Contents:

• Which snacks are suitable for a picnic?

• What else should you consider when preparing a family picnic?

In summer, when the days are long and warm, it's worth spending as much time outdoors as possible, enjoying the beautiful weather and staying away from technology and media. A sunny morning is the perfect time to relax in nature. All you need is a blanket and a basket full of treats to start the day in good company. A picnic is a unique attraction for children and also an opportunity to spend some romantic time together, far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Simply prepare snacks and drinks, pack them in a picnic basket, take a blanket and find a nice spot to relax outdoors.

Which snacks are suitable for a picnic?

Picnic snacks should, above all, be easy to prepare, don't need to be refrigerated, and also be easy to transport. If you're not sure what food to prepare for such an occasion, we recommend what's suitable for a picnic for the whole family to ensure it's delicious, healthy, and nutritious. First of all, convenience is very important. This means that the dishes should be served in a way that allows them to be consumed in just a few bites. These include wraps of all kinds, tarts, skewers, desserts in jars, or fruit mousse in tubes. What else works for a picnic:

• Fruit or vegetable skewers – for the vegetable version you can use diced peppers, pickled cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella or cheese cubes, olives and for the fruit version all kinds of seasonal fruits, such as strawberries, blueberries, peach pieces, etc. Watermelon,
• Pizzerinki, i.e. mini pizzas – form small pancakes from the pizza dough and bake them carefully in the oven, spread each one with tomato sauce and add basil, garlic and oregano, place a slice of mozzarella and olives on top and finally put it back in the oven until the mozzarella melts
• Colorful Omelets – By adding colorful vegetables, such as green peas, corn, red, yellow, and green bell peppers, and your favorite herbs, you can create a large, fluffy omelet. Simply cut the finished omelet into smaller, edible pieces, and you have a nutritious snack.
• Fruit chips – a healthy and low-calorie alternative to protein and salt chips. To prepare them, simply slice your favorite fruit thinly, place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, and dry them in an oven preheated to 120 degrees Celsius for about 1.5 hours. These can be bananas , apples, strawberries, or pineapple, but you can also sprinkle them with cinnamon, for example.
• Pancakes with spinach and feta cheese – to prepare them, you'll need pancake batter and filling: a pack of fresh spinach and a cube of feta cheese. Fry pancakes from the batter, add the spinach to the pan, and add the diced cheese. Finished pancakes are filled with spinach and cheese filling.
• Salmon wraps – You will need the following ingredients: 150g smoked salmon, spinach, capers, half a cucumber, 4 slices of cheese, 3 tablespoons of thick natural yogurt, wraps , salt, and pepper. Heat the wraps in a pan and then top with yogurt with salt and pepper, a slice of cheese, salmon, fresh spinach leaves, a slice of cucumber, and a few capers . Roll the wraps like pancakes; you can cut them into smaller pieces and wrap them in napkins.
• Muffins - Sweets are a must at a picnic, instead of store-bought biscuits with lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners, it is better to prepare homemade muffins - these sweet cupcakes can be prepared in many different ways, depending on our individual preferences - they work in a fruity version, but also with cinnamon or chocolate, with pieces of nuts,
• Desserts in small jars are a practical option for picnics. Each jar contains a single serving. Fill the bottom of the jar with a portion of muesli, crushed cookies, or biscuits, add your favorite seasonal fruits, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and bilberries, and top with natural yogurt with maple syrup. Sprinkle the dessert with chocolate or coconut flakes , almond flakes, or crushed nuts. In addition to desserts, you can also prepare salads in jars.

What else should you consider when preparing a family picnic?

A picnic is a must-have with snacks like delicious seasonal fruit, homemade oatcakes, or, of course, refreshing drinks. Instead of carbonated, colorful, and sweetened drinks, it's worth making a classic lemonade—water with lemon or lime juice and fresh mint leaves. Instead of a mountain of sugar, you can opt for a healthier sweetener like natural honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, or elderberry syrup. You can also try a different kind of lemonade, such as watermelon.

Traditional, filling sandwiches are very popular at picnics, but don't limit yourself to the basic versions of this classic picnic snack—cold cuts and cheese sandwiches. This snack becomes much more nutritious and valuable if you replace white bread with whole-grain bread and, for example, add aromatic, roasted vegetables instead of heavily processed meat. Also, avoid heavy mayonnaise-based sauces, as these don't work at high temperatures, can spoil easily, and are an excellent breeding ground for bacteria like salmonella. Delicate dressings based on fresh olive oil and balsamic vinegar definitely work better.

If you are organizing a picnic with children, you should also remember to bring a few things that will provide them with additional entertainment, such as a ball, a board or card game, drawing chalk or a skipping rope.