Any ideas for picnic food??

Chell

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=191186

See Rachies Pizza whirls, they are scrummy.

bargainqueen_2

small herbed and spiced cold meatballs. mmmhhh

Debt_Free_Chick

julie_d wrote:

New idea's... something diffrent! Getting board with sandwiches etc... Thank you.

Make pate. Really, really easy - but you need a food processor.

Just made one yesterday for our weekend outing, but it looks like we'll be eating in the car!

I've used this one endless times and it's perfect, every time

Rachie_B

what about -

Savoury flapjack

Great for lunchboxes and snacks.

1 egg
25g butter
75g grated cheese
70g porridge oats

All you need to do is mix the ingredients ....

For the full recipe see here: netmums.com



Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars

4 tbsp Crunchy Peanut butter

4 tbsp Clear Honey

100g Porridge Oats

50g Sultanas

1 tbsp stoneground wholemeal flour



Put peanut butter and honey into a saucepan and heat gently until melted.

Add oats, sultanas and flour. Stir until thoroughly mixed, with a consistency of crumbs.

Pour mixture into a cake tin (lined with greaseproof paper) and press flat with the back of a spoon.

Bake in a preheated oven, at 190C/375F Fan 170C Gas mark 5 for 10-15 minutes.

Leave in tin until cool. Cut into bars and remove from tin.

Store in tupperware to maintain freshness.


BANANA FLAPJACKS
makes : 20 squares
prep: 10 mins
Cooking: 25 mins plus cooling
price per flapjack: 10p

INGREDIENTS

150 g butter
150 g light brown sugar
4 tbsp clear honey
350 g porridge oats
2 sml bananas mashed
50 g banana chips,roughly crushed

1) Preheat oven to 190 / gas 5 and line a shallow 22cm cake tin with baking paper.
Gently heat the honey ,sugar & butter in a pan,stirring until the sugar dissolves

2) Pour the liquid into a bowl.Add oats ,banana & banana chips.
Pour mixture into tin and bake for 25 mins.
Remove from oven and leave to cool for 10 mins
Mark into fingers and cool completely before removing.


HONEY & SESAME BITES

makes : 25 squares
Prep : 24 mins
cooking : 30 mins
price per square: 7 p

INGREDIENTS

100 g clear honey
100 g butter
50 g soft brown sugar
100 g sesame seeds
175 g porridge oats
50 g pecan nuts

1) preheat oven to 180 / gas 4.Grease a 20 cm shallow square tin and line with baking paper.
Stir honey,butter & sugar over a low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves.

2) Remove from the heat and stir in seeds ,oats & pecan nuts.
Transfer to cake tin ,level the top and bake for 30 mins.

3) Cut into squares whilst still warm,but leave in tin until completely cold.


Muesli Slice

1 cup = 250ml volume
1/2 cup = 125ml volume

Ingredients:
2 medium size eggs beaten
4 oz butter
2 tbsp honey
1 cup natural muesli (even better with deluxe nuttier ones)
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup desiccated coconut
½ cup currants
½ cup chopped dried apricots
½ cup wholemeal flour (plain or self raising)
½ cup flaked almonds

Method
1. Preheat oven to 160°C
2. Grease and line the base of a deep sided 19cm x 29 cm traybake tin
3. Melt butter and honey together gently in large pan. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Add all ingredients to pan except eggs and mix well.
5. Then add beaten eggs and mix well.
6. Press mixture into tin and bake for 30-35 mins.
7. Turn out onto wire rack and allow to cool. Cut into slices with sharp knife to serve.

Chewy Fruit Muesli Slice (makes 8)

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 eating apple, cored and grated
1 1/4 cups swiss style muesli
2/3 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon soft margarine

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Press the mixture into an 8 inch non stick cake pan and bake for 35 - 40 mins until lightly browned and firm. Mark the muesli slice into 8 wedges and allow to cool in the pan.

Cereal Bars

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup Rice Krispies
2/3 cup chopped apricots
3 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds (I don't bother toasting them)
1/4 cup toasted coconut (I don't toast it)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract


1. Melt oil, honey, peanut butter in microwave just until easy to mix up, watch carefuly, probably 20 seconds or so.

2. Mix in vanilla.

3. Mix all ingredients together and press down well into 8" square tin.

4. Bake at 350F/180C/gas4 for 20 minutes.

Healthy Flapjack type biscuits


8oz oats
6 oz butter or margerine
2 to 3 oz sugar (depending on how sweet you like things)
2 oz dessicated or shredded coconut
1 good handful of crushed cornflakes (ideal way of using up the powdery bits at the bottom of the box)
1 heaped tablespoon of wheatgerm
1 heaped tablespoon of crushed seeds (I use a mix of linseed, sunflower, sesame and poppy...I grind a potful at a time and keep in fridge for easy use)

Melt butter in large bowl in microwave, add everything and stir well, press down into lined flat tin, cook at 190 deg for about 10 to 15 minutes (depending how brown and crispy you like them).

instead of sandwiches what about filled and rolled tortillas / bagels / pitta pockets

individual quiches made in a muffin tin -

Pizza Pies


1 pack ready made short-crust pastry ( make your own if you have the time!)
2 eggs
1/4 pt milk
2oz cheddar cheese grated (or any other cheese)
A pinch of herbs, a bit of pepper.
your choice of fillings : tinned sweetcorn, chopped peppers, chopped cooked meat (ham, salami, chicken etc.) chopped mushrooms, frozen peas ...whatever your children will eat.

Grease a muffin tray.
Get the children to help roll the pastry out until quite thin.

These can be served hot or cold (good in lunch boxes) and can be frozen...

You can find the full recipe here: netmums.com

Rachie_B

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=177214&highlight=picnic

jay-jay

Im trying really hard to spend much over the summer but still need to keep the kids entertained. Today we are going for a walk in a forest and want to pack up a lunch because eating out is my weakness but it really eats into my finances. I never seem to have an ideas for picnics. Does anyone have an alternatives that kids would like that are still cheap and cheerful.
Thanks Jay-Jay

prettypennies

Same here. I bought the kids some lunchboxes from https://www.laptoplunches.com for school last term. As they were pricey I have been determined to get my money's worth. On our days out over the holidays we have been packing them and taking them with us. Some of the things we take are:

Popcorn - buy the plain stuff you pop yourself and add wahtever flavour you like.

Watermelon - a big one last several picnics - cut it into shapes using cookie cutters for younger kids (we've had car shapes, daisies, butterflies and stars)

Carrot sticks, breadsticks or pepper sticks and dip - (crinkle cutter makes these fun for kids).

Wraps - chuck in any leftover bits of salad veg or chicken.

Jelly - v cheap and always popular.

Granola and yogurt

Dried fruit

There are a few ideas on here https://www.thevisualguide.com. for pasta and rice salads and yogurt dips.

Blackberries (collect your own this time of year)

Flapjacks
Snoop through someone elses lunch box here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katxn/sets/72157594159719045/show/

and here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92471558@N00/157126346/

thriftlady_2

Oh my goodness Prettypennies those lunchbox links are fantastic:j I love those bento boxes, please can you tell me how much they cost with the postage etc? I'm a sucker for this sort of thing and now I feel truly inspired for lunchbox duty come September. Trouble is, a part of me still says 'what's wrong with a cheese and salad sandwich and an apple?' But I know my kids will love a bento style box.

Do you pack similar boxes to those in the slideshows ? My worry is that however nice it is to have a different fruit everyday, I prefer to make use of what is in season and local so I'm not sure I'd be buying lots of different berries etc in Sept - but hey ! I can use my imagination and come up with different ways of serving apples and plums:D

Thanks again for the links, and sorry to jay jay for not answering her question. If it's any help Jay Jay I'd be packing cheese or ham sandwiches, cherry toms, hm muffins and apples, but that sounds a bit dull after PP's contribution:o

nik0510

hi prettypennies, Thriftlady I second that, those lunch boxes look really good, my son has school lunches, but has had summer holiday club and has had to take a packed lunch, what a palava!! Tin foil, plastic spoon, plastic bags, have they got an uk supplier outlet??

jay-jay

Thanks, brilliant links some people are so imaginative!!