Softball weekends meant taking our food with us. Tournament cooler food was part of how Mom kept our family fed while we traveled, played and moved on to the next game.

When I asked Mom about those weekends, she remembered salmon sandwiches, egg salad, deviled or boiled eggs, brown or rye bread, chopped vegetables, fruit and drinks.

And always kielbasa and cheese.

Of course. LOL.

Looking back, that cooler tells its own little family story. We were heading out to play softball, but Mom had already been working to make sure we had something good to eat.

Mom’s Cooking Came Along With Us

Mom remembered weekend breakfasts with fried kielbasa or butterflied farmer’s sausage, eggs and toast. There would be coffee or tea, along with orange juice made from frozen concentrate.

But tournament weekends changed the usual routine.

We were away from home, with games to get to and a family to feed. Mom still prepared food. It simply came along with us.

That is something I appreciate differently now. A weekend away from the kitchen did not necessarily mean a weekend away from cooking for Mom.

There was food to prepare before we left.

Then there was a cooler to pack.

What Was in Our Tournament Cooler?

When we talked about the food, Mom remembered a good variety:

• Salmon sandwiches
• Egg salad
• Deviled eggs or boiled eggs
• Brown or rye bread
• Chopped vegetables
• Fruit
• Drinks
• Kielbasa and cheese — always!

There was something substantial to eat, something fresh, and familiar foods we enjoyed.

The kielbasa and cheese make me smile especially. They belong in so many of my memories of Mom’s food that it would almost be surprising if they had not made the trip.

Even away from home, we were eating food that felt like us.

Why Mom Packed Our Own Food

I asked Mom about the reasons for bringing food along: saving money, eating better, having fuel for the games, avoiding disappointing food on the road, feeding Dad while he drove, and getting to the games quickly.

Her answer was that all of those reasons mattered.

Our tournament cooler food was practical in several ways at once.

We had food available without having to find somewhere to eat every time someone was hungry. We could keep moving when we needed to, and Mom knew what she had packed for us.

Dad needed to eat, too. He was doing the driving, and the cooler helped feed the whole family.

That part matters. These were family weekends, and the food had to work for everyone coming along.

The Work Behind a Tournament Weekend

When you are young, you are busy with the part of the weekend happening in front of you.

The games. The traveling. Whatever comes next.

Someone hands you food, and you eat it.

Years later, you ask your mother about those meals and begin to think about everything that happened beforehand.

Sandwiches had to be made. Eggs had to be prepared. Vegetables had to be chopped. Food and drinks had to be gathered and packed.

Those meals did not arrive in the cooler by themselves.

Mom made sure we could head out with something good to eat, and that preparation helped the rest of the weekend happen.

I am glad we are talking about it now.

Tournament Cooler Food Is a Real Food Memory

Food memories do not always begin with a special dinner or a recipe written on a card.

Sometimes they begin with a salmon sandwich on a softball weekend.

Or a boiled egg.

Or the kielbasa and cheese that Mom made sure came along.

The food was familiar and useful. It fed us through weekends when we were busy doing something else.

Now, remembering what was in that cooler brings Mom’s part in those days into focus.

She was feeding us, planning ahead and helping us get where we needed to go.

That deserves a place in our family food history.

Explore more Real Food Memories from Cooking With Kimberly.

What did your family pack for tournaments, road trips or busy weekends away?

Was there one food that always made it into your cooler?