![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernjournal\/files\/2018\/05\/PICNICcolor-1024x683.jpg\")
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Caity Healy | Lifestyle Editor<\/span><\/p>\n As the sun begins making a more regular appearance, now\u2019s the perfect time to take advantage of every second of sunshine you can fit into your day. Unfortunately, for many, finding time to just hangout and bask in the warmth isn\u2019t exactly an option. An easy way to make some time, even if only for 30 minutes, is by bringing your regular indoor meals to the outdoors.<\/span><\/p>\n By setting out a blanket on the grass, bringing a couple friends with you and making some yummy recipes, you\u2019ll have the ingredients of a perfect picnic. While you can ultimately bring whatever dishes you\u2019d like, packing your meals in Mason jars makes for an environmentally-friendly, simple and aesthetically pleasing meal. Follow the instructions on some of these quick and easy Mason jar recipes that will leave your mouth watering and have you begging for another break in the sun. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Black Bean Salad<\/b><\/p>\n At the bottom of your jar, pour about \u00bc cup of your favorite salsa. On top of this, add 1 \u00bc tsp of sour cream (this can be substituted with Greek yogurt for a lighter meal). Dice half of a tomato and add this on top, then follow it up with about \u00bc of a chopped red onion. Next, add about \u00bc of a can of drained black beans on top of that. Purchase corn, and add about \u00bc cup on top of that. Top all of this with half of a sliced avocado, a sprinkle of jack or cheddar cheese and some chopped romaine lettuce. Leave divided to keep the produce as fresh as possible, but mix together before eating.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspired by organizeyourselfskinny.com<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fruit and Yogurt Parfait<\/b><\/p>\n In a bowl, combine a single serving container of Greek yogurt (any flavor you\u2019d like), with 2 tsps of milk, \u2153 cup of granola and 1 tsp of chia seeds. Once mixed together, scoop half and put it at the bottom of your jar. Top this with your choice of mixed berries, which can be fresh or frozen. Top this again with the yogurt mixture, and cap it off with the last of your berries. Refrigerate this overnight for best results.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspired by iowagirleats.com<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Apple Pie in a Jar<\/b><\/p>\n This one is less of a recipe, and more of an easy way to transport a classic dessert that can be easily altered to save room to top with ice cream or whipped cream. Purchase a frozen apple pie (such as Marie Callender\u2019s), and bake as instructed, but don\u2019t add the brown sugar topping. Once cooked, scoop it into oven-safe jars. Don\u2019t worry about keeping it intact, as it will become more of a crumble pie. Add the topping and bake for another 10 minutes. Bring any toppings with you that you\u2019d like.<\/span><\/p>\n Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu<\/span><\/p>\n Photo by: Caity Healy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Caity Healy | Lifestyle Editor As the sun begins making a more regular appearance, now\u2019s the perfect time to take advantage of every second of sunshine you can fit into your day. Unfortunately, for many, finding time to just hangout and bask in the warmth isn\u2019t exactly an option. An easy way to make some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1030,"featured_media":7654,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1030"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}