Picnic Lunch for the College Grad
If I had been better organized, we’d be dining in one of our favorite Bloomington, Indiana, restaurants, but instead we schlepped this Picnic Lunch for the College grad to eat after the ceremony.
Picnic Lunch for the College Grad
Meeting up with a girlfriend for tea sent this plan in motion. Granted, she’s the mom of a daughter graduate and my Nick might not even notice the paper plates in his school colors, coordinated napkins and kicked up lunch menu. But this event deserved a mini celebration. I packed up this picnic lunch and schlepped it down to campus to eat after the festivities!
One of Nick’s frequent responses when I inquire if he’s ready to eat is always, “I’m always hungry, Mom.” So I knew that sitting in an outdoor stadium for 2+ hours for commencement ceremonies would have him ravenous. Unlike his father, he inhaled his chicken salad sandwich laden with nuts, dried and fresh fruit and diced celery. It hit the spot!
The Menu
The MenuI totally swiped Cecelia’s menu in exchange for a few shopping tips. She’s the mom of 4 daughters and has been through this 3 times before. Chicken salad in croissants wrapped in red and white parchment, a simple fruit salad, and oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies were packed in our cooler early on graduation day.
Napkins and paper plates were also in the school colors of “Crimson and Cream.” We didn’t dare eat off any plates in the boys’ kitchen as we saw the state of their housekeeping only the week before when they bragged about “swiffering” recently. Though “recently” apparently meant 2 weeks prior. Here are links to the lunch dishes if you’d like to borrow this menu for your upcoming celebration:
Fruity Chicken Salad minus nuts and dried cherries for the guys and served on croissants
Honey-Lime Fruit Salad or Chopped Fresh Fruit
Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Here’s a snap of our actual lunch, decked out in Crimson and Cream! As I suspected, Nick was more interested in the food than the festive decor. He was starving!
28 Comments on “Picnic Lunch for the College Grad”
Félicitations on Nick’s graduation! You know I think I prefeer your picnic to go in a restaurant! It’s so nice 😉
Wow…how special! You’re a wonderful, wonderful mother! Congratulations on Nick’s graduation.
Picnic lunch is the perfect way to celebrate! When I throw summer parties I always do chicken salad on croissants! It’s such a crown pleaser 🙂
Hi Liz, first congrats to your son, what an achievement. Your picnic lunch sounds delicious, especially the cookies.
Congrats all! Loving your lunch and reckon it is the perfect way to celebrate. Loving the fruit salad, simple yet so dang pretty and healthy too. And those sandwiches… YARM! PS: Your son is a bit of a hottie! 🙂
Congrats to all! Alex wanted to grill steaks with all his friends and you wouldn’t believe the state of that kitchen! Luckily he and a another mother took charge and I only had to bring pies from the farmer’s market. There is one benefit to living far away!You all look so happy, Liz!
You look fabulous, & of course the food too! Have an awesome week, babe! xoxo
Congratulations to Nick!!! I know you’re super proud of him! Love the menu! That Honey-Lime Fruit Salad looks amazing!
Congrats to Nick, as well as you and Tom for raising such a fabulous hooligan. You must be so very proud of him. I mean, barring the whole swiffering thing. The rest is pretty awesome. *giggles*
Love that you packed a picnic lunch. Everything looks delicious. And I am desperate to know where you bought the paper for the sandwiches. Us food bloggers and our obsession with cute props, it’s like a sickness.
This is a great lunch. I would like to try the chicken salad. Your photos with your son are wonderful. Congratulations to you both! An outstanding achievement.
I think this was a wonderful way to celebrate a graduation. Congratulations to Nick!
I think the way you chose to celebrate was perfect and you didn’t have any crowds to contend with at a restaurant. Congratulations to your son.
Congratulations to your son and to you for such an amazing picnic, I’m sure it was a great day. I remember my graduation and I wish I had a picnic like this 🙂
Congratulations and great picture! The presentation was lovely and maybe it’s just a guy thing that he didn’t notice it. Chicken salad sandwiches are on my menu for today and like your’s the nuts and fruit will have to go.
Wonderful way to celebrate your son’s graduation! Thank you for sharing the chicken salad recipe. (Millions of years ago – in my 20s I was a tea room modeled and would gobble very similar sandwiches after the show…Ps. It was Bullocks Wilshire – a very upscale store with upscale food like yours!) Curious as to where Nick will intern and start his career =)
Aw, congrats to your son! (And to you–it’s a big accomplishment for the parents as well!) This looks like a completely delicious picnic menu. I’m ready for summer picnic season in a major way!
Dear LIzzy, Congratulations! What a wonderful celebration in a beautiful fun way.
I love this joyful picnic. Wishing your son the very best for each and everyday; filled with all love, blessings and happiness that life may bring.
xoxo Catherine
What a fun way to celebrate! And, congratulations on your son’s graduation.
Looks like a wonderful lunch. Congratulations to your son and his very big accomplishment.
The “swiffering” comment cracked my up. Such a guy thing. I think a picnic lunch is perfect for a graduation. The fact that you thought to buy paper plates in school colors tells me that you’re more organized than you are giving yourself credit.
Congrats!!! This lunch looks amazing and I love the bright and colorful fruit salad! So delicious 🙂
A picnic lunch is such a cute idea!! What a fun time!
Congratulations Liz! What an awesome lunch and perfect way to celebrate. Your son is so handsome and he looks so happy. Good for him!!!! Love that fruit salad and the sandwich – they look amazing!
It was perfect lunch!
Congrats! I my daughter is a junior at IU, so we’ll be going through it all next year! Our favorite place to eat in Bloomington is The Farm! Sounds like a great picnic!
We love Farm, too! Bloomington is such a wonderful foodie town!
BTW Congrats to your very handsome son!!! I love how you made it all so pretty and matched it to the school colours – so creative. Love what you wore – you look amazing!
Ha! I see it completely differently….I think the fact that you made a picnic lunch of proof positive that you are so well organized. Those who can’t muster a picnic lunch are doomed to wait in line with the other hordes of graduates at a local restaurant.
And “swiffering?” That cracked me up. Yeah, swiffering once a semester = deep cleaning, in the life of a college student.