Top 10 better for you grocery items for picnics plus food news and sweepstakes

Flatout Flatbread is flat-out my new all time favorite!

The summer is winding down and the laziness has permanently set in.  2 (or 3, I can't remember!) months of eating fried chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers and all the fixings has gotten the love handles all hot and bothered, if you catch my drift. 

Packing a picnic basket and the thought of baking in the sun with just a piece of fruit and a water is probably the best idea, but Wow! that sounds so unappealing. 

Here is a list of better-for-you, "friendlier" products you should consider throwing in your cooler that will still satisfy you and make you smile and say Mmmmm!  Go ahead.... share.  Your friends and family won't know that you sneaked in a few figure-friendly items and added few more grams of whole grains and fiber.

1. Emerald 100 calorie Cocoa Nut packs- I go nuts for these! They are a little chocolaty and a lot of crunch.  A whole pack can take you at least 7 minutes to eat, which is pretty good considering a handful of peanuts can be sucked down in mere seconds!  Coming in at 100 calories... this is a bargain of a snack!
   
2. Lance fresh Whole Grain Cheddar Cheese crackers- ou dairy- I will say that kids might be put off by the "brown" color.  But here is a fact.... they taste soooo much better than regular, white or orange crackers! They are crunchy, salty, and sweet and they still have have that orange-cheesy filling.  It is a little bit fattening, no doubt, but if you love cheese crackers, and are planning on eating them anyway, then try these... put a little whole grain in your cheese cracker fix!
3. Cape Cod reduced fat Potato Chips- 40% less fat than regular chips, (23 chips have 130 calories and 6 g. of fat, as opposed to the regular variety with 150 calories and 8 g. of fat) and by far the best kettle-type chip around!  These chips are thicker and with more potato flavor than the regular varieties.  Eat some with your tuna sandwich!
   
4. Fruit20 Essentials flavored water- available in Strawberry Kiwi, Citrus of Peach Mango (my favorite).  This flavored water is unlike many other fortified waters. Fruit20 Essentials has a subtle fruit flavor, zero sugar, zero calories and only one gram of carbohydrates. It is a bit of a sweet, good tasting, way to help achieve the appropriate level of hydration to keep looking and feeling healthy. And, most importantly, the benefits are as clear and easy to understand as the benefits of drinking water and eating fruit, making it simple to incorporate this drink into their life and diet.  Fruit20 does have a bit of an aftertaste, but as far as these types of water products are concerned, this is a standout.
   
5. Snow-all natural soda- Soda with vitamins that is naturally flavored without any high fructose corn syrup, caffeine, or preservatives?  They are really, really good and these beverages are subtly sweetened with natural cane sugar, lightly carbonated and loaded with vitamins and antioxidants including Vitamin C, B3, B5, B6 and B12 and EGCG derived from green tea. Snow is available in Stop & Shop and is not quite as bubbly as regular soda. The cans are shaped long and thin and the kids will love the Cola and Lemon Lime flavor.  I love the Cranberry Pomraz flavor for its tartness and the fact that it has antioxidants.  (I have used this to mix into Malibu Rum and it was delicious too!) 
   
6. Mike's Hard Lemonade- now in a limited Pink Lemonade Flavor.  This is sweet and mildly bubbly.  I have included this because it is alcoholic, refreshing and can be nursed over time.  1 will satisfy your thirst without getting you loaded and keep you happy while watching the kids! In honor of their 10th anniversary, Mike's is having a Sweepstakes where they are giving away a bunch of really great stuff, including an Airstream, computers and bicycles! All entries must be postmarked by September 1st, so go and drink the lemonade, but please drink responsibly and DON'T DRIVE DRUNK!
7. Homemade Tuna salad (recipe below) on FlatOut Healthy Grain FlatBreads-  These FlatOut Flat Bread, Multi-Grain with flax are unbelievably delicious and are a great source of fiber (8g per flat), have a bit of flax in them (an excellent source of ALA) and are a mere 100 calories! Plus, they only have 8 net carbs, 280 mg of sodium and 2.5 g of fat.  Best of all.... They are BIG, Mildly Sweet, and DELICIOUS!!!   For the Sandwich: Add a bit of onion and lettuce.  Tomato will make the roll up soggy, so pack some Cherry Tom's on the side!  Bring along some pickles and you've got yourself one fantastic lunch!
8. Frozen Red Grapes- kosher, wheat, gluten free and SERIOUSLY guilt free!
9. Kashi TLC (tasty little chewies) Fruit and Grain Bars- Dark Chocolate Coconut Flavor- ou dairy.  A little nuts, 4 g. of fiber, a non melted chocolate fix, a chewy bar.... it's all good!
10. Defrosted (overnight) Shrimp Cocktail with sauce-  I love Contessa shrimp.  Obviously, the cooler needs a lot of ice packs here... however, you will be the absolute Queen of the beach if you bring this! Buy pre-made cocktail sauce from McCormick or from Trader Joes.  Pack some extra Solo paper plates... or better yet- Chi Chi's makes Salsa in a 4 oz. 4 pack.  Try dipping the shrimp in that for a different flavor where everyone can double dip with their own!

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Tuna Salad Recipe (pictured below rolled with the FlatOut flat)

I have recently become a lover of Starkist, Solid White or Trader Joe's in the blue can. No fishy taste here.....EVER! (I had some fishy-flavor incidents with Bumble Bee lately)  Tuna salad is seriously a 5 minute meal! 

Ingredients

Tuna in a can, drained

1 tbs. Mayo (Hellmann's Real or Baconnaise)

a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

a bit of dijon mustard, if you like

a bit of onion and/or minced celery

1 tsp. fresh dill or 1/2 tsp. dry dill

Bacon salt ( optional) pepper

Directions

Mix all ingredients together

That's all it is folks!

Grocery News and Contests that you can absolutely use:

CONTEST:  The folks over at Mezzetta are wrapping up their $25,000 and a trip to the Napa Valley Make That Sandwich contest Labor Day Weekend.  So you still have time to participate! Mezzetta makes the most delicious roasted peppers, olives, pepperoncini and sauces, just to name a few.  So get creative, but don't overthink it, because the deadline is almost here!

ROADSHOW AND SCHOOL GRANT: The folks over at Vermont's favorite cheese Cooperative, Cabot are on a roadshow and coming to Long Island... This weekend! Samples, t-shirts, hats and products will be given away while supplies last.  Cabot cheeses has been around since 1919.  They care about their community and they care about you!  NEW!- Announcing Cabot Healthy School Living Grants! Sponsor a Wellness Fair, a local chef, fun physical activity days and more. Cabot will provide matching funds of up to $200 for any qualifying program. To find out more about the grants click here.

Friday-August 21st. 12pm - 6pm-Pathmark

• 4055 Merrick Rd , Seaford, NY 11783
• 130 Wheatley Plz , Greenvale, NY 11548
• 2335 New Hyde Park Rd , New Hyde Park, NY 11042
• 941 Carmans Rd , Massapequa , NY 11758

Saturday, August 22nd. 10am - 4pm Pathmark

• 3901 Hempstead Tpke , Bethpage, NY 11714
• 531 W Montauk Hwy, West Babylon, NY 11704
• 800 Montauk Hwy, Shirley, NY 11967
• 399 Medford Ave, Patchogue, NY 11772

Sunday August 23rd. 10am - 4pm Pathmark

• 2150 Middle Country Rd , Centereach , NY 11720
• 5801 Sunrise Hwy , Holbrook, NY 11741
• 101 Wicks Rd , Brentwood, NY 11717
• 6070 Jericho Tpke, Commack, NY 11725

Press the links for a complete recap of my Grocery 101 which includes lists of Grocery Stapes, as well as   Long Island Market Listings with those that deliver.