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Paleo picnic foods aren't too hard to make. If you are going to a picnic you probably planned on making the food yourself anyway. Just make it grain-free instead!

Are you sensing a theme here? First I take you to an amusement park, then camping, and now on a picnic. Summer at its finest, and the result of having my kids home with me half the week. Recipe creation time is just not there, so instead you are just getting invited to come along on our adventures instead – and getting to see what we ate along the way. This is real life Paleo.

So yeah, this past week was July 4th so all sorts of picnics and fireworks going on all over the country. We went to one that had a live band, a whole bunch of bouncy houses, face painting, Home Depot projects, and food trucks. We actually let our kids get hot dogs from one of the food trucks for dinner, but my husband and I both opted to eat our own food because the one and only time I tried eating the gluten-free hot dog bun from this particular food truck my blood sugar shot through the roof. Should I be letting my kids eat it? Ha! Like I have a choice. Did it once, unfortunately that led to a standing tradition lest we get some epic meltdowns. Choose your battles wisely parents… 🙂 I'd rather them get that then have all of the candy they get in a birthday party treat bag or at Halloween, so we fight THAT battle instead.

Anyway, watch this week's vlog to see the picnic preparation in action as well as some fun shots of the picnic itself.

Can't see the video? Watch Paleo Picnic (what we ate)

In the video I made 3 things – first I made the batter for my Rosemary Shortbread Cookies (because they need to chill in the fridge for an hour before you can slice and bake them), then I made Downshiftology's Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh, and then I made some grilled chicken breasts. The grilled chicken I dry brined by first pounding to an even thickness, then generously sprinkling sea salt on both sides, setting on top of a drying rack on a baking sheet, and refrigerating for an hour. Then I just rubbed them with some olive oil before grilling over medium heat for about 5 min a side. The chicken breasts come out nice and juicy that way.

Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh and Grilled Chicken Breast

I also poured two small containers of Primal Kitchen's Ceasar Salad Dressing to use as dipping sauce for the chicken. Sauces are always a good idea when having chicken in case it DOES dry out, but it also just makes it more fun.

And then in the video you'll see that we were drinking Izzes. Just an indulgence for the night, but one I feel a lot better about giving my kids than HFCS soda or anything with caffeine (oh geez, I can't even imagine what they'd be like on caffeine).

There are like 1001 things you can make and bring for a Paleo picnic, and this was just one meal. We have this AWESOME thermos by Stanley* (it is big enough to hold a meal for around 4-6 people and it keeps it hot for hours) so we sometimes have hot meals instead. We've brought pulled pork, Beef Stroganoff, chili, and sweet potato noodles with pasta sauce and meatballs before as well. If we just need individual portions (like if I'm the only one eating our own food), we will use these Lunchbot Thermoses* instead.

The main thing to remember is that events like these do NOT have to ruin your diet and make you not feel well. You can still be social, still go and have fun, AND still feel your best the next day.

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*These are affiliate links – I will earn a small amount of compensation if you purchase through these links.

What do you eat at a picnic when you are on the Paleo diet? My new vlog shows what we ate at a July 4th picnic and concert. The blog post explains the actual food and recipes in more detail.

Make Paleo easier, faster, less expensive, and way more fun with all the resources in my Freebie Library! Click on the picture to find out how to access it.

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