Tag: Pre-Game Meal

Kids Who Play Competitive Sports Need Nutritious Food Before Games

Brett

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110601/OPINION03/106010308/Kids-who-play-competitive-sports-need-nutritious-food-before-games

A number of you have children in travel baseball, softball, soccer and hockey. Games are at all times of the day. You usually have one or two games in the morning followed by one or two at night. What we’ve done for away games is a training table lunch.

Usually, the breakfast room is available and we go to the local grocery store and purchase turkey, bread, fruit, salad, water and vegetables for the team and parents.

You save money by not going to a restaurant and we’ve found the team plays better for afternoon games because the kids aren’t bogged down with heavy food.

You might want to keep that in mind the weekend of June 18-19. That is the day of soccer tryouts and some kids will try out for multiple teams. You want to look your best because tryout day is usually hot and draining and nutrition is important.

Healthiest Baseball Stadium

Brett

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/which-mlb-stadium-is-the-most-vegetarian-friendly

If you’re looking for a tofu dog, veggie burger, or some other delicious meatless goodie to compliment a day of major league baseball, you can’t do much better than a trip to the San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park.

She cooks, she scores

Brian

http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/food_dining/food/view.bg?articleid=1320359&position=1

Shannon Allen believes there’s no need to sacrifice flavor on the altar of good health.

In her new television show, “The Pregame Meal,” which debuted last week on Comcast SportsNet and NECN, the wife of Boston Celtics [team stats] star Ray Allen prepares delicious recipes that are also good for you — with assistance from local sports figures and celebrities.

Among those joining Allen behind the stove are Boston Red Sox [team stats] third baseman Kevin Youkilis [stats], New England Patriots [team stats] wide receiver Wes Welker, MIX 104.1 FM DJ Sue Brady and superstar chef Ming Tsai of Wellesley’s Blue Ginger. Plus, many of Ray Allen’s teammates show up.
While she whipped up a pot of turkey chili one recent afternoon in her Metrowest kitchen, Allen said the idea for the show came from her own experience cooking for her husband and family.

“I’m not a chef,” she said. “I don’t pretend to be. I’m just a busy mom who has happened to be making a pregame meal for the past 15 years. I have a husband who is a professional athlete and food is very important in getting him to his next athletic performance.”

Additionally, the discovery that one of her sons — who’s 4 years old — has type 1 diabetes brought a new awareness to Allen’s approach to cooking.

“I never even knew what a carb was before Walker was diagnosed and I had no idea how it impacted your body and your circulatory system, your pancreas,” she said. “I didn’t even know what blood sugar was. But you really have to have a conscious effort and take responsibility for what you put in your mouth because eventually it really does affect your overall health and wellness.”

Allen’s refrigerator and pantry are stocked with healthy ingredients.

Rare Photos of Ray Allen

Brian

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1102/ray.allen.rare.photos/content.1.html

Below are captions for the first few photos. Click the link above to see the rest!

1994: Ray Allen broke Reggie Miller’s career record of 2,560 three-pointers against the Lakers on Thursday. Here are some rare photos of the Celtics’ sharpshooter. As a military child, Allen spent time in California, England and eventually South Carolina, where he blossomed into a basketball star. He spent three years at UConn and earned first-team All-America honors in 1996. Not surprisingly, he set the school’s career mark for three-pointers made (115).

1997: Allen was drafted fifth overall by Minnesota in 1996 and was promptly traded to the Bucks along with Andrew Lang for Stephon Marbury. In this photo, Allen is seen spending quality time with a group of young Bucks fans.

1997: These days Allen is known more for his shooting touch than his dunking prowess, but in 1997 he took part in the Slam Dunk Contest and finished fifth out of six.

Celtic pride is key ingredient for Shannon Allen’s cooking show

Brian

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/scituate/2011/02/celtics_cooking_show.html

If anyone could get the very private young Celtics star Rajon Rondo to cook for all the world to see, it would be Shannon Allen, the wife of Rondo’s teammate Ray Allen.

And Shannon does that – on tape – in an upcoming episode of her new Comcast SportsNet and NECN food show, “The Pre-Game Meal,” making it debut on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.

I saw a short clip of the episode late last month at an elegant kickoff party for the show at Winston Flowers in Chestnut Hill — catered by none other than South Shore Chef Mark Ellis of The Chef’s Table in Pembroke.

While excerpts from the show silently looped on several flat screens throughout the gorgeous space, more than 250 people snacked on Ellis’s renditions of recipes that Shannon features on the show.

Most of the dishes Shannon will make are hers – developed over 15 years of cooking for her kids and her famously health-conscious husband. In that time, she’s gleaned some “serious kitchen wisdom,” she says, from family and friends, especially her mother-in-law, the ever courtside Flo Allen-Hopson.

Other show recipes come from Shannon’s guests, which include celebrity chefs – Lydia Shire, Ming Tsai – local foodie personalities, Boston athletes, and the sisterhood of athletes’ wives.

Ray Allen’s Wife Launches “Pre-Game Meal”

Brian

http://bostonist.com/2011/01/24/ray_allens_wife_launches_pre-game_m.php

Ray Allen’s success as an NBA player hinges on his ability to launch three-pointers. His wife, Shannon Allen, just launched her new TV show, “Pre-Game Meal,” with a party at Winston Flowers in Chestnut Hill. An auction at the party raised $15,000 for the Allen’s Ray of Hope Foundation. Flo Allen Hopson, chefs Ming Tsai and Carla and Christine Pallotta, Rajon Rondo and his fiancee, Ashley Bachelor, Kendrick and Vanity Perkins, Julie Pierce, Brandi Garnett, and Steve Pagliuca attended. Other guests included Wes Welker, Satch Sanders, Linda Henry, and Liz Brunner. The show premieres February 12 at 11 a.m. on NECN. [Herald]

C’s family ‘Meal’ ticket

Brian

http://bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1311375&format=text

Shannon Allen, the saucy spouse of Boston Celtics [team stats] guard Ray Allen, cooked up a fab launch party for her new TV show, “Pre-Game Meal,’’ at oh-so-swish Winston Flowers in Chestnut Hill.
Amongst the 250 on hand to celebrate with the celebrity cooking enthusiast were many of her TV guests — Lydia Shire, Ming Tsai, Michael Schlow and Carla and Christine Pallotta — along with her hunky hubby and marvy mom-in-law, Flo Allen Hopson, and many of the Celtics fam.
Rajon Rondo [stats] and his fiancee, Ashley Bachelor, took in the foodie scene with Kendrick Perkins [stats] and his bride, Vanity; Paul Pierce [stats]’s wife, Julie; and Kevin Garnett’s spouse, Brandi Garnett . Assistant coach Armand Hill and team owner Steve Pagliuca also stopped by to show their support.
During the fab fete, catered not by Shannon, but by The Chef’s Table, the hostess’ band, The Goonies, performed and a live auction raised $15,000 for No. 20’s Ray of Hope Foundation.
Other “Pre-Game” partiers included New England Patriots [team stats] receiver Wes Welker, vintage Celtics forward and coach Satch Sanders, Sox spouse Linda Henry with BFF Tonya Mezrich, Channel 5’s Liz Brunner, Winston Flowers hosts Ted and Simone Winston, and Fast Freddy and his bloomin’ buds from Mix 104.1.

All about the Allens

Brian

http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2011/01/22/all_about_the_allens/

Foodies, friends, and fellow jocks turned out to support Celtic Ray Allen and his wife, Shannon, who threw a party to celebrate their new NECN show, “The Pre-Game Meal.’’ Shannon, who learned everything she knows about cooking from Ray and his mom, Flo, hosts each episode with local chefs and sportos, including Sox slugger David Ortiz. “I’m not a cook, I’m not a chef,’’ said Shannon. “But I love food.’’ Guests included C’s co-owner Steve Pagliuca, Ray’s teammates Kendrick Perkins (and wife Vanity), Rajon Rondo (and Ashley Bachelor) — the guarded guard wouldn’t talk to us — Paul Pierce’s wife, Julie, Pats receiver Wes Welker and girlfriend Anna Burns, chefs Lydia Shire, Ming Tsai, and Michael Schlow, Nebo’s Carla and Christine Pallotta, as well as Lisa Pierpont, Anna Cheshire Levitan, Tonya Mezrich, Liz Brunner, Audax’s Geoff Rehnert, and the Seaport Hotel’s Craig Cunningham. Because her son has diabetes, Shannon said she plans to use the show to educate people on healthy eating habits. As for Ray, he said he cooks more in the summer — the C’s offseason — and when he wears the apron, his favorite dish is fish. Swish!

Wal-Mart Shifts Strategy to Promote Healthy Foods

Brian

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON — Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, will announce a five-year plan on Thursday to make thousands of its packaged foods lower in unhealthy salts, fats and sugars, and to drop prices on fruits and vegetables.
The initiative came out of discussions the company has been having with Michelle Obama, the first lady, who will attend the announcement in Washington and has made healthy eating and reducing childhood obesity the centerpiece of her agenda. Aides say it is the first time Mrs. Obama has thrown her support behind the work of a single company.
The plan, similar to efforts by other companies and to public health initiatives by New York City, sets specific targets for lowering sodium, trans fats and added sugars in a broad array of foods — including rice, soups, canned beans, salad dressings and snacks like potato chips — packaged under the company’s house brand, Great Value.
In interviews previewing the announcement, Wal-Mart and White House officials said the company was also pledging to press its major food suppliers, like Kraft, to follow its example. Wal-Mart does not disclose how much of its sales come from its house brand. But Kraft says about 16 percent of its global sales are through Wal-Mart.
In addition, Wal-Mart will work to eliminate any extra cost to customers for healthy foods made with whole grains, said Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president for corporate affairs. By lowering prices on fresh fruits and vegetables, Wal-Mart says it will cut into its own profits but hopes to make up for it in sales volume. “This is not about asking the farmers to accept less for their crops,” he said.
The changes will be introduced slowly, over a period of five years, to give the company time to overcome technical hurdles and to give consumers time to adjust to foods’ new taste, Mr. Dach said. “It doesn’t do you any good to have healthy food if people don’t eat it.”
Wal-Mart is hardly the first company to take such steps; ConAgra Foods, for example, has promised to reduce sodium content in its foods by 20 percent by 2015.