Make an Ordinary Picnic Posh

I'm Diabetic...  what can I eat at a picnic???

Today is NATIONAL PICNIC DAY!!!!!!!!!!!  There are so many great places here in Wichita to enjoy a picnic lunch!  Even though it is Tuesday, you can plan to enjoy the day in a very special way - with that special someone!  It seems as though life gets so busy, it's nice to take a day to just do something a little different. 

If and when I get the opportunity to picnic with my favorite person, I like to do more than just the run-of-the-mill sandwiches or cold fried chicken.  I like to make Turkey rolls and a special salad that tastes so much better than any potato salad I've ever eaten.  This salad is also much lower in carbohydrates, so it is a diabetic-friendly choice.

Not-Quite-Middle-Eastern Salad

• 1/2 head cauliflower
• 2/3 cup sliced stuffed olives
• 7 scallions, sliced
• 2 cups triple washed fresh spinach, chopped fine
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 small ripe tomato, diced small
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper

Run the cauliflower through the shredding blade of your food processor and put it in a microwaveable casserole. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, cover and nuke it on “high” for 5 minutes. Uncover it as soon as the microwave stops, and let it cool.

While that’s cooking, cut up your other vegetables, and assemble them in a large salad bowl.

Drain the cooled cauliflower well, and dump it in with all the other vegetables. Add the oil, garlic, and mayonnaise, and toss. Salt and pepper to taste, toss again, and serve.

6 servings of roughly a cup each. 5 grams of carbohydrate per serving, with 2 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 3 grams. 1 gram protein.

I plan to purchase a nice Longaberger picnic basket someday.  Yes, I know how expensive they are, but I would like to have the best if I plan to picnic on a regular basis.

Right now I have a picnic basket that serves the purpose.  I try to get the nicest, most sturdy paper plates I can find, as well as good quality cups and cutlery.  The most un-romantic thing to have happen is for your fork to break while you're trying to eat.  That could be a real mood buster.

I pack linen napkins instead of paper.  Sometimes I opt for "real" cutlery as well, or at least get the kind that looks real.

Individual glass bottles of lemon water are included in my picnic basket.  I squeeze the lemons ahead of time and put the juice in ice trays.  When they get frozen, I pop them out and put them in the bottle with the water!  The frozen lemon juice cubes serve a dual purpose - they keep the water cold and provide alkaline friendly lemon juice as they melt.

Others may choose the traditional sandwich, chips and soda - but I like to dress a picnic up a little bit to make it special.  When you add a bit of personality to your picnic, it shows the one you love that you put a little bit of yourself into it and they appreciate your effort.

Now all you have to do is find the perfect spot to eat your lunch.  Here in Kansas there are so many wonderful places to enjoy a picnic!  When it is Springtime in Kansas, we just hope it won't be raining or worse - severe weather!  We do have an occassional tornado around here. 

I hope you take the time and effort to pack a picnic for the one you love today!  Enjoy your day.  
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