Pack a heart healthy picnic
Summer is here, and it's time for a picnic! Whether you're a burger fan, a
vegetarian, or a dessert lover, we have enough heart healthy menu ideas to put
together a great picnic that will please any palate.
Appetizers
- Skip the potato chips and cheese puffs. Instead, serve up some pita triangles
with chunky salsa or home-made guacamole with mashed avocadoes and a squirt
of lime juice.
- Fill a few clear plastic tumblers with whole wheat breadsticks, flatbreads,
celery and carrot sticks. Serve them with low-fat hummus or a roasted red
pepper dip.
- Try Smoked
Salmon Swirls with Wasabi, Lime and Cucumber. It's a simple make-ahead
appetizer that takes only 10 minutes to prepare and is easy to transport.
Salads
- Buy a bag of your favourite greens. Add sliced almonds, dried cranberries
and slivers of fresh pear and toss gently with Raspberry
Tarragon Vinaigrette.
- Wow your guests with this summery Citrus
Mango Salad featuring a medley of mango, red pepper and tomatoes.
- Up the fibre count of your picnic menu with this Southwestern
Bean Salad. It makes a delicious vegetarian meal on its own, too.
- If you can't give up potato salad, make it with a low-fat mayonnaise or
halve the amount of mayonnaise you'd normally use.
Sandwiches and main dishes
- Start with whole grain buns or tortilla wraps spread with Becel margarine.
Add a layer of baby spinach and roasted veggies. For protein, add low sodium
canned tuna packed in water or leftover pieces of skinless roast chicken,
which are healthier choices than most prepared deli meats.
- Bring a bowl of Potluck
Pasta Salad — perfect for using leftover cooked chicken and getting
your family to eat more veggies.
- Grill small, lean hamburgers or skinless chicken breasts instead of traditional
thick burgers. Jazz them up with low-fat condiments like sweet corn relish,
Dijon mustard or a dash of hot sauce.
Desserts
- Hollow out half a watermelon and fill with sliced peaches, blueberries,
grapes and melon balls.
- Lighten up strawberry shortcake by serving small slices of Angel food cake
accompanied with fresh strawberries and a spoonful of low-fat vanilla flavoured
yogurt.
- Pour low-fat chocolate milk over crushed ice, and freeze in small resealable
containers. Partly thawed, they make a refreshing, chocolatey treat.