Healthy, Energy-Boosting Recipes for Kid Athletes

Football, soccer, baseball, volleyball, basketball, swimming — many kids spend the year bouncing from one sports season to the next. It takes a lot of energy to fuel all of that running around, so power up your little athlete with these healthy recipes. Our tasty meals and snacks are the perfect fuel for your young athletic star.
Want more meal ideas for kids? Check out these kid-friendly dinners and these recipes ready in minutes.

Mini Rice-Cake Stacks

Want to make a healthy snack fast? It takes 5 minutes to make these rice-cake sandwiches that are filled with peanut butter and bananas.

Recipe: Mini Rice-Cake Stacks

 

Quick Kebabs

This after-school snack — a delicious mix of turkey, Cheddar cheese, and fresh and dried fuits — is ready to serve in just five minutes.

Recipe: Quick Kebabs

Spicy Energy Mix

Sweet mangos and dates mixed with crunchy pumpkin seeds get a dose of heat from store-bought spice rub.

Recipe: Spicy Energy Mix

Gorp (Trail Mix

)

This energy-packed mix contains almonds, dry-roasted peanuts, dried cranberries, chopped dates, and chocolate chips. Customize it with your favorite dried fruits and nuts.

Recipe: Gorp

Almond-Honey Power Bar

Golden roasted nuts, seeds, and oats are enveloped by flavorful almond butter in these delectably chewy, no-fuss energy bars. Unrefined turbinado sugar adds a deep caramelly undertone.

Thermos-Ready Smoothie

Four ingredients and five minutes — that's all you need to make this fiber-rich drink. Pour it into a thermos for an on-the-go breakfast.

Recipe: Thermos-Ready Smoothie

Southwestern Cheese Panini

This might be the most beautiful grilled cheese sandwich you've ever seen. The shredded carrot and zucchini hide nicely from vegetable-phobes in the sharp Cheddar. Salsa adds zip while binding everything together to prevent the filling from falling out while you're flipping.

Recipe: Southwestern Cheese Panini

Great Food for Your Body

Treat your body right. Try these recipes from EatingWell:

Recipes to Fuel Your Body
7 Foods to Keep You Young

America's Best Doughnuts

Part 1: Doughnuts are more than just a sweet snack—they’re an institution. Here are 10 great places to get your fix.

By Bret Stetka for MSN Local Edition

However you spell it, the doughnut is a traditional American delight.

From their early days feeding World War I soldiers to Homer Simpson chomping a pink frosted on the flat screen, the doughnut has long been an integral piece of American culture. And now with the Atkins Diet obsession behind us, doughnuts are more popular than ever. Classic mom-and-pop shops continue to thrive while adventuresome bakers push doughnuts in a sophisticated new direction. But no amount of confectionary wizardry can hide the fried, sugary, down-to-earth charm that makes the doughnut the ultimate comfort food. As a fanatic of all things doughnut, I've put together a list of the 10 best doughnut shops I've encountered coast to coast.
Frittelli's Doughnuts and Coffee (Beverly Hills, Calif.)
350 N. Canon Drive, #6
(310) 276-1408 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting   (310) 276-1408 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Mmm ... Frittelli's. Where to start? This high-end doughnut and coffee shop on a wealthy commercial Beverly Hills block serves such delicacies as Meyer lemon zest glazed, key lime and plain cake infused with Tahitian vanilla. The shop offers doughnut and coffee pairings and packs their rings in elegant Tiffany-style blue boxes. Hang around long enough, and you're likely to see a celeb cramming her Gucci bag with crullers.
> Find Beverly Hills restaurants

Sweetwater's Donut Mill (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
Multiple locations

Self-proclaimed peddler of "big, gooey" donuts and known for its rustic, local atmosphere, Sweetwater's offers traditional flavors alongside more decadent donut fare like New York Cheesecake and Peanut Butter Cup. But the shop's tendency toward child-like indulgence is best experienced through its obsession with candy bars: check the Heath Crunch, Snickers and Mounds varieties.

Prepare for some big dippers at Randy's Donuts.

Randy's Donuts (Inglewood, Calif.)
805 W. Manchester Ave.
(310) 645-4707 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting   (310) 645-4707 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

The doughnuts at Randy's are as immense in stature and flavor as the big-screen personas and SUVs crowding the streets of L.A. These plump rings come in standard sorts like glazed, jelly-filled and devil's food and are eclipsed in size only by the massive 22-foot doughnut on the shop's roof. This sugary megalith has been featured in numerous movies and music videos and can been seen from the sky when touching down at LAX -- a sort of symbolic gateway to the doughnut capital of America. (There are nearly 900 doughnut dealers in L.A. County.)
> Find Inglewood restaurants

Cafe Du Monde (New Orleans)
800 Decatur St.
(504) 525-4544 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting   (504) 525-4544 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Likely the oldest doughnuteria in America, this French Quarter coffee shop has been serving chicory-spiked, New Orleans-style coffee and fresh beignets since 1862. Cafe Du Monde's flagship location on Decatur Street was unscathed by Katrina and continues to fry some of the most flavorful French-style doughnuts around. These puffy squares of airy dough come crisp and warm and support a hearty mountain of powdered sugar -- all while proudly serving as the official state doughnut of Louisiana.
> Find New Orleans restaurants

Top notch dunkers at Top Pot Coffee & Doughnuts.

Top Pot Coffee & Doughnuts (Seattle)
Multiple locations
In a city bursting at the seams with coffee shops, it's no small feat that Top Pot has won over nearly every breed of Seattle-ite. According to the shop's Web site, "tattooed hipsters, soccer moms, the business elite and retirees" all unite under one roof, seeking aromatic java and homemade doughnuts. The downtown location is a must-see: a sleek and modern design with retro accents, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a towering glass storefront. Sunlight pours in, illuminating classic doughnuts like glazed, maple and powdered as well as more fabulous varieties like the Pink Feather Boa, a plain cake doughnut topped with bright pink frosting and coconut shavings.
> Find Seattle restaurants

Doughnut Plant (New York)
379 Grand St.
(212) 505-3700 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting   (212) 505-3700 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

This artisanal doughnut dealer on Manhattan's grungy-chic Lower East Side was started in 1994 by native North Carolinian Mark Israel and has been heralded ever since by critics and foodies for its high-quality, fresh ingredients -- the dough is made with spring water -- and eclectic flavors like the Elvis-inspired peanut butter glazed with banana cream filling, the rose petal glazed and the coconut cream. Israel recently defeated Iron Chef Bobby Flay in a doughnut-making duel on Flay's Food Network show Throwdown with one of my all-time favorite doughnuts, the Tres Leches -- a rich and creamy cake doughnut made from evaporated, condensed and whole milk modeled after the traditional Mexican cake of the same name.

> Find New York restaurants

That voodoo that Voodoo Doughnut does so well.

Voodoo Doughnut
(Portland, Ore.)
22 S.W. Third Ave.
(503) 241-4704 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting   (503) 241-4704 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Voodoo Doughnut operates in its own twisted world fueled by animosity toward convention: Here, doughnuts are decorated with toppings like Fruit Loops, Tang and -- yes! -- bacon. This hipster-friendly hole-in-the-wall in downtown Portland tests sensory limits with super-sweet (and often adult-themed) creations, bright colors and guilty childhood pleasures -- just try getting through the Captain Crunch doughnut without succumbing to sugar shock. The shop also serves as a concert venue and wedding chapel -- on our first anniversary, my wife surprised me with a vow-renewal ceremony performed by co-founder Tres Shannon. (Both Tres and his partner, Kenneth "Cat Daddy" Pogson, were legally ordained online.) We were rewed beneath a velvet portrait of Isaac Hayes and presented with a custom-made doughnut resembling our rotund cat. But all eccentricity, perversion and cereal aside, the bottom line is that Voodoo's doughnuts are undeniably addictive. And did I mention they offer Swahili lessons every Monday night?
> Find Portland restaurants

Round Rock Donuts (Round Rock, Texas)
106 W. Liberty
(512) 255-3629 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting   (512) 255-3629 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

With its stone walls and chunky wooden beams, this local favorite just outside of Austin looks more like a Texas roadhouse than a doughnut shop. But in lieu of grilled rattlesnake and tequila shots, Round Rock's menu is considerably sweeter, bearing cakes, cookies and a wide selection of doughnuts. The shop is best-known for their plain glazed (its curious orange-hued coating is a result of using local, farm-fresh eggs) but also offers such notables as the monstrous Texas doughnut and -- thanks to the large Eastern European population in central Texas -- a selection of kolaches, a type of Czech pastry filled with cheese or fruit.
> Find Round Rock restaurants
____________________________________

Related articles on MSN:
National Doughnut Day
America's Top Ice Cream Shops
Best U.S. Burger Joints
Find doughnuts near you
Find recipes for at-home doughnuts
____________________________________
Kane's Donuts (Saugus, Mass.)
120 Lincoln Ave.
(781) 233-8499 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting   (781) 233-8499 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Thanks to an overly generous sister-in-law, I recently spent a gluttonous Saturday touring the doughnut shops of greater Boston. Our resounding favorite: Kane's. Like so many passersby before, we were steered off the residential streets of Saugus and into this cozy house-cum-doughnut dealer by an enormous neon arrow. The place feels timeless as locals nibble both cake and raised doughnuts, slurp steaming black coffee and draw their "A's" out nice and long. I'd keep it simple and go for the Honey Dip (glazed) or the marble cake, but for those with more elaborate taste, try the Bismark, a traditional German doughnut split down the middle and filled with jelly and cream.
> Find Saugus restaurants
Coffee An' Donut Shop (Westport, Conn.)
343 Main St.
(203) 227-3808 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting   (203) 227-3808 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Westport may no longer be home to Martha Stewart, but this affluent New England town houses one of the finest doughnut shops on the East Coast. A favorite of political heavyweights like Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Joseph Lieberman, Coffee An's classic homemade doughnuts are as perfect as the storefront's quaint surroundings. Locals and travelers alike line up daily for freshly fried, hand-cut varieties like glazed, cinnamon and coffee rolls. On a steamy Saturday in July, I met with owner George Vladis -- a Greek immigrant who took over the shop 15 years ago (and who might be the nicest man in the world). Vladis kindly showed me around the kitchen while he and his staff prepared to close for the day. "Dunkin Donuts wouldn't last around here" he said. "People just like our doughnuts too much. Mr. Clinton called them the best in the world."
> Find Westport restaurants
> Check out part 2 of America's Best Doughnuts
Bret Stetka is a science, medical and food writer based in Brooklyn, N.Y. He recently authored the Eat Manhattan iPhone app, a guide to essential Manhattan dining. He also founded and operates Blognut, a blog dedicated to covering all things "donut".

47 Delicious Homemade Cakes

Chambord Layer Cake

Filled with rich fruit preserves and topped with black-raspberry-flavored buttercream, this cake is a raspberry lover's dream.

Easy Chocolate Party Cake

A slice of our cake needs no more accompaniment than a glass of cold milk. Nothing mixes up faster than this Easy Chocolate Party Cake, also known as "dump" cake (dump all ingredients into one bowl, mix, and bake — candles and a chorus of "Happy Birthday" optional).
Recipes: Easy Chocolate Party Cake, Fudgy Cream-Cheese Frosting

photo credit: Ann Stratton

See more cake recipes homemade cakes chocolate cake party cake

Lemon Cake

Luscious lemon cake is a zesty alternative to classic vanilla. Lemon's versatility gives you plenty of options for filling — lemon curd, raspberry jam, or buttercream frosting.
Recipe: Lemon Cake

Basic Vanilla Cake

This moist single-layer vanilla cake has a delicate texture and delectable crumb, but it's the old-fashioned browned-butter glaze that gives it a nutty flavor. It's also delightfully versatile.
Recipe: Basic Vanilla Cake

Quick Strawberry Cake

Provided By:

For a quicker and almost-homemade strawberry cake, let white cake mix stand in for a cake made from scratch. Reduce the liquid called for in the mix by 1/3 cup and add 1 cup strawberry preserves and 1/8 teaspoon red food coloring. Bake the two 9-inch layers according to package instructions. Shorten the process (and cleanup) even more by using store-bought whipped cream. Top with strawberries and 1/4 cup preserves.

photo credit: Charles Schiller

Carrot Cake

This decadent carrot cake is coated with a sweet buttermilk glaze before being topped with traditional cream cheese frosting.
Recipe: Nanny's Full o' Love Glazed Carrot Cake

Each layer of this incredible cake is topped with sinfully sweet pecans, sugar, and fudge.
Recipe: Praline Turtle Cake

Red Velvet Cake

Vanilla icing coats Red Velvet Cake, a four-layer temptation.
Recipes: Red Velvet Cake, Cooked Vanilla Icing

Fresh Strawberry Cake

Celebrate spring's arrival with fresh strawberries and billows of cream on this moist cake.
Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Cake

Banana-Caramel Cake

For an alternative that's less sweet and a time-saver, too, omit the icing and serve the cake warm with a pat of butter. Or top with powdered sugar or ready-made fudge sauce.
Recipes: Banana-Caramel Cake, Caramel Icing

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Lemon-Blackberry Cake

Filled with cassis-spiked blackberry jam and coated with lemon buttercream, our Lemon-Blackberry Cake will be a treat you'll want to share with the whole family: There will be enough slices to go around.
Recipes: Lemon-Blackberry Cake, Blackberry-Cassis Jam, Lemon Buttercream

Crunchy Coffee Cake

Delicately sweet, with a texture that makes everyone smile, breakfast cakes such as these can be created in little time with absolutely no special equipment.
Recipe: Crunchy Coffee Cake

Coconut Cake

Layers of rum syrup are hidden within this toasted coconut confection.
Recipe: Coconut Cake

Basic Chocolate Cake

Less is more with this single-layer cake adorned with a deep chocolate glaze.
Recipe: Basic Chocolate Cake

Stacked Applesauce Cake

The moist and spicy layers of this cake need nothing more than a cool complement of cinnamon-flavored whipped cream to sandwich them together.
Recipes: Stacked Applesauce Cake, Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Lemon Cakes with Berry Salsa

Mini lemon cakes with fresh berries are a light and sweet summer indulgence.
Recipe: Lemon Cakes with Berry Salsa

Warm Chocolate and Caramel Cakes

In this variation on our Basic Chocolate Cake, warm caramel sauce spooned into a ramekin's base results in a cake with an irresistibly gooey surprise.
Recipe: Warm Chocolate and Caramel Cakes

Chocolate Tea Cake

Made with cocoa and dark brown sugar and topped with a chocolate-almond glaze, this velvety cake is perfect for any occasion.
Recipe: Chocolate Tea Cake

Pineapple Meringue Cake

Two fluffy layers of meringue surround creamy pineapple filling.
Recipe: Pineapple Meringue Cake

Boston Cream Pie Cake

Boston cream pie (really a cake) probably got its misnomer when Early American cooks, for lack of cake pans, baked it in pie tins. Filled with vanilla pudding and topped with a chocolate glaze, this dessert is delicious, whatever it's called!
Recipes: Boston Cream Pie, Chocolate Glaze

Apple-Cardamom Cakes

Applesauce keeps these miniature apple cakes moist and flavorful without adding fat.
Recipe: Apple-Cardamom Cakes

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Cocoa Cake

This moist, fluffy chocolate cake is topped with a cloudlike layer of sweetened whipped cream.
Recipe: Cocoa Cake

Toasted Coconut Coffee Cake

Offer a slice of Toasted Coconut Coffee Cake for a midmorning break or as the grand finale to Sunday brunch.
Recipe: Toasted Coconut Coffee Cake

Crepe Cake

Alternating layers of wafer-thin crepes and rich chocolate pudding make for a deliciously different dessert. To slice the cake, use a long, sharp knife and cut in a smooth sawing motion. Wipe the knife between each cut.
Recipe: Crepe Cake

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

This is no ordinary chocolate cake. With cinnamon, pumpkin, and cream cheese frosting, it's sure to please both kids and adults.
Recipe: Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

Almond Brown-Butter Cakes with Currants

Almond paste, red wine, and currants blend in this summery cake.
Recipe: Almond Brown-Butter Cakes with Currants

German Chocolate Cake

One tasty forkful is all you'll need to recognize the distinctive crunchy-chewy filling — pecans and coconut cooked to a sublime finish — of our German Chocolate Cake.
Recipes: German Chocolate Cake, Coconut-Pecan Filling

Golden Pumpkin Cake

A simple variation on our Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Cake creates this perfect-for-breakfast version. Or, slather on some Honey and Spice Buttercream for an after-dinner treat.
Recipes: Golden Pumpkin Cake, Honey and Spice Buttercream

Pistachio Semolina Honey Cake

The combination of semolina, a coarse-ground durum wheat, and honey gives this cake its rich texture.
Recipe: Pistachio Semolina Honey Cake

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Honey Pound Cake

To make this cake extra special, try deeply flavored leatherwood honey and look for a unique pan, like this pumpkin patch design.
Recipe: Honey Pound Cake

Hummingbird Cake

Coated in cream cheese frosting and topped with pecans, this fruity cake is a feast for the senses.
Recipe: Hummingbird Cake

Old-Fashioned Jam Cake

Our Basic Vanilla Cake, sliced to create layers, is party perfect when spread with fresh peach preserves and sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.
Recipe: Old-Fashioned Jam Cake

Chocolate Spice Cake

A hint of coffee and an exotic blend of spices add unexpectedly delicious flavor to this basic chocolate cake.
Recipe: Chocolate Spice Cake

Maple Walnut Cake

Maple syrup isn't just for pancakes. Designed for those who simply can't get enough of the ever-popular flavoring, our Maple Walnut Cake's layers and frosting are both generously doused with this all-American syrup.
Recipes: Maple Walnut Cake, Maple-Sugar Frosting

Pear Cakes

This sure-to-please dish is easy to prepare and travels well — perfect for both autumn picnics and everyday meals. Paper cake molds make transporting easy.
Recipe: Pear Cakes

Pear Upside-Down Cake

The surprise ingredient in this cake is stone-ground cornmeal, which lends its crunchy texture to luscious pears and caramelized sugar.
Recipe: Pear Upside-Down Cake

Parmesan Cheesecake with Cherry-Pecan Crust

This savory nondessert-style cheesecake can be prepared ahead, making it ideal for casual entertaining. Garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme and dried cherries.
Recipe: Parmesan Cheesecake with Cherry-Pecan Cracker Crust

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This scrumptious pineapple upside-down cake was voted by readers as a comfort food favorite. Balance its sweetness with a pot of dark-roast coffee or an Assam tea such as English Breakfast.
Recipe: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Autumn Spice Cake

The heavenly fragrance of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg infuses the house as this spice cake bakes in the oven. To make this luscious orange hue, add 1 drop of red for every 5 drops of yellow coloring to buttercream, cream cheese, or whipped cream frosting; all pair well with spice cake.
Recipe: Autumn Spice Cake

Polenta and Pear Upside-Down Cake

Ground polenta adds depth and texture to this Polenta and Pear Upside-Down Cake. Here, we substituted a quarter of the flour in the recipe with fine-ground polenta, which contributes welcome crunch and golden color to the cake. Cooked polenta also works well with poached fruits, nutmeg or cinnamon, or a thin brown-sugar glaze.
Recipe: Polenta and Pear Upside-Down Cake

"Hot" Chocolate Cake

This decadent cake pairs rich cocoa and bittersweet chocolate with a hint of spicy cayenne pepper — a warming choice for a winter snack.
Recipe: "Hot" Chocolate Cake

Pumpkin Goat Cheese Cheesecake

This revamped cheesecake is perfect for the holidays, but can be enjoyed year-round.
Recipe: Pumpkin Goat Cheese Cheesecake

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Pumpkin Spice Cake

Layers of cake cushioned with Pumpkin Cream-Cheese Frosting create a lasting impression even before you take the first bite.
Recipes: Pumpkin Spice Cake, Pumpkin Cream-Cheese Frosting

Rich Chocolate Layer Cake

Made from a mix, this cake is particularly moist and fudgy, thanks to two secret ingredients (mayonnaise and cocoa). Combine packaged coconut and nuts with creamy chocolate frosting to create the irresistible filling.
Recipe: Rich Chocolate Layer Cake

Sponge Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Moist cake is perfectly balanced with creamy frosting in this five-layer dream.
Recipe: Sponge Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Toasted Pound Cake with Pears

Sweet pound cake becomes a toasty delight with pears on the side.
Recipe: Toasted Pound Cake with Pears

Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake

Mini chocolate chips, anisette liqueur, and whipped cream frosting make this cake stand out from the crowd.
Recipe: Gianna's Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake