Whether it's a day at the beach, a local park or your own backyard, picnics are a great way to celebrate an event or just pass the time with friends and family on a beautiful summer day.

But picnic lovers beware. Typical picnic spreads often include high-calorie and high-fat foods. Creamy potato salads and coleslaw, chips, cheese and mayo-laden sandwiches are the typical fare.

With just a little careful planning, though, you can create a nutritious picnic spread that kids and adults alike will enjoy.

Choose nutritious appetizers
Raw veggies are crisp, delicious and easy to pack. Prepare pre-cut bags of celery, carrots, sweet red or green peppers and cucumbers. Whole cherry tomatoes and radishes are also great options.

• Skip the ranch dressing and take along a nutritious dip such as hummus, salsa, fat-free bean dip, or low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese blended with herbs and spices.
• Fresh fruit such as grapes or melon with whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese (light cheddar or mini part-skim mozzarella balls) is a great option too.

Tweak your salads
Classic picnic salads typically include potato, pasta, tuna or egg salad. Loaded with mayo, these sides tend to be full of fat and calories.

• Use dressings made with less oil and more vinegar. Mix low-fat mayonnaise with thick Greek-style yogurt instead of full-fat mayo.
• For extra fiber, use whole-grain pasta, brown rice, barley or beans as your salad base.
• Use extra greens and/or raw veggies in proportion to grain or pasta. This cuts the overall calories and fills you up with extra fiber and nutrients to boot.
• Prepare a big chopped salad with lots of different veggies cut up into small bite-size pieces.
• Top your greens with your pre-cooked leftovers. Thin-sliced steak, chicken strips, sliced pork and pieces of salmon are all great choices. And for picnic convenience, because they have all been pre-cooked, they may be served cold on your salad.

Bring heart-smart sandwiches
Ditch the fried chicken, and pack up healthy sandwiches.

• Use whole-grain wraps or pitas. Stuff them with grilled vegetables, lean cold cuts (turkey, ham, roast beef or chicken), grilled chicken or hummus.
• Add lettuce, tomato, roasted peppers, cucumber and other veggies to your wraps for added fiber and nutrition. Use mustard, low-fat mayo or avocado as a condiment.

Fire up the grill
If your picnic site has a grill, think about steering away from classic burgers and dogs. Try offering something lighter.

• Turkey burgers, skinless chicken breasts, pork tenderloin or any type of fish is great on the grill and will save on fat and calories.
• Vegetables such as corn, eggplant, zucchini, portabella mushrooms and red peppers are other grill favorites. Marinate in fat-free dressing.

Practice healthy hydration
Think outside the soda box and bring along drinks that will quench your thirst but not expand your waistline. Try the following:

• Ice water or sparkling water
• Unsweetened iced tea with added fresh lemon or lime
• Frozen lemonade, made with 2 extra cans of water plus fresh thin wedges of lemon
• Seltzer mixed with cranberry juice or any fruit juice (3 parts seltzer to 1 part juice) for just a touch of flavor without too many calories

Indulge your sweet tooth - with fruit
Spring and summer are the perfect time for ripe fresh fruit. Fruit usually appeals to kids as well as grownups and you don't need to save it for dessert!

• Prep a colorful fruit salad or platter with a variety of berries, cherries, melon, grapes, kiwi or any other favorites.
• Bring fresh plums, peaches or nectarines for easy munching.
• Who can resist a ripe sweet watermelon?
• If you want to bring cookies or brownies, make the portions small and always have fruit as the main option.

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