With summer in full swing this in an excellent opportunity to get out with your family and friends and spend the day enjoying nature and go on a picnic. It is not the time to go crazy and buy a bunch of disposable dishes, cups and cutlery. Think if the picnic as your opportunity to challenge yourself and go green. These days it is really easy to be environmentally-savvy this with so many non-breakable containers on the market. I try to avoid plastic as much as possible but sometimes it is hard. All types and sizes of stainless steel containers can be found in stores and online. Some of them are great because they have different compartments within the same container so that you can keep some stuff separate if the need be.

The key is to avoid bringing excess garbage with you so that you do not have to dispose of it.

Try and go for whole and homemade foods as much as possible. If you are out communing with nature and getting exercise why ruin it by eating a load of junk.

Here is a sample menu of what we took to Fort Edmonton Park:
Deli Style Sandwich, homemade cookies or cake, Homemade Lemonade, Hummus, raw veggies, pita chips. Brushetta and a baguette sliced, Nacho chips and Salsa with a twist, Cottage Cheese with chives, green onion & salt & pepper mixed in.

Take whatever your family loves. Just try and keep it as nutritious as possible. Don't forget to throw in a football or bean bag lawn dart game, bubbles, whatever it is that your kids love. The one thing I have realized is that kids do not always need Disneyland or fancy faraway trips, they just need you and your time. Picnics also make great romantic getaways for a few hours away. Whatever your situation is, get out, go green and enjoy all that nature has to offer. M

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Sally King is an author, educator and speaker working towards bettering the eating habits of children and adults alike. Her first book, Lunchbox Love, is full of healthy and nutrient-dense recipes that actually taste good. She promotes whole foods from scratch, having learned the hard way what an unhealthy lifestyle can do to health and longevity. After transforming her own life and dealing with her kids health issues, she became well-versed in nutrition, and wanted to share her passion for what she had learned.

Sally's Picnic Lunch

Deli Style Sandwich:
1 loaf of round bread loaf such as sour dough with the top cut off and the fluffy bread from the inside pulled out
Leftover sliced roast chicken or roast beef
Mustard on the bottom
Slices of Gouda or havarti cheese or
whatever you like
Cucumber
Red pepper slices
Lettuce
Sprouts
Pesto, or mayo, or hummus for on the bread
Place the lid of the bread on top and cut into wedges. Place in a container.

Homemade Lemonade
¼ cup of lemon juice and the zest and juice of one lemon or you could use two lemons instead
½ c. sugar or honey or agave syrup
Chopped fresh mint leaves

Salsa with a Twist:
3 cups prepared salsa
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 can of niblets corn, drained
3 tbsps. Cilantro, chopped fine
Mix together and if it sits overnight it is even better. This is highly nutritious and really yummy.
If you do not want to go to the fuss of the Sandwich, roast a chicken and take buttered buns and cheese and lettuce and anything else you like on a sandwich.