Week 11: Cooking for a Crew

March 17, 2018

You know you are in trouble when a recipe begins with, “Crack 16 dozen eggs.” That’s 192 eggs! Or how about, “Marinate 50 pounds of chicken breasts.” I love to cook, but these “super-sized” recipes can make my head spin. Or at least they used to.

It’s a big job to provide sufficient quantities of the right food to athletes. My son is a high school rower, and I, along with my husband and two friends, have taken on the responsibility for the Food Tent: planning, shopping, and preparing meals for the regattas. Our goal is to fuel the 115 rowers of Dallas United Crew with healthy food during their weekend competitions.

This past Saturday, in Oklahoma City, we served three meals, along with healthy snacks throughout the day. The day began with a continental breakfast bar with bagels, peanut butter, oatmeal and toppings, a variety of yogurt, fruit, vegetables, and nuts, hard boiled eggs, and a hot egg and rice hash. Lunch included grilled chicken sandwiches (yes, 50 pounds of chicken), 20 pounds of homemade pasta salad, green salads, and more fruits and vegetables. Dinner was a make-your-own sandwich bar with a lot of options to prepare a filling meal for the bus ride back to Dallas. We make sure to have vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free options available at every meal.   

Planning, shopping, and cooking for a regatta takes days. My grocery list often tops four pages and requires visits to six or seven stores to find the highest quality at the lowest price. I am so grateful for other volunteers who offer to shop for specific items, make snacks, chop endless quantities of watermelon, or bake cookies for the ride home.

I am certainly not qualified to coach a sport, but volunteering with a youth sports team goes beyond coaching. There are so many things you can do. For me, cooking tasty food for people is the best way I know to show them I care.

For the most recent regatta, I tried a new recipe for these delicious energy bites. Why not volunteer to bring some to an upcoming sporting event?