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…And the Best Foods After Practice

Five o’clock is quitting time, and that means your son or daughter is wrapping up their sports camp, too. Most likely, they’ll be hungry, tired, and ready to rest. Feeding them the right nutrition will help their bodies recover to do it all again tomorrow!

Here are some tips to ensure proper recuperation and allow your athlete to hit the drills again in the morning:

• Hydrate. Water is just as important after working out as it is before working out. If practice takes place in the sun, your child needs enough fluids to replace not only the sweat, but also the electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and chloride that they they’ve lost throughout the day. Sports drinks are key to replacing these minerals.

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Treats for out on the lake

With the fishing opener coming this weekend you might be asking yourself, what do fish like to eat?  Hopefully the bait you cast out on your line, and maybe even a few tidbits you’ve dropped over the side…But more importantly, what do you like to snack on? After all, everyone knows fishing requires not only a lot of patience, but also a boat stocked with enough distractions of food and beverage to sustain a weary fisherman for the long haul.

This weekend even if the fish aren’t biting, be sure you are – by filling your cooler with some of our tasty suggestions.

Easy basics for the Little Fry: (all individually pre-wrapped and easy to stow)

M & Ms, Snickers, string cheese, Go-gurt (try freezing in advance), Uncrustables Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, lollipops, juice pouches and/or mini sodas.

Can’t-live-without-its for the Big One:  Peanuts, Almonds, Beef Jerky, Sunflower seeds, your favorite Beer and chips.

“The Big Catch”: If you want to upscale your snacks this year in honor of a long winter’s wait, make this recipe in advance. This one’s easy to toss back all in one bite – (and would probably make great bait if you’re in need!)

Bacon wrapped li’l smokies
1 16 oz. package little smokie sausages
1 lb. bacon
1 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a sausage.  Place a toothpick thru each one, arrange on baking tray and sprinkle liberally with brown sugar.  Bake until bacon is crisp and sugar is melted.  May be served hot, cold or room temperature.  Can be made ahead and refrigerated until use.

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Prom is here, grad parties are right around the corner – what are you going to serve???

Springtime is full of family landmarks and celebrations.  From prom to graduation – parties abound!  Are you looking for menu ideas?

Prom Night

Prom night can be a teen’s first chance to host a dinner party—it’s a great opportunity for them to learn about planning a special event for friends.  It can be fun for your teen to brainstorm menu options, decorations, and strategically organize the party.  Some ideas for prom night dinner include:

• Lasagna with crusty bread and salad
• Steak with a potato dish and a vegetable
• Grilled kebabs or grilled salmon with rice and a veggie.

Serve a sparkling juice with the meal and top it off with a delicious dessert to make the meal feel extra special.  If you want some help brainstorming, you can go to Cobornsdelivers.com and click on “Easy Eats” for ideas in different categories.  Under the “Dinner” listing, I like:

• Baked Cheesy Tomato Basil Pasta
• Filet Mignon with Porcini Mushroom Sauce

Grad Parties

Grad parties are another time when the party menu is key.  Depending on the time of day, you could do a morning brunch, appetizers in the afternoon, or sandwiches for lunch or dinner—but really, the sky’s the limit.  Some of my favorite crowd-pleasers include:

• Artichoke, crab, or spinach dip
• Meatballs (for a sauce, I like to mix one jar of cocktail sauce and one jar of seedless raspberry jelly)
• Egg rolls, wontons, pot stickers
• Fresh fruit or raw veggies with hummus or spinach dip
• Pasta salad

From Cobornsdelivers.com:

• Chocolate Dipped Twizzlers
• Big Sandwich
• Dessert Pizza

Whatever menu you serve, the party will be special because it’s marking a landmark in your child’s life.  So have fun planning and enjoy this rite of passage with your teen.

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Vote on your Favorite Mother’s Day video!

CobornsDelivers needs your help! We asked our readers to make Mother’s Day videos thanking their moms for all they do. Click here to see our favorite submissions and then cast a vote for your favorite in the poll below. Thanks and happy Mother’s Day!

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Mother’s Day Video Contest Tips

Hi everybody! With the Mother’s Day Video Contest in full swing, we want to be sure everyone is easily able to log in to YouTube and upload their videos. First, for anyone with a Google or Gmail account, getting started on YouTube is easy. Just follow the instructions in this link.

If you don’t have a Google account, creating a YouTube account is still possible and relatively easy. When you log on to YouTube.com, head to the upper right corner of your screen and click “Create Account”. From there, fill in the necessary information and you’re on your way! Of course, problems with this process can pop up. If they do, please let us know. Either send a reply to this blog post or, if you’d rather remain anonymous, go ahead and send me (Justin) your questions. My email is justin@storytellermn.com.

Thanks …and good luck!

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Bicycle Picnic to Celebrate Spring

Leave it to Twin Cities residents to come up with a great way to get outside and enjoy spring. 30 Days of Biking is an event that encourages people to ride their bikes by asking them to pledge to ride at least once a day, every day during the month of April (thus, the 30 days of biking). The challenge is the brainchild of some very active Twin Cities residents; Patrick Stephenson (@patiomensch on Twitter), Zachariah Schaap (@Zachamon) Ryan Kucera (@Rycera) and Nicole Weiler (@nicycle). So far, with more than 350 signed up to the take the pledge (as of April 7^th), that brainchild is growing up to be a pretty successful kid! (Maybe this is why Minneapolis was ranked the top bike city in the country?)

So why not join the fun and take your bike out for a spin this April? And what better way to get out and enjoy the 30 Days of Biking challenge than by taking your two wheeler out to your favorite picnic spot and dining outdoors? Of course, CobornsDelivers.com has some very portable meal ideas to help you do just that.

Easy Eats

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Mother’s Day Video Contest

If you’re still looking for the perfect gift for mom or grandma, we have an idea for you …how about making them a video? Everybody knows mom loves those creative gifts the most:) Plus, if  your video is the fan favorite, you’ll win a $100 gift card from CobornsDelivers.com and get free delivery on your orders for the rest of 2010! Want to learn more? Check out the details in this video:

Disclaimer:

$100 in free groceries may be redeemed only at CobornsDelivers.com/TwinCities. Not valid at Coborn’s Stores. Customer must open an account or have an existing account and live within our delivery area to redeem. Free delivery applies to next day deliveries only, and orders must be $25 or more to qualify, not including alcohol, stamps, gift certificates or delivery fee. ($4.95 surcharge applies to same day delivery, if available.) Free delivery ends December 31, 2010.

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Spinach…did you know it did ALL of this?

As we continue down the healthy eye month path, we would be remiss if we left out spinach as a wonderful natural way to fight eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. However, spinach aids so much more than good eye health!

Spinach is a natural powerhouse and is almost at the top of Mother Nature’s perfect foods list.  Here are some additional health benefits of the wonder food:

Anti-inflammatory:  The nutrients in spinach can help conditions where inflammation plays a role, like asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimers.

Anti-Oxidant:  Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamins C and A. These nutrients are important in reducing the amount of free radicals in the body.

Iron:  Spinach is a wonderful source of iron, a mineral that’s important for menstruating women, or are more at risk of iron deficiency.  Iron is an important part of hemoglobin, which moves oxygen from the lungs to all of the body’s cells.  It’s vital to have oxygen in our cells for energy and overall health.

Strong Bones:  The vitamin K in spinach is important for maintaining bone health.

Health “further down there”:  The vitamin C and beta-carotene in spinach help to protect the colon cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, and the fiber keeps things moving along smoothly.

Are your kids a little bit afraid of the green stuff?  Do what I do and sneak it into your favorite sauces.  They will never know it’s there but you certainly will.

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Dinner at Dusk – Dinner time in Summer & Winter

As soon as dusk emerges, I feel drawn to my stove for dinner preparation. I don’t know why I’m wired like a clock set for twilight – could it be a motherly primal yearn or maybe my family pattern or am I simply hungry as the evening draws near? Either way, dinner at my house is usually at dusk.

Of course dusk varies with the time of year and therefore so does the dinner time at our house. In the winter, we have cooked, eaten and cleaned up before the clock strikes 6. But as we look ahead to summer, and with Daylight Saving Time approaching, I can already foresee myself reluctantly setting the table at 7:30 p.m. for dinner at 8. My kids often come to the table during these warm sultry evenings starved and grouchy wondering why we always have to eat so late. But I just can’t help it — I’m hardwired this way.

As I’m trying to stay positive and survive these last few weeks of winter, I can at least say that my family has usually fully digested dinner before bedtime because of the early encroachment of the evening, something the experts hail as a healthier choice. I compensate for this time difference in the summer by presenting a lighter fare with less calories and a quickly digestible dinner offering.

I wonder though as I peruse geographies that may tempt me in my retirement years whether a warm and sunny climate will make us unpopular and friendless. I can already hear our new retirement friends and neighbors in the tropical climate I’m seeking to live saying: “We’re not ever going to dinner at their house – they don’t eat till 9 and that’s way after my bedtime!”

Do you find family dinners get pushed back in your household as well due to the longer days?

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