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15 Healthy Picnic Recipes for a Gorgeous Summer Spread

From fresh salads and dips to guilt-free desserts, these are the best picnic recipes for healthy outdoor eating
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Best Picnic Recipes: Pear Chicken Salad Wrap
Keep your chicken salad sandwich fillings from spilling out to the rapture of a thousand ants by folding them up into a tasty picnic wrap.

Wrap Ingredients (serves 4):
2 cups shredded roast chicken
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 pear, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
4 large spinach tortillas
mixed field greens Sauce Ingredients: 1 teaspoon canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce 1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (thawed)
Juice from half a lime
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:
For sauce, place chipotle pepper, raspberries, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar into a food processor. Process until smooth.

In medium bowl, combine chicken, cheese, pear, almonds and sauce. Mix well. Place 1/4 of chicken salad at one end or tortilla. Place desired amount of mixed greens on top. Roll up burrito style. Cut in half.

Recipe courtesy of Culinary Circle and The Wanderlust Kitchen

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Best Picnic Recipes: Tahini Dijon Coleslaw
Don't worry -- we haven't forgotten your perfect picnic slaw. This version incorporates Middle Eastern flavors for a tangy addition to your roster of picnic recipes.

Coleslaw Ingredients:
1 head green cabbage, shredded
1 1/2 cups carrots, julienned
4 scallions, sliced
12 pepperoncini or banana peppers, julienned or diced
Himalayan salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
Sesame seeds

Dressing Ingredients:
3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons pure cane sugar or pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of fresh cracked pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl combine dressing ingredients. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add cabbage, carrots, scallions and pepperoncinis. Drizzle with dressing and toss. Add salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste. Serve at room temp or chilled with a sprinkle of white sesame seeds over top.

Recipe courtesy of The Simple Veganista

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Best Picnic Recipes: Spicy Mango Guacamole
Picnickers will rejoice when you whip out the chips and a bowl of this scrumptious guac. Mango and jalapeños add a fun pop of color and kick to this easy picnic food.

Ingredients:
1 avocado
1 mango
1 tomato
1 jalapeño pepper
Juice from 2 limes
Cilantro
Sea salt
Cayenne pepper

Directions:
Cut avocado in half, and use a fork to mash until smooth. Chop tomato, mango, and jalapeño into small pieces -- set aside some tomato and mango for garnish -- and mix with the avocado in a small bowl. Mix in the lime juice and a few sprinkles of sea salt. Top your guacamole with extra tomato and mango, plus a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. (If you like a smoother consistency, blend all ingredients in a food processor). Scoop with tortilla chips.

Recipe courtesy of Free People Blog

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Best Picnic Recipes: Aloha Green Pops
Can't forget dessert. These gorgeous (and guilt-free) popsicles might melt before you get to the park, but they're perfect for a backyard picnic -- which is sometimes the best kind, anyhow.

Ingredients (serves 6):
1 cup coconut water
1 cup pineapple juice
5 cups mixed greens
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
6 fresh strawberries, sliced thin
1/2 fresh mango, peeled and cut into thin slices (or extra frozen mango chunks, sliced thin)
6 small paper cups and wooden popsicle sticks, or a popsicle mold

Directions:
Add all ingredients (excluding the fresh fruit), in order, into a blender. Blend until smooth. Press 4 to 6 slices of fresh strawberries and mangos around the sides of your molds or paper cups, then pour in popsicle mix very gently to avoid disturbing the fruit. You want the fruit to show its bright color on the surface of the pops, so depending on your equipment, you may want to do add the fruit in stages, freezing the mixture into a slushy consistency between additions to hold the fruit in place. When the molds are filled, insert popsicle sticks and freeze until set.

Recipe courtesy of Earthbound Farm

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Best Picnic Recipes: Rice Crispy Treat Bites
Enjoyed by kids and adults alike, these almond butter and agave-packed bites are surprisingly nutritious -- a must-add to your lineup of healthy dessert recipes.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons almond butter
1/2 cup agave
3 cups brown rice cereal

Directions:
In a small saucepot, combine the first four ingredients. Heat on the stovetop until melted. Pour cereal into a large mixing bowl, then pour the melted mixture over the cereal and stir very well, making sure to coat all the cereal. Form mixture into balls, and let cool.

Recipe courtesy of Nutrition Styles

One of the best things about summer: eating outdoors (preferably in the park, on a blanket, with a chilled bottle of wine). Summer is picnic season, and while classic picnic fare is fine for an impromptu gathering, we prefer our picnic dishes to be next-level, Instagram-worthy affairs. Anyone can slap together a basic cheese plate, but these easy, healthy recipes are the kind that taste as lovely as they look against a checkered blanket. Want to put your fellow picnickers to shame without blowing your summer diet? From inventive new recipes to nutritious takes on traditional picnic cuisine, these are all the picnic food ideas you need to have the best summer spread on social media.
BY AMANDA MONTELL | JUL 27, 2015 | SHARES
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