Food for Tournaments: A Family's Trial & Error
“I’ll just have a Booster Juice.”
― Any one of my daughters at a tournament
As a family, we have been through many tournament weekends. In the beginning, we were unprepared as we did not have a large lunch cooler. I packed our camping cooler with nutritious snacks like sandwiches, fruits, and vegetables. We embarked to our first tournament with naïve ambition that we were going to eat from this packed cooler all day and not spend a penny on other food. We were wrong and unpacked most of the cooler at the end of the tournament, but at least we could use it for lunches on Monday.
In the reassessment, I figured if we are going to spend money on food anyway, why spend more money on food we weren’t going to eat. As a bonus, I wouldn’t have to walk back and forth from the building to the car multiple times. The next tournament venture became very expensive very fast. Over the years we have bounced between packing food, buying food, and every combination in between.
In our fourth season, I feel like I should be a veteran and have approached it with a mentality that I have tournament nutrition figured out. We are older and should be more mature. As a family with three young athletes (and two parents that are doing their best to keep up), we have started to eat much cleaner and healthier. Late last season, we bought a Titan brand cooler backpack from Costco. This was life altering. Our food stays cold all day. I can pack drinks, snacks, and dry snacks. There are many pockets for keys, phone chargers, and most anything else you need. Best of all, I can wear it like a backpack.
I started to bake the night before the tournament. I bake our favourite oatmeal and blueberry muffins, and scones. We try to always have homemade granola in the cupboard. Looking into nutrition and how much (little) our daughters eat, I ensure to pack them a small snack for after each match. Something with protein, carbohydrates, and fats. It makes sense for them to snack throughout the day. Afterall, volleyball involves a lot of jumping and nobody wants to do that on a full stomach. For optimal recovery, post-exercise snacks should ideally have a balanced ratio of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. There is a lot of information out there about the perfect ratios of each of the macronutrients, so I will not tell you what ratio you should use. Do your research, learn what is best for you and your athlete. Here are some of the things that we are packing this year:
Our Go-To Tournament Snacks
Beef Jerky: High in protein, easy to pack.
Chocolate Milk: Great balance of protein and carbs.
Energy Drink: Provides quick energy boost.
Nut Mix with Pretzels and Dried Blueberries: Balanced mix of protein, carbs, and fats.
Dried Fruit: Natural sugars for quick energy.
Fresh Fruit: Limited quantity for freshness.
Opal Apples: Do not brown, perfect for tournaments.
Yogurt: Protein and probiotics.
Granola: Homemade, packed with nutrients.
Energy Bites: Balanced snack with protein, carbs, and fats.
Overall, we stopped overpacking by being honest when asking the simple question “Are we realistically going to eat this?” We always have the above foods in our house because of our change in eating habits. We may have to do a small extra trip to the grocery store, but we are not buying anything “special” for the tournament, just buying extra. It makes buying that Booster Juice or quick snack tolerable because at the end of the day, we are not wasteful on our food and are spending roughly the same amount as we had been during the previous years.
Recipes for Homemade Snacks
Granola
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, most mix is good)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Once out of the oven, add as much dried fruit as you want
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300°F (175°C)
Mix oats, nuts, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
In a saucepan, melt honey (if needed) and coconut oil.
Pour the mixture over oats and nuts, stir well.
Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes (until this is as golden brown as you want), stirring occasionally. Remember, this will brown further once it is out of the oven as it sits on the baking sheet.
Add your choice of dried fruit after baking (if you want). Let cool and store in an airtight container.
Energy Bites
Ingredients:
2 cups oats
1-1/3 cup of shredded coconut
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
Instructions:
Mix everything together in a bowl.
Place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to let it cool and stiffen.
Scoop and roll into a ball. Make these the size you want, but remember they are packed and should be a snack (1-2 post game).
Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Oatmeal and Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients:
1 cup oats
1-1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick/8 tbsp butter (softened). You can use vegetable oil if you like.
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen blueberries (or any frozen berry)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Combine oats with milk in a bowl and let rest for about 10 minutes.
Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
After the oats and milk have sat, add in the egg, and butter.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stir until just combined.
Fold in frozen berries.
Fill muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes. I wait for them to brown along the top and edges.
Scones
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup (75.33g) cold butter
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Between 1/2 cup and 1 cup of frozen fruit. We keep it plain, use raspberries, or blackberries.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse sand. I use a pastry cutter.
Add milk and vanilla.
Fold until just combined.
Turn dough onto a floured surface, knead gently until the flour is mixed. I fold the dough over on itself which creates layers that rise beautifully in the oven.
Pat into a circle that is 1/2-2/4 inches thick.
Cut into wedges (like a pizza)
Place on a baking sheet (with parchment paper) and bake for 12-15 minutes. I take them out when the corners are getting brown.
Packing the right foods for a volleyball tournament can make a significant difference in performance and recovery. With the proper balance of protein, carbs, and fats, you can ensure your athletes stay energized and ready to play their best. Happy packing and good luck at your next tournament!
Disclaimer: None of the products mentioned are paid promotions, we really like them. Also, I am not a doctor or professional, and this is just my opinion.
