Sport Tournament Healthy Food Ideas

Are you tired of eating concession stand foods at every sport tournament you attend? Want to save some money and prepare healthy foods for sport tournaments? Unsure of what to eat during a sports tournament? If you are anything like us, you are looking for budget friendly, kid friendly, easy meals you can prepare the night before to bring to your children’s sport tournaments. We spend so much time attend tournaments on the weekends that healthy eating tends to slip the mind with everything else we need to prepare. Well, we’ve got your covered with a few simple tournament food ideas you can prepare ahead of time.

What Nutrients Do We Need for Sport Tournaments?

Your entire family will need a mix of essential nutrients for sport tournaments, but your athlete will need extra care when packing and preparing food. Sport tournaments are often a day long event where your child plays multiple games in a single day, sometimes back to back. You child will need power and strength as well as the stamina to play all day.

A healthy breakfast helps replenish your body’s blood sugar and give you the energy to focus during the day. Planning ahead will help you ensure your child has a great breakfast to fuel them throughout the morning. They will also need smart snacks for every 2 – 3 hours throughout the day. This is about 1 snack per game that your athlete will play. You will want to plan a lunch and dinner that will replenish your child’s body for the afternoon and evening, especially if they have more games to play.

As you prepare for the tournament, you’ll need to make a run to the store. Be sure to read our post on making a shopping list.

Breakfast Foods for Sport Tournaments

Often times your child will need to leave super early to arrive at their sport tournament in time to warm up with their team. To arrive on time, our children have needed to leave the house before 5 am. If you are anything like us, we definitely don’t feel motivated to make a healthy breakfast that early. But we also don’t want to stop for a fast food breakfast and fill our athletes with grease and other unhealthy food options. Nor do we want to spend all that money to feed the family.

So what can a family do instead?

Well, families can prepare a healthy breakfast the night before or eat super easy to prepare foods in the morning. We even teach our athletes to prepare their own breakfasts on tournament days. Therefore parents are free to double check the car and get everything else ready to go.

What Breakfast Foods Should your Child Eat Before a Tournament?

We like to plan out our breakfasts for energy now and extra energy throughout the day. To get that energy now, you could add in a little coffee, but what student athlete wants to drink coffee? So instead we add fruit for the natural sugar boost to give us some quick energy in the morning. Healthy carbohydrates, like fruits, vegetables, legumes and 100% whole grains are great for offering that early morning energy boost. Pair this with a source of fiber and protein for longer lasting energy and a feeling of fullness to get your through the day.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association suggests a breakfast of healthy carbohydrates, fiber and protein. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends including dairy and vitamin D in breakfast as well.

Breakfast Food Ideas for Sport Tournaments

As you prepare for your tournament, either plan to make breakfast the night before or for a quick healthy breakfast in the morning.

Overnight Oats

We love preparing overnight oats for breakfast the night before a tournament. These are easy to prepare and the best part is you just need to let them sit over night. For our overnight oats, we love to mix in some fruit, dairy, and protein. You can mix in any fruit that your children enjoy, mix and match as you like, and even add in frozen fruit when fresh fruit isn’t available. Be sure to add a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to neutralize the phytic acid. Just a splash is enough.

We add a little dairy and protein in too. Milk is a great way to add in calcium and vitamin D. Try preparing your oatmeal with vitamin d fortified milk. Protein is super easy to add in to your overnight oats. We enjoy adding a little protein powder, peanut butter, or cottage cheese. Chai seeds, flaxseed, and hemp hearts are also great sources of protein and my kids don’t even notice when I mix them in.

Whole Grain Muffins

We love a good whole grain muffin. We change out regular white flour for whole wheat flour. Mix in a little fruit for the good quick energy and this can also reduce or eliminate the need for any added sugars. We also ensure we add a little protein. You can easily mix in protein powder, peanut butter, greek yogurt, or chai seeds, flaxseed, or hemp hearts, or other nuts for a little boost. Greek yogurt is a favorite because you get a little extra calcium with the muffins too.

You can make these the night before, or even a few nights. Muffins also work great when you freeze them if you need to make batches a few weeks ahead of time. Pair whole grain muffins with a glass of vitamin d fortified milk or orange juice to add a little extra for your athlete and every member of your family.

Whole Wheat Fruit Toast

This is a quick easy to make breakfast that your child can make the morning of in less than 5 minutes. Try to add some protein and fruit to your toast for the energy boost your whole family will need for the tournament. We love to spread peanut butter or greek yogurt on our toast for some protein. Top your toast with some fruit and a sprinkle of nuts for an even better energy packed breakfast.

We absolutely love that our children can make this breakfast on their own on busy tournament mornings! If you pre-cut the fruit the night before it is super easy for each member of your family to customize their own toast with toppings just for them. Pair with a glass of vitamin d fortified milk or orange juice in the morning.

Fruit Smoothies

We love to start our day with a fruit smoothie. These are super quick to throw together, especially if you prepare all the ingredients the night before. Just add to your blender or smoothie maker in the morning and viola, instant smoothie to drink on the go. Our kids are able to make these without much help, especially when everything is premeasured and cut for them.

Our whole family loves smoothies as we can ensure our kids get just what they need for the morning. We love smoothies packed full of fruits and vegetables. Yes, vegetables in the smoothie and most kids won’t even notice! This is a great way to add a little extra fiber. Mix in some oats for a little whole grain. Greek yogurt and milk add some much needed calcium. There are so many ways to add a punch of protein. Mix in a little peanut butter, protein powder, nuts, chai seeds, flaxseed, or hemp hearts. Plus throw in a little honey for some great antioxidants too.

Lunch and Dinner Foods for Sport Tournaments

Many times sport tournaments begin early in the morning with your child playing a game or two before lunch and another few games after lunch. Sometimes your child might even need to play later into the evening under the lights. While this is exciting, it does mean you will need to think about lunch and dinner at the field or court. While we know most tournaments have a concession stand, we prefer to limit our use of these. Not only do concession stands get old after months of tournaments, but they also aren’t the most healthy or affordable options.

So what can a family do to prepare healthy lunch and dinner options?

Well, there are a few meals you can prepare in advance that are super easy to transport and delicious. Plus they are great for replenishing athletes’ bodies for continuing to practice and play games after lunch time. And a great lunch and dinner is necessary for spectators too! All family members need the extra healthy energy boost.

What Lunch and Dinner Foods Should your Child eat During a Tournament?

We like to plan out our lunch and dinners to replenish our bodies and help our children recover from their morning games. Your athlete will need carbohydrates and proteins as well as a balanced meal with fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. Each of these provide essential nutrients and vitamins that you child needs. Carbohydrates give you the energy you need right away, protein slowly releases energy for a little later, and fiber will keep you feeling full until your next meal.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association suggests a carbohydrate-rich foods and high-quality proteins for meals eaten on game day. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends including eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy as well.

Dinner and Lunch Food Ideas for Sport Tournaments

As your prepare for the tournament, having a plan for dinner and lunch is a must. We prefer to prepare our dinners and lunch the night before or morning of for ease, but you can also find healthy ways to eat near the tournament too. We will provide a few different easy ideas that can be prepared for lunch or dinner on game day.

You can pair any of these meals with a glass of milk, sports drink, or even a fruit smoothie. Many athletes may prefer a smoothie over foods to avoid feeling too full when having more games to play. Chocolate milk can be a great drink for athletes to help replenish them after a grueling tournament as it is rich in both protein and carbohydrates.

Pasta or Chick Pea Salads

We love a pasta salads on tournament weekends. Usually, we can prepare one big batch and it will last the entire weekend for either lunch or dinner. Plus, you can prepare these a night or two before the tournament to save some time during the busy morning and they carry really well in the cooler.

We make our pasta salads with whole wheat pasta or chick peas, which includes healthy carbohydrates for your whole family. Mix in some good sources of protein. These can include sausage, ham, tuna, or chicken. We add in some high-quality cheese to add some dairy. And then add in plenty of vegetables or even some fruit for a delicious well-rounded meal. We love peppers, red onion, cucumbers, snap peas, lettuce, and tomatoes, but really any ones your family enjoys are great to toss in.

Another option is a cold taco salad. Basically mix all your loved taco fixings and add a little dressing. We love Catalina Dressing, low fat of course. Mix in some chips for a little crunch too, whole wheat options keep these healthier for your family.

We bring extra dressing to add to our salads right before eating and this allows each family member to add in the right amount of dressing for them. Pack these in a cup with a lid for easy storage and serving. We prefer two different types of cups for this. The first is a Tupperware cup and the second is a spill proof cup that can be used with or without a straw.

Sandwiches & Wraps

Sandwiches are a great tournament meal, especially when you need to plan for both lunch and dinner. These can easily be prepared the night before or morning of, but you could also prepare these at the tournament. Most children can prepare their own sandwich too, which is nice for the busy parents.

Our children love peanut butter and jelly, turkey or ham sandwiches, or even tuna sandwiches. We use whole wheat bread for good carbohydrates. All the options add in protein either in lunch meat, peanut butter, or tuna. Add in a little fruits or vegetables with jelly or slices of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or onion on your sandwich. We can often mix in diced onion with our tuna and our children never even notice. You’ll want to include some dairy in the form of yogurt, milk, or cheese with your sandwiches.

Make the sandwiches in a large piece of lettuce or whole wheat tortilla for a change of place. Our children aren’t big fans of lettuce wraps but they do enjoy a good tortilla wrap in place of bread.

Empanadas or Pocket Foods

Empanadas are typical a Hispanic food served warm and fried, with a vegetable and meat filling wrapped inside the dough. We have had luck baking them and even eating them either hot or cold. Still just as delicious and you can prepare these in advance. Plus they tend to stay warm for a long time after baking since the heat is trapped inside the pocket.

We make our own empanada dough, but you can buy pre-made dough too. If you plan to make it yourself, just divide the dough into serving sizes and roll it out with your rolling pin. We use whole wheat flour in our dough. Then make your filling. For our filling we love to add in protein and vegetables. You really can fill these with anything. Got a chicken pot pie recipe, use it as your filling. An enchilada recipe would make a great filling too.

Pan fry your meat of choice, we love chicken, ground turkey, and even ground beef. Toss in your vegetables with a little broth. We try to match our broth to the meat of choice. For vegetables, you really can add in anything. We have done peppers, tomatoes and onions. Another option is carrots, celery, and onions. You could even add in frozen mixed veggies. Add in a little cheese to get some dairy and your meal is ready to go.

Smoothies

A smoothie can be a great quick meal for an athlete, especially if they want to avoid feeling too full before playing more games. These are super quick to throw together, especially if you prepare all the ingredients the night before. Just add to your blender or smoothie maker in the morning and viola, instant smoothie to drink on the go. Our kids are able to make these without much help, especially when everything is premeasured and cut for them. You can even bring your blender if you get one that uses batteries or plug yours into your car to make these on the go.

We try to pack our lunch or dinner smoothies with more vegetables than breakfast smoothies to help our children get the nutrients they need. This is a great way to add a little extra fiber. Some of our favorite vegetables to mix in include sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, and cucumbers. You can mask the task of the vegetables with a bit of fruit, especially pineapple and mango.

Mix in some oats for a little whole grain. Greek yogurt and milk add some much needed calcium. There are so many ways to add a punch of protein. Mix in a little peanut butter, protein powder, nuts, chai seeds, flaxseed, or hemp hearts. Plus throw in a little honey for some great antioxidants too.

Snack Foods for Sport Tournaments

Since sport tournaments tend to last many hours and children tend to play multiple games, you will want to prepare snacks to give your child the boost they need. You want to plan at least one snack for every 2 – 3 hours that your child will be away from home. This is about 1 snack per game that you child will play. This can be hard to plan for as many times we won’t know exactly how many games our child will play nor the times of those games. So we always plan for the best (or worst) case scenario where you child plays in the winning game.

So what can a family do to prepare healthy snacks for sport tournaments?

Well, there are a few snacks you can prepare in advance that are super easy to transport and delicious. Plus they are great for replenishing athletes’ bodies for continuing to practice and play games all day.

What Snack Foods Should your Child eat During a Tournament?

We like to plan out our snacks to be easy to transport and eat quickly after practice or games. These are extra amazing if they can be tossed into your child’s sports bag so there is less to carry. We try to ensure our snacks are a mix of carbohydrates for quick energy and protein for longer lasting energy. You child will need both to keep up with the physical and mental demands of a tournament.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association suggests having a snack within 30 minutes of finishing a workout or game if you aren’t going to have a meal in the next hour. They also suggest a healthy carbohydrate rich snack or beverage every 2 – 3 hours during tournaments.

Snack Food Ideas for Sport Tournaments

As you prepare for your tournament weekend, be sure to have a plan for snacks for both your athlete and other children who are attending too. We like to plan at least one snack per game that could be played. For tournaments sometimes we don’t know the exact schedule so plan out the maximum number of games your child could play and plan for that number of snacks. We would always rather have too many snacks than find ourselves short.

Having the right number of snacks keeps your athlete fueled for games and your other children happy too. Happy children allow you the best chance to watch the games.

Granola Bars

Granola bars are a favorite in our family, but we prefer to make our own. You might think that this takes a lot of effort, but they are actually easy and pretty quick to make. Most granola bars are a mix of grains, with nuts, fruit, or chocolate mixed in, and a good sticky binder to hold them together.

There are so many different granola bar recipes. Start with some good carbohydrates for the energy boost your athlete will need. We love to use oats and rice cereal. Add in a little protein in the form of flaxseed, chai seeds, hemp hearts, or protein powder. Then mix in your fruits, seeds, and nuts, you can even add a little chocolate for a treat too. We love to use dried fruits, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, and peanuts or cashews. Finally, mix together your binder to hold everything together.

Our binders usually include honey, coconut oil, and a little vanilla. You could even use peanut butter here to add a little extra protein too. Once everything is well mixed, press together into your pan and refrigerator for at least an hour. We like to use a little parchment paper and the bottom of our measuring cup to firmly press the granola bars together.

Just cut and serve in either a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container. These don’t need to be refrigerated but could be stored in your cooler too.

Yogurt Parfaits

We love yogurt parfaits too! Start with your yogurt base and mix in your toppings. We love to add in fruit, seeds, and nuts for energy. You could stir in a little flaxseed, chai seeds, hemp hearts, or protein powder for a little protein boost too. These are so easy to make and customize for each member of your family.

You can start with a yogurt cup or scoop your own yogurt from a larger container to make your own. Pack the yogurt in a cup with a lid for easy storage and serving. We have two different cups that we prefer. The first is a Tupperware cup and the second is a spill proof cup that can be used with or without a straw. Pack up your toppings separate and let your children add their own right before you eat or you can pre-mix everything the night before or morning of.

Trail Mix

Our kids love to create their own trail mix. We add a little chocolate chips or m&ms for some quick energy. Then we balance this with some dried fruit, raisins or craisins. Our children love banana chips and dried pineapple but you really have so many different options. Mix in some nuts and seeds for protein; we love peanuts, cashews, pistachios, and sunflower seeds. Just be sure to get the kind without shells.

This is a great snack to keep in your child’s sport bag for tournament days to grab a bite in between plays or back to back games.

Fruits and Vegetables with String Cheese

We love to bring cut up fruits and vegetables for our children to snack on. Keep some Tupperware containers to transport your fruit and vegetable snacks in your cooler. Throw in some string cheese to add in a little dairy and protein. These snacks together give your child a quick energy boost with a longer lasting energy boost to make it through the game.

Some of our favorites include cherry or grape tomatoes, baby carrots, cucumbers, strawberries, blueberries, melons (cantaloupe, watermelon, or honeydew), grapes, peaches, nectarines, apples, and oranges.

Whole Grain Crackers with Cheese and Lunch Meat

Finally, consider add some whole grain crackers with cheese and lunch meat. Our children love to make their own cracker sandwiches for a snack, or even a lunch. The whole grain crackers are great sources of quick energy, while the cheese and lunch meat give a longer lasting energy boost. Plus you are helping to replenish your child’s nutrients and provide them the fuel they need for the rest of the tournament.

To make this easier to distribute during the game, make single kid servings of crackers, cut up cheese, and cut up lunch meat slices. With everything stored in a single 3 compartment Tupperware it can be super easy to hand out to your children.

Final Tips for Packing Foods for Sport Tournaments

Be sure to have an easy solution for storing and packing your foods. You will want a cooler and food storage bag for non-refrigerated foods. Check that both of these are large enough to hold the necessary foods for the tournament and that your containers fit inside well.

You will want to have ice for your cooler. We prefer to use ice packs that we can refreeze and use again and again. We find that these Amazon Basics one fit super well in our cooler and are so easy to use. Plus they keep everything the perfect temperature all day.

We like to pack an extra Tupperware container for dividing up a snack or holding spilled snacks until we can get to a garbage can. This extra container has come in so handy throughout our tournament days.

Finally, consider a foldable wagon to help carry all your materials for the tournament. Often times teams move fields and you need an easy way to get from your car to each of the fields and even when you move fields in between games. You’ll be especially grateful for the wagon at the end of the tournament when everyone is just a little more tired from the long day.

Looking for other ways to enjoy the outdoors with your family or pass time between games, check out our post on hiking with your family.

Leave us a comment below and let us know your family’s favorite meals and snacks for tournaments. We would love to hear what works for you and what you try out!

Hi, I’m Nicole.

Here at Creatingbutterflies we provide families with practical solutions to real life problems for everything parenting, scouting, dual language, and enjoying time outdoors. We are a family of 6 with 4 wonderful becoming bilingual children who loves scouting, camping, and hiking with their family. Mom is an educator and dad is a firefighter/paramedic.