Food to Pack for Tournament - Ideas Welcome!

I can't remember the details but recently read about a sports mom who took her crockpot to the hotel and used it for meals. I think she put in baked potatoes for a potato bar and hot dogs another meal and some kind of easy breakfast casserole they all had with food she kept in the ice chest. And I want to say she premade pancakes at home, froze them, kept them in the ice chest then heated in the crock pot? I can't remember exactly but you can probably google it for ideas. I hope you find some good ideas.

I don't know how you feel about pre-made sandwiches, but (for the team, not the families) my son's wrestling team moms always packed food for the boys for away matches. We pre-made PB&J sandwiches (put PB on each bread slice first, with jelly in between keeps the bread fresher, less soggy) and put each in a ziploc bag (individually) and then just put the ziploc bags of sandwiches right back inside the plastic bread bag for packing/organization.

I personally like to wrap each sandwich in saran wrap and then stick it in a ziploc (keeps the bread fresher in my opinion), and then stack them in the bread loaf bag. You can easily pack/store 8 sandwiches or more in a bread bag. I suppose you could do the same with other types of sandwiches,but I'd be leery of certain meats/condiments if I was unsure how stable the temperature storage might be.
But it would save you needing to haul a bunch of condiment containers, knives for spreading, etc.

Or if you like tuna sandwiches ok, you could pre-mix the tuna salad part, and transport that prepackaged (ziplock or tupperware--I'd go ziploc so you could just toss the trash), with a loaf of bread and plastic ware (knife) for spreading. Travel size squeeze bottle condiments.

You could also pack individual yogurt cups, cheese sticks, garden salad (with plastic ware and paper bowls), really anything you might eat served cold. Deviled eggs.
Just imagine packing for a picnic. :)

Good luck to the team. Have fun!

Save space and money by NOT buying and packing bottles of water! Each person should have a stainless steel or non-BPA plastic bottle - or at least reuse a purchased bottle of water and refill them from any sink or water fountain you pass. Water is everywhere! Take a sharpie marker and write each person's name on their bottle, or put a piece of colored paper around the label so each person's assigned bottle is easier to spot.

Trail mix for snacking with protein and fruit: granola, peanuts/almonds, raisins/craisins, dried fruit, plain Chex (any flavor), a few chocolate chips or M&Ms, seeds like pepitas and sunflower, etc. Put it in one big tub with a tight lid and a measuring cup or any plastic cup inside, then kids can scoop out what they want into their own container or a ziploc bag (which can be reused).

Take a small bottle of dish detergent with you - the smallest one you can find - and a small sponge or use the hotel washcloth. Take a few of your own utensils rather than relying on plastic, especially for preparation - a good knife or two for cutting fruit or spreading sandwiches, for example. Get a few extra towels (hand towel size is fine) to use as a dish towel or dish drainer. You can also use a clean towel as a "counter" for making sandwiches.

Most sandwiches can not only be pre made, they can be frozen. They defrost easily in a lunch box. PB&J, turkey & cheese, almond or cashew butter for those who don't eat peanuts, etc. Take meat for the first day, then PB&J for the others. Or stop at a supermarket deli and buy exactly the amount of meat you need. (We had a sandwich making "assembly line" for a function, and one very savvy mom asked the deli guy to give her 96 slices of turkey and 48 slices of cheese - so much smarter than estimating by the pound or half pound!)

Use the hotel fridge for yogurt or true perishables, not drinks. Kids can get free ice from the hotel ice maker. If you use your own bottles with wide mouths, ice and water go in great.

A breakfast of yogurt, some Grape Nuts sprinkled on top, and a side of fruit is great. Nuts provide healthy fats and help the kids not get a carb-rush from too much cereal or bread. If you take regular cereal, add raisins and nuts to it.

Prewash veggies/fruits and pre-peel carrots (larger carrots are way cheaper than the baby carrots, which are just peeled large carrots anyway). Hummus dip keeps fairly well even if it's not in super-cold temperatures.

I make a nice pasta salad with small pasta (I love pearl couscous which is also called Israeli couscous) or you could use rice, with added vegetables such as diced carrots, cukes, celery, grape tomatoes, green/red peppers,
rice vinegar and olive oil (or canola) plus salt, pepper, parsley flakes to taste. It keeps really well in a cooler, and there's no mayo to worry about. You can add beans or chickpeas for protein. Even the cucumbers don't get soggy for about 3 days, so it's a filling and nutritious salad. If you put it in a square plastic container with a lid, it fits better in a cooler than a round bowl. Take a couple of extra plastic containers with lids (stacked inside each other) for unexpected leftovers so you aren't throwing anything away.

The hotel fridge's tiny freezer will likely not refreeze your ice packs, so take some large ziploc bags you can fill with ice from the hotel ice maker.

Have fun!

You've already gotten a lot of great ideas, one thing I do is freeze water bottles at home and use them in place of ice. It usually keeps the cooler colder and keeps stuff from getting ruined in cooler water. For our last trip I did a pulled pork in the crock pot and took it with us in a gallon baggie. I didn't add BBQ sauce to it so we could add it as we went. I also brought hummus, tomatoes, chips etc. We were able to make several sandwiches off of it. I don't know the brand hotel you're staying in, but most will provide a microwave if asked although sometimes it's additional fees. Bagels and cream cheese are also great for breakfast and lunch if you add lunch meat and tomatoes.

In my experience, drinks are what can easily drive costs up. Bottled water in the hotel or vending machines are ridiculous. I always make sure I have a new flat of water and whatever drinks I think I'll need.

Enjoy your time!

L.

I bring ingredients not already made. So a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly and loaf of bread. I noticed many kids do not eat soggy pre-made sandwiches as much as fresh ones.
-fruits such as bananas, oranges and apples that do not need to be refrigerated.
-chips are always popular
-granola bars or ones with extra protein
-beef jerky
-If there is a BBQ outside, hotdogs and buns are cheap and easy to make for a team.

You can buy milk on the shelf in the stores now. It doesn't have to be refrigerated. Take a couple of bags of cereal and it's a quick breakfast.

I would suggest that our parents would not like staying in a hotel that didn't have microwaves, coffee pots, and small fridges in the room.

Plus most hotels that are chains and can give good discounts for groups have breakfast free to those staying in the hotel.

We pay about $10 more for the room BUT we get a good hot breakfast every morning.

Our average cost for a hotel with all this is about $80 per night but that cost can go up to $100 per night.

The most expensive hotel we've ever stayed at was $125 per night and it was a convention and a very expensive hotel. Their average cost was $150 and up. Because of our large group we were able to get the cost down more.

We had pancakes, waffles, sausage, bacon, omelets made on request with various stuffing, cereal, muffins, bagels, biscuits and gravy, toast, fruit, and so much more. It was like going to the best restaurant in town and getting to eat as much as you wanted for free.

By staying in a hotel with "free" breakfast we saved at least a hundred dollars. It's the most important meal for athletes. They need that good start in the morning.

We always take a bunch of food with us too but in the end it's often that good breakfast that helps us get through the whole day without having to pack the coolers with everything in the fridge...lol.

For food that "keeps" I think of what I used to eat/ see eaten during my hostel days backpacking in europe. hard boiled eggs, hard salami, nutella, olives, hard cheese, baguettes, jelly. These things travel well.

When skiing (albiet that is more of a day trip, usually, I see families economize by bringing cold cut sandwiches, a communal bag of chips/ pretzels, hummos, or guac, and carrots or cuccumbers, some supermarket cookies too.

If you are only just trying this, don't try it all at once, instead, plan on provisioning your own snacks/ or a breakfast, or two days of lunch.

Something hubs and I do when we travel, is we cook and freeze a favorite casserole (ours is zucchini with pumpernickle bread, plum tomato, bacon, onion, cheddar and parmesan). We freeze it in single serve sizes, wrapped in parchment and in ziplocks. It serves as the ice for our cooler. It is great hot, but decent warm or thawed. That and a bottle of wine, and a fire makes a decent dinner.

Best,
F. B.

We bring a cooler when all 5 of us go to dance competitions or all day baseball events. Here is what goes in there on a normal day:

Sandwiches (can also be a tub of tuna and crackers) - toppings are in separate bags so the sandwiches don't get soggy.

Chips (we buy individual bags so everyone picks, then I toss in a few extra)

Vegetables galore! Normally a big bag of peppers, cucumbers, celery, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and carrots). I also pack some homemade ranch dip, or bottled if I don't have the stuff to make homemade.

Fruit!! Grapes and apples are our favorites, but if it's the right season I'll toss in strawberries and clementine's.

We also make brownies or cookies....and we bring the whole thing so we can share those.

Pasta Salad - with Italian dressing and different vegetables mixed in.

Lots of water bottles. Sometimes Gatorades, but normally just water.

We also normally bring a box of Cheez-its. All of this is used to last from 8 in the morning until after dinner time. We usually grab dinner out after everything, but it's late so we need snacks to last.

I always love cans of chicken spread and bread and it won't go bad if you have some cans left. Does the hotel have a microwave even if you don't have one in the room? Anyone have a small microwave to bring along?
Precut fruits and vegetables and pack them with peanut butter jars or dips and keep in a cooler or cooling bag.
If you have a Costco or Sam's club card and time of course, can you buy things in bulk, like pretzels and pop tarts or cereal bars and bags with individually wrapped somewhat healthy treats?
Premade sandwiches for the first day/night?
Have fun! it's three days of fun, so don't worry about this issue too much. People work out ways to eat cheaply and healthily.

When we did this kind of trip we always took juice, bagels and cream cheese, fruit and yogurt for breakfast. I usually had plenty of no prep/cook snacks, trail mix, granola bars, cookies, chips/crackers, cheese and carrot sticks, etc. and a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly, and lunchmeat and mayo.
Most of the above items (except the juice, dairy and meat) don't need to kept cool, so we had plenty of room in the cooler for ice.
Have fun!

Depending on where you are going, ask if they have a storage room for the hockey bags. Our last hotel had a locker room for ski equipment. It may already be off season and not a problem to store the bags in there and it will cut down on the "hockey bag oder" that we are all so familiar with.

Our last tournament, we went to a pretty touristy town. I had an idea everything would be pricey. I took cold cuts, sliced cheese, then you can purchase a loaf of bread up there.

Yogurt, a pack of non refrigerated chocolate milk, bottled starbucks coffees, PB & J, granola bars, beef jerkey, individual cold cereal, fruit, if you enjoy cold spaghetti or mac & cheese, pasta salad, that will work too.

Even if you give them a snack before going out to eat, that will cut back on their need to eat a large order. Perhaps there is a supermarket close by that will sell hot cooked chickens.

Check with your hotel. They may have a microwave available that is used for their continental breakfast. Perhaps you can use it.

It is also good to have some snacks available because they are always hungry!

You can also check for a costco or a market as you get closer to the town you will stay in. I found a Trader Joes right on the path to our next tournament.

Also, when I book the room, that is one of the first questions I ask. Is there a microwave, fridge, and weight room. I also prefer a washing machine available, but don't always find them. Bring a small amount of laundry detergent. I take the pods. I don't care to wash up there, but the stuff gets so bad that you almost have to. As well, she threw up in the car and I could either wash it or throw the clothes away. Which reminds me, take a bottle of ginger ale just in case someone gets car sick.

Best wishes and have fun!

Can you take an electric frying pan with you? You can cook or reheat many different foods in an electric frying pan. You can also take a small charcoal grill and cook hamburgers on the grill (outside) and cook something to go with it in the frying pan.
Depending upon where you will be going, tourist areas tend to have more pricy grocery stores, you can pack basics and pick up meat and milk at a local grocery store.
You can also take lunch meats and cheese with a loaf of bread for lunches, add fruit and cut up veggies.
Remember to take a least one sharp knife, a plastic bucket with cover and put a dish rag or sponge and a towel and a small bottle of dishwashing detergent.
I worked as an on the road salesperson and would take my picnic basket with picnic dishes and flatware. Since you probably won't have a table to eat at it is much easier to handle plastic dishes than paper plates in your lap.
Most motels have free breakfast.

I wouldn't bring an electric frying pan since most wont allow them (they don't want the rooms smelling like foods and they can start a fire).

I would ask if you can bring a small microwave or if they can offer one. Most hotel/motels will have them if you ask.

Stick to foods that do not need cooking. There are plenty of can and packaged goods that can be eaten with out needing heat or to be cooked.

You could bring a microwave with you.

Hopefully you are at a hotel that serves a free breakfast. Lunch PB and J sandwiches or cold cuts. Dinner out. Then just pack some snacks. I am assuming you are doing this for you and two kids. Every team member brings there own food right. I would not bring a crockpot or electric frying pan. I think hotel would not look too kindly on this. It's only 3 days.