Picnics are a wonderful way to spend the day with your family. With new happy memories, great food and a familiar location, or even a new adventure on the horizon, it’s always a great way to spend time together. Here are eight simple—but little-known—hacks to plan your healthy family picnic.
1. Food Safety Is Essential
Perishable food needs to be kept cold, ideally in an insulated container filled with ice. If you don’t have ice, you can freeze bottles filled with water. Using multiple coolers will allow one cooler to be opened often (drinks or snacks) and the other to remain closed and cold until the picnic begins.
But food safety during picnic prep is just as crucial. If you’ll be using any homegrown ingredients, pay special attention to every step of the growing and harvesting process.
2. Pick a Suitable Protein for Your Picnic
Consider whether you’ll barbecue or use a camp stove to cook any of your picnic food. If so, hamburgers, hotdogs or other meats are always yummy and easy as can be.
If not, deli meats are another great choice. You could bring a variety and everyone can mix and match to create their own sandwiches. For plant-based protein, consider nut butter, Nature Jim’s sprouts, hummus or tofu.
3. Offer Choices
Set up a charcuterie board. You can bring sliced vegetables, deli meats, sausages, cheeses, olives or anything else your family likes to nibble on. You can make dips ahead of time or purchase them pre-made.
To make set-up easier, don’t assemble the board until you arrive at your picnic spot. You may also want to consider bringing small plates so everyone can easily put their favorite combinations together.
4. Figure Out Which Kind of Bread To Bring
If you’re preparing sandwiches or burgers, be sure to pack your favorite loaves or buns. Also, consider pita bread, as the pocket is less messy. A healthy addition to any sandwich includes fresh sprouts and other vegetables like tomatoes, pickles or peppers.
And sometimes, the best bread isn’t bread at all. Using tortillas to make wraps means fewer crumbs, plus there are tons of types and flavors to choose from.
5. Pack Fruits and Veggies
Fruits and vegetables double as healthy snacks and as a tasty dessert. Apples, pears, blueberries, grapes and many other fruits are easy to transport, prepare and satisfy any sweet craving.
Instead of keeping all the fruits in separate containers, consider making a fruit salad the day before your picnic. Chop up your favorite fruits, mix them together and squeeze a bit of lemon and lime juice over the top for a fresh, flavorful and healthy snack!
6. Make a Salad
Salads are very healthy and have an infinite number of combinations. The most popular for picnics is potato or macaroni salad, but green salads can be very refreshing, too.
Keep the ingredients simple with greens, vegetables, berries and a splash of olive oil or vinaigrette to easily transport and prepare. Potato salad, egg salad and pasta salad all require a fair amount of prep, so keep this in mind while you plan.
7. Don’t Forget the Dessert
Consider pudding in a jar if your family demands dessert at the picnic. This is an easy, mess-free way for everyone to enjoy a sweet treat.
For a healthier finish, exchange the sugary pudding for yogurt. You can even use multiple flavors of yogurt layered in the jar with fresh, unsweetened fruit and nuts or granola for a satisfying crunch.
As an added bonus, using a jar allows your dessert to stack neatly in the cooler while staying securely closed.
8. Bring Some Beverages
Beverages at a picnic can be healthy with just a little advance planning. Sure, grabbing some cans and bottles from the convenience store is easy, but you can create healthy drinks at home that taste even better.
Consider a low-sugar, homemade lemonade, refreshing watermelon smoothies or mix a splash of fruit juice with sparkling water. Whatever you decide, don’t forget plenty of water for everyone, too.
With these tips, your healthy picnic lunch is ready, and you just need to load the cooler into the car! Find a picnic table in your local park—or somewhere totally new—and get ready for an afternoon full of new happy memories.
About the Author
George Reynolds
Nature Jim's Sprouts Owner and CEO
Since 1996, George has been working hands on with all thing’s spouts, sprouting and sprouting seeds. He is also a natural health and well-being enthusiast who believes in the power of good health habits. George’s focus on healthy food, nutrition and exercise aligns perfectly with his many years of professional experience as the President of Nature Jim’s Sprouts and Reynolds Industries.
George firmly believes in the health benefits of sprouts and makes them a part of his daily diet. His favorite way to eat sprouts is raw and on sandwiches and salads.
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