Ready-to-eat munchies: Let the commissary cater your next picnic

FORT LEE, Va. – Summer is the perfect time to lay down those mobile devices, TV remotes and game system controllers and take the family outside for some old fashioned bonding at a perfectly planned picnic.

“To put together a summer picnic basket that will get the job done but won’t break the bank, don’t go any further than your local commissary,” said Tracie Russ, the Defense Commissary Agency’s director of sales. “You can put together a delicious, economical, al fresco meal with almost no effort at all. Save even more when you purchase high quality, low cost commissary store brands.”

Picnic food should keep well, transport easily and taste delicious. The following three picnic options hit the mark. Find great prices on the ingredients and ready-to-eat items for each of these menus at your commissary. Find the recipes for the linked menu items on commissaries.com.

Comfort food picnic
• Cold Fried Chicken or Chicken Nuggets 
• Potato Salad
• Deviled Eggs
• Coleslaw
• Watermelon
• Cobbler
• Sweet Iced Tea

Wine and cheese picnic 
• Choose one of each type of cheese:
o Aged: cheddar, gouda, swiss
o Soft: blue, boursin, brie, goat
o Firm: gruyere, monterey jack, jarlsberg, parmesan

• Choose bread, crackers or flatbread
• Choose your extras
o Savory: olives, pickles, roasted red peppers
o Sweet: jam or chutney, apple or pear slices, berries, prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe
o Crunchy: nuts, seeds or roasted edamame, chickpeas or pumpkin seeds
o Meat: prosciutto, ham or turkey

• Wine and corkscrew

Sandwich and sides picnic
• Sandwiches:
o Tuna bahn mi
o Mayonnaise-free chicken salad sandwich
o Turkey caprese panini or grilled eggplant sandwich
o Veggie wraps or pork lettuce wraps
        
• Hummus and veggies or caprese on a stick
• Pasta salad
• Chips and dip
• Fruit salad
• Brownies
• Spritzer

“There’s no better way to take advantage of the sunshine and summer breezes than to enjoy a family picnic. And no better way to save on your picnic menu than a quick visit to your commissary,” said Russ. “So put away the electronics, pack your basket and some games, hit the road and gear up for some incomparable family time.”