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Breakfast

Tropical pre-game smoothie

30 to 45 minutes before kickoff or warm-ups. Built deliberately light so it does not sit.

Servings
1
Total
4 min
Skill
Easy

What you need

Ingredients

Making for

1 serving

  • Frozen mango chunks1 cup
  • Frozen pineapple chunks0.5 cup
  • Bananas1 each
  • Coconut water1 cup
  • Plain Greek yogurt0.25 cup

Quantities scale linearly with servings. Round to the nearest practical amount when shopping.

Steps

  1. 1

    This one is thin on purpose

    One cup of orange juice or coconut water as the base, not milk. Close to kickoff you want carbohydrate that leaves the stomach quickly, and fat and protein are the two things that slow that down. This is the one smoothie here that is deliberately not a meal.

  2. 2

    Frozen pineapple and mango, half a banana

    One cup of frozen pineapple and mango together, plus half a banana. Fast carbohydrate, easy to digest, and sharp enough to be refreshing in Florida heat when a creamy drink is unappealing.

  3. 3

    Blend 30 seconds and drink it thin

    Thirty seconds. If it is thick enough to need a spoon, add more juice. It should go down easily and quickly, because standing on a touchline finishing a heavy drink is how you start a match uncomfortable.

    0:30

Coach's notes

  • Roughly 45 g of easy carbohydrate and very little fat, which is the shape a pre-match snack should be.
  • Coconut water instead of juice brings some potassium and less sugar. Either is fine, so use whichever gets drunk.
  • This still counts toward fluid for the day, but it is not a substitute for water. Keep drinking normally around it.
  • Nothing new on a game day. If this has not been tried on a Tuesday, it is not a game day drink yet.