This is the second installment in The Family Dinner Project’s Family Picnic series. We’re seeking new ways to help families enjoy their time together this summer as everyone adjusts to different levels of social distancing. We invite you to make a weekly family picnic — whether it’s for lunch or dinner, on a weekend or weeknight — part of your summer routine. Our first picnic post of the summer can be found here, or you can follow along as we continue to add content all summer long on our Family Picnics page.
This Week’s Family Picnic Menu
We’re making sandwiches and yogurt parfaits with a gourmet, Mediterranean-inspired twist this week! Every dish on the menu is quick and easy to make, and would be appropriate for kid helpers of all ages. Little ones can help assemble sandwiches and stir berries, while older kids can have fun running the blender for the salad dressing and slicing and measuring ingredients with adult guidance. (Teens could do this whole meal by themselves to give their parents a break!)
Celebrate one of summer’s best flavor combinations with Open-Faced Caprese Sandwiches — and you can skip melting the cheese if you want to keep the heat from the oven to a minimum.
Pack a protein punch for your meatless picnic with a super-simple and speedy chickpea salad that uses a whole lemon for its thick, creamy dressing.
Stir strawberries, balsamic vinegar and honey together before you start making the rest of your picnic, and by the time you’re done eating, the topping for these yogurt parfaits will be ready!
Fun
Take advantage of eating dinner outdoors, and play a game of Use Your Senses — guaranteed to get the whole family focused on sounds, smells and sights they may not have paid attention to before.
Conversation
This week, turn the conversation to imagination and dreaming with these suggestions for conversation starters.
