There is a certain optimism about picnicking, as you set out with plaid blanket and cooler in tow. Once you start unpacking the meal, though, the reality can seem less like a Cézanne still life and more like a kindergarten science experiment. The two main requirements of picnic food—that it travel well and taste good when you get there—are deceptively difficult to achieve, and resorting to Fruit Roll-Ups and bologna sandwiches that could withstand a nuclear winter won't do your children any nutritional favors. But a little creativity can elevate the dining experience. Here, we offer two soups (one chilled and one at room temperature), pressed sandwiches that will actually benefit from spending time at the bottom of a cooler, and a pâté-style meat loaf (tell the kids it's just meat loaf) that will add a touch of elegance to any paper plate.

Chilled Blueberry Soup

This sweet, vitamin-filled concoction can be a snack or a dessert. Take it to the picnic in a Thermos so it stays cool. (Don't worry about using wine in a kids' recipe: The boiling will burn off all its alcohol content.)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• Juice of 1 orange (or 1/4 cup store-bought orange juice)
• 1 cup fruity white wine (or white grape juice)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen ones, thawed, with their juice)
• 1 cup plain yogurt

1. In a deep saucepan, bring the sugar, orange juice, wine or grape juice, and 1 cup water to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring.
2. Add the berries and cook 1 minute more.
3. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
4. Puree the mixture, strain it through a fine sieve, and chill. Pour it into bowls and swirl in the yogurt just before serving.

Bread and Tomato Soup

This Tuscan dish is best served at room temperature, which makes for easy traveling in a Thermos or Tupperware. The cooked tomatoes provide a huge dose of antioxidants.

• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 6 cups day-old white bread, without crusts, torn into small pieces
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, pureed with their juice
• 4 cups vegetable stock (or water)
• 3 to 4 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
• Kosher salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over low heat.
2. Sauté the garlic until just fragrant, then add the bread, stirring until all the oil is absorbed and the bread is toasted.
3. Add the tomatoes, stock, basil, and salt.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until the bread breaks down, about 20 minutes. Remove the garlic and serve.

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