As a family, we love having picnics.  Eating lunch or snacking at a picnic table or on a picnic blanket is a perk of the nice weather.  Sometimes they are impromptu, but we prefer to have some planning involved.

Picnics can be a lot of fun and easy to prepare for with these simple how to plan a picnic tips:

Picnic Food

Sure, you could just throw a few snacks in a bag and call it a picnic, but if you are planning a day outside or away from home, you may have to prepare better than that.

The great thing about a picnic is that you don’t have to plan out a whole meal, just have enough food to set up a mini-buffet.

When possible, I highly recommend using reusable containers for all your food.  It reduces waste and makes packing up very easy.

If you are bringing products that need to remain cool, keep in mind the need for ice packs, or better yet, a plug-in cooler for in the vehicle.

What Picnic Food Should You Bring?

• Pre-cut fruit, berries, bananas or apples (fruit with their own ‘packaging’)
• Dry snacks such as pretzels, nachos, crackers or cookies
• Sandwiches or wraps – peanut butter requires no cooling, but if you prefer try egg salad sandwiches or veggie wraps with cheese
• Salads (again, depending on cooling) but ones that are easy to eat such as macaroni or potato (leaf salads are messy, require dressing and so on)
• Drinks (water in reusable containers are recommended because they can be refilled, but sometimes juice boxes are a fun and easy addition) TIP: Add frozen juice boxes to the cooler to act as ice packs.

The Art of Packing for a Picnic

There really is a trick to packing and ensuring your food fits in your picnic basket (or reusable bag or container).   Packing doesn’t only mean trying to make everything fit but also remembering items that will make set up and clean up a breeze.

What do you need to pack well?

• Reusable food containers and a few small empty bowls (for sharing and food portioning with children)
• Drink containers
• Napkins or paper towels
• Plastic bags for waste or dirty items
• Cutlery
• Paring knife
• Wet wipes or a wet cloth in a plastic sandwich bag for sticky fingers
• Picnic blanket (any blanket will do!)

And what should you pack everything in? There are some wonderful picnic bags/baskets/knapsacks on the market that include things like a cutting board or plates.  But, if you don’t want to buy something new, I often just use a cooler with ice and a giant reusable container to put the smaller ones in, or throw everything in a cloth bag.  As long as it’s easy to carry, you will be fine!

Picnics are fun and filled with memories.   When will you plan your next picnic?