No Cook Meal and Snack Ideas for Student-Athletes

Looking for a healthy meal and snack ideas but don’t know how to cook? No problem! I would personally recommend these options that you likely saw on my grocery haul thread on Twitter  .

Another great resource is my “put down the phone and pick up breakfast post?” If you have time to scroll social media you have time to eat breakfast! Many of these items and ideas are great for the pantry at home for your high school athlete or for your college dorm!

Breakfast ideas:

English muffin cut in half with sliced avocado paired with 3/4 cup Greek yogurt and mixed blueberries and raspberries.

 

 

 

A glass of Fairlife chocolate milk or plant-based alternative + Kashi cereal 

 

 

 


See grab-and-go options that can be prepared ahead of time.

Greek Yogurt Berry Bark Bites! Recipe here

 

 

Mason jar protein Oats

Frozen breakfast bagel sandwich or breakfast burrito

 

Greek yogurt parfait  Make the night beforehand (Greek yogurt, berries, chia, nut butter)

 

 

English muffin/Whole-grain pita wrap with mashed banana and peanut butter.

Toast + 2 oz. deli turkey + 1 oz. cheese + tomato wedges paired with chocolate Corepower

My tasty Greek yogurt breakfast toast recipe

 

 

Hard-boiled eggs + apple + string cheese

 

 

Protein smoothie bag (Prepare the night beforehand with frozen berries, spinach, chia seeds, and whey protein powder and place in zip lock baggie) Pour into blender with milk and add Greek Yogurt the morning of and blend!

Microwave egg omelet in a glass bowl with spinach, kale, bell peppers + banana, and low-fat milk.

Kodiak instant oatmeal +strawberries + Greek yogurt

Grab-and-go peanut butter packs paired with fruit

 

Kodiak Cakes Power Cup Muffins (12 g of protein but you can add milk and Greek yogurt to increase protein) + fruit for more energy!

 

 

Kodiak cake frozen waffles or pancakes paired with grab-n-go nut butter packets + 1 apple

 

 

 

 

 

 

RX nut butter packets or Nuts ‘N More

Click here to use my discount code (143NWW) for 15% off any Nut’s N More nut butter or powdered nut butter.

NWW POWER SMOOTHIE!!! Greek yogurt protein smoothie blended with 1 cup spinach, 4 oz. low-fat milk and ½ cup whole-grain oats. See recipe

See other breakfast options or read my full blog Motor Revving Breakfast Ideas here!


Lunch ideas:

  • Spinach bowl topped with two hard-boiled eggs + 1-2 tbsp chickpeas, raspberries, almonds + avocado slices + Kind bar
  • Greek yogurt parfait, pepper/cucumber slices, apple, RX bar, cheese stick

 

Microwavable lentil pasta + add pre-cooked meat + cheese + marinara sauce

 

 

Whole-grain pita with 3 oz. deli ham + carrot sticks + kiwi slices + almonds

 

 

Whole-grain turkey cheese, spinach, tomato sandwich with mashed avocado + mixed fruit cup + serving of whole-grain pretzels


If you’re really pressed for time this lunch idea is for you!

Tuna packet (17 g of protein)

Pre-packaged carrot sticks & guacamole

Whole-grain English muffin

Apple, banana, or pear (backpack stable)

See other travel options here


Dinner ideas:

                         

Microwavable sweet potato

Fully loaded with sour cream, cheese blend, and chives, topped 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, or cottage cheese. Pair with a slice of Ezekiel toast topped with avocado, and a microwavable egg. Here is an example Recipe

 

 

Grilled chicken salad

2 oz of pre-grilled chicken added to a bed of spinach + romaine + ½ cup black beans/chickpea mix + mixed cheese blend, 1 sliced hardboiled egg, 1 tbsp. sunflower seeds with a dressing of choice. Highly recommend Bolthouse Farms Greek yogurt as a healthy dressing.

 

Riced veggie tacos

Frozen bag of riced veggies cooked in the microwave that can be topped with edamame, salsa, in a whole-grain tortilla, shredded pre-made pulled pork, cheddar cheese blend with avocado slices.

 


Snack pairings (snacks should contain protein and carbs) for athletes and for less active days protein + a plant/healthy fat).

Snack pack nut butter + fruit

Greek yogurt cup + almonds

 

 

 

Tuna packet + veggies

 

 

 

 

Guacamole to go

String cheese sticks + applesauce

Chocolate milk + cherries

RX Oats + fruit

Grapes + cottage cheese

 

Applesauce + Kashi bar

Hard-boiled eggs Nuts + dried fruit + cereal (healthy trail mix)

Greek yogurt + pumpkin pure + chia

Cottage cheese + kiwi + cinnamon spice

1/2 Turkey cheese bagel

Toast with sunflower seed nut butter (PEANUT FREE OPTION) + banana or kiwi slices

 

 

 

Hummus + cucumber/carrot/celery stick mix

CorePower protein drink + fruit

Overnight protein oats (chia, milk, flax, cinnamon, fruit, honey, or nut butter) See my recipes here!

Protein oat bites

 

 

 

 

Hard-boiled eggs + apple

 

 

 

 

Cottage cheese + fruit

RX layers protein bar + pineapple

 

 

 

 

 

 

Squeezable apple sauce packets + RX bar

Teriyaki beef jerky + pre-cut bell pepper slices

Hummus + apple + celery and carrot sticks

Greek yogurt + PB2 + unsalted almonds

 

Serving of trail mix + 2 hard-boiled eggs

Quest protein bar + watermelon slice

 

Skinny pop popcorn + string cheese

 

 

Whole meals first supplement second. Supplements are meant to satisfy small gaps in nutrition and to avoid nutrient deficiencies. Good nutritional habits must be established first. For additional guidance to ensure your athletes are meeting their protein and carbohydrate needs check out this article. No supplement can replace whole foods. See pantry staple ideas for athletes here!

 

CLICK THIS LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE LIST OF PAIRINGS

All items are available at Target or Trader Joe’s!

In good health and wellness,

Wendi Irlbeck, MS, RDN, LD, CISSN

Wendi Irlbeck, MS, RDN, CISSN is a registered dietitian nutritionist and performance coach. She utilizes evidence-based science to tailor nutrition programs for athletes to optimize performance, minimize health risks, and enhance recovery from training while focusing on injury prevention. She partners with parents, sports performance staff, and special needs and recreational athletes to offer nutritional guidance and optimal athletic performance and lifestyle plans. Wendi provides virtual services including telehealth but is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Wendi works with clients of all levels and ages across the US as well as Canada and the UK. You can find more about Wendi and scheduling an appointment here.

What can hiring a sports nutritionist offer your program? Learn more here.

 

Testimonials of Wendi’s expertise from colleges, coaches, parents, young athletes, and high school administrators can be found at the testimonial link on her website. You can also follow Wendi on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram for more nutrition information.