This weekend was extremely warm, slightly humid and pretty darn slow. And, it was exactly what I’ve been looking for.

After two days of lounging on the sofa and seeing movies, my friend Jessica and I decided to take a trip north to Hanging Rock State Park for a hike and picnic with Winston. Some fresh air can sure do a girl some good.

Hanging Rock State Park is just an hour north of Greensboro. I recommend two trails – the Hanging Rock Trail for a good climb to breathtaking views and the Lower Cascades Trail (after lunch!) for a short step(s) to an amazing waterfall. We left early and beat the crowds – which I recommend. Special thanks to my trails expert pal, Maddie, for her advice!

For lunch between trails, I packed a clementine box full of goodies for a picnic break between hikes. It included:

• Turkey, hummus, sliced cucumber and baby spinach wrapped in a spinach tortillas. 
• Pesto Pasta Salad with Le Grand Pesto (an awesome alternative to fresh summer pesto – available in the dairy section at The Fresh Market), toasted almonds, edamame, a bit of pecorino cheese and splash of fresh lemon! Really tasty and good green color!
• Lots and lots of clementines. I’m addicted right now – try sneaking them into movie theaters!

Add these ideas to your next picnic menu. I hope you also had a relaxing weekend and enjoyed the east coast warmth. Rainy days are ahead but I’ve got a light and tasty Steak Caesar Salad recipe to look forward to!