17 Items That Will Turn Your Meal Into a Picnic

I love going on picnics with my family. With the weather how it is lately it’s the perfect time to picnic and enjoy the cooler evenings before it gets too cold! Sometimes it seems like too much time and effort to put everything together to go.  I am loving this idea from Whitney to create a Picnic Kit so that you have everything ready in a tote and all you have to add is the food!  

17 Items That Will Turn Your Meal Into a Picnic
by Whitney Hollingshead

You can’t have a truly successful summer without having a picnic. While you can eat any food outdoors and call it a picnic, eating outdoors with multiple people often turns into quite the event. To simplify your life and to more fully enjoy the remainder of the summer, consider compiling a picnic kit. You can grab these items and store them in a plastic tote or a cooler in the trunk of your car:

1. Utensils

Get an assortment of plastic utensils. If you plan to grill steak or other thick meats at any future picnic, you may want to include some actual steak knives in your picnic kit.

2. Plates

Choose durable paper plates, as styrofoam plates can melt and thin plates can dissolve. Put a few packages of full size plates and some smaller plates in your picnic pack.

3. Cups

Find the size of cup that works best for your family. Small cups require everyone to refill frequently, while large cups lead to wasted beverages. Since you will most likely be serving cold beverages, you can choose between plastic or paper cups.

4. Napkins

Make sure you pack away plenty of napkins. Nicer paper napkins are ideal for adults, while inexpensive paper napkins should work just fine for the kids.

5. Paper Towels

You’ll be surprised how handy a single roll of paper towels can become when you are away from home. Make sure that you toss a roll into your picnic kit to help with food prep, clean up, and unexpected events.

6. Disposable Table Cloths

Add a stack of disposable table cloths to your picnic kit. You can pull out your table cloth and toss it over a picnic table (even one that isn’t very clean) and then use the table cloth to wrap up all of your trash and throw it away in a flash. Check your local dollar store for inexpensive disposable table cloths in a variety of colors.

7. Blanket

You can spread out a blanket and eat on the grass, or you can fold up the blanket and use it as padding on a picnic table bench. Choose an older blanket or one that you aren’t worried about getting torn and/or dirty.

8. Hand Sanitizer

Pass around the hand sanitizer before eating or preparing food. Keeping a bottle of hand sanitizer in your car is a great idea even if you aren’t planning a picnic.

9. Wet Wipes

While hand sanitizer is great for getting your hands sanitized, it’s not so great for getting stuff off of your hands. Pack some wet wipes to use for sticky messes. You may also need them to clean up dirty faces.

10. Sanitizing Wipes

A small container of surface sanitizing wipes is a must have if you plan to prepare food at your picnic site. You can also use these wipes to wipe down tables and benches.

11. Water

As mentioned here, clean water is essential to eating away from home. You may not have access to drinking water wherever you choose to picnic. Water can also be especially helpful in preparing food and cleaning up. So add a gallon of drinking water to your picnic kit.

12. Ziploc Bags

Pack Ziploc bags in multiple sizes in your picnic kit. These bags are perfect for packing up leftover foods of any variety. Just remember to pack foods in clean bags, as other bags may have been used to transport raw food or were left too long in the sun.

13. Charcoal

If you plan to cook food on a park grill or to use a dutch oven, make sure you pack some charcoal in your picnic kit.

14. Lighter

Don’t forget to pack a lighter if you are packing charcoal.

15. Sunscreen

Don’t get caught outdoors without sunscreen. Packing a bottle in your picnic kit will ensure that your family is never without this necessary aid.

16. Bugspray

Nothing will ruin the perfect picnic like a swarm of bugs. Add your favorite bug repelling products to your picnic pack to avoid unwelcome encounters.

17. Toilet Paper

Park restrooms may leave you high and dry. Having a roll of toilet paper on hand can help you avoid some uncomfortable situations.

Don’t forget the food!

Once your picnic kit is packed you will be ready for many picnics to come. Just remember to grab the two remaining essential items, ice and food! You will need ice to keep your food cold on the way to and from your picnic, as well as to add to your warm drinking water. And of course, you can’t have a picnic without food.

With some quick and easy planning, you can enjoy every future picnic stress free!