Parents skipping dinner b/c of late practice

[skschlag]

As would quesadillas

ooh..good call! I am always looking for things he can eat on the way home!

 

[triplethreat+1]

My girls (8 & 10) have practice 5-9 two night a weeks during the school year. They eat normal supper food on the way there, often a bit less than they would normally. Then snack halfway thru is always protein plus fruit and a small treat (chips or something). Then on the way home milk with rice cakes spread with peanut butter.

 

[SHELOVESGYM]

We always did dinner in the car on the way home at 8:30-9 pm...they were hungry and they ate whatever I brought them , had time to do homework in the car after that and by the time we arrived home, they went and got ready for bed. We did this with our carpool group (6 kids total) and I would heat up the meals in the microwave at the gym and give them to the girls as they got into the car ( each meal was labeled with their name because some had definite food preferences) ... girls were happy, I was happy, the parents I delivered them to were happy.

It sounds cumbersome but once I got the routine, and preferences down, it really was quite easy...and we did it for about 8 years...

Wow! So you made food for all of the girls in the carpool? And I assume others returned the favor when it was their turn to drive?

 

[SHELOVESGYM]

My girls (8 & 10) have practice 5-9 two night a weeks during the school year. They eat normal supper food on the way there, often a bit less than they would normally. Then snack halfway thru is always protein plus fruit and a small treat (chips or something). Then on the way home milk with rice cakes spread with peanut butter.

Curious what kind of proteins you have found to pack well for a gym snack. DD does have a snack time and I think I need to think about ways to pack as much into that "meal" as possible.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

DD eats 3 smaller meals during the school year: school lunch, small meal in the car on the way between school and gym and then another small meal after practice. During summer it's kind of the same except she doesn't have to eat in the car... the middle meal is the "main" dinner. The late meal can range from snack assortments like youghurt, crackers and hummuspretzels, cheese sticks, fruit..., to sandwich, salad, pasta . most of the time a few different items in combination.

 

[sce]

They are so

ooh..good call! I am always looking for things he can eat on the way home!

Glad I helped. They are so versatile too; just cheese, or add any number of things: chicken, black beans, roasted peppers etc.

 

[triplethreat+1]

Curious what kind of proteins you have found to pack well for a gym snack. DD does have a snack time and I think I need to think about ways to pack as much into that "meal" as possible.

Nuts, either as is or part of a homemade trail mix
Eggs (hardboiled, fried, or deviled)
Ham cut into spears (favorite!)
Deli meat (wrapped around a pickle)
Pepperettes
Kielbasa slices (or similar sausage)
Cheese strings
Homemade power bar (peanut butter/ honey/ protein powder/ oatmeal/ dried fruit etc)
Greek yogurt

They're unfortunately not fans of hummus but next to try is tuna salad (or maybe chicken salad?) with crackers to scoop it.

 

[bookworm]

Wow! So you made food for all of the girls in the carpool? And I assume others returned the favor when it was their turn to drive?

Yes, that was the deal...if you drove, you fed dinner to everyone in the car...that way you didn't have to worry about meals if you weren't driving, and didn't have to worry about sending stuff with your kids on your day off. It was a nice arrangement.

 

[honu]

We have practice till 9 pm. Sometimes DD is starving and other times barely wants to eat. I usually push consuming some chocolate milk on the car ride home and sometimes we have pasta as well. Practices are 5 hours so she does get a short 15 minute dinner break. Girls get time to socialize and re-fuel for the rest of practice. Coaches also get a much needed break and quick bite to eat as well!

 

[LGnyc]

A lot of posters have mentioned chocolate milk. I wanted to mention that many nutritionists and especially pediatric nutritionists cite this as one of the best tools for muscle recovery after a hard workout. (Including the trainer for the Dallas Cowboys!) So I try to remember to bring to pickup when I'm on duty for her and our carpool mates.

 

[Texasmomof3]

A lot of posters have mentioned chocolate milk. I wanted to mention that many nutritionists and especially pediatric nutritionists cite this as one of the best tools for muscle recovery after a hard workout. (Including the trainer for the Dallas Cowboys!) So I try to remember to bring to pickup when I'm on duty for her and our carpool mates.

Interesting. My dd would look at me like I had two heads if I brought her sweetened milk after practice. She tries to avoid added sugars unless it is a special food for a special occasion.

My kid has breakfast before school at home. She makes a smoothie with fruit, protein powder/nut butter and greek yogurt or she will make steel cut oats with fruit and nut butter. She eats lunch at school -- whatever they are serving, but she doesn't eat much of it, as she is a nutrition fiend and won't eat things that she doesn't think are healthy. She goes straight from school to gym at 3:00 and eats a substantial snack then -- usually homemade nut mix, granola, dried fruit, meat jerky, a homemade snack that her grandmother has made, warmed up leftovers. She gets out of gym at 7:30 (usually really 7:45, as practice always runs late). We take her dinner in the car to eat on the way home, since the drive is 35-45 minutes, depending on traffic. It is whatever the family is eating, packed in an insulated bag. I have a variety of hot and cold bags, to keep the fruit or cold stuff separate from the hot food and to fit whatever sized container the meal needs.

On days when she has been to the orthodontist, there is a Smoothie King by her gym, and she gets a protein smoothie for dinner.

It takes planning, but once you get into a grove it isn't too bad. She wants to go full paleo, which would mean giving up dairy. That will limit her breakfast options, but I do have a recipe for coconut milk yogurt we can start making.

 

[MILgymFAM]

If anyone else (like me) is interested in the why chocolate milk (vs plain milk) question..

Link Removed

 

[Texasmomof3]

If anyone else (like me) is interested in the why chocolate milk (vs plain milk) question..

Link Removed

So those meals in the car right after practice actually hit the perfect timing. I don't think dd gets 4:1 carbrotein. She is more 3:1:1 carbrotein:fat right after workout and about 1:1:1 for her other meals and snacks.

 

[Texasmomof3]

I had no idea that ratio expression was so funny on here

 

[Madden3]

Thank you for the article about milk and the clarification. I have been on board with the milk for a while but not chocolate milk...mostly because if I buy chocolate milk or chocolate milk mix, the kids including my 5 year old would bug me for it all the time. And even my own will power would be in question as I love the stuff. I have spent years and tons of energy instilling in my kids the idea there are two kinds of drinks on earth- water and milk - and anything else is for birthday parties and very special occasions only. I really do not want to mess that up now with a move to buying chocolate milk!

So I was glad to see this:
An eight-ounce glass of 2 percent milk has 12 grams of carbohydrates and 8 grams of protein. Nowhere near the recommended 4:1 ratio.

That means — should you choose to make your own post-exercise milk drink — you would need to add about 20 grams of carbohydrates. For example, a small banana has about 20 grams of carbs. Voila! There is your flavored post-exercise sports drink.

Now my question is, could the kid just eat a banana or any thing else with enough carbs WITH their a glass of milk? I mean, would it have to be IN the milk? We do make banana and other fruit smoothies occasionally and I could do this, but just trying to find a simpler solution. Thoughts?

 

[gymbeam]

I bring a carnation instant breakfast beverage every day at pick up for my daughter. I mix it myself and carry it in an insulated stainless Kleen Kanteen and it stays very cold for the drive. They sell premixed individual servings but I can't stand the trash it creates.

Im not a nutrition guru or anything and I haven't actually done the math to see if it meets those suggested ratios, but it's pretty commonly used by athletes as a recovery drink. It's also just right for holding her over for the 30 minute ride home for lunch. (She practices 8-12:30.)

OP, maybe consider one of those in the evening for your kiddo?

 

[Texasmomof3]

@Madden3

We do the same with drinks, except we don't really do dairy and no one in our house drinks milk. There is water for thirst. There is food for hunger. And no rare occasions, you can flavor your water for a treat, but not every day.

Just eat a banana with your milk. There is nothing magical about drinking it. Or eat a meal within an hour of practice ending that includes the correct ratio of protein:carb:fat for whatever nutritional program you follow.

 

[SHELOVESGYM]

I bring a carnation instant breakfast beverage every day at pick up for my daughter. I mix it myself and carry it in an insulated stainless Kleen Kanteen and it stays very cold for the drive. They sell premixed individual servings but I can't stand the trash it creates.

Im not a nutrition guru or anything and I haven't actually done the math to see if it meets those suggested ratios, but it's pretty commonly used by athletes as a recovery drink. It's also just right for holding her over for the 30 minute ride home for lunch. (She practices 8-12:30.)

OP, maybe consider one of those in the evening for your kiddo?

Thanks that is a good suggestion -I should have mentioned that DD does bring some sort of yogurt drink or pre-packaged odawalla smoothie or a chocolate silk milk to practice every day and consumes during the break along with some fruit or crackers or something .

 

[Madden3]

There is nothing magical about drinking it.

Thank you! that is what I keep telling my boys- just eat your snack with your water and you will be fine! "but moooom, everyone else drinks Gatorade!!!"

I was talking to my friend today whose son is a cross country runner and how hard it is because if they eat too much at the wrong time before a long practice run they throw up! Ugh and we think we have food problems.

 

[CuriousCate]

Curious what kind of proteins you have found to pack well for a gym snack. DD does have a snack time and I think I need to think about ways to pack as much into that "meal" as possible.

We have been buying the big bottles of the Bolthouse chocolate protein shake and pouring into smaller bottles (MUCH cheaper than buying the little bottles for $3 a pop!). That is a huge hit for my kids. We also pack "trail mix" that I make at home but is really just peanuts and M&Ms (they hate raisins/dried fruit and seeds). I see a lot of kids eating beef jerky and I wish my kids would do that, but no-go. Cheesticks. That's all I've managed to get my kids to snack on.