A Pantry Picnic: Get Up and Go with 10 Items or Less

We’ve finally put that long, cold winter behind us and some of the best days to get outside are ahead of us! Before you head out on the next beautiful afternoon to soak up some blue sky and green grass, take a look in your pantry and fridge to put together an easy and budget-friendly picnic. You can combine ingredients in surprising ways to create a delicious meal like I did using just ten common items.

Raid Your Pantry

You’ll need:
tortillas
peanuts
Sriracha
carrots
cucumbers
spinach
edamame
kosher salt
fruit
You might be thinking that it’s too hard to make a picnic out of such odds and ends, but when you start looking at what you have instead of what you don’t, you’ll be amazed at what you can create!
Veggie wraps are perfect to bring on an impromptu outdoor adventure because you can make them in a few minutes, they don’t require plates or utensils to eat, and depending on the filling, can be kept safely unrefrigerated for hours. Edamame is a great finger food that will add an extra boost of protein to the picnic, and fruit is a sweet, refreshing way to finish the meal.

Prep Your Ingredients

I recently discovered how easy it is to make homemade peanut butter: 1 cup of honey roasted peanuts and about two minutes in the food processor using the chopping blade and I had a very tasty base for two sweet and spicy veggie wraps.
When you start the food processor the peanuts will quickly go from a very fine dice, to a sticky clump, to a creamy, spreadable consistency. That’s really all there is to making the peanut butter, but you can certainly use store bought in these wraps as well. Just keep in mind that a commercial peanut butter will be a little thicker and a lot sweeter than the homemade kind.
To save a few minutes of prep time, shred a peeled carrot or two with the shredding disc after you’ve removed the peanut butter from the food processor bowl.

Assemble Your Picnic

The hard work is done and you’re ready to assemble the wraps! I topped a thick smear of peanut butter on the tortillas with a few drops of Sriracha, lots of shredded carrot, sliced and peeled cucumber, and baby spinach.
Don’t have Sriracha? Try a little hot sauce! Don’t like it spicy? Try a few drops of soy sauce. No spinach? Try some shredded cabbage, lettuce, radish, zucchini or apple! Experiment with what you have in your pantry and the flavors you enjoy.
Roll the wraps up as best you can and place them in a to-go container. Add some fruit that won’t easily bruise or brown and some frozen edamame sprinkled with kosher salt. The edamame will thaw while you’re having fun in the sun and be ready to eat when you are.
Now it’s time to head out the door and make the most of your beautiful day!

I hope I’ve inspired you to take a closer look at some of the food you might already have on hand in your kitchen. With a little creativity you can put together a delicious, healthy, and “get up and go” meal in no time!
Want to upgrade? Some other great ideas for a picture perfect picnic can be found right here.
All photos courtesy of author.