need some picnic ideas

[iona]

I need some good ideas for meals while we are out. We too often go to the drive-thru because i haven't planned ahead and it is easier. Any suggestions for foods that pack well or keep for a while without getting soggy?

I'm open to all ideas, from little prep to more involved.

Thanks!

[OnTheBrink]

I'd get one of those insulated lunch bags or little cooler (like the ones that hold a 6 pack) with one of those freezer packs, then I'd put cheese sticks, grapes, boiled eggs, carrot or celery sticks, small containers of peanut butter or hummus for dipping, pretzels, and maybe baggies of trail mix or dried fruit.

[eternalknot]

I don't do a lot of picnics, but I pack food to take to work.

 

Wraps are good and hold up well (as long as you don't pack them with hot foods). I throw in some greens, some beans, some corn, and shredded veggies. For my kids I'll also pack small containers of vinagrette for them to pour onto each bite (putting it in the wrap directly would leave it soggy); I prefer mine plain. If you eat meat, it'd be easy to put cold cuts in there - maybe diced ham, shredded chicken, sliced turkey, etc. Again, just pack the sauce separately and dip/pour onto each bite. For Mexican, use beans, avocados, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and shredded meat if you like. Or try Greek and Italian varieties - the possibilities are endless.

 

Salads, too. Not just green salads, but also potato salads, pasta salads, bean salads.

 

We have some nights (sports) where we leave around 3pm and don't get home until after 8pm. I pack baked potatoes for dinner because it doesn't matter how long those keep steaming once packed, and they don't taste super awful if they're just warm and not piping hot. I keep all toppings in a separate cooler. Soups and chilis, too. Cornbread or muffins on the side keep and go well with either.

 

In a pinch, how about breakfast? Granola and yogurt, cereal with milk (it's just as easy to run into a gas station for small milks as it is to eat at the drive-thru), fruit salads, hard-boiled eggs. You could conceivably leave asceptic-pack individual sized milks and a bag of cereal or granola in the car for food emergencies LOL.

 

Asian food can taste good cold. We like soba noodles with sesame-ginger or peanut sauce tossed with a few green onions, shredded carrots, and sesame seeds. Egg rolls or spring rolls, too. Google a recipe for Bakmi Goreng, that would be a good picnic dish.

 

The key -besides sogginess- is to find a food that tastes okay warm, and not fresh-out-the-oven hot. Good luck. I, too, feel the call of the drive-thru more nights than I'd like to admit!

[iona]

thank you for the ideas! :bigear:

[Mama Geek]

If we are just out goofing off we will a lot of times take a small grill and then we can do just about anything...hot dogs, burgers, steak, chicken, pork, sliced squash, sliced apples, sliced potatoes and we will often bring some fruit of some sort.

[chickenpatty]

Our easiest (and one that requires very little planning) is a loaf of bread and a jar of goober. We make the sandwhiches up on the spot & usually have veggies or crackers with it. Sometimes we'll do nutella in place of the goober.

[Mallorie]

Cold chicken subs (if you buy the right bread/wrap, it won't get soggy), fruit, veggies, dips. If we can eat outside and not in the van I will pop popcorn and put it in an ice cream bucket. Homeade granola bars are great, allrecipes has a couple of good recipes for some, we like the "gobble-up granola snack" because you can tweak it as much as you want.

 

It's so popular to do the drive-thru thing, I have some friends who frown on having to pack a lunch. So I like to make it fun by also packing a favorite treat like homeade rice krispie bars with sprinkles or a favorite batch of cookies. :)

[Dawn in OH]

We packed a picnic lunch all weekend while attending the local medieval faire. I packed potato salad, ham (I bought a whole smoked ham and cut slices), carrot sticks, cheese, homemade bread, apples, grapes, and black olives, and packed it all in a cooler.

[iona]

Thanks again for all of your ideas.