A Backyard Picnic

August 28th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Life

On the weekends, I’m apt to be a bit less motivated to cook and a bit more motivated to goof around.

Everybody's Favorites

Instead of attempting to go out to eat and playing the Kids in a Restaurant game (wheeeeee!) – sometimes it’s a lot easier (and arguably more enjoyable) to hit up the grocery store and let everyone pick out a bunch of their favorite foods.

Vegetables optional. Manners too.

Weekend Dinner Time Play

So this weekend we did exactly that.  We loaded our grocery loot into a basket and hauled it to the backyard.  An impromptu picnic was in order as we watched dad finish up some yard work for our meal time entertainment.

Bagels for kids.

Kids Eating Bagels

Fresh rosemary rolls from the Wegmans bakery topped with Artichoke Asiago cheese spread for the grown ups.

Artichokes and Salsa Only Vegetables

Hey, wait!  Artichoke is a vegetable!

And salsa! Salsa is all vegetables!  Phew. My veggie conscious is clear.

Green Mountain Gringo Salsa

P.S., Sabra?  That’s a given.  But this Roasted Garlic Green Mountain Gringo salsa is my new fav and has recently bumped Garden Fresh Gourmet from my #1 Salsa spot.

(move over Ryan Seacrest, a new Weekend Top 30 is in town.)

Some baked-not-fried healthy junk food favorites for all – Food Should Taste Good Blue Corn chips and White Cheddar Pirate’s Booty.

Food Should Taste Good Blue Corn Chips Pirate's Booty

No, no – let me “make dinner”.

Let Me Make Dinner

I insist!

Even Rapunzel joined us for our backyard soiree.

Rapunzel with Short Hair

(her hair is not Tangled anymore. Hair cut courtesy of Maxine, free of charge!)

Hair is Not Tangled Anymore

(grapefruit seltzer is a given too.)

And of course, no picnic would be complete without a little something sweet.

Newman's Own Chocolate Alphabet Cookies

Newman’s Own Organic Chocolate Alphabet Cookies, where half the cookie tiles were pulled from the bag and cookie Scrabble was played.

Homeschool Spelling Newman's Own Chocolate Alphabet Cookies

(i’m totally putting this under Spelling on the homeschool quarterly report I submit to the school district.)

Plus one more “something sweet” – Purely Decedant coconut milk ice cream patiently waited for us in the freezer until our picnic basket was reloaded and we trekked the 25 yards back to the house.

Purely Decadent Coconut Ice Cream

Now this is how I spell “dessert”.

Newman's Cookies on Coconut Ice Cream

And that’s how I spell “cooking on the weekend” when goofing around just sounds way more appetizing.


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