May 2013 Volume 17, Issue 5
Summer Picnics, Summer Parties
Have a special Family Meal this summer.
Pack dinner in a picnic basket! Sit on a blanket in the backyard and eat, or take dinner to a local park. Family Picnic Sandwich Cut a loaf of French Bread or Baguette lengthwise. Layer with meat, lettuce, sliced Prepare your Picnic Basket: tomatoes or cucumbers and mustard or low fat 1 Pack your food. Bring along just mayonnaise. Cut into small servings when at enough food for your dinner. Then you your picnic. won't have to worry about storing leftovers in the hot weather. Picnic Salad in a Cup Bring along one or two different salads - 2 Bring water and ice in a large bottle. Bring along some cups to pour water into. chicken pasta salad, broccoli salad, veggie pasta salad, or taco salad. Let family members put 3 Bring a blanket or beach towel their salad in a plastic cup and eat with a fork. to sit on. There may be picnic tables in the park, but other families may be using them. No Fork Picnic
4 Pack a bag of safety items Pack only finger foods in your picnic basket - that your family might need - sunscreen, deviled eggs, chunks of melon, strawberries and wet wipes, hand sanitizer, napkins, band-aids, other fruit, whole wheat crackers, sliced turkey and bug repellent. or ham, hummus, or tortillas roll ups.
Picnic Parties Make your family meal special with a theme.
4th of July Picnic Choose some foods that are red, white or blue - blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, or tomato salad with white cheese. .
Spanish Picnic My Picnic, MyPlate Bring along a quesadilla, tacos, taco salad, refried Pack fruits and vegetables for half of the bean dip, salsa or Spanish rice. foods in your picnic basket. Choose whole grain bread, crackers or
tortillas for sandwiches. Beach Picnic Make sandwiches and salads with lean Have a picnic at the beach and serve shrimp salad, tuna sandwiches or fish tacos. protein foods. Bring along low-fat or fat-free yogurt.
Drink more Water Don't forget our most important drink - water!
Drink a glass of water in the morning
before you leave the house.
Carry a bottle of water along with you when away from home. Shrimp Salad If your child has a sippy cup or water 3 cups uncooked ring pasta bottle, put water in it. 1 pound cooked small shrimp 1 cup frozen peas Offer water to your child while he is ½ cup thinly sliced green onion playing. He will learn to want to drink ½ cup low fat mayonnaise water when he is thirsty. ¼ cup low fat plain yogurt Stop and take a drink when you walk 1 tablespoon dry dill weed by a water fountain. dash of salt and black pepper
Order water instead of a soft drink at Cook pasta according to directions on restaurants. package. Drain water off pasta.
Drink water, not Sugary Drinks Rinse frozen peas with warm water.
Mix the mayonnaise, plain yogurt and dill weed together in a small bowl.
Combine the shrimp, peas, onion and pasta in a large bowl.
Safe Summer Food Add the dressing to the pasta and shrimp. Stir to coat. Season with salt and black Keep food cold. Pack food in a cooler pepper. Cover and refrigerate until you with lots of ice. Put your cooler inside the are ready to eat. car, not in the trunk when traveling. 6 servings
Wash your hands before preparing or eating food. Bring along a hand sanitizer Variations: if you're away from home. Add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley to Use the 2 hour rule. Don't leave food the salad. out at room temperature for more than Serve Shrimp Salad with chopped 2 hours. Reduce this time to 1 hour if it tomatoes or lettuce. is a hot day (90° or higher). Add some sliced radish or chopped celery.
What can you do? Plan to have a few picnics with my family this summer. Drink more water, and offer more water to my children. Make the Shrimp Salad. Other: ______
SmartFood is published 12 times a year. © 2013 – Nutrition Matters, Inc. The content of SmartFood is not intended to provide medical advice; this should be obtained from your health care provider. Reproduction of this publication without a license to copy is a violation of federal copyright law and is prohibited. Nutrition Matters, Inc. 316 North Barstow Street, Suite I, Eau Claire, WI 54703 – www.numatters.com.