Healthy summer picnic foods don’t have to be expensive or hard to make. Learn about several options for healthful and fun outdoor eating.
Drink Ideas
All summer picnic foods will taste better with appropriate drinks. Just a few ideas of possible libations include the following:
• Add cranberry or raspberry juice to fresh or bottled lemonade.
• Make mango iced tea. The directions are as follows:
1. Make fresh iced tea as usual.
2. Remove the tea bags and add 2 cups of mango nectar.
3. Add your usual amount of sugar.
4. Stir tea until the sugar is well-dissolved.
5. Place tea into a pitcher and add about 1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves.
6. Pour tea into cups of ice and garnish with thin slices of fresh mango.
• If you’re in a hurry, any bottle of fresh juice will do. Consider orange, apple, grape, or cranberry. You can also do this with vegetable juices, which could include carrot or tomato.
Keeping Food and Drinks Fresh
Keeping food and drinks fresh ensures good taste and lowers the risk of food-related illnesses. No one wants to get food poisoning from a picnic. A few key tips are as follows:
• Freeze all drinks the night before.
• Use a cooler packed with ice to transport food and drinks.
• Transport drinks and food in an air conditioner vehicle, not the trunk.
• Set up your picnic in a shaded area.
• Once you take food out of the cooler, you shouldn’t eat it once it has been out in the elements for more than an hour. Be especially careful with anything consisting of mayonnaise, cream cheese, or sour cream.
Food Options
Summer picnic foods can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. Those seeking healthy foods may want to incorporate some of the following options in their day out:
• Freshly sliced or whole summertime fruits, especially watermelon, strawberries, and mango. These are delicious plain, but you can also buy low-fat and low-sugar syrups to go along with these naturally sweet picnic delights.
• Whole-wheat pita bread. You can stuff these with tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, turkey, chicken, or cheese. Some people may prefer to eat these plain or with butter, tomatoes, avocado, or hummus. You can also find an assortment of cream cheese spreads to use with pita bread; some cream cheeses include fruits or vegetables. Alternatively, you can replace the pita bread with homemade bread, whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat crackers, or whole-wheat tortilla chips.
• Vegetables, whether store-bought on a tray or prepared and sliced at home. You can use everything from cherry tomatoes and baby carrots to sliced zucchini and celery. Dip choices depend on your taste and health lifestyle; ranch dressing, sour cream, cream cheese, mustard, and salsa all nicely complement vegetables.
• Pinto beans or black beans, either served hot or cold.
• Bananas also make a great picnic food and come in their own natural packaging.
References
“Food Network: Picnic Recipes and Tips.” https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/picnic-recipes-and-tips/index.html
“Women Today: Summer Picnic Food Ideas.” https://powertochange.com/life/summerpicnic/?section _id=33
