August is Picnic month…it’s also normally hazy, hot and humid. By this time, in late August, you just want to take it slow. A picnic sounds like a good idea, but also a lot of work. Let’s try to make things simple for you!
Instead of a sandwich, how about….
Easy wraps? Take tortillas and place inside turkey, hummus and sliced vegetables.
Deconstructed pizza. Place cheese, pepperoni, and cherry tomatoes on a skewer. Add olives, pepper chunks or mushrooms to complete your pizza.
Cowboy caviar. Is it a salad or is it salsa? Whatever you call it, call it delicious!
Strawberry and avocado pasta salad. Strawberries in a pasta salad..yes, please!
Try this for dessert…
Energy bites. You have seen these for breakfast but these add M&Ms to the mix.
Ice cream cone fruit cup. Serve fruit salad in an ice cream cone. This looks amazing and can be so much healthier than ice cream if you use fresh fruit.
Apple “donuts” with sprinkles. You need to core an apple for this. Next cut into slices. Use cream cheese (you can dye it with food coloring to make it fancy) as frosting and top with sprinkles.
Fun and games:
Watermelon Eating Contest. Normally, this is a speed eating contest but we dont want you choking. How about a neatness contest? Who can eat their watermelon the neatest or without using their hands?
Watermelon seed spitting contest. Who can spit their watermelon seeds the furthest?
“I’m going on a picnic” memory game. Have everyone sit or stand in a circle and designate one child to begin. They say “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…,” and fill in the blank with a word. The next person must repeat the phrase and add their own word to the phrase. If a person can’t remember the entire phrase, they’re out.
Telephone- picnic style. Start with a picnic phrase- you may want to have a couple ready or tell players to keep it food related. Example: After dinner, we are going to roast marshmallows and make smores for dessert. One child will pull a slip and whisper the saying in the child to their right’s ear, and the phrase gets passed along until it comes full circle.
Read a story:
Peanut and Pearl's picnic adventure Two friends set out for a picnic together, but by the time they are ready to eat, they have lost one another.
The sundae scoop At the picnic on the last day of school, James, his friends, and the cafeteria lady make a variety of ice cream sundaes, using mathematics to figure out how many different kinds they can create.
Cookbooks for kids
The no-cook cookbook : more than 50 heat-free recipes for young chefs This fun recipe book for kids shows children how to make different dishes. Each recipe is designed so that it's easy to make and requires no cooking. The No-Cook Cook Book was created especially for budding young chefs, designed not only as a recipe book, but also a manual that will teach kids the basics of cooking safely. The easy-to-follow instructions will teach kids practical kitchen safety tips and how to use kitchen utensils such as a grater, sharp knife, and peeler safely.
Lunch recipe queen Take a break! I look forward to lunch all morning. Sometimes I share a meal with my friends. Other times, I'm in a hurry and have to grab it on the go! Whether you're packing for a picnic or planning a week's worth of meals, you're sure to find a winner from my recipe book.
