Picnic Finger Food Ideas

Children have no time to bother with forks and spoons while on a picnic. They are too busy chasing cousins, dogs, and squirrels. They use up their energy quickly and rush back over to the picnic table for a fill up now and then. They survey the table with eager little eyes. So as not to disappoint these little ones, what kinds of foods can these toddlers and pre-teen groups of kids eat with their hands?

Most anything that is not labeled soup, mousse, jello, or pudding. In this category let’s mention hot dogs, with or without the buns, French fries, whole length green beans, all kinds of cut up vegetables, potato wedges, and chicken tender strips. Small hamburgers, biscuits filled with butter and jelly, or wedges of ham. Of course, one of our favs is just a ham or turkey sandwich (or both).

Not only children but adults too might find themselves eating with their fingers – provided these fingers are first cleansed with hand sanitizers – more useful than trying to get at those heavier food morsels with a flimsy fork. It serves to remind everyone that while utensils have their place in fancy dining rooms, at picnics, fingers reign supreme.

Have you ever tried to cut a piece of steak with a plastic knife or jab it with a plastic fork? It cannot be done. It is best to seize it with outstretched fingers and sink teeth into it even if the chin gets the runoff juices. That kind of action at picnics is what separates informal dining from formal dining.

With hot weather, and the unforeseen problems of eating out in the open, as opposed to comfortable air-conditioned living rooms, the old-fashioned picnic is a diminishing art form. This is especially true when we look back at how a picnic once was carried out. With children in tow, a carefully packed picnic cooler was filled, and when the right spot was selected, a blanket or quilt was spread out under a shade tree and the food was eaten. Just don’t forget the sunscreen and bug spray. Picnics are no fun when you wind up with mosquito bites and a bad sunburn (or worse, sun poison)

Nowadays, the back yard picnic has given away to poolside parties. This keeps things cooler and makes even more reason children will be needing finger foods as opposed to fork and knives foods. In a way, this is an even bigger splash than an old fashioned picnic where dirty little hands and finger foods go together like what else, but children and picnics.

While at the picnic don’t forget the desserts. Unless ice cream vendors are jingling nearby, ice cream is out of the question. Instead, cupcakes, watermelon, fruit slices, apples, grapes, and yes, homemade fudge, and even a slice of grandma’s apple pie, maybe successfully eaten without a fork, when no one is looking, of course. Well, grandma, but she pretends not to notice.

Today, we enjoyed a nice picnic lunch beside the pond we fished in once the food was eaten. I was able to keep all the food cool in our Thirty-One thermal bags (more on those ina. minute). The Large Utility Tote was perfect for our queen size picnic quilt and our sunscreen and bug spray. Please don’t judge me for what my daughter is wearing. Summers mean, “pick what you want to wear and BE YOU” for my daughter. We are working on the matching part but she likes this shirt and skirt so much that she doesn’t care that it doesn’t match. Ha!

Now about the Thirty-One Coolers. The Fresh Market Thermal will hold a TON of food. I fit everything inside for a family of four (one of our children was at drivers ed, eeek!!!). The thermal is large enough to hold two 9×13″ casserole dishes. The Fresh Market Thermal has a Leak Lock lining which allows you to be able to throw ice directly in the cooler without it leaking all over as it melts. The side snaps can be snapped or unsnapped depending on how much room you need.

Thirty-One’s Picnic Thermal Tote is a great bag for a picnic or even for a teen with a large appetite who needs to pack more than one meal at a time (if staying for a sporting event after school, etc). We knew we would be out fishing for a while in the hot sun today so we threw in 8 bottles of water. Even though my daughter left it unzipped for a while, the bottles of water remained cold for three full hours sitting in the hot sun.

Take time to enjoy a nice picnic with your family this summer. They are memories worth making!!