Pantry and Freezer Staples for Fueling Your Athletes
During these out-of-the-ordinary times, with no routine practice or matches, we are all looking for new norms that are realistic and doable. While keeping up with a training program can be challenging, providing good-for-you eats for your athletes and family doesn’t have to be.
Check out your pantry and freezer and if possible, on your next grocery visit or at home order, stock up on these long -lasting staples:
For your pantry:
Nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter, peanut powder
Canned fish like tuna, salmon, and shrimp
Canned beans like garbanzo (chickpeas), pinto, black, cannellini, and kidney
Dry grains like whole grain pasta, rice, quinoa, and barley
Cereals like oats, shredded wheat, granola, and cereals with 5 grams of sugar or less/serving)
Hard tortilla shells
Whole grain snacks like crackers, popcorn, and pretzels
Jarred/canned tomato products like low sodium diced tomatoes, low sodium pizza sauce, and whole tomatoes
Jarred/canned vegetables like roasted red peppers, olives, green beans, and corn
Canned fruit in juice like peaches, pears, apricots, and fruit cup
Dried fruit like raisins, prunes, dried apricots, and dried pineapple
Shelf stable milks in aseptic cartons
Broth like low-sodium chicken and vegetable
For your freezer:
Nuts like walnuts, peanuts, pecans, almonds, and pistachios
Frozen seafood like shrimp and fish filets like salmon, tilapia, cod, and flounder
Frozen fruit like berries, mango, pineapple, peaches, and bananas
Frozen vegetables like peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, edamame, and corn
Frozen whole grain waffles
Here are some easy, pantry meal and snack ideas for times of quarantine that can also provide a good balance of nutrients for your family and athlete’s energy needs.
Meals:
- Red Pepper and Walnut Pasta – Toss cooked spaghetti with canned tomatoes, chopped jarred roasted red peppers, and walnuts pieces.
- Taco Grain Bowls – Add cooked rice to individual bowls and top with canned diced tomatoes, olives, canned black beans, shredded cheese, and broken tortilla shells.
- Tuna Burgers – Swap in canned tuna for in a crab cake recipe and add frozen corn and edamame.
- Vegetable, Rice and Bean Soup – Cook rice in broth (double the amount of water the package directions call for) then add your favorite canned or frozen vegetables along with canned cannellini beans.
- 3 Bean Chili – Heat up one can each of kidney beans, pinto beans, and garbanzo beans, canned diced tomatoes, canned or frozen corn, and your favorite chili spices.
Snacks:
- Fruit Nut Smoothies – In a blender, puree together frozen fruit, nut butter or peanut powder with milk or yogurt.
- Power Bites – Mix together equal parts oats, peanut butter, and chopped frozen fruit in a bowl. Roll into small balls.
- Homemade Hummus– In a blender, puree a can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Serve with crackers or raw veggies.
- Popcorn Trail Mix – Toss together popcorn with your favorite nuts, dry cereal, pretzel pieces, and chopped dried fruit.
- Power Waffles – Top a toasted frozen waffle with nut butter and canned fruit that’s been drained and chopped.
Chipotle's Nutrition Tips
With practices, matches and tournaments on hold, it can be challenging to keep up not only a training program but also sticking to a nutritious eating routine. Getting stuck in a rut is inevitable but adding variety - with both exercise and meals – can help you refocus and get motivated anew. While we are all staying at home, you can switch it up and order from the Chipotle app or on chipotle.com for delivery, carryout and curbside pickup, to replenish with real food and real ingredients while training.
Break the fast – While it's tempting to sleep in while at home, the body’s energy tank is on empty in the morning and must be refueled. The best way to start the day is combo of fruit/veggies, protein (eggs, nuts, yogurt, cheese, milk), and whole grains (oatmeal, bread, cereal.) If your student athlete isn’t hungry early in the day for a regular breakfast, encourage two smaller snacks like a banana, decaf latte or peanut butter toast and then a few hours later, a bowl of hot cereal, scrambled eggs, or a granola bar.
Level up with lunch - Every meal is an opportunity to refuel with complex carbohydrates (the body’s preferred source of fuel so vital for athletes), lean protein (another source of energy and essential for muscle growth and repair) and better-for-you fats. Chipotle’s menu provides this “real food” energy with a variety of options where you can customize your order. Get your carbs from their cilantro-lime brown rice or crispy corn tortillas. For protein, choose any beans, barbacoa, chicken, steak or sofritas. And load on the veggies like the super greens (Romaine, baby kale and baby spinach). fajita vegetables and fresh tomato salsa. For some heart-healthy fats, add a small portion of made-from-scratch guacamole.
Slate time for snacks– Active athletes, especially growing kids, should be fueling their bodies every 3 to 4 hours and snacks fit the bill in between meals. Snacks that provide 150 to 200 calories are wise choices and like your main meals, go for snacks that are a good balance of carbohydrates, protein and heart-healthy fats.
Snacks are also important to replace nutrients lost during exercise. For more easily digestible carbs right before a workout for energy, choose fresh fruit/dried fruit, applesauce, or a small fruit smoothie. For post-work out refueling, include protein like a glass of chocolate milk, crackers with nut butter, trail mix or a Chipotle kid’s cheese quesadilla.
Go “Bowl-ing” for dinner –Take stock on what nutrients your athlete may have missed out on earlier in the day - like fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains -and make sure to get them at this meal. Chipotle’s Lifestyle bowls – a line of Vegetarian, Vegan, High Protein, Keto and Paleo bowls available on the app– can help fill those gaps and help to fill up. For more veggies, go with a Vegetarian Bowl. If more protein is needed, order a Paleo Salad Bowl with a side of brown rice. And for a plant-based protein-rich meal, try the Vegan Bowl. Bonus: order from the Chipotle app and get free delivery through May 10th!
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