Creative picnics bring healthy fare

Summer months will soon bring the allure of holiday picnics and outdoor-recreational dinning. Picnic food need not be synonymous with unhealthy food and the nutrition experts at the N.E.W. Program are ready to show you how a little time in the supermarket will help you make the most of your outdoor dinning experiences.

Pick these picnic entrées

• Turkey or chicken breast sandwiches with low-fat cheese, sandwich pickles, tomatoes, and spinach leaves.
• Hummus stuffed into whole wheat pita bread with bean sprouts, diced tomatoes, and sliced grapes.
• A green salad topped with grilled chicken. Pack the dressing separately.
• Whole wheat wraps with smoked salmon, capers, tomato, avocado, hummus, spinach, and shredded carrots.
• Cumin, black bean, and corn salad. Rinse and drain a can of black beans and a can of sweet corn. Mix with a drizzle of olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of cumin.
• Ricotta, spinach, and Parmesan whole wheat wrap. Place 2 cups loosely packed raw spinach leaves in food processor and grind. Mix in 1/2 cup fat-free ricotta and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, and wrap in a whole wheat burrito.
• Mediterranean tomato salad in whole wheat pita. Dice fresh tomato and cucumber, mix with a thinly sliced red onion and black olives, drizzle with a little olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper and stuff into a pita pocket.

The N.E.W. Program’s  weekly workshop series continues Tuesday when Karla Campbell, RD, presents “A Trip Through the Supermarket: Options for the Holiday Picnics.” The workshop will be presented at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 81 at our Newport Beach location.