Photograph Credit: Flickr (Jeremy Noble)
Are your summer activities drawing you away from home during mealtime? Between sporting activities, outdoor concerts, zoo visits, and playground fun, our family can easily be away from home during a meal. To allow for these special events, I enjoy planning a summer family picnic.
My mom gave me a great picnic basket for my birthday a few years’ back. She added a liner, cloth napkins, napkin rings, plates, cups, and silverware. I have added paper plates, paper napkins, plastic bags, and sealable bags to help make clean up quick and easy. I keep my basket stocked and ready to be loaded into the car.
When the opportunity for a summer family picnic arises, I have my basket ready, and can concentrate on the food for my family. Though I sometimes make our picnic meals at home, I am not opposed to purchasing items to help use my time wisely. Here are some meal options I choose for these special occasions:
- Homemade chicken salad served on crescent rolls with chips and cantaloupe;
- Papa John’s pizza (using a coupon, of course);
- Publix turkey submarine sandwiches, chips, and fruit;
- Bucket of fried chicken, baked beans, chips, and fruit;
For me, getting the family together with all the gear and arriving on time keeps me more than busy. If I can place side items into our picnic basket and bring drinks, then purchasing the main dish helps me to use my time wisely. In addition to the options listed above, we also consider restaurants where kids’ meals are free, e.g. Firehouse Subs, Chick-Fil-A, etc.
I recently heard about Earth Fare’s, a local grocery store, Family Dinner Night that offers up to 6 free kids’ meals with the purchase of a $5 or more adult meal. This store has a reputation for offering very healthy meals. Though I have not visited the Thursday Family Dinner Nights, I definitely would consider this option.
By choosing a picnic dinner from these meal options, I am able to use my time wisely by focusing on arriving, parking, unloading, and enjoying my family. Having picnic menu options, either written down or thought through, keeps me organized and prepared for those quick plan changes.
What additional summer picnic menu options would you add to this list?