Packing for a Summer Picnic: Top 9 Healthy Bites for Your Basket

By Margy Slattery, SELF magazine

'Tis the season for picnicking. The weather is warm, the days are long, and parks across the country are filling up with al fresco diners. The record heat on the East Coast has even eased up this week, the evenings becoming cool and breezy. So pack up a basket, roll out a blanket, and mix and match these seasonal recipe suggestions.

To nosh:

• Roasted Eggplant Salad with Pita Chips and Yogurt Sauce: This Greek-inspired dish is a satisfying starter you and your picnicking pals can easily share. Plus the yogurt boasts bone-building calcium, and you'll get fiber from the eggplant.

• Asparagus Wrapped in Serrano Ham: For a finger food that makes snacking guilt-free, these scrumptious sprigs pack folate, a B vitamin that wards off anemia and is linked with decreased risk for hypertension, among other health benefits.

• Salmon Bruschetta: This recipe puts a twist on bruschetta with a famously good-for-you fish. Make and store the omega 3-rich salmon topping up to two days in advance and let your friends spoon it over crunchy wheat crackers.

To dig in:

• Tangy Tuna and Sun-dried Tomato Wrap: For a portable summer sandwich, wrap up canned tuna with sun-dried tomatoes in a whole-wheat or spinach tortilla. The fish boasts protein and vitamin B12, as well as skin-helping niacin.

• Lentil Salad with Carrots, Yellow Tomatoes and Bell Peppers: It's hard to go wrong with a dish that offers delicious fiber and protein (from the lentils) and vitamin A (from the carrots). Keep vegetarians satisfied with this colorful mix. (Meat-eaters too!)
  

• Banana-Raspberry Bread: For a hearty and delicious picnic treat, try this easily shared sweet bread. Now in season, raspberries pack fiber, while bananas offer bone and heart-healthy potassium.

• Lemon-nut Torte with Summer Berries: This gluten-free treat, from the restaurant Akasha in Culver City, California, pairs tangy citrus with sweet, antixodiant-rich berries. Top it off with a dusting of powdered sugar and pack it in your picnic basket to go.

To sip:

• Sweet Peach Tea: This refreshing recipe gets a boost from the natural flavors of ginger, mint and lemon. Plus peaches deliver cancer-fighting antioxidants, and the polyphenols in tea may lower your risk for cancer, as well.

• Low-sugar Lemonade: Enjoy a slimmed down -- but still tasty -- version of a classic summer sip. Instead of sugar, unsweetened applesauce and maple syrup take the edge off the tart lemon juice.

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