By Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County
The Truth Contributor
It’s hot! Are you drinking enough water? Are you eating foods to help you stay healthy and hydrated? Foods that typically provide the highest water content are fruits and vegetables! Make sure to eat a variety but this is also an important time to enjoy fresh produce. Any foods with more than 80 percent water content are a good choice to help your body get the water it needs but these following foods have over 90 percent water content: asparagus, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, iceberg or romaine lettuce, peppers, skim milk, spinach, strawberries, watermelon and zucchini.
What are your favorite, easy, cold foods that you can enjoy indoors (especially with air conditioning) or outdoors in the cooler morning or evenings? Here are a few ideas:
- Sliced fresh vegetables and enjoy a dip like cucumber tzatziki sauce, hummus, or guacamole and tortilla chips.
- Cold salads like pasta salads with added protein, cucumber salad, or bean salad
- Creative sandwiches like filling a pita pocket, or a tortilla roll up.
- Fruits and dip for something sweet or a fruit based, no-bake dessert.
- Snack on a handful of nuts, trail mix, or celery sticks with nut butter topped with fruit like dried cranberries or raisins or fresh fruit like chopped apples.
- Don’t forget to hydrate with drinks like water, 100 percent juice or infused water. No matter how much water-rich food you consume, it’s still important to drink enough fluids to stay hydrated.
Although the idea of a picnic at the park might be associated with a large picnic basket, you can use whatever container is convenient for the food. A small cooler is a good option to add some ice to keep everything cold. Don’t forget to bring extra supplies like paper towels, and if needed, plastic ware, paper plates, a picnic blanket, hand sanitizer and/ bug spray and sunscreen.
You can enjoy this cool summer meal as is or you can make it an “adventure” by creating a Progressive Picnic at the park. This will take a little bit more preparation but not much. This idea is shared from University of Nebraska Extension. A Progressive Picnic could be an inexpensive date or an entire family activity.
Supplies needed:
- One sandwich baggie with five different slips of paper numbered from 1-5.
- One sandwich baggie with five slips of paper to choose a location (see details below)
- Five types of picnic food. These five different foods will be eaten in five “courses”. Use any of the ideas above or decide on your favorite 5 foods for the picnic.
- Five brown lunch bags to sort the five different types of food. For example, one bag will have the servings of food with a salad, one bag will have all of the sandwiches, one bag will have all the fruit, etc.
To Prepare for the Progressive Picnic:
Pack the 5 different bags of food and number each bag from 1-5. Fill one sandwich baggie with the numbers 1-5. Fill another sandwich baggie with five locations. What should you write on the five slips of paper for locations? If it’s a new park that you have never visited, you will have to choose general spots to list. If it’s a favorite park that you have visited regularly, you might be very specific when you list the locations. Here is an example of general locations:
- Picnic table
- Water fountain
- Shade tree
- Sunny spot
- Playground
How to “play” the Progressive Picnic:
When you arrive at the park, draw a slip from the location bag. This will tell you where to go. When you get to that spot, draw a slip from the number bag. This number will tell you which numbered bag of food to eat at that location. For example, if your location slip says “Shade Tree”, find a tree, walk to it and then see what numbered bag of food you will eat. When you are finished eating (and playing, if you are at the playground), choose the next slip for the next spot. When you arrive there, choose your next number for your food items. Continue the game until you have visited 5 locations in the park and have eaten all five courses (or foods) of your picnic meal.
The advantage of a Progressive Picnic is that you’ve already planned and prepared the meal – now you get to enjoy it. Also, you have the chance to revisit a favorite site or explore a new location. You can combine healthy eating and some basic exercise such as walking, hiking, or biking and even take time to play and exercise on the playground equipment.
While we recommend any – and all – local parks to visit, the OSU Extension office is located at the Toledo Botanical Garden. In addition to a beautiful, free space to visit, there are also free, monthly walks open to the public. Consider joining us for the next ones: Tuesday, July 1, 6 – 7:30 pm or Tuesday, August 5, 6 – 7:30 pm. There are two entrances to TBG, one off of Bancroft and the other off of Elmer. For these walks, enter and park at 5403 Elmer Drive, Toledo, OH, 43615. Information about hydration is from UCLA Health and Harvard Health Publishing.
Picnic tables waiting for you at Toledo Botanical Garden Metropark