There are innumerable benefits to spending time in nature, which helps us reduce stress levels, lower our blood pressure and boost our mood. When the weather allows for it, we love to combine the perks of nature with the powerful benefits of food by enjoying a culinary nutrition picnic. We have our favourite essential gluten-free picnic recipes we love to make, but generally we like to choose recipes that are:
Easily portable. Delicate recipes aren’t the best place for a picnic!
Weather-resistant. Generally, we like to stick to plant-based foods for picnics that can withstand the heat of the sun and won’t spoil quickly. Unfortunately, that means no dairy-free ice cream.
Made for sharing. Recipes like big salads, dips, crudites, crackers and baked goods are wonderful for family-style eating.
Simple to prepare. We want to spend more time outside, not endless hours in the kitchen.
Allergen-friendly. Our favourite recipes are always gluten-free and dairy-free. We also aim for egg-free, grain-free, nut-free and soy-free options too.
Delicious cold or room temperature.While we’re not averse to bringing along a thermos with a good elixir, we prefer making recipes that are tasty when taken right from the bag or cooler.
Light yet satisfying. We don’t want to feel bloated and stuffed to the gills by a huge meal. Our essential picnic recipes combine a multitude of macro and micro-nutrients, but won’t make us feel overfull.
Culinary Nutrition Picnic Equipment
We prefer to reduce our footprint as much as possible, which is why we aim for a waste-free picnic. Some of our picnic equipment essentials include:
A reusable bag or cooler for transporting dishes
Glass containers, stainless steel containers, mason jars or beeswax wraps for meals and snacks
Cloth napkins
Real cutlery
A picnic blanket
Glass or stainless steel water bottles to stay hydrated
You can cut these into sushi rolls, but we like leaving them whole or cut in half so they are easier to eat with your hands. And don’t forget an awesome dipping sauce.
Grilling avocados takes them to a whole new level, but if you want to explore more traditional guac routes that check out our 20 Best Guacamole Recipes.
Match the sunshine outside with the brighthues of turmeric by blending it into hummus.
Culinary Nutrition Essential Picnic Recipes: Baked Goods, Snacks and Treats
These recipes are great to cap off your meal, or for a little mid-afternoon nibble. If these don’t tickle your fancy, you may want to check out these 25 Bite-Sized Snacks or these 20 Gluten-Free Kid-Friendly Snacks.
Whip up a batch of these gluten-free and dairy-free carrotcake bites and you’ll have a delicious and healthful treat on hand if you need an energy boost.
Consider bringing only gluten-free bread, buns, wraps, crackers, and cookies for a picnic. And don't forget naturally gluten-free, delicious picnic items like watermelon, grapes, and other fresh fruits as well as crunchy carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks.
Sandwiches, pies, scotch eggs, sausage rolls and chicken drumsticks are considered classic picnic treats for a reason – they're all finger foods that travel well. Layer up a picnic baguette with salami, spinach, basil, pesto and mozzarella for a mouthwatering bite with or create a colourful veggie rainbow sandwich.
Peel-and-eat shrimp, steamed lobsters and paella are a few of the foods you should avoid toting in your basket. Washed-rind cheeses (if eaten promptly) and already-peeled cocktail shrimp are the stinky-but-safe exceptions to this rule.
These salads are perfect picnic recipes because they're great for making ahead. If you can, reserve some fresh herbs to add at the last minute (I like to pack them in a separate container or baggie). They'll add a punch of fresh flavor and take your picnic food to a whole new level.
Choose fruits and vegetables that are in season: Instead of cookies and cake, prepare a fruit salad before your picnic using fruits that are in season. Fruits in season at this time of year include watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, peaches, apricots, and plums.
Honey has been called the only food that truly lasts forever, thanks to its magical chemistry and the handiwork of bees. The nectar from flowers mixes with enzymes inside the bees that extract it, which changes the nectar's composition and breaks it down into simple sugars that are deposited into honeycombs.
A thick, crusty roll like ciabatta, baguette, or an Italian-style loaf won't go limp and fall apart next to moist ingredients like veggies, spreads, or salad-type fillings (like chicken or tuna), Andrea Slonecker, co-author of The Picnic, tells SELF.
5 Gluten Free Snacks to Bring Camping. Jun 30, 2023. ...
Nuts and Seeds. Almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and shelled pistachios and sunflower seeds are all great to bring along to camping trips. ...
Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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