This weekend, the Bowdoin College Curling Club was off to compete at Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland, MA amongst 13 other colleges. This competition was made possible by a lot of hard work, determination, strategy, and teamwork—not to mention a ton of snacks. Curling may not seem like a physically demanding sport, but repeatedly dipping down into a full lunge to deliver a 40-pound granite stone across a 150 feet sheet of ice, jogging across that ice, and putting all your body weight into sweeping as hard as physically possible can be… physically demanding. Here are some of the food and snack highlights that kept me satisfied, energized, and happy throughout the weekend!
Friday, 2:57
This was my first snack for the road trip to MA. I love keeping more than a handful of Aloha protein bars handy, since they satisfy my sweet tooth and also provide me with a good amount of plant protein to keep me full for a while. Aloha protein bars are great for traveling because they’re quite slim, so they fit really nicely into smaller pockets. They’re also crumb and mess-free because of their smooth consistency. My favorite flavors are chocolate mint and chocolate fudge brownie!
Friday, 6:29PM
Our first draw (game) was at 8PM against RPI, so we made a quick stop at Chick-fil-A for dinner in the van. I ordered the grilled chicken cool wrap with no cheese, honey mustard vinaigrette dressing, and a small fruit cup on the side. The grilled chicken cool wrap has grilled chicken and greens rolled up in a flaxseed flour flatbread, and normally comes with shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. This one is another relatively easy meal to eat in a moving vehicle (takes a bit more work), and also packed a punch of protein, carbs, and fiber before our first draw.
Saturday, 7:06AM
We have an 8AM draw against Princeton, so we woke up bright and early! I’m usually hungry as soon as I wake up, so I ate a little pre-breakfast snack in the van before our breakfast at the Broomstones Curling Club. Rx bars are also another great dairy-protein-free protein bar option, and they're more dense and chewy than Aloha bars. My favorite Rx bar flavors are dark chocolate sea salt and blueberry.
Saturday, 7:42AM
Then came real breakfast before our first draw of the day! I got a regular bagel and banana from the curling club, and I packed my own single-serving nut butter packets. Nut butters are full of fats and some proteins, which helps with sustaining energy for longer. While nut butters do contain some protein, they’re mostly fat, so I usually follow up with another good source of protein before, after, or during the meal. For my breakfast, I opted for a quick source of carbs to give me energy for curling super early: a banana and a bagel.
Saturday, 11:40AM
After the draw against Princeton, I snacked on another banana, some apples, clementines, and another Rx bar (in one of my favorite flavors!).
Saturday, 12:18PM
I had vegan meatballs for lunch with some more fruit to follow up afterwards. I really like having fruit in between and after meals because its a great source of fiber and an easy snack. I also lean heavily towards sweet rather than savory snacks, so I especially like grazing on some clementines and apples throughout the day.
Saturday, 2:08PM
The curling club brought out some desserts, and I noticed there were cookies that only had four ingredients: almonds, eggs, sugar, and salt. They were delicious, and I ended up eating 3 or 4 of them. The cookies were delicately thin, delightfully light and crunchy, and a great sugary snack that soaked up some of my fatigue.
Saturday, 2:20PM
Another Aloha bar! I watched the other teams play while snacking on one of these again.
Saturday, 5:12PM
We were slowly getting ready for our 8PM draw against Syracuse, so I ate some Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast cereal. These are richer in protein and fiber than most dairy-free protein bars I know of, so I always like to keep them handy for when I know I’m going to be doing anything physically demanding. The cereal also comes in a sturdy, resealable bag—another plus for traveling!
Saturday, 9:58PM
We had just won our 8PM draw against Syracuse—and also fully missed dinner—so we went out to get a celebratory team meal at the Dudley Chateau in Wayland, MA. I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich, which came with lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, pickles, and a side of fries. This was an excellent meal to celebrate and top off a super fun and long day of curling!