May 2013
Volume 17, Issue 5
Summer Picnics, Summer Parties
Have a special Family Meal this summer.
Pack dinner in a picnic basket!
Sit on a blanket in the backyard and eat,
or take dinner to a local park.
Prepare your Picnic Basket:
1 Pack your food. Bring along just
enough food for your dinner. Then you
won't have to worry about storing leftovers
in the hot weather.
2 Bring water and ice in a large bottle.
Bring along some cups to pour water into.
3 Bring a blanket or beach towel
to sit on. There may be picnic tables in the
park, but other families may be using them.
4 Pack a bag of safety items
that your family might need - sunscreen,
wet wipes, hand sanitizer, napkins, band-aids,
and bug repellent.
Family Picnic Sandwich
Cut a loaf of French Bread or Baguette
lengthwise. Layer with meat, lettuce, sliced
tomatoes or cucumbers and mustard or low fat
mayonnaise. Cut into small servings when at
your picnic.
Picnic Salad in a Cup
Bring along one or two different salads chicken pasta salad, broccoli salad, veggie pasta
salad, or taco salad. Let family members put
their salad in a plastic cup and eat with a fork.
No Fork Picnic
Pack only finger foods in your picnic basket deviled eggs, chunks of melon, strawberries and
other fruit, whole wheat crackers, sliced turkey
or ham, hummus, or tortillas roll ups.
Picnic Parties
Make your family meal special with a theme.
4th of July Picnic
Choose some foods that are red, white or blue blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon,
or tomato salad with white cheese.
 .
Spanish Picnic
Bring along a quesadilla, tacos, taco salad, refried
bean dip, salsa or Spanish rice.
Beach Picnic
Have a picnic at the beach and serve shrimp salad,
tuna sandwiches or fish tacos.
My Picnic, MyPlate
 Pack fruits and vegetables for half of the
foods in your picnic basket.
 Choose whole grain bread, crackers or
tortillas for sandwiches.
 Make sandwiches and salads with lean
protein foods.
 Bring along low-fat or fat-free yogurt.
Drink more Water
Don't forget our most important drink -
water!
 Drink a glass of water in the morning
before you leave the house.
 Carry a bottle of water along with you
when away from home.
 If your child has a sippy cup or water
bottle, put water in it.
 Offer water to your child while he is
playing. He will learn to want to drink
water when he is thirsty.
 Stop and take a drink when you walk
by a water fountain.
 Order water instead of a soft drink at
restaurants.
Drink water, not Sugary Drinks
Shrimp Salad
3 cups uncooked ring pasta
1 pound cooked small shrimp
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup thinly sliced green onion
½ cup low fat mayonnaise
¼ cup low fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon dry dill weed
dash of salt and black pepper
 Cook pasta according to directions on
package. Drain water off pasta.
 Rinse frozen peas with warm water.
 Mix the mayonnaise, plain yogurt
and dill weed together in a small bowl.
Safe Summer Food

Keep food cold. Pack food in a cooler
with lots of ice. Put your cooler inside the
car, not in the trunk when traveling.

Wash your hands before preparing
or eating food. Bring along a hand sanitizer
if you're away from home.

Use the 2 hour rule. Don't leave food
out at room temperature for more than
2 hours. Reduce this time to 1 hour if it
is a hot day (90° or higher).




 Combine the shrimp, peas, onion and
pasta in a large bowl.
 Add the dressing to the pasta and shrimp.
Stir to coat. Season with salt and black
pepper. Cover and refrigerate until you
are ready to eat.
6 servings
Variations:
 Add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice or
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley to
the salad.
 Serve Shrimp Salad with chopped
tomatoes or lettuce.
 Add some sliced radish or chopped celery.
What can you do?
Plan to have a few picnics with my family this summer.
Drink more water, and offer more water to my children.
Make the Shrimp Salad.
Other: ____________________________________________
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