A picnic is a really nice occasion to go out and breathe some fresh air, have a few rays of sunshine hit our face and enjoy a nice day out with friends or family. Sometime we don’t know what to pack so that it’s not an overcomplicated ordeal or that it’s tough to eat while seated on the floor. That’s why here are a few ideas that you can replicate or get inspiration from for your next picnic 🙂
For me a great picnic is all about simple and yummy food. Also you hopefully don’t need any cutlery to eat it because that’s never easy while seating down on the floor. Based on that I’ve created a small menu that I hope you like 🙂
1. A NIBBLE WHILE WE CHAT
To start off I made my favourite almonds: I drizzle them with olive oil, add some paprika and salt and mix. After that I take them to an oven at 180C until fragrant (they even start to pop). Nuts are ideal for an occasion like this because you can eat them with your hands without getting dirty and they also do a really good job at getting you satisfied.
I also bought mini carrots (or they could be regular carrots cut in strips) and had them with the ranch sauce that I taught you how to make on the dressings post. You could also take hummus or cheeses (hard or spreadable).
2. GULP!
Of course we need to bring along something to drink and my choice this time was lemonade. We took ice in a cooler with us to make sure it was as refreshing as we wanted it to be. Of course you can replace it with other types of juices according to the fruits we have at hand or even take fizzy drinks. If you want to bring along some alcoholic beverages first make sure that it’s allowed in the park or place where you’re going to.
3. THE MAIN EVENT
Of course no one is going to live off almonds so it’s necessary to take a nice sandwich along with use. I made one using cream cheese, turkey ham, lettuce and cucumber. I also added honey mustard from the dressings post.
I wrapped the sandwich in baking paper so it doesn’t go all over the place and keeps it shape because of all the fillings it had. Of course if you make ham and cheese sandwiches you can just put them in resealable bags.
4. DESSERT
For dessert I considered the same things as before: something yummy that we can eat with our hands. I made a sweet dip mixing equal parts of condensed milk and sour cream and we had it with strawberries and bananas just by taking the fruit with our hands. You could also do a dessert that cana be put in individual containers so that every person can have one to eat.
5. OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
- I think the most important thing to do is pick your containers carefully for each element. The worst thing that can happen to you is to get to the place, open up the bag or cooler and realize that something spilled on the way there. That’s going to be a mess and you’ll end up using your napkins for cleaning up.
- Don’t over-complicate yourself. Don’t take your things that you need to cut and give out in plates if you can because it adds up to the mess.
- Remember that you’re not alone in the park but there are also wasps, bees, birds, dogs, etc and they will all be tempted by your food; close your containers and put them away as you finish.
- It’s ok to buy a few things! You don’t need to dedicate a whole day prepping the picnic. You can mix prepared things with bought things. For example I took a bunch sweet cookies that I love to complement the fruit.
