I am loving warm-weather this year a little bit more than usual. Life with a toddler gets exponentially easier when the sun is shining and they can run wild in the grass and on the beach.  Because of this, we have been spending as much time as possible outdoors – sidewalk chalk drawing, bubble blowing, nature walking, and a little bit of good old-fashioned picnicking too! I plan to put my picnic-skills to the test this summer and thought I’d share a few of my favorite picnic menu and packing tips to get you inspired for some al fresco dining of your own:Sweet. Salty. Savory.I think the key to a delicious picnic is to think of it as a buffet in the park! You want a little taste of everything: something sweet, something salty, and something savory. Most importantly, you want it to be easy to transport! I fill up containers with fresh fruit and berries for a sweet-fix, pour a salty trail mix into mini mason jars for individual portions, and always pack some savory cheeses and a baguette for my picnic menu. The Main Event.Utensil-free dining is the name of the game when it comes to picnicking, so I always lean towards bringing individually portioned wraps as the main-event of our menu. There are a million different things you could choose to fill your wraps – I love grabbing a few flavors of Willow Tree Farm’s chicken salads (cranberry walnut is my favorite!) as a quick and easy way to make this tasty meal. The chicken is delicious, high quality and each variety is full of flavor – it takes just a minute to add them to a wrap, top with a bit of fresh lettuce, and roll them up for lunch on the go. I fold each one in a sheet of parchment paper tied off with baker’s twine to keep them fresh in my picnic basket (and they look darn cute too!). Give them a slice in half to expose the inside contents for your picnic guests so they can pick their favorite Willow Tree chicken salad variety! Packing It Up. Getting your moveable feast to the picnic destination is all that’s left to do. I like to use recycled cardboard take-out containers to hold all of my sweets snacks, and chicken salad wraps. These stack up nicely in a cooler or tote, and work well as serving pieces once you open them up. A few compostable utensils tied off with picnic napkins make for cute décor on your picnic blanket. A small cutting board and a good travel knife are also always in my picnic basket! And don’t forget your picnic blanket and a trash bag to bring home any trash and recycling!

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Please note: This post was created in partnership with Willow Tree Farm. All opinions, images, and content are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support this site

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