Celebrate the beginning of summer with a Picnic in the Park (If it rains, have it at home with your favorite picnic blanket). Harvest Home has some easy, delicious, and healthy ideas to help you. Prepare Yummy snacks that keep down the calories, quick and easy carry-with-you macaroni salad and chips from your oven that taste better and are a lot better for your overall health. Add a bit of bread to your backpack and you are ready to satisfy a hungry group, even the kids.

Skip the packaged snacks, at least most of them. They’re expensive and loaded with unhealthy junk. Try these lower-in-calories snacks that also give you antioxidants and vitamins for better health and energy. 

• Cauliflower or carrots dipped in salsa or hummus.

• Celery instead of chips, with salsa, guacamole, peanut butter. Or a little low-fat cream cheese. A whole celery stalk has only 10 calories, aids digestion, has vitamin A for eye health and a combination of minerals that helps sooth your nervous system.

• Pop-able fruit like grapes or blueberries

• Apple slices with a dab of peanut butter, a kids’ favorite

• Nuts come in delicious varieties and can help lower cholesterol.

• Make your own popcorn, it saves money, gives you exactly the taste you want, is fun for the whole family and fills you up without extra calories.

Easy Macaroni Salad: Quick and simple. You can eat it plain or add frozen peas, chopped carrots, olives, small pieces of chicken or tuna fish.

Sweet Potato Chips: Very thin slices of sweet potato become delicious chips with a 20-minute roasting in your oven (see how-to-make below). Not just tasty, they give you extra fiber, help your immune system and are good for your eyes.

Get outside and Enjoy!

Pack a Picnic

RECIPE: Fast and Easy Macaroni Salad

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounces of  bowtie pasta (farfalle) or rotini

• 1 medium cucumber

• 1 orange or yellow pepper

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut on half

• 8 ounces of mozzarella cheese balls, cut in half

DRESSING: 

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1 lemon: remove zest and squeeze

• 2 teaspoons honey

• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon dry basil

TO MAKE:

• Cook the pasta, drain and rinse under cold water

• Chop the cucumber and pepper into small pieces

• Cut tomatoes in half

• Cut mozzarella in bite sized pieces

• Whisk dressing ingredients together

Combine ingredients and dressing.  Serve immediately or store in airtight container in fridge for 3-5 days. Best if refrigerated for a few hours to allow flavors to combine.  With no mayonnaise, this salad will last on a picnic.

Additions: Try olives, frozen peas, carrot pieces, slices of avocado, different cheeses, pieces of chicken or tuna. Everything is up to you.

TIPS AND TRICKS: Chips and dips

Sweet Potato Chips: See Video

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ pounds of sweet potatoes

• 1/3 cup of olive oil

• Salt, pepper, or favorite seasonings

TO MAKE:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

• Thinly slice sweet potato. Potato rounds should be the same thickness, so they cook evenly

• In a bowl mix together olive oil and potatoes rounds to lightly cover them with oil

• Lay the rounds separately on a cookie sheet. Lightly salt

• Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning over in 10 minutes

• Remove from oven. If centers are still soft, cook for another few minutes. Cool for 5 minutes

SEASONINGS TO TRY:  Rosemary, Chili pepper, Cinnamon, Paprika or whatever you like. Use small amounts.

Try Black Bean Avocado Dip: Perfect with chips or carrots.

You will need; avocadoes, black beans, fire roasted corn mixed with a small jalapeno pepper and seasonings you already have

• Mash together 2 avocadoes with 1 Tablespoon lime juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon pepper.

• Cut other avocadoes in small pieces add to mixture with corn, black beans and jalapeno and 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro.  Add more lime juice to your taste.