[Jen-L]

Post your summer picnic recipes and ideas!! If you know the points or nutritional info, include that also! I am sure we will all need these recipes and ideas and the summer rolls in.

[Horsey girl]

Fresh Salsa

OK - this is a summer must for me - I LOVE IT! And the great thing is you can adapt it to your own tastes or how big a batch you need.

Ingredients

Chopped fresh tomatoes (2 or 3)
Chopped fresh onion (1/2 an onion or more depending on taste)
Fresh Cilantro (I put in lots at least 1/4 cup chopped)
1 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Lemon juice

Mix it all together and let it sit for a bit before using. It will keep for a couple of days but tastes best the same day.

KT

[TonyaLyn]

This is my summer dinner staple....

Italian Chicken salad

colored rotel noodles (a bag, cooked as directed)
cubed, boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked (usually 2 decent sized breasts)
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup sliced carrot
(any other veggies, you wish to add)
1/2 cup or so of FF italian dressing
mix all ingredients together.

This tastes best after sitting in the fridge for a couple hours, even better the next day.

I figure it is 4 pts. or so per cup, if even that.

[WinterGirl]

My summer dinner staple is a variation on Tonya's. My family calls this Italian Garden Salad. I never use exact measurements but I really load on the veggies so I figure it to be between 3 and 4 points a cup.

1 box colored rotel noodles (cooked per directions)
1 to 2 servings turkey pepperoni cut into quarters
red pepper
green pepper
cucumber
tomato
celery
chop up those and any other veggies you'd like
toss with FF Italian Dressing and refrigerator for several hours

[TonyaLyn]

Winter ~ I have got to try that with turkey pepperoni, I never thought of that!

[aaronsmom]

Along the pasta salad line, if you're looking for a variation, try this:

1 lb b/s chicken breast
1 pkg shells or rotelle or whatever pasta you like
chopped onion, to taste
chopped red pepper, to taste
chopped cucumber, to taste
halved grape tomatoes, to taste
chopped celery, to taste
chopped carrots, to taste
8 Tbsp Light Done Right Classic Ceasar (3 Cheese Ranch would be good too)

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and oregano. Grill until done. Slice across the grain thinly. Cook pasta until al dente, then rinse under cold water until cool. Toss, chicken, pasta, veggies, and dressing in a giant lidded tupperware bowl (just put the cover on and shake it up). Just before serving, sprinkle with 1 tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese. This does have 8 pts per serving, but it is a whole meal. It's a great summer supper when you can't stand the thought of lighting a burner in the kitchen.

[aaronsmom]

Oh yeah, makes four servings. Oopsie...

[WinterGirl]

Made this for ltoday's lunch and it was delicious!

1 med apple (1 pt)
1 celery stalk
2 TBSP Raisins (1 pt)
1 TBSP Sunflower Seeds (1 pt)
1/2 c Drained Pinapple Tidbits (1 pt)
2 TBSP FF Miracle Whip (.5 pt)
2 TBSP FF Vanilla Yogurt
1 TBSP Pinapple Juice

Mix everything together and enjoy. (I didn't count the yogurt because I had the rest of the container for breakfast and counted the whole 2 pts then.)