Unfortunately with our changeable Irish weather the opportunity to ‘picnic’ can arise on a sunny Sunday morning when an unexpected burst of sunshine hits us, leaving us little or no time to prepare. But never miss an opportunity to picnic! This is the time to really take advantage of the huge range of ready prepared picnic friendly supermarket foods.
Nutritionally speaking a picnic like any meal should ideally contain representative foods from each of the main food groups. But it doesn’t have to be less tasty or time consuming to prepare.
Boost your energy levels with carbohydrates. Bread, pasta and rice salads or crackers are all high in carbohydrate and energy. Try nutty seedy breads, herb loaves or focaccia as an alternative to white sliced breads. Think about taking small rolls, baps or pittas for the kids so you don't have to worry about cutting huge loaves.
A protein filling or topping is important particularly for growing children. There are plenty of delicious sandwich fillers to choose your deli- such as premium hams, pastrami and low fat pates. You can buy a whole ready-to-eat roast chicken or handy-sized fillets or drumsticks. Pre-cook some chicken goujons (you can get deli goujons containing only the chicken breast in the supermarket) to spice up the kids sandwiches. Grown-ups will love them too. Just add some lime juice and fresh coriander, or you can toss plain goujons in a ready-made herby mayonnaise and serve with fresh salad leaves.
Bone friendly calcium-rich fare includes user friendly foods such as cheese. Yoghurts and milk don’t travel well although you can freeze some types of fromage frais and keep it in the cooler. Cubed, sliced, grated or individually wrapped portions of cheese are better calcium providers and also contain a substantial amount of protein too. Add a little pizazz to your favourite cheese with some relish, pickle or chutney.
Vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients are largely found in fruits and vegetables so throw a few bags of fresh salad into the picnic basket. Choose from single varieties such as spinach, watercress, rocket or the mixed versions such as baby leaf salad or Continental or Italian style. If you don’t like the pre-washed and ready to use salad leaves, grab a few handy salad ingredients that will enhance your sandwich or pitta pocket. Cherry tomatoes, sugarsnap peas, baby sweetcorn cobs and carrot batons are really convenient. If you’re literally leaving the supermarket and heading straight to the beach spoon some low fat salads straight into handy resealable tubs at the salad bar. Try various salads containing wild rice, nuts, seeds and different beans with vinaigrette dressing and avoid the high fat mayonnaise laden salads. If young children fancy something a bit fruity, try banana sandwiches – naturally sweet, they're high in fibre and low in fat (but probably best made 'in situ' – brown mush is not very appetizing.
Treats can be part of healthy picnic fare too! For dessert, ignore delicate things that will fall apart. Individual apple and blackberry tarts, baby muffins or little cookies that little hands can grab hold of and run around with are a must. Take lots of fresh fruit or a ready-prepared fruit salad. With so many summer fruits available it's easy to create a splendid fresh fruit salad – peaches, mangoes, strawberries, grapes, kiwi fruit… Try to choose a variety of colours and textures. If using apples and bananas remember to seal the cut fruit in lemon juice to stop it discolouring.
Bring natural fruit juices and plenty of iced water! If you're planning to take wine or beer, pack some diet drinks as well and make yourself a shandy or spritzer… both are more refreshing in the midday heat and lower in calories. Summer smoothies can be made by blitzing seasonal fruits in a blender. Chill well before your trip, and store in a vacuum flask or in a cool box. Alternatively buy some smoothies enroute.
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 | A large blanket , Napkins, Paper towels for cleanup, Forks, knives and spoons, Serving utensils, Plates or bowls, Wine and water glasses (sturdy, reuseable plastic works well), Corkscrew and bottle opener, Rubbish bags, Sunscreen , Family and friends. |
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