Kids Healthy and Easy Sports Snack Recipes – Before and After the Game

At Australian Sports Camps, we’re passionate about proper sports nutrition.  The food we consume is the fuel that powers us through the day.  So, it makes sense that your child athlete eats correctly, to ensure optimal performance.  This is especially so before and after a sports match, when your child is eating for energy or for recovery.  So, it makes sense to have several Kids Healthy and Easy Sports Snack Recipes on hand.

In addition, you get the Nutrition tips for the winter. And also,  know specific nutrition guide for junior netballers. So, now that you know the basic nutrition and hydration guidelines, we’ve put together some simple recipes for snacks that you can make at home.  Prepare them in advance, to avoid the unhealthy temptation of the canteen at the ground.  As well as, junk food on the way home. Plus, if your child is a fussy eater, get them involved with the preparation, and they will be more likely to want to try the food. The following  Easy Sports Snack recipes were obtained from www.sportsdietitians.com.au.  Please note that some of the original recipes included protein powder, but most children obtain enough protein from a balanced diet.  Moreover, too much protein can lead to dehydration and calcium loss.  Serving sizes are approximate, and for younger children, it is recommended to reduce the portions.

Let’s look at the Easy Sports Snack Recipes

Banana and Mango Smoothie

Serves 1. Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 2 tablespoons thick organic yoghurt
• ½ frozen mango
• 2 drops vanilla essence
• ¼ – ½ cup banana/mango nectar (or other 100% fruit juice)

Method:

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy, adding the nectar to achieve desired consistency.

Berry Protein Icy Poles

Serves 12. You will need a blender and standard sized icy pole moulds. Ingredients:

• 1 cup low-fat milk
• ½ cup low-fat Greek yoghurt
• ½ cup blueberries

Method:

1. Use a blender to mix the yoghurt and milk until smooth.
2. Evenly distribute blueberries into the bottom of each mould.
3. Evenly distribute the yoghurt mixture over the blueberries.
4. Lastly, place the filled moulds in the freezer for 5 hours or until completely frozen.

Oat and Apple Pancakes

Serves 4. You will need a blender and a non-stick pan. Ingredients:

• ½ cup oats
• ½ apple chopped
• 1 tea spoon cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup quinoa flakes
• 1 table spoon pecans
• 1 tea spoon baking powder
• 2 tea spoons maple syrup

Method

1. Blend oats, quinoa, apple and pecans for 5-10 seconds until broken down.
2. Mix in cinnamon, egg, maple and milk.
3. Optional: Leave to sit for approximately 15 minutes, and then add additional milk if required for good pancake consistency.
4. Heat non-stick pan to medium/hot temperature.
5. Lastly, cook for 2 — 3 minutes on each side.

Banana and Oat Crumble Muffins

Serves 12. You will need a food processor and a muffin tray. Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 table spoons chia seeds
• 1 table spoon cinnamon
• 2 tea spoons baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ tea spoon nutmeg
• 2 cups wholemeal flour, sifted
• ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 cup low-fat Greek yoghurt

Method

1. Firstly, preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Grease and line muffin pan, using grease proof paper.
3. Blend bananas for 1 minute.
4. Add the remainder of ingredients and blend for 1 minute.
5. Optional: You can create a crunchy topping to sprinkle over the batter just before going into the oven. Blend ½ cup of walnuts or macadamia nuts with ¼ cup brown sugar and 2 table spoons with 2 table spoons of olive oil.  Then, sprinkle pumpkin seeds to finish.
6. Bake in the oven for 25 — 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Allow standing for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

Berry Smoothie with Hidden Greens

Serves 1. To prepare, you’ll need a blender. Ingredients

• 2 large sticks of celery, chopped with leaves mostly removed.
• 1 x cup chopped spinach
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 teaspoons chia seeds
• 1 cup of water
• 1 punnet strawberries, tops removed
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 small avocado or ½ large avocado

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

An Athlete’s Summer Porridge

Serves 1. Ingredients

• ½ cup oats
• A handful of frozen berries
• 1 mango cheek
• Sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg
• 1 cup skim milk
• 100g natural yoghurt
• 1 banana

Method

1. Place oats, milk, berries, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowl. Leave in fridge overnight.
2. In the morning, add yoghurt, banana and mango to the mixture before serving.

Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Bars

Serves 9. For this recipe, you will need a food processor and a 15 x 25cm baking tray. Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1 tea spoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 tea spoon cinnamon
• ½ cup almond butter
• 75g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup apple sauce
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch of nutmeg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Grease and line baking tray.
3. Blitz oats until they are fine, then place the mix in a mixing bowl.
4. Next, add almond butter, sunflower seeds, chocolate, vanilla, apple sauce and honey to the mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.
5. Add the egg whites, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine. Add 1 table spoon of water if required.
6. Pour mixture into the lined baking tray, pressing down with the back of a spoon to ensure firm packing and a smooth, even surface.
7. Bake 20 — 25 minutes until lightly golden and the surface is firm to touch.
8. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then use the baking paper to lift out of the tray. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
9. When completely cool, slice into bars. Store in an airtight container, or individually wrapped to store in the freezer and get ready your Sports Snack Recipes.

Chocolate and Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Serves 2. So, for this recipe, you’ll need a blender. Ingredients

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 x cup skim milk
• 1 heaped teaspoon Milo
• A teaspoon of honey
• 100g blueberries
• 1 cup low-fat Greek yoghurt
• ¼ cup rolled oats

Method

1. Blend all ingredients together for 1 minute.
2. Serve in a tall glass. Optional: garnish with blueberries and a handful of oats.

So, we hope you found these Easy Sports Snack Recipes inspiring.  At Australian Sports Camps, we’re big believers in proper sports nutrition.  Hence, our 3-day school holiday sports coaching programs always incorporate set breaks for rest and adequate rehydration.   Also, we recommend that parents provide a healthy lunch.  In addition, ASC provides fruit snacks daily for optimal camp performance.