Ideas And Recipes To Take On A Picnic And Enjoy Without Being Spoiled By The Heat

Leisure outings have already settled in our new normality, respecting social distance and avoiding crowds to avoid possible infections. 

In this sense, the picnic is one of the most attractive, economical and healthy options compared to the usual tapas in terraces, beach bars or bars, say experts in nutrition from the European Medical Institute of Obesity (IMEO) and advise choosing for quality food , avoiding unhealthy food, ultra-processed, sugary or alcoholic beverages with a higher alcohol content.

Going on a picnic allows you to maintain a safe distance from other groups, facilitates communication and interaction between members, fosters contact with nature, improves mood and reduces stress. In addition, it can be combined with outdoor activities that facilitate digestion and offers an open space that children can take advantage of for running and playing.

What should not be missing

The perfect picnic must be made up of recipes made with interesting nutritional products. Thus, fruits and vegetables should make up 50% of our plate, followed by protein and carbohydrates at 25% each. With this formula for a balanced meal, we can face the day in the countryside, the beach or the mountains with energy and vitality.

 Also, we should not forget about drinks to hydrate ourselves and, of course, good company once we have these aspects ready, the most important thing is to look for a good shade to spread the tablecloth and sit down to enjoy a delicious meal.

To keep everything cold and prevent it from spoiling, you should always have a fridge and ice. If we have opted for ready-to-eat and ready-to-eat alternatives, such as the Sprout Salad and Potato Omelette Combo or Florette Complete Salads, we won't need dishes, as these containers are perfect for improvised tableware. 

Last but not least, dessert, the fruit is the most simple, healthy and easy option to transport. And, of course, put garbage bags in our picnic basket to collect everything once we have finished and the environment is the same as when we arrived.

When preparing and transporting food, it is important to avoid precooked or processed foods, such as pizzas, snacks , industrial pastries, alcohol and soft drinks, being ideal to take advantage of the previous preparation to choose healthier and more nutritious foods.

Picnic Recipes

But the same question always arises: "What should I take so I don't get sick?", "Can I bring sauces?", "What if it gets hot in the sun?". We should look for a format that "is comfortable for us to transport." Like what? One of the easiest options to carry is the sandwich or sandwiches, which we do not usually see as healthy, but nothing is further from reality.

"A light, tasty, and healthy suggestion for a sandwich or snack is to mix grilled chicken strips with hard-boiled egg, sliced tomato and rocket-lettuce mix."

In addition, the expert continues, if we want to take something more elaborate, we can choose salads, from a simple one with lettuce, fresh tomato and tuna to a more complete one with the mixture of first sprouts, carrots, cooked beets and rice. 

The idea is to add vegetables, carbohydrates and proteins to get a nutritionally complete meal in one dish. If we want something different, there are very easy recipes to transport in our picnic tupper, such as a spinach quiche and even cold creams to take in cups, such as gazpacho or carrot cream.

Dressings Always Apart

Nothing happens if, for reasons of weight or space, we cannot carry a different jar with the dressing of the salad and we decide to take it already mixed. It is true that the ingredients of the salad lose their crunchy texture when mixed with the sauces for a longer time. For this reason, the most practical thing is to reuse a small glass jar to carry the dressing or sauce in just the amount we need to dress our picnic salad. Keep in mind that sauces such as mayonnaise or some dressings can be damaged by heat. Therefore, it is very important to keep them fresh to ensure optimal consumption.