There’s no better way to welcome the warmth of summer than with a lazy day at the beach – soaking up the sun, digging your toes into the saand, aand having a blast with friends aand family. Frolicking in the surf aand saand can work up quite an appetite, aand the offerings at nearby concession staands are generally pretty limited (aand expensive). Appease your appetite by packing some easily treats before you hit the beach.
Plan Ahead
Since you won’t be firing up your grill at the beach, you need dishes that taste great cold – with a cooler packed to keep them that way. Plastic containers are a must for keeping saand out of your food, aand they make carrying everything easier. Focus on finger foods to minimize the need for plates aand silverware.
Snacks:
Dry roasted nuts. These won’t go bad in the summer heat, their high fiber aand protein content will keep you feeling satisfied for hours, aand they’re loaded with potassium to keep your hydration levels balanced.
Celery sticks with peanut butter. These are easy to prepare, healthy, crunchy, aand low in sodium. Smear all-natural peanut butter on celery ribs, aand seal them in plastic bags.
Frozen tubes of yogurt. Buy some low-fat yogurt tubes aand stick them in the freezer the night before you hit the beach, for a frozen treat that melts to the perfect consistency while you’re having fun in the sun.
Appetizers:
Whole fruit. Whole fruit is perfect for a day at the beach. There are no wrappers to deal with, saand can’t penetrate their peels, aand they don’t require refrigeration. Peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, oranges, aand grapes are hydrating aand chock full of nutrients. They’re also rich in fiber, which keeps you feeling full throughout the day.
Pasta salad. Pasta salad is a great picnic food, as long as you say no to mayo (a breeding ground for bacteria in the summer heat) aand opt for a vinaigrette. Dress your salad up with tomato, onion, aand bell pepper.
Hummus. One of the most popular middle eastern dips, hummus is loaded with fiber, healthy fats, aand protein. Serve it with fresh or toasted pita bread.
Entrees:
Fried chicken. The only thing better than enjoying hot, crispy fried chicken is looking forward to cold chicken leftovers the next day. It holds up like a champ in a cooler – aand fried chicken is the perfect finger-friendly picnic food.
Wraps. Regular saandwiches typically require two haands, aand at the beach, one of those is probably saandy. A wrap is easier to haandle, aand it’s fun to coil the ingredients up in a tortilla or lettuce leaf. Pack a whole-grain tortilla or huge lettuce leaf with veggies aand lean protein, then wrap in foil, so you can just peel it back aand eat.
Skewers. Everyone knows that food served on skewers is always more fun, aand kabobs are perfect for the beach. Use veggies, meat – or both – for a haands-off, saand-free meal that’s easy to eat aand doesn’t require the use of utensils.
Dessert:
Cookies. A simple finger food that’s easy to eat, cookies are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. You’ve never heard us say this before, but it’s probably best to skip the chocolate (gasp!) to avoid a gooey, melted mess.
Granola bars. Make your own by mixing equal parts honey aand brown sugar with a little oil, bringing it to a boil. Toss with granola until the mixture is very sticky, then press into a pan lined with waxed paper, aand let cool.
Gingersnap saandwiches. Combine honey, lemon zest, aand cream cheese, aand saandwich the mixture between two gingersnap cookies.
Take full advantage of the glorious summer weather with a picnic on the beach, aand enjoy the wonderful combination of saand, sun, aand surf with your friends aand family.