Simple Savings

Good weather is often enough to make your summer picnics pop, but focusing on a theme may be just what you need for an extra jolt of excitement. Hosts of home parties often create food based on theme, but it’s an easy add when you are out and about “on location,” too. Such simple – and economical – care to detail makes an immediate impression.

Beach Blanket Bounty: Prepare tuna, mock crab and canned wild salmon tiny tea sandwiches. All are usually available in the canned meat aisle of the supermarket, often also in vacuum packs that remove the mess of much of the water that’s in cans. To create the seafood sandwich fillings, use one-quarter low-fat mayonnaise and the rest as fresh lemon juice, vinaigrette dressing and spicy mustard.

Zoo-licious: Take whole-wheat hamburger buns and have kids paint with food coloring like the coats of zebras, giraffes, leopards and tigers. Fill with vegetable burgers and “jungle vegetation,” such as washed beet, celery and carrot tops. Use cold cuts that are made without preservatives if you want to go with cold fare as the filling.

Treasure Chests of “Jewels”: Cut oranges in half and shave off bottoms slightly so halves sit flat. Scoop out insides so shell is clean and dry. Press in thin layer of dried cherries, dried cranberries an golden raisins. Mix orange chunks with chopped peaches and plums, nonfat sour cream and mini marshmallows and scoop into orange halves. Alongside, serve chicken salad you’ve mixed with mandarin orange sections and their juice and a small amount of plain Greek yogurt spread across thin seedless watermelon slices.

Ballpark Bistro Dessert Bar: In a large bowl, combine bite-sized pieces of soft pretzels, roasted peanuts, kettle corn (the whole-grain food that is somewhat sweet but usually has much less sugar than caramel corn) and very small dashes of freshly ground black pepper and prepared mustard powder. Use as topping for sugar-free chocolate and vanilla frozen yogurts.  

Fun fare like this also proves food preparation can be easy, nutritious, inexpensive, fun – and fast. They take just 10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare. The creative combinations are delicious proof that everyone has time for creating homemade specialties and, more importantly, the healthy family togetherness that goes along with it!

Another benefit: You effortlessly become a better cook, since there are no right or wrong amounts. These are virtually-can't-go-wrong combinations, so whatever you – or your kidlet helpers – choose to use can’t help but draw “wows” from family members, guests and Dad.

QUICK TIP OF THE WEEK: Give each child a bowl and allow them to mix their favorite fresh fruit and/or vegetable juices and diet sodas or flavored sparkling waters. Help them pour into their own designated ice cube trays and later let them liven up cups of water or sparkling water – and mix and match or trade custom cubes with their siblings.