Today we’re going to be talking about picnics and picnic food. It’s such fun to eat outdoors if we’re prepared and organized in advance, though otherwise it can become stressful. One of the great things about it is that it’s easier to clean up. There’s fewer dishes, and it somehow helps you to let go of things a bit. As busy moms, we’ve always got so much going through our brains, and so many little things that need doing at any given moment, and I really find that sitting in my camping chair outside and eating out there helps me to just let go. This is partly because all the preparation is in advance, and then you can just sit and enjoy it, but also the surroundings help. Being outside and being relaxed with each other and with your family is a great thing.
So, we’re going to talk about how to be prepared for this, and then about some ideas for what you can eat outdoors. Obviously, grilling is a great thing. It always helps to make the mess outside; to cook outside, especially when it’s hot indoors, but picnics and preparing food for them in advance is such fun.
I love the idea of having a fancy picnic basket or picnic bags, or just snacky, fancy food that you can use in a picnic or outdoors. It’s helpful to have something that you can take your picnic in easily. We recently bought two little picnic backpacks. We used to have a picnic basket, but I find it very cumbersome to carry a basket when you’re going somewhere that’s a little further away from the car, so these picnic backpacks are great.
They’re little backpacks, and the front zips open and it’s got four sets of cutlery – knives, fork, and spoons, and it’s also got little plastic plates, and cloth napkins, which is really fun on a picnic. It’s got plastic glasses that look elegant, and then there’s a little cheeseboard, a salt shaker, and a bottle opener. The other compartment is lined like a cool bag, so you can put your drinks, your meat and cheese, or whatever you want put in there to keep it cool.
We’ve got two of those because we’re a family of seven. Every time we have a picnic, then we’ll just wash all the knives and forks and plates, et cetera, and put them back in there ready for the next time. I find this really helpful, because then you don’t have to think about all the things like “Have I got enough knives and forks? Have I got napkins? Have I got glasses? Have I got everything else?” It’s easy to just put the food in there and go, so I really would recommend something like that.
It’s also helpful if you’re going to be having the picnic nearby to have a table, maybe a collapsible table, as well as some camping chairs or a picnic blanket with a waterproof bottom part, and perhaps a cooler bag or box for perishables if you don’t have something like the picnic backpacks with the reusable cutlery set, et cetera.
Compostable plates are also helpful. Paper plates can be quite toxic, but you can use them if it’s just a once off thing. We enjoy using sugarcane plates. They’re much sturdier and much healthier for you, and you can throw them away.
I always like to put a bin bag or two and a drying cloth in the front part of the cool bag. Then we have a bag that we put dirty dishes in, and we have a throwaway bag. As you’re eating, you put used things into the throwaway bag or the bag of stuff that needs to be washed. Those are helpful to have. Your food containers should have tight lids or the ability to seal well. Perhaps you can bring paper napkins, or you can have your own cloth napkins, or even wet wipes. So, all those things are helpful. Perhaps an umbrella would be good, and sometimes you need bug repellent; insect spray. Sometimes you need a lamp; a headlamp or a lantern if you’re out past sunset. So, those are all great things to prepare. In some picnic sets, you even have a little foldable tablecloth to put on somewhere.
I think we’re more likely to go on little picnics, whether it’s out somewhere, or in the garden, if we have most things prepared. My favorite things; the easiest things to eat on a little garden picnic or a park picnic would be cold meats, cheeses, and some kind of bread. Often we’ll do croissants or bread rolls, and we’ll have a little bit of butter. I like to get pre-sliced deli meat and pre-sliced cheese for this, but you could also take a cheese slicer. It’s very easy to sit in a relaxed way and let everybody make their own sandwiches, rolls, or croissants. Sometimes we’ll add small yogurts for everybody, and we’ll take something to drink, and maybe add some chocolates or nuts, and that’s a very easy, quick picnic to organize.
I’m going to talk more in a moment about some ideas of what to actually eat on your picnic or outdoor meal, but first, let’s talk about some principles that will help you in planning and making sure your event works. Whether you’re planning a picnic, a pool day, a garden party, or some other kind of outing, hopefully these things will help ensure that the food is practical, enjoyable, and appealing.
So, when you’re planning, be aware of portability. Choose foods that can travel and be carried to places. They should be things that don’t need complex assembly when you get there, unless it can be done by each individual.
Use containers with tight lids so that nothing spills. Use bento boxes, thermoses, or little containers that stack to help make packing easy. Be aware of the shape of your containers. For example, our picnic backpacks have got very deep, small compartments, so you can put tall things in them. You should go for things like finger foods – things on skewers or wraps; things that use minimal utensils. Even if you take some with you, it’s always easier if you can use your hands.
Then be aware of keeping temperature-sensitive foods safe. Your cold foods should stay cold, and your hot foods should stay hot. You can use coolers or ice packs, and you can even freeze water bottles and use them to keep things cool on a really hot day. Then you can let them defrost and drink from them – it makes nice ice water. You can use thermal flasks for hot things. You should avoid highly perishable things that are not in a cool bag like raw seafood, et cetera. It’s quite obvious, but taking sushi on a hot picnic is not always a good idea.
See what you can prepare and simplify ahead. For me, a picnic is all about the experience, and the food can be very basic, or it can be things that are bought rather than made. We’ll buy tiny packages of cheese, very interesting small cheeses, as well as crackers, nuts, trail mix, and biltong or jerky – anything that’s easy. Maybe we’ll have some dried fruit, maybe little tarts, and some little quiches. You can buy anything that makes it less work for mom, because that’s part of the idea; to have a refreshing break from the usual cooking.
Choose recipes that are okay to sit out a bit, like pasta salads, although I don’t really like those, or little quiches as I mentioned. Think about handheld sandwiches, wraps, skewers, et cetera. Things that are very crumbly, drippy, or saucy are not a good idea because they might drip in the packaging when they’re being carried. Compact foods that don’t require much cutting or utensils are good.
Think about the weather. If it’s very hot, things like chocolate, icing, or even mayonnaise on things could melt, unless they’re in a cooling compartment. Think about things like the wind – often paper plates will blow away. Paper cups will blow away. Even leafy salads can blow away, so think about that. Maybe plastic plates are better than paper plates. Then there’s rain. Make sure everything’s in waterproof containers or bags just in case it rains, especially things that can be ruined. Remember to take hats and things that you and your kids will need to protect you from the sun.
If the picnic’s for children, then try to choose more fun, color, colorful things. Use simple flavors. Berries like strawberries are amazing. Also, it’s always nice to take a couple of treats to have after you eat. If it’s a summer picnic, make sure there’s lots of water, drinks, juice, fruit, or anything that’s hydrating.
Also, if it’s a specific occasion like a birthday or an anniversary, maybe you could get themed plates and napkins that say “Happy Birthday!” or something on them. Anything fun is great. Things like little flags will make it extra special.
Sometimes a checklist is helpful to have, maybe in the front of your container. On this, write what you need to add at the last minute, like the cooler or ice packs, and things like a knife for your cutting board, trash bags, et cetera.
So, here are some ideas for fun, easy to eat, and mess-free outdoor food for picnics or by the pool, et cetera. So, mini sandwiches with ham and cheese are great, or as I said, croissants with something like deli meat, and avocado or hummus with veggies. You can have wraps or soft bread. Cut them into bite-sized pieces. Pre-make or buy some mini quiches.
Egg muffins are basically egg with cheese and sometimes vegetables. Those are always a hit, especially if it’s a morning or brunch meal. You can have cheese and crackers of various kinds. You can often buy those pre-wrapped, or just buy them in bulk and then separate them. There’s sliced fruit, mini pickles, and mini sausage rolls, which you would usually buy – puff pastry with a sausage filling. They can be eaten hot or cold.
Then there’s chicken skewers or vegetable skewers. You can make them with cooked vegetables like peppers and zucchini, or you could do raw salad kebabs with a cucumber piece, a piece of tomato, a de-pipped olive, a piece of feta, or anything like that on your salad skewers. You can even make fruit skewers – skewers are very versatile. On them, you can put grapes, strawberries, melon, blueberries, et cetera. You could even do cheese and fruit skewers, alternating some cheese of the cheeseboard variety with fruit. You could also do pieces of bread alternating with pieces of cheese on a skewer.
You can make little pita pockets by filling mini pita breads with tuna salad, chicken salad, or egg mayonnaise. Frozen grapes or frozen watermelon cubes are amazing in the summer on those really hot days. They’re something nice to suck, and they’ll cool you down. You can do vegetable sticks like chopped cucumber, celery, or carrot with hummus or ranch dip. Even cherry tomatoes are great for dipping. You can also cook up some baby potatoes and dip them in an avocado dip, in guacamole, or in the hummus. You can also do fruit like apple slices with peanut or almond butter to dip in.
You can do mini burgers or sliders. I’ve seen that sometimes people take a bagel and they slice all around the hole to create these small little slices, and then put a piece of cheese inside that and grill both sides – a mini cheese sandwich.
You can also use pita breads or tortillas for wraps. You can even do salads in jars, where you keep the dressing at the bottom until you need it, so nothing gets soggy. When you’re ready to eat it, you turn it upside down, shake it up and put it into your bowl or onto your plate. Rotisserie chickens from the grocery store are great to pull apart and have on a picnic – nice and easy.
You can have popcorn with some M&Ms or chocolate chips in it. You can do a charcuterie box – think cheese, crackers, nuts, meats, olives, and dips. If you have a nice container for that, it’s quick and easy.
You could also get your children involved in making lunchbox type picnics. You give them each a lunchbox that has different compartments, and then everybody makes their own sandwich, bagel, or croissant in one compartment, and you provide items cut up fruit for another compartment. You can do a few sliced veggies for one, put dip in another, et cetera. Everybody makes their own lunchbox meal, and then you take it on your picnic, and it’s very easy to just hand everybody their box.
It’s always great to take some homemade baked sweet treats like muffins, mini cupcakes, rice crispy treats, cereal or granola bars. You can also take dried fruit, or even yoghurt tubs.
Here are some hearty items that you can have for a picnic with hungry teenagers. I already mentioned wraps, and there’s also burritos. You can put pulled pork, pulled chicken, and anything like that inside them. You can build them at the place you’re having the picnic, and then it’s less messy.
You can have stuffed bagels with cream cheese, smoked salmon, tuna, egg salad, chicken salad, or bacon and avocado. Sliders also work great for teens, or you could do cold fried chicken with a dip. You can do chicken pieces, chicken bites, or something like nacho cups. For that, you layer corn chips with taco meat, cheese, salsa, and guac in a little cup with a lid. You can do potato wedges with a dip. They’re great to eat cold. You can do any kind of cheese sticks, like mozzarella or cheddar, wrapped in deli meat like ham, salami, or pepperoni.
For treats, you can do chocolate dipped strawberries or pretzels. There’s also chocolate dipped blondie squares, brownie squares, or cheesecake cups, and mini donuts or churros. Often teenagers love to have their own individual drinks, so you can get those small cans or bottles of ginger beer or soda. Also, with teenagers, you can include condiment packets of things like ketchup, mayo, hot sauce, et cetera.
The most important thing for a picnic is to plan it in a way that makes it a break for everybody. There may be a bit of work beforehand. You can decide how much you want to do; whether you want to bake and prepare stuff beforehand, or if you want to buy as much as possible, maybe things that you wouldn’t normally spend money on. Maybe you’d choose to pay for cheese that’s already sliced, or pay for small containers of yogurt instead of one big one. Do whatever makes it easier for you, and decide how much you want to do beforehand.
Make that a fun time with the kids as well. Think about what you’re going to package the food in, what you’re going to carry it in, how it’s going to look when you get there, what you’re going to eat off, et cetera. Also, how are you going to make cleanup easy? Make sure that it’s a great break for you as well; a refreshing time, an adventure that you and your family; you, your children, and your hubby can enjoy together. I hope this gave you some good ideas, and I hope you get to have a fun picnic very soon.
