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In the good ol' summertime, bring out those picnic baskets and have a lazy hazy day at the park. But remember to keep perishable foods chilled and safe from bacteria. Nothing can ruin the day and the memories more than a case of foodborne illness.
Keeping Picnic Food Safe
- Do not use recipes that use raw eggs.
- Cook and prepare foods ahead in plenty of time to thoroughly chill them before packing them for the picnic.
- Put food directly from the refrigerator into your cooler. Make sure you pack an insulated cooler with sufficient ice or ice packs to keep the food at 40° or below.
- Use a cooler for the drinks and a cooler for the food. This will minimize the number of times the food cooler is opened.
- Carry the coolers in the air-conditioned car rather than the hot trunk. At the picnic site, try to place the cooler in the shade. Replenish the ice if it melts.
- Take only the amount of raw meat out of the cooler that will be immediately cooked. Leave the rest in the cooler until needed.
- Do not put cooked meat on the same platter that held the raw meat.
- Always wash hands before eating. If hand washing facilities are not available, pack disposable towelettes and use these.
- Never leave cooked food that contains meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or dairy products out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. On a hot summer day food should be left out less than this.
Making Picnic Food Healthy
Appetizers
Pretzels
Baked tortilla chips and *salsa
Fresh fruit: grapes, cherries, melon wedges
Raw veggies: carrot and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, broccoli and cauliflower florets. Serve with lowfat dip
Supper
Skinless chicken breasts or try a veggie burger
Tomato slices, sprinkled with fresh basil
Grilled Vegetable kabobs
Pasta salad or potato salad
Coleslaw
(Reduce fat in potato salad and coleslaw by using nonfat plain yogurt or nonfat sour cream for 1/2 of the mayonnaise and use lite mayonnaise for the other half. Use light or fat free salad dressing for the pasta salad.)
Dessert
Fruit (peaches, plums, pineapple, or watermelon)
Rice krispie treats
Perfect Pineapple Cake
The No Cook Picnic
O.K., so you're don't have a grill at your picnic site and you don't want to take a cooler. Now you have the same dilemma as most moms who pack school lunches. Remember, if your food was prepared in a sanitary way and was well chilled after preparation, it will stay safe for a short time (2 hours or less) if your picnic area is nearby. But to be safest, take non-dairy and non-meat items. Perhaps choose some items from the following menu.
Appetizers as listed above
Prepare a vegetable sandwich at your picnic site (so it doesn't get mushy)
How about onions, avocados and tomatoes on a whole grain bread - delicious!
Tabouli and hummus with pita bread
Peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and banana sandwiches
Peanut butter on rice cakes for a crunchy lunch
Low-fat or non-fat Yogurt - Don't break the seal until you're ready to eat
Fruit Salad or whole fruit
Pasta salad
Rice krispie treats
Perfect Pineapple Cake
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