Tuna Salad - a perfect picnic
Our kids enjoy a trailside picnic at Nine Mile County Recreation Area.
Tuna salad makes a simple picnic. Spoons, water bottle, tuna salad, bananas, and dried fruit. No condiments, buns, or sides needed. Especially perfect for a spur-of-the-moment picnic!
Prepping the way
I usually try to minimize my prep time for tuna salad by cooking extra noodles the day before. I make double the noodles and eat half at a meal the day before then use the “leftovers” for the tuna salad the next day. This saves me time when I need to whip up the tuna salad, which is especially helpful since the noodles are also cooled. Tip: Just remember to give the noodles a stir as they cool so they don’t lump together - it will make mixing later much easier!
When I have fridge space, I just put the noodles in my mixing bowl and cover (sometimes even back in the pot, which also saves me an extra pot to wash!)
Individualized containers
Another trailside picnic at Nine Mile County Recreation Area with individual containers of tuna salad.
After I mix up the tuna salad, I put it in washed cottage cheese and yogurt containers. (It’s a bonus if I finished off a yogurt container while making the tuna salad and I don’t need to wash it!) These containers are perfect for a picnic. When we’re done I can nest them, rinse them, and recycle them when I get home (which is especially nice when I forget to take them out of the car when we arrive home amidst unloading and rushing off to naps).
Whipping up on the go
During my last park outing, I made the decision have a picnic at 10:30 am. It was too nice of a day and necessitated going to the park! So I was literally whipped up tuna salad as my kids were helping each other put on sunscreen. Since I already had the elbow macaroni and hard boiled eggs cooked and cooled, I was able to whip up lunch in minutes. I delegated egg peeling to my middle child while I mixed the rest of the ingredients. By the time I was ready to fold them in, I had eight eggs ready to dice!
Tuna Salad Recipe
I use the pot I boiled the noodles in as my mixing bowl to save a dish to wash!
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 c. Old Bay seasoning
1 t. ground mustard
1 1/2 c. mayo
1 c. plain yogurt
1 lb. frozen peas
1 lb. cooked and cooled elbow macaroni
2 cans tuna in water
1/4 lb. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 T. finely chopped fresh parsley
8 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1) Mix all ingredients together except eggs.
2) Fold in eggs.
3) Enjoy!
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