Runners Snack Pack

There is something magical about an early Saturday morning Cross Country meet.  It's inspiring to watch hundreds of teenagers who chose to get up bright and early on a weekend to complete in a race.  These athletes and their coaches are truly dedicated to their sport.  To show my support for my son's team, I put together a little snack pack for each of the runners to eat after this weekend's race.   (Those of us who can't run, feed those who can run.) 

My job at the Cross Country meet is simple.  I stand along the race course, cheer on the athletes, take pictures as they cross the finish line and hand them a snack when the race is over.  The hardest part of my job was deciding what post race snacks to include in the treat bags for the runners. After some debate I finally decided on a freshly baked chocolate chip muffin, a banana, an old fashioned oatmeal iced cookie and my version of a healthy "trail mix."

I had so much fun putting these little snack packs together.  I even cut out little cross country cleat to decorate the front of the bags.  (I think I have too much time on my hands.)

This is what was inside each bag:

 

Bananas

Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies  (Recipe to be posted on the blog soon.)

A chocolate chip muffin (Recipe to be posted on the blog soon.)

And a bag of homemade trail mix.

This is one of my favorite things to make in the Fall.  My homemade trail mix always turns out differently because I like to experiment with new things in the mix and try new combinations of flavors every time.  I always make sure to include a cereal, a pretzel, a cracker, dried fruit, something sweet and usually some nuts.  In this particular batch, I mixed Crispix cereal, waffle pretzels, mini ritz crackers and baked cheese crackers, yogurt covered raisins and candy corn for an extra pop of color.  (and sweetness)  I didn't put any nuts in my mix this time because I like to keep the snacks that I serve to kids, "nut free." 

I scooped 1 cup of mix into individual cellophane bags and tied them with a coordinating ribbon. 

There you have it - my version of a post race snack pack for my favorite Cross Country team. 

Be sure and check back on the blog for the recipes for the Old fashioned iced oatmeal cookies and the chocolate chip muffins.  You definitely don't want to miss those.

Ciao!