“I’m Going on a Picnic, and I’m Going to Bring…”

“I’m going on a picnic, and I’m going to bring…”  Remember that little road trip game extaordinaire? When I was growing up my parents always packed the car with us kids and we drove, going far and wide in search of adventure. We went to the mountain or the ocean, anywhere really, just to explore and eat a picnic lunch and be together.  Egg salad and tuna, peanut butter and jelly, all the usual favorites growing up. 

Now that I’m grown with my own kids, we carry on that tradition of exploration.  A particular favorite snack for us when we’re on the go is a good bagel – it’s a fun snack, one that keeps well and tastes delicious anyplace.  So, like a true pioneer, I fashioned this super tasty chive cream cheese to load onto toasted seedy bagels from Simple Truth.  I piled on cold smoked salmon and extra dill, capers and red onion.  Smoked salmon and cream cheese is one of my favorite meals, and it felt really fun and different to modify it a bit and take it on a picnic. 

A cold pack and pressed juice, fresh fruit, and trail mix round out the menu.  Our six year-old Noah isn’t a fan of salmon, but he can 1000% jam on some bagels and cream cheese along with fruit and trail mix. Picnics are all about the finger foods, am I right?

Oh yeah, mom hack: Always add green to every meal.  Spinach and broccoli have always been mixed into just about everything I make for the little man, from mac and cheese to eggs!  So when the chives appear in this heavenly cream cheese, Noah is all about it!  Swing into your local Kroger store (in my case it’s Fred Meyer) and pick up everything you need to make this delicious picnic spread. You can’t go wrong with any of the Private Selection or Simple Truth products from Kroger.  Then hit the road, head to the park, mountain or beach.  Have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend.  While you’re at it, enjoy the cream cheese recipe below.

Chive Cream Cheese

8 oz. soft cream cheese

½ cup chopped chives

¼ tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. grainy mustard

½ tsp. cracked black pepper

Lox fixin’s

4 Simple Truth seeded bagels

8 oz. smoked salmon

¼ cup brined capers, drained

¼ red onion, sliced

Picnic Checklist

·          A medium-sized cooler or picnic basket

·          A large blanket or table cloth to relax upon

·          A disposable bag for waste if no public waste cans are handy

·          A main dish like bagels and lox

·          Plenty of water and SOMETHING FUN TO DRINK

·          Plenty of snacks like fruit, chips, trail mix, and string cheese

·          Hummus (this is a great picnic basket addition, and you can grab pre-washed pre-sliced veggies at the store as well these days)

·          A sweet treat like cookies or brownies that can be easily devoured without a fork or spoon

·          A small tube of sunscreen (always in our picnic bags)

Happy picnic-ing, everybody!

Sponsored by Kroger.