WHAT I'M FEEDING MY KIDS TO SURVIVE TWO-A-DAY SPORTS PRACTICES

12 Healthy, portable breakfasts, dinners and snacks for the busiest seasons of life.

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Hello!

Welcome back to all who have been spring-breaking and enjoying much-needed time away from screens and routines. We were away for a week in Montreal and Mt. Tremblant (I can’t wait to tell you about both!), and returned to nearly 80-degree days, sunshine, and a thriving ecosystem in the backyard, which, as we discovered this morning, includes morels growing at the base of our apple tree—hoorah!

Overall, though, there’s not a lot of idyllic backyard foraging going on right now. My kids have only been back in school for four days, but already, I’ve done two dozen sports/school pick-ups and drop-offs, packed six snack bags, and four to-go dinners for my kids, ages 10 and 14, to manage our extracurricular life.

We’ve always been busy here (an old colleague calls my family high-octane), but we’ve entered a new zone of intensity. At the end of March, each of my kids started a second sport (ballet and crew for my daughter, Tang Soo Do and soccer for my son) on top of school, violin, and choir, bringing our tally to two practices per kid, per night, (plus games/regattas/rehearsals all weekend long!)

I don't believe kids need to be highly scheduled. I value the beauty of boredom and quiet days at home, and believe me, those are my favorites, but my high-energy kids thrive on challenge. These are add-ons they’ve asked for and are managing well. But it also means I’ve increasingly taken on the role of chauffeur, juggler of uniforms, water bottles, and meals on the go.

At the start of this new schedule, we stopped far too often for acai bowls, Tikka Masala, pizza, and packaged salads from tempting local cafes. While these meals were racking up airline miles on the old credit card (ouch!), most were less than ideal: either not a good balance of protein and carbs, too indulgent, or not filling enough. I knew that with a little effort, I could develop better-for-them, more budget-friendly choices at home. So I threw myself at it, reverse engineering some of our yummiest meals to be more portable, and hunting down the right to-go containers to lighten my load, without the extreme waste or washing that often comes with eating on the go. It’s taken me about 4 weeks to lock this in, but I think I’m getting there.

I'm sharing it with you in case you also have family members coming and going to work/sports/travel/workouts, or other commitments this time of year. The accompanying images are quick and scrappy (real life—all shot on my iPhone before rushing off to the next urgent task). When I remembered, I tried to shoot meals as I packed them, and snap how it was eaten at home by other family members, usually me, in a rare quiet moment between the kitchen and the car.

This letter took many weeks to put together, but I chose not to paywall it because I want it to reach and help the most people (though I very much welcome and appreciate when you upgrade to paid. You can do that here). I hope you enjoy it, and please share with friends and loved ones you think could help.

Please use the comments to add ideas for to-go meals that have worked for you and your family during your busiest seasons, and/or which of these you’re likely to try first and why! As always, I’m here (in comments) to answer any questions or help you modify these ideas to suit your needs.

Scroll down for heaps of visual inspiration and our go-to to-go formulas (ha, say that three times fast…).

Lots of love,

xx

Sarah

OUR 3 BEST-TO-GO BREAKFASTS

AÇAI BOWLS [pronounced: ah-sigh-ee] : Like a super thick smoothie or smoothie bowl, this blend of frozen berries, dairy or non-dairy, and frozen açai or açai powder topped with berries, granola, and sometimes freshly ground peanut butter (ground to order at our local store—it comes out still warm and deliciously fragrant) is still winning for us. I wing ours each day depending on what we have on hand (frozen cherries, a berry kale blend, or simply mixed frozen wild blueberries). To make: blend 3 cups frozen berries, 1 acai packet, 1/2 to 1 banana, 1 cup almond milk, 1 cup plain yogurt, 3 pitted dates, 1 to 2 scoops plain or chocolate protein powder (ideally with adaptogens) in a food processor or Vita-mix until smooth but still frozen. Adjust, flavor or sweeten to your tastes. Divide bewteen 6 to 8 to-go containers (depending on size). Cover and freeze until ready to serve (up to 5 days). Remove from the freezer 45 minutes before serving. Top with fresh fruit and granola once they come out of the freezer and allow to defrost en route to your event! (SHOP THIS RECIPE)*

OVERNIGHT CHIA PUDDING: Chia, oats, almond milk, yogurt, cinnamon, ginger, maple syrup soften into a protein-packing morning pudding. Top with fresh berries or frozen fruit (lately we’ve been loving the dragon-fruit, mango, passion-fruit mix from Pitaya). To make: Stir together 1 quart plain whole milk organic yogurt, 1/2 cup chia seeds, 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup coconut, almond or whole milk, 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup and a pinch of ground cinnamon or ginger. Adjust, flavor or sweeten to your tastes. Divide bewteen 4 to 8 to-go containers (depending on size). Top with fresh or frozen berries/fruit. Seal and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 2 days). (SHOP THIS RECIPE)

BLACK FOREST YOGURT BOWLS: Layer your favorite plain whole milk organic yogurt. sprinkle on chocolate granola, top with fresh or frozen cherries. I like this three-cherry blend from Earthbound Farms. To make: Divide 1 quart plain whole milk organic yogurt between 4 to 8 to-go containers (depending on size). Sprinkle with a few tablespoons chocolate granola. Top with cherries. Seal and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 2 days). (SHOP THIS RECIPE)

*(To make it a little easier to pull this off, you can shop these recipes at the links below each. Click SHOP THIS RECIPE to add all the ingredients into one cart for delivery via Instacart*).

3 WON’T DISSAPOINT ON-THE-GO-DINNERS + A SOUP THAT PACKS WELL

TURKEY BURGERS WITH GRUYERE, SPINACH + BEET SALAD WITH AVOCADO: Turkey burgers, griddled or cast-iron fried, topped with gruyere in the last moment, covered with a lid (you can see above I made turkey burgers for the kids, lamb burgers for me that week) only need a dollop of mustard to shine (we go bunless). Meanwhile, layer a handful of pre-washed baby spinach with fresh cooked and dressed/pickled red/yellow beets, avocado and dressing of choice. To make: Here’s my best turkey burger recipe for the New York Times (unlocked for you). For a shortcut, use loose ground turkey sausage (which already has tons of flavor) roughly shaped into patties. Salad: No recipe, you’ve got this, but here’s how to cook beets! (SHOP THIS RECIPE)

RED LENTIL DAL WITH BASMATI RICE + AVOCADO: Our weekly dal recipe never fails, is good hot, warm or room temperature, packs and travels well in a jar, snapware or compostable to-go. Pair with warm Basmati or Jasmine rice, plus a mango lassi (recipe below, in snacks). To serve at home, add avocado and yogurt. To add to the go-go meal, pack yogurt and avocado separately (avocado will brown quickly when added to something warm). To make: Full recipe, HERE. (SHOP THIS RECIPE)

CHICKEN AND RICE BOWLS WITH OLIVES: I recently cooked this home-run Chicken and Rice dinner from

Colu Henry

on a Monday, served it warm that night at home with an on-the-go version for Greta. The next day I split the leftovers, and turned half into chicken and rice soup (added broth, carrots, celery, herbs) and half into chicken salad (mayo, grapes, celery, walnuts, lemon juice, salt, pepper and splash of lemon or pickled juice) that became two more to-go meals. WINNER! To make: Full recipe, HERE! (SHOP THIS RECIPE)

BROCCOLI/PEA SOUP (in jars): Any soup can be turned into a to-go using a wide-mouthed ball jar, but the beauty of green soup is that it’s good warm, or chilled. Bring as a first course for the above meals when you need extra veggies, or quick/light dinner or snack before a short workout. To make: Here’s a favorite recipe I wrote for the New York Times, unlocked for you!). (SHOP THIS RECIPE)

5 SUSTAINING PACKABLE SNACKS:

CHOCOLATE-TAHINI POWER CUPS (pictured, above): I’ve written about our love for these no-bake, protein-and-energy-packed treats before. Chocolate and Tahini lovers will adore these. Use Peanut or Almond Butter if you prefer, and swap out slivered almonds for oats if you’re oat-adverse. To make: Full recipe, HERE. (SHOP THIS RECIPE)

EDIBLE (PROTEIN-POWER) COOKIE DOUGH (pictured, below): My daughter blends up a mixture of almond flour, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil and chocolate chips that tastes just like real cookie dough but is egg-free and packed with protein. Scoop into balls and refrigerate. Pack up and pull out as needed (I like to place it into a muffin liner to keep it separate from other goodies, see photo below). To make: combine 1 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup almond butter (or other natural nut/seed butter). Loosen with 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, and sweetened with 3 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup. Stir in a pinch and up to 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and cinnamon. Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of dark chocolate chips. Tweak to your tastes. Scoop with a medium cookie or ice cream scoop and refrigerate for up to 1 week. (SHOP THIS RECIPE)

MANGO LASSI (pictured above with the to-go-dal): We make these weekly for a healthy treat that feels like dessert, but still delivers protein, fiber and probiotics. To make: combine 1 30-oz can pureed mango pulp, 1 13.5 oz jar coconut milk, 1 cup whole milk plain yogurt (unsweetened), 2 cups ice in a high-powered blender. Pureee until frothy. Serve immediately or place in to-go-cups with straws and refrigerate for up to 2 days (it will thicken as it sets). (SHOP THIS RECIPE)

AVOCADO TOAST: Avocado, toasted bread or english muffin, sea salt, pepper, sunflower seeds, micro-greens, dizzle of olive oil and lemon, served with handful of raspberries or other fruits is a fresh, satisfying snack, loaded with antioxidants and fiber. To make: Toast your favorite sourdough, seeded bread or english muffin. Meanwhile, half, pit and slice your avocado. Drizzle with lemon to preserve the color. Oil or butter the bread, smash the avocado over the top (smashing is preferable to just placing when eating on the go). Sprinkle chia seeds, flax seeds, seseme seeds, micro-greens or other nutrient dense toppings over the avocado. Season with Maldon or other flaky salt. (SHOP THIS RECIPE)

POWER SNACK PACK: This can look like any varition of the following (see photos, below, for ideas): 1 apple sliced, several slices/cubes smoked gouda or parm, a handful of smoked almonds, 3 dates, and a Power Cup- OR- sliced peppers and cucumbers, 1 giant strawberries, + Edible Protein Power Cookie Dough -OR- peppers, cucumbers, two packaged chocolate sandwich cookies (like Belvita), 3 dates, 8 brazil nuts. You get the idea! To make: Be creative, use what you have. (SHOP THESE INGREDIENTS)

MY FAVORITE PACKABLE VESSELS:

All of thses meals and snacks are possible because I’ve invested in the right to-go containers. When my kids were little, I used stainless steel bento boxes like Planet Box, or Lunch Bots for school lunches, and ball jars, glass Snapware and Thermos or Mira for everything else (car snacks, camp meals, sports snacks, pool treats).

For this stage of life, we need bigger portions (teens/tweens!) and lighter vessels for kids carrying around backpacks, laptops and a sports bag all day. I’ve recently moved to BPA-free plastic bento boxes, compostable paper vessels, and small, reusable jars with leak-proof seals for school days. Here are my favorites, with links to each one so you can find what works best for you:

• 12-oz Paper Food Containers with Vented Lid: Use for acai bowls, soup, rice + beans, dry snacks, granola, yogurt, etc. I use these mostly for daily acai bowls, unless we need bigger portions. Can free well! (pictured below)

• 2-Compartment Compostable Take-Out Containers: We use these for rice and dal, burgers and salads, chicken and rice, and large-portion acai bowls for game days, among other things. They are super sturdy and hold up well, and we toss ours right into the compost. I haven’t tested these in the freezer (pictured top picture).

• 8 or 10-oz Glass Jars with Lids: Use for yogurt bowls, chia pudding, and soups (cold). Choose the portion size that works best for your family. I have both, but find we are mostly using the 10-ounce. My daughter loves the colors; they are on brand with her backpack and lunchbox. :)

• Croften BPA-free Bento Box: I found these pastel deep-pocket bento boxes with reusable fork/spoon at ALDI and have been using them on repeat. They are lightweight, dishwasher safe (top rack), and, again, in palette. Something similar with a lot of storage and separate compartments for younger kids is this amazing Melii Bento Spin Lunch + Snack Container or Melii Snackle Boxes (12 compartments!).

• Melii Reusable Snack Bags: These charming character snack bags, also found at ALDI this week, are perfect for dry pantry snacks and small bits like carrot or pretzel sticks. My 10-year-old was mortified and said I could NOT pack them for him. Generally, I use these generic Compostable Snack Bags for my kids, which can be added to compost once emptied.

P.S. I never nailed the sweet notes in the lunchbox type of motherhood I imagined for myself when my kids were young, but I’m making up for it now, leaving short love notes on portable paper breakfast bowls for my big kids. ♡

This letter wouldn’t be possible without YOU! Thank you for being here, and enormous thanks to all who support my work with a paid subscription.

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Copyright © 2025 by Sarah Copeland. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links help cover the cost of ingredients to create more recipes like these for you.