Summer is the perfect time to be outside, enjoying healthy fresh foods, and spending time with family and friends, while making sure you’re staying hydrated! What better way to take advantage of the season than to enjoy a picnic at the park, by the pool, or on a hike. Packing foods for a picnic can be challenging due to the limited space, temperature control, and the convenience of pre-packaged food. Why not take it a step further and pack a healthy picnic that stays in line with your health and nutrition goals? We gathered ideas from some of our favorite bloggers. Check them out! If you’re in need of a picnic basket that will get the job done, but won’t break the bank, we’ve listed a few of our favorites:
- This insulated picnic basket will help with temperature control.
- This basket takes you back in time with the standard red and white checked pattern mixed with the wooden features!
- This picnic basket is collapsible and insulated!
Now, let’s chat about delicious and healthy food, perfect for summer picnics:
01 Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is a crowd favorite that is sure to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. However, when you’re not careful, chicken salad can quickly add up in saturated fat, sodium, and calories from the addition of mayo, salt, and other mix-ins. Try simplifying things a bit and adding a kick of onions and a bit of sweet with some honey vinaigrette like this one by Shen Lee Ng from Jen Reviews. It’s an easy way to increase protein, decrease calories, and give you more control over your picnic favorites.
02 Hummus and Veggies
Getting 4 servings of vegetables each day can seem like a boring and daunting task. Adding a simple dipping sauce, such as hummus, like this one from the Gallaghers at Inspired Taste, can take your veggie-eating to the next level and help you look forward to consuming your next snack. Not only that, hummus is a simple snack that can be made at home and personalized to meet whatever your taste buds are craving. Next time you go on a picnic, be sure to pack some hummus and your favorite assortment of fresh veggies, we prefer them raw, but enjoy them how you like! Want more DIY hummus recipes? Click here for our favorites!
03 Seasonal Salads
Summertime salads are a perfect go-to for your next picnic. Simply throw your favorite greens in a mason jar and top with whatever healthy toppings you’d like. Some of the best summer salad toppings include berries, nuts, seeds, and fresh vinaigrettes. Make sure to impress your friends on your next outing with a simple salad packed to perfection. Get Holly’s recipe to this delicious cobb salad in a jar, here.
04 Fruit Kabobs
Fruit salads are a common side dish and can include whatever fruit you would like. To make eating fresh fruits even more fun, grab your kids and friends and let everyone make their own fruit kabob, styled however they wish. Check this one out by Candace from City Moms Blog!
05 Make Your Own Healthy Trail-Mix
Consuming nuts gives your body essential “good” fats called omega 3-fatty acids. These types of fats have anti-inflammatory benefits. Next time you go on a picnic throw together your favorite trail-mix with nuts, popcorn, raisins, and any other healthy mix-ins you desire. This one from Eating Well looks pretty delicious to us!
06 Infused Water
With the summer heat, it is especially important to stay hydrated. We all know that water is the best way to achieve this goal, but consuming enough water can sometimes be boring and hard to do. Infused waters provide a great way to boost your regular water. By adding different fruits and herbs you can turn boring water into something that is fun to create and satisfies the taste buds. Check out our list here!
07 Veggie Chips
When you think of going on picnics, oftentimes you think of packing chips as an easy side item to go with sandwiches. However, fitting chips into your diet can be hard to do since they are high in calories, salt, and undesirable fats. Creating your own veggie chips allows you to enjoy a crunchy snack while ditching some of the unnecessary ingredients found in regular potato chips. Try creating your own veggies chips out of kale, sweet potatoes, or okra, like these!
