by Michelle | Aug 6, 2020 | Eat Well, Recipes, Uncategorized
When is the last time you went on a picnic? I mean an honest to goodness, basket full of goodies, let’s feed the ants picnic? I thought so. It’s been a while, huh? Me too. There is something so delightful and memorable about a good old fashion picnic that I think we all need to slow down and with proper COVID-19 safety precautions make them happen more often.
Eating outside can take a simple walk and turn it into an enjoyable adventure, a romantic occasion or just a welcome change of pace. A picnic doesn’t really have to be a big production; you can just grab some peanut butter and celery sticks and head for the park or you can plan a bit and make it just a wee bit more special. Taking the time to enjoy life outside, particularly in these warmer summer months, is a great way to invite healthy lifestyle into your life.
There are many great foods to take but there are several wrong foods to avoid for picnics; foods that will spoil, foods that are meant to be very cold, or piping hot, since you can rarely guarantee either; and foods that require labor-intensive eating methods. (Messy is bad) Stay away from these foods and you will find your outdoor meals much more relaxing and fun.
There are the classic picnic foods that many of us grew up on and are devoted to like potato salad, sandwiches and watermelon. They are easy to fall back on. Yet I encourage us to expand our picnic repertoire and embrace some new and very easy foods. (Let’s keep it easy so we’ll actually do this!) I have compiled a list of some deliciously easy foods for your gastronomic soirée out into the great outdoors. Hopefully all these ideas will stimulate you to get out and enjoy nature and tasty food in this beautiful season. Go picnicking for a better tomorrow and life!
~Salad in a jar~
Get a large mouth mason quart jar and assemble a salad in it in this order; dressing on the bottom lettuce on the top with the details in the middle. If the lettuce mix touches the dressing it gets all wilty and gross, so dressing in first, then use a hearty veggie like shredded cabbage, carrots or peapods next. Layer from there with bite sized yummies like celery, cucumber, nuts, cheese, cherry tomatoes, apple chunks tossed in lemon juice, black olives, berries and sprouts. (avocados don’t work to well in this mix) Think color and flavors. Then, when you are ready, just dump your salad out of the jar on a plate and voila! A perfectly portable salad.
Use your imagination on salad in a jar but here are a few examples to get you going:
-One of my favorite salad combinations: in this order in the jar, raspberry vinaigrette, peapods, shredded carrots, chopped hazelnuts, strawberries, finely diced red onions, feta cheese and spinach on top.
-A Caesar salad jar would go together something like this; Caesar salad dressing, shredded carrots, diced celery, chunks of grilled chicken breast, or salad shrimp, green onion, parmesan cheese, and top off with romaine. (Skip the croutons or bring them along in a separate baggie. They get all mushy in the jar.)
-Cobb salad in the jar; Red wine vinaigrette, celery, red cabbage, fresh corn kernels, red bell pepper, red onion, boiled eggs, bacon bits, chopped ham, grilled chicken breast and romaine. If you want avocado, bring a whole one and cut it up on the salad right before you eat it.
More picnic options
– Caprese salad skewers; on bamboo skewers thread washed cherry tomatoes, marinated mozzarella balls and basil leaves. So good you’ll wonder why you haven’t done it before!
-Lightly steam a bunch of veggies like asparagus, green beans and carrot sticks and serve with your favorite dip. Or puréed jarred roasted red peppers with feta, marjoram or oregano and parsley, olive oil and garlic for the dip. Nom nom
-Try fresh skewers. Grill or cook chicken breast, tofu or a nice steak then cut into bite sized pieces. Skewer on bamboo skewers with fresh cherry tomatoes, pineapple and cucumbers. Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
-Bake your favorite brownie or cheesecake in the small one cup jars. After they are cool, top with a berry jam and fresh berries and put the lid on. Portable heaven.
So now that you are armed with all these abundant ideas, get out there and enjoy the great outdoors with fun food and family time! Remember to follow current COVID-19 safety guidelines, keep a physical distance of 6ft from anyone not in your immediate household, wash your hands often, and don’t forget to bring your face covering when you are out!
If you are looking for places to picnic, check out and play in our “Explore Your Outdoors” bingo activity. To make it fun and easy, our team has assembled a list of 24 area locations and activity suggestions for local day trips and outings. Most locations are family-friendly and highly accessible to people of all abilities, and game information and materials are available in both English and Spanish, visit tillamookcountywellness.org/bingo for more information!
AUTHOR: Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
For more local health and wellness inspiration, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
by Michelle | Jul 24, 2020 | Move Well
Are you ready to get out and Explore Your Outdoors Tillamook County? Our coalition partners have created a fun adventure game to help you discover (or rediscover) the natural treasures, trails and side trips in our area.
After months of uncertainty and being cooped up indoors, we know people are ready to get outside and moving. With social distancing as important as ever, the Explore Your Outdoors bingo adventure provides a healthful way for families to get active outdoors and gain a new perspective.
To make it fun and easy, our team has assembled a list of 24 area locations and activity suggestions for local day trips and outings. Most locations are family-friendly and highly accessible to people of all abilities, and game information and materials are available in both English and Spanish.
HOW to PLAY – Visit the locations on the BINGO card and check them off as you go. Online cards are available if you want to play online; actual cards are available if you prefer that option. If you get five in a row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, you can enter to win a prize from Tillamook County Wellness! Anyone who gets a blackout (i.e. visits all the locations) will be entered to win a BIG PRIZE. The adventure runs August 1 – September 25, 2020.
ENTER to WIN PRIZES
- – Download a digital version of the BINGO card and location map from the Tillamook County Wellness website: www.tillamookcountywellness.org/bingo. Use the on-line form to submit your entry. Entry form must be complete to be eligible to win prizes.
- Pick up a card & trail guide and return completed entry form for prize entry at one of the following locations. Be sure to thank these organizations and their staff for their help and support!
- – NCRD | 36155 9th Street | Nehalem (during regular business hours)
- – YMCA | 610 Stillwell Avenue | Tillamook (during regular business hours)
- – Inn at Cape Kiwanda | 33105 Cape Kiwanda Dr. | Pacific City (during regular hours)
Completed entry forms can also be emailed to info@tillamookcountywellness.org or mailed to Tillamook County Wellness, PO Box 489, Tillamook, OR 97141.
Prize drawings will be held weekly, August 10 – September 28, 2020. Prizes include gift cards or products from: Manzanita News & Espresso, Flamingo Jim‘s, Oregon State Parks, Moment Surf Co., Stimulus Coffee, Kayak Tillamook, Nestucca Adventures, Tillamook Sporting Goods, Five Rivers Coffee, Toylandia, Bahama Mama‘s, Tillamook County Parks, and more! Special thanks to Tillamook County Creamery Association for generously donating gift cards and a Pendleton picnic blanket for one lucky blackout bingo adventurer.
PLAY it SAFE – Please follow all necessary safety and distancing guidelines. Avoid overcrowded areas by scheduling outings on weekdays when possible. Be prepared for changes in weather; take plenty of water and healthy snacks. Keep in mind that some services, including restrooms, running water, and trash cans may not be available at all locations. Pack it in, pack it out. Recreate responsibly – leaving places better than you found them.
The Tillamook County Wellness Explore Your Outdoors Bingo adventure game only features 24 outdoor activities, and there are many more places right here in our backyard to explore. Tell us your favorite places – post a photo of you and your family exploring the outdoors. Send your images and favorite places to info@tillamookcountywellness.org or share on our Instagram or Facebook pages @TillamookCountyWellness #ExploreYourOutdoors #MakingHealthyHappen.
For more information, go to www.tillamookcountywellness.org/bingo.
by Michelle | Jul 2, 2020 | Being Well, Move Well, Uncategorized
Imagine if there was a map that included all the outdoor recreation amenities and trails in Tillamook County. How cool would it be to have a convenient way to find places to hike, ride, paddle, bike and bird watch within minutes from where you live?
Thanks to a partnership between Tillamook County Wellness (TCW), Visit Tillamook Coast, Northwest Youth Corps and the U.S. Forest Service, having access to this exciting resource is closer than you might imagine. Beginning in January 2020, efforts have been underway to build a GIS database and map for all recreational opportunities throughout Tillamook County. GIS Intern, Samantha “Sam” Goodwin and TCW Access to Physical Activity (APAC) Co-Chair, Marty Wisehart, were recently interviewed on KTIL’s Tillamook Today show to share more about the project.
View from Pacific City Pathway Trail
“There are hundreds of recreation activities in Tillamook County,” Goodwin stated in her interview, “but right now people have to search all around from individual sites like State Parks or the Oregon Department of Forestry to find what there is to do here.” Sam has worked with local, state and federal agencies to gather all that data and put it into one system. In the process, she has discovered many local waysides, waterfalls, parks and community pathways for which there is no official information.
“We’re building a one-stop place for recreation,” says Sam. “This is really meant to help locals get out and enjoy activities and the natural beauty we have here.” Nan Devlin, Executive Director for Visit Tillamook Coast, states that “what is good for locals is also good for visitors and vice versa,” noting that Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) revenue directed to her organization is being used to support this work.
In addition to his leadership role with TCW, Marty Wisehart is President of the Tillamook Off-Roads Trails Alliance (TORTA), which has secured funding to build more than 30 miles of mountain biking trails in the Siuslaw forest near Sandlake in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. Trail building is slated to begin this Fall with access to trails anticipated by Summer 2021. TORTA has been actively involved in increasing community access to recreation, especially for kids and youth, by building trails and helping coordinate Trails Day events. According to Marty, “we have so many recreation assets here and a lot of it is just not known.” He adds, “It’s not enough to build opportunities for people to get active, we have to make sure people have the information they need to decide if an activity is right for them – if they need special gear, how easy or hard the trail is, and so on. The more information we can give to people, the more likely they will feel confident about trying something new and that’s really what we want to see.”
The map includes details for all trail types, surfaces and difficulty levels, as well as access for people with disabilities. It will be sortable by different types of activities, including boat launches and water trails, making it easier for people to plan outings. And, for people worried about their secret destinations being discovered by the masses, county leaders acknowledge this is already happening. County Commissioner, Bill Baertlein emphasizes, “Visitors are already coming and will continue to travel here to enjoy our trails and outdoor recreation. This map and the processes supporting it will help us get out in front of the issue and be proactive rather than reactive.” Leaders also state that having more places on the map helps spread activity around, preventing heavily visited areas from being “loved to death.”
Tourism leaders agree that increasing recreation within the local population instills a sense of pride and ownership, creating stewards who help protect these beautiful places. North Coast Tourism Management Network’s volunteer beach and trailhead ambassador program is one example, as are volunteer opportunities through the local chapter of Trailkeepers of Oregon. For information on how to volunteer as an ambassador contact Arica Sears at icom@thepeoplescoast.com and to learn more about Trailkeepers visit https://www.trailkeepersoforegon.org/get-involved/.
Thanks to an extension of funding and on-going support from the sponsoring agencies, the GIS mapping project will continue until all identified locations are completely mapped and approved by governing agencies. Next the group will determine how users can access the map platform on-line. Michelle Jenck, Tillamook County Wellness Coordinator indicates there is a plan to include a page or link from their new website scheduled to launch this summer.
Like & follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. New Tillamook County Wellness website coming soon!
