Our Favorite Picnic Recipes

April 28, 2020

Our Favorite Picnic Recipes

Quarantine family activity alert- picnics!! We've been thinking of activities to do with Theodore outdoors (we don't have a large yard space) during quarantine because we feel like just as it's important that Theodore is distanced from others, it's important that he spends time in the fresh air! We used to go to the zoo, parks, shopping downtown (we have a downtown store strip that Theodore loves), our favorites local restaurants with outdoor patios (ahem, A.J.'s) but all of these places are either closed or the possibility of other people being there is high. So we're getting kind of creative and have loved picnics. Your picnic food obviously needs to be delicious but it also needs to be relatively portable and easy to eat! We have a few favorites that I thought I should share. If you're looking for fun and safe outdoor activities right now, this post is surely for you.

For the picnic we had recently, we brought a veggie to snack on, a fruit to snack on, our favorite Meli's cookies, and amazing tuna salad (for me) and chicken salad (for Matthew and Theodore) sandwiches. I think it's super fun to bring a comfort drink- something that always fills you with lots of joy! Since our picnic was in our backyard I just brought out a mug of coffee but if we were going anywhere else I would've put it in a thermos and brought coffee mugs 😉

For sides pack:

•chopped cucumber, celery stalks, carrots and pre-portioned hummus (<- great classic hummus recipe)

•easy to eat fruits like grapes, sliced apples (you don't want to have the core left over when you're ready to go), and blueberries

•Meli's cookies!! These are PERFECT for a picnic day because they only take seven minutes to bake! These can literally cook in the amount of time it takes you to pack up for the picnic. They're gluten free and high in fiber and protein! My favorite is the "cashewlicious". They're unbelievably delicious.

Favorite sandwich recipes for your main:

•Panera bread tuna copy recipe (I also add chopped celery and halved red grapes)

•crazy chicken salad (as in, really good)

•pressed Italian sandwiches- YUM!

•lobster roll (with a diagram to deconstruct the lobster, you're welcome 😉)

•Panera copycat Mediterranean sandwich -yes another Panera recipe because Panera is the best!

Don't forget your comfort drink! Faves:

•black coffee

•premixed mimosas (if you're not leaving your home)

•fruit infused water (try chopping fruit, filling mason jars with water and the fruit, and letting the infused water sit for an hour before your picnic- just pack up the mason jars!)