When the weather in your area starts to heat up, you may be tempted to kick back and enjoy a relaxing picnic with family and friends. For a fun and memorable picnic, it’s important to bring along some tasty treats that can satisfy your taste buds and help keep you cool. If you’re searching for a little picnic food inspiration, check out these top five ideas.
1. Tasty Summer-Inspired Drinks
Ice cream isn’t the only treat that can cool you off during a picnic on a hot day. You can take a page from summertime cookbooks and supplement your picnic foods with warm weather-inspired drinks. For example, you could bring a large jug of iced sweet or unsweet tea for everyone to share. Other fun, refreshing drink ideas include lemonade, frozen fruit smoothies, light soda, virgin mint mojitos, and chilled fruit juice.
2. Ice Cream and Other Frozen Treats
When it’s a sweltering day outside and you’re looking for the ideal way to cool off, look no further than an Ice cream menu. Ice cream and other frozen goodies are classic warm-weather indulgences, and there’s no reason you can’t include one or more frozen treats in your picnic basket. Just make sure to bring a small cooler or freezer bag! For delicious and refreshing delicacies, you may want to pack:
- Ice cream sandwiches
- Ice cream cones or bars
- Popsicles
- Frozen fruit
- Shaved ice cups
- Banana split sundaes
3. Filling Yet Hydrating Main Courses
If you plan to hold a picnic around lunchtime, you’ll need to bring at least one hearty, filling main course. However, in hot weather, it’s extra important to stay hydrated. Fortunately, you can incorporate water-rich ingredients into your main courses easily. For instance, try serving up:
- Cucumber and tomato sandwiches
- Fruit salad
- Pasta salad with chopped celery
- Broccoli coleslaw
- Salad greens
- Grilled watermelon slices
- Chilled gazpacho
4. Yogurt-Covered Fruit Bites
If you want to wow your family and friends while still enjoying a few refreshing bites, try this unique recipe for yogurt-covered fruit bites. This recipe works best with simple, seasonal fruits, such as strawberries. To make this treat, all you have to do is:
- Chop fresh strawberries
- Mix the strawberries with honey and yogurt
- Place the strawberries in the freezer for a few hours to set
- Keep frozen until ready to eat
5. An Airy and Refreshing Quiche
For an airy, whipped treat that can double as a full meal, especially for brunch picnics, look no further than the humble quiche. In addition to eggs, this simple meal can contain a wide variety of water-packed vegetables. You can try numerous quiche combinations using vegetables that are in season. For instance, try making your quiche with summer squash, tomatoes, corn, eggplant, bell peppers, avocado, cucumber, radishes, zucchini, carrots, arugula, or beets, for starters.
When the weather’s pleasant, there’s nothing quite like enjoying a tasty, relaxing picnic outdoors. If you want to keep cool while indulging in delicious picnic treats, you may be able to draw some inspiration from the ideas on this list. Consider bringing one – or all! – of these treats to your next warm-weather picnic.
