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Meal & Snack Roundup for the Young Athlete & Family

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A little non-food pic. Husband and I kicked the new year off in Chicago for a good friend’s wedding. We absolutely love this city!

A little non-food pic. Husband and I kicked the new year off in Chicago for a good friend’s wedding. We absolutely love this city!

Good morning and happy 2020! I hope everyone has had a good start to the year. My husband and I started ours out in Chicago, one of our favorite cities to visit. We were there for a wedding and it was so fun to see old friends, explore new parts of the city and visit some of our classic favorites. I came back refreshed and ready to move into this new year and ready to share more ideas and information for you guys that have chosen to follow along with me.

As I sat and thought about what I felt both inspired to share and what I thought my readers wanted or needed to know, I decided it might be important to make this first post a re-cap of some of my favorite snack and recipes from 2019. One thing I have learned from working with athletes, parents, coaches and AT’s this past year is that one of the key needs is actual meal and snack ideas. Sometimes the general knowledge is there, but what is most needed are tangible, visible meals and snacks that incorporate and apply the nutrition knowledge and needs of the athlete. Everyone is so busy and often the time it takes to plan meals and snacks when nutrition and / or cooking isn’t your strong suite is not there.

So, for my first post of 2020, I have decided to highlight some of my favorite and most popular meals as well as give you guys some snack ideas to incorporate throughout the year. These all offer nutrition that the young athlete needs, but they are also full of flavor and easy to throw together! These follow my “minimal ingredient” guidelines so you won’t be shopping for 30 odd ingredients that you’ll only use once, ha. I hope you find this helpful and I look forward to helping you more and providing more meal and snack ideas in 2020!


My 15 Most Popular Recipes for Busy Families of Young Athletes


I’ve had lots of positive feedback about this tuna melt! It’s so fast to throw together as a snack or meal before or after a game or practice! It’s one easy recipe that packs in protein, healthy fats, and quality carbohydrate!

I’ve had lots of positive feedback about this tuna melt! It’s so fast to throw together as a snack or meal before or after a game or practice! It’s one easy recipe that packs in protein, healthy fats, and quality carbohydrate!

  1. Honey Dijon Chicken Salad (dairy-free)

  2. Up and At ‘Em Egg Cups

  3. Sun Butter Banana Overnight Oats

  4. Easy Quinoa Salad with Black Beans & Feta

  5. Grilled Pesto Garden Salad with Warm Balsamic Shrimp

  6. Simple Seven Ingredient Tuna Burgers

  7. Miso Ginger Glazed Salmon

  8. Ten Minute Mediterranean Tuna Melt

  9. No Bake Cherry Sun Butter Squares

  10. Roasted Red Pepper and Pesto Chicken Salad

  11. Confetti Chicken Salad

  12. Balsamic Tomato Ricotta Toast

  13. Fig & Cheddar Turkey Melt

  14. Mediterranean Lunch Wrap

  15. Chili Lime Shrimp with Mango & Avocado Salad


15 Snack Ideas for the Young Athlete in 2020

(Note: none of these are affiliate links. These are all my own suggestions & recommendations)

  1. 88 Acres Granola Bars (Nut free) - they now have 2 protein bar options!!

  2. KIND bars

  3. Made Good Bars (Nut, allergen free)

  4. Lara Bars

  5. No Bake Cherry Sun Butter Squares

  6. Fruit + 1 string cheese

  7. Greek yogurt + diced fresh or frozen fruit

  8. 8 oz glass of milk or Horizon 8 oz tetrapack

  9. Sun Butter Banana Oat Bites

  10. Dark Chocolate Grahams

  11. Kashi TLC crackers or Mary’s Gone Crackers + hummus

  12. Homemade Trail Mix (Quaker Oat Squares, dark chocolate chips, dry roasted almonds)

  13. 1/2 cup plain oatmeal made with milk + blueberries + slivered toasted almonds

  14. Apple slices with peanut butter

  15. 1/2 cup cottage cheese with diced tomatoes + dash of Season-All or balsamic dressing