I read on carb loading said it's not necessary for youth/HS athletes. All the articles agreed that protein loading and at the right time was more beneficial to growing athletes. Many of the articles said that a lunchmeat or PB sandwich was the perfect pregame snack since it was such a great carb/protein balance. The carbs consumed right before activity boosts your athletes energy stores and delays fatigue.  Many coaches frown upon it, but it is extremely beneficial to most athletes (  I mean older athletes, middle school age and on) to have a snack during the activity..we allow fruit/granola bars/protein bars in our dugouts to keep our athletes focused and recharged. Check with the coach and make sure none of the team's athletes have allergies, but defiantly provide a snack during a game that lasts more than an hour! Ok so now that the activity is over, protein is a must! Protein helps rebuild and repair muscle that is broken down during an athletes activity. Just remember you must increase your fiber as you increase your protein or you will have one unhappy tummy!

One last tidbit of info that I learned and I will say goodbye for now....SLEEP! Most teens have no problem with sleep , but all athletes need extra sleep. One of the studies I read said sleep deprivation slows the release of growth hormone. Sleep stimulates muscle growth and repair, bone building and fat burning which all helps athletes recover! I know this is extremely difficult as an athlete gets older, games/practices get longer and homework load is larger, but we must be diligent in making sure our athletes are getting enough sleep to help protect and rebuild their bodies. You can tell your athlete's amount of sleep debt by observing how long it takes them to fall asleep. If they fall asleep immediately they are sleep deprived and need more rest. A person who has no sleep debt should take up to 20 minutes before falling asleep.




Protein bar recipe
1 cup of quick oats ( I put mine in the food processor to chop the oats so they're not so big)
1 cup Kashi GOLEAN crunch cereal ( this is an additional source of protein and fiber)
1 cup chocolate protein powder
1/4 cup local honey ( which helps allergies too)
1/4 cup natural PB ( be sure it has minimal sugar added)
1/4 cup almond milk (almond milk require no refrigeration so you can keep these bars in a sports bag)
1/4 cup dried fruit ( we like tart cherries cut into small pieces)
1/4 mni chocolate chips

Mix oats,Kashi, protein powder, fruit,chocolate chips in a bowl...now add almond milk....I put honey and PB in the microwave until liquid so it's easier to mix. Put PB/honey in with the mix and mix until all wet and same color.  Now press into a square food container or onto wax/parchment paper.  Stick in fridge and try to keep hungry kids away until firm!  cut into strips, stick in baggies...and off you go!




Ok, friends feel free to send me questions or other ideas. Thanks for taking the time to listen to the experiences of this sporty mom.