Eating al fresco is my favourite thing to do during the summer time and one of the funnest ways to accomplish that is by creating a picnic in the park. I love having a picnic lunch and although this is not quite the same as picnicking in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower (take me back please!) you can still recreate the same fun vibe in your own back yard or nearby park.
““Hey Boo Boo, let’s go get us a pic-a-nic basket” – Yogi Bear
I’m in! Gather up some key items mentioned below and head off to an afternoon of fun!
My picnic tablescape inspiration started after seeing these adorable gingham plastic plates from Chapters Indigo. If you saw my JMS Hearts post in July you will definitely recognize these. I absolutely love the gorgeous colors and little details – they have the cutest bees on the front and little ladybugs on the back of them. Plastic plates like these are great because they’re quite versatile and wonderful for eating outdoors – you never have to worry about them breaking and they come in the most cutest designs for the summer!
Once I had the plates I knew I wanted to stick to the classic red and blue gingham picnic theme. I was quite lucky because my mom owns this adorable picnic basket which was absolutely perfect and fit well with the plate colours and overall theme. I gathered a tablecloth from Walmart (linked below) to act as my blanket and a large wooden plank cutting board to help support any items that would have difficulty sitting on grass. Overall I tried to avoid glassware to make it safer in case something was dropped but I did bring along some glass mason jars from the local dollar store. I thought there were perfect for drinks or storing leftovers as they also came with lids. I ensured we had utensils and napkins along with a few additional touches like the lantern, book etc. to help make it extra special. I have listed the items I used below and tried to link anything that I could.
Packing for a picnic can sometimes be overwhelming therefore I have put together a few tips below to make things easier!
Top 5 Tips for Packing a Picnic
1. Find a comfy blanket to layout on the ground. I actually layered the one shown with something thicker underneath to ensure there was enough padding and to add an additional barrier as the grass was slightly damp. You can even find small seat cushions to throw down that would work well also!
2. Bring a large cutting board or tray to put down a few items that could spill over when placed on an uneven surface (needed more than you know!)
3. Pack mostly plastic items and place food in containers that can be eaten directly out of. It’s sometimes a larger hassle to pack one salad and then distribute it among the people. Packing individual salads in mason jars or containers makes it easier to just hand out the items and everyone can eat from them directly.
4. Prepare to pack utensils, napkins, cups and a garbage bag. Most people remember the blanket, food and plates but forget the additional items you may require to finish the meal.
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For the food I kept it very simple – the majority of the items were finger foods and could be easily eaten without any utensils. I packed the classic carrots and celery sticks, crackers and hummus for a nice savory bite. An amazing pasta salad that I cannot wait to share with you – post coming next week! Along with some refreshing watermelon for a sweet bite. Nothing overly complicated but it was the perfect amount of food for an afternoon picnic break.
Top 5 Tips for Food at a Picnic
1. Bring finger foods or easy to eat items that just require 1 utensil. A picnic is no time to start cutting a large piece of meat and struggling hard!
2. Pack and plan items that work best eaten at room temperature. Since you are outside you do not need the hassle of cooking up something at home and hoping it stays warm while you setup your picnic outside. Plan for items that do not need to be heated and work well if you pull them straight out of your picnic basket/cooler. For example – fruits, vegetables, salads, sandwiches, cheeses, chips, pretzels etc.
3. Pre-cut all your vegetables and fruits to make it easier once you are setting up outside. Please for your own stress do not try to attempt cutting a watermelon while sitting on a blanket!
4. Another way to pack food items is to pack everyone an individual box of food – bento box style. You can get a to-go container and pack everyone their own setting (ie. sandwich, carrots, dip, fruit etc.) and bring a few items that can be additionally shared. This makes things easier when sitting down to the picnic because everyone is able to just grab their own individual box and dig in!
5. Bring food that does not have a lot of packaging and plastic around it as you will be bringing back a lot of garbage with you.
Picnic Resources
Blanket – Hometrends Tablecloth from Walmart
Wooden Cutting Board – Homesense
Mason Jars – Dollarama
Straws – Target
Red Lantern – Ikea (small version linked)
Summer Love Sign – Dollarama
Gingham Plates – Chapters Indigo
Utensils – Dollarama
Vegetable Cups – Dollarama
Picnic Basket – Unknown
I hope those picnic tips help you in your future adventures! There are still a few summer weeks left and I am hoping to take full advantage of them while getting my picnic fix.
What is your favourtie food to bring to a picnic? Comment below!
