Tips and ideas for creating a snack station in your refrigerator, so that you always have healthy snacks ready to go. Plus, two printables with lots of healthy snack ideas!
“I’m hungry. What can I eat, Mom?” I hear those words all the time, and if you have young kids, I’m betting you do, too.
Whether or not you have kids, healthy snacks are a good way to stay energized between meals. Nutritious snacks can keep you from getting so hungry that you overindulge at mealtimes.
The problem is that it’s all too easy to reach for not-so-healthy options when hunger hits.
It gets tiring always trying to figure out what to feed the little ones (and myself!) when they are hungry all the time. I needed a solution to save me time and mental energy when it came to keeping my kids and myself nourished with healthy snacks throughout the day. I’ve started prepping healthy snacks once a week and storing them in a “snack box” in my refrigerator.
My kids are SO excited about our snack box. They love the control and independence that it gives them at snack time. Julia enjoys helping me decide which snacks we are going to prep each week. I told her I was going to share about our snack bin on my blog, and she loved the idea and kept asking me if I’d done it yet. 🙂
This system has worked for me and my family, and I hope it can help you, too! Before we get into the details, let’s chat about why weekly snack prep works.
Why I follow a weekly snack prep system:
- Prepping snacks once for the week saves lots of time.
- My family always has healthy, real food snacks ready to go.
- We don’t rely on packaged/processed snacks. This saves us money and we feel better when we eat real food snacks.
- It develops independence in my kids. If we’re heading out to the park, I can tell the kids to grab a snack and they can choose a healthy option on their own. Same goes for after school snack time.
- During the school year, the snack bin in our fridge makes lunch prep quick and easy.
- It helps me eat healthier, too!
Especially now that the kids and I are home every day for summer vacation, the snack box in our refrigerator is a lifesaver!
So how does it work?
A step-by-step plan for creating your own healthy snack station:
- Make a list of all of the healthy snacks that your family enjoys. If you have kids, let them help. I organize my list by food group: fruits, vegetables, proteins, and grains. You can see and print my list here.
- When you make your menu plan and grocery list for the week, also think about snacks. Choose 4 to 5 snacks from your list each week. You want enough so that your snack box won’t be empty by Wednesday, but not so much that the prep is overwhelming. Be sure to have a good mix of fruits, veggies, proteins, and grains.
- Shop for the ingredients you need and prep your snacks. This might mean making a batch of white bean dip, chopping fresh veggies, washing fruit, and baking some homemade granola bars. I like to do my snack prep in one session on Sunday afternoon.
- Store your snacks in a central location in the fridge so they are ready to grab at snack time.
- Avoid buying other unhealthy and/or processed snacks. This is a hard one, but it gets easier with time. You and your kids will reach for what is available, so make those choices nutritious ones!
I’ve made you two printables! Click on them to download (and print) a copy for your refrigerator.
These are my favorite storage containers for snacks:
- glasslock storage containers
- 3 piece nesting glass storage containers
- one press seal storage containers
Healthy Snack Ideas:
Vegetables
- carrot sticks
- sliced bell peppers
- celery sticks
- cherry tomatoes
- cucumber slices
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- roasted sweet potato cubes or rounds
- sugar snap peas
Fruits
- apples
- pears
- grapes
- fresh berries
- bananas
- orange slices
- mandarin oranges
- peaches or nectarines
- chopped melon
- kiwi
- chopped pineapple
- apricots
- Banana Smoothie
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Green Smoothie
- Orange Smoothie
- Raspberry Peach Smoothie
- Mango Smoothie
- Peanut Butter Smoothie
Proteins
- hard boiled eggs or Instant Pot hard boiled eggs
- hummus/white bean dip
- Greek yogurt
- cheese slices
- cottage cheese
- nuts
- peanut butter
- almond butter
- trail mix
Grains
- homemade granola bars
- breakfast cookies
- healthy muffins
- energy bites
- homemade graham crackers
- homemade granola – serve with yogurt or milk
- whole grain crackers
- overnight oats in a jar
Extras
Find even more healthy snack ideas.
What a good idea, Kristine! I need to get more organized with snacks for my kids. I love these tips!
Thank you, Kelly! You should give it a try- I bet your kids would love it! 😉
This is such a great post, Kristine! I don’t have kids, but I love preparing snacks throughout the week. I love your organization tips. This is such a fantastic way to try and eat healthier, too!
Thank you, Gayle! I eat almost as many snacks as the kids, so this is definitely not just for the little ones. 😉
Oh my gosh, I LOVE the idea of having a snack station! Snacking is so important for both kiddos and adults because we all know what happens when our blood sugar crashes and it ain’t pretty. Having healthy options ready-to-go is truly a brilliant idea. I can see why Julia loves it so much! 🙂
Thank you, Sarah! Yes, blood sugar crashes are the worst! I need to snack just as much as my kids do throughout the day. 😉
We do this too, and it’s such a time saver! I love knowing that we have healthy and simple snacks ready to go, and my kids are now able to help themselves (just as you said). Perfect!
Isn’t it the best? It takes a little time up front but is so worth it during the week!
I wish I had thought of this when my kids were smaller…having healthy snacks prepped and ready for them to choose from is such a great idea! This is perfect to help kids eat healthier and give them a little independence at the same time!
Thank you, Marcie! My kids love the independence it gives them. 🙂
I started my daughter off badly with some junk, but she also loves her fruits…not so much vegetables :(. I have the granola bar recipe in another window, because I think she would really enjoy this, vs those packaged, over processed junk.
I’ve found that if I just don’t buy the packaged stuff, my kids are more willing to eat the healthy food that we do have in the house. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the granola bars!
Do you just let your kids pick whatever snacks they want and unlimited? What if they choose all the granola bars in one day? Do you have a system in place? Thanks!
Hi Logan, Great question! We talk about how our bodies need a mix of different kinds of foods to work their best. I encourage them to choose from different food groups at snack time, so maybe they will choose a fruit or veggie along with a protein or grain. It’s a balance between giving them independence and also guidance about what they can/should eat. 🙂 I also get my kids involved in packing their lunch boxes often, and will set guidelines so that they choose things from each food group to create a balanced lunch.
Such a great idea to prep and store snacks together in the fridge. So often things get lost
Do you find that these last all week? I’m wondering if veggies and fruits that are cut up tend to start to go mushy or anything throughout the week?
My family usually eats these before the week ends. The berries will only last about 2 days when you wash them ahead. Be sure to dry them well. Carrots and bell peppers will last for about 4 days, and melon 3-4 days. It just depends on the fruit/veggie.