There is a constant lack of snacks in our fridge and pantry. When we go grocery shopping, I never really think to buy stuff for snacks; I just get food to make dinner and assume there will be random left over ingredients to snack on throughout the week.
False.
Seth and I are frequent fridge and pantry visitors – walking over in the search for snacks and rarely finding anything appetizing.
We were talking about our lack of snacks last week and I mentioned how nice it would be if we just went out and bought a bunch of stuff for snacks, portioned everything out, and enjoyed a few weeks of a fridge filled with yummy munchies.
One trip to the grocery store and a few hours later – a portioned fridge!
And let me tell you…it has been so amazing having all these snacks lying around this week! They are all super healthy so you feel great munching on them all day. The best part is, your snacking requires zero time or effort. You just go to the fridge, grab a little pre-portioned snack, and you are good to go!
I have also been taking a few of these to work with me every day to snack on and hold me over until I get off, and it has been so nice and convenient! I am one of those people who wakes up 20 minutes before I have to leave and give myself no time to eat breakfast or make lunch. So being able to grab a few of these and go has been awesome.
So there are a few things you should know if you are going to portion your fridge:
1. I went a little overboard and got a LOT of stuff not knowing it would turn into so many portioned snacks, so I would suggest starting by only using a few of my snack ideas and going up from there.
2. You need a lot of ziplock bags or small tupperwares to portion your fridge. I bought a variety pack of small tupperwares at Wal-mart and did a mixture of the two – bags and tupperwares. I would eventually like to be able to use only small tupperwares so I’m not using and throwing away so many Ziplocks.
3. It is a pretty tedious job initially to portion out all these snacks, but it’s totally worth the effort.
4. You will probably want to clear out an entire drawer of your fridge (my snacks filled two entire drawers) before starting, so you have a nice empty space to put everything.
Here is a list of the different snacks I prepped/made and portioned!
- 1 head of broccoli – chopped into bite size florets and portioned into three Ziplock bags
- 2 bell peppers (any colors) – sliced into sticks and portioned into three small, long tupperwares
- 1 8oz bag of snap peas – portioned into three Ziplock bags
- 1 hothouse cucumber – sliced and portioned into two Ziplocks
- 2 16oz boxes of strawberries – portioned into 5 small tupperwares
- 1 pound bag of baby carrots – portioned into 4 Ziplocks
- Meat, cheese, and pickle rollups – portioned into three Ziplocks
- 9 slices of turkey
- 9 thin slices of cheddar cheese
- 9 mini dill pickles (I used Vlasic Snack’mms)
- Lay the turkey slices down, top with the cheese, top with the pickle.
- Roll everything up together. Each bag should have three rollups
- 30 cheese cubes – portioned into three small tupperwares
- Celery and Almond Chicken Salad – portioned into three small tupperwares
- 1 10oz can chicken
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 stalk celery
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Mix everything together and portion.
- *We used the chicken salad as a “dip” for veggies*
- Roasted Garlic, Kale Hummus – portioned and used as a dip for veggies
- Turkey, hummus bites – portioned into 2 tupperwares
- 2 whole wheat tortillas
- 10 slices turkey
- 1/2 cup Roasted Garlic, Kale Hummus
- Lay out the each tortilla, spread 1/4 cup of hummus on both, top each with 5 slices of turkey.
- Roll each tortilla up and slice into 1-2 inch circles
- Craisins
- Homemade Greek Yogurt Ranch (mixed Greek yogurt and dry ranch dressing seasoning mix) as a dip for veggies
- Triscuits
See what I mean about overboard???
But hey…it was a pain in the butt to make all this stuff but we have been a few happy snackers for the last several days. And we aren’t even close to being out yet :).
Happy portioning!
Want more yummy snack ideas? Try these!
- Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Clusters
- Spicy Greek Yogurt Deviled Eggs
- Brown Butter Popcorn
- Crispy Chickpea and Edamame Oven Snack
Super useful tips Annie, thanks for sharing!
Mike@TheIronYou recently posted…Key West Chicken Bowls with Lemon Quinoa
Thanks, Mike!
Your idea is just great, I wish I would be consequent enough to do it in my fridge. Thanks for sharing.
Cecilia recently posted…Top 4 Portable Electric Countertop Cooktops around $50
You can do it, Cecilia!!
I always forget to plan for snacks and lunches when I go shopping! Right before I saw this post I made hummus and portioned out veggies, and make pesto chicken salad to have on hand for snacks. Great minds think alike! I love all of your ideas and will definitely be adding more snacks to my fridge.
Keri @ Fashionable Foods recently posted…Broccoli and Spinach Frittata
Thanks, Keri! Yum, all of those sound delicious! Veggies dipped in hummus is definitely one of my favorite snacks.
Annie – We must be on the same page because yesterday I portioned out all of my meals and snacks for the week. It did take a bit of time, but it’ll help reduce waste and improve my diet throughout the week. I love carrot sticks with hummus as a snack!
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg recently posted…Gluten-free Fiesta Salsa
That’s so funny! Great minds think alike ;). I love carrots and hummus too!
We do this on a Sunday and we find that it helps us to stay on track for the rest of the week. it’s nice to have lots of snacks on hand.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on 15 Minute Salmon Tacos with Avocado Cream by Dannii
Agreed! It’s so nice.
Love all these snack ideas! I always keep a snack bin in the fridge for my always hungry husband! Gonna have to add these ideas to our rotation =)
Haha, my husband is always hungry too. He is the main reason I did this :). Definitely add a few of them!!
Portioning out all your snacks is such a great idea, Annie! Such a great way to eat healthier too! All the snacks look and sound amazing!
Thanks, Kelly! It ABSOLUTELY helps you eat healthier! I have noticed that a lot this last week for sure.
Clever idea having everything all portioned out. Very handy in the mornings with everything ready to go!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop recently posted…Raspberry Oat Bars
Thanks, Kathy. Super handy!!
This is such a great idea Annie! We are the same way, we always buy food for meals, but then I’m at a loss when I want a snack. Or we’ll have some snacks, but I don’t feel like chopping anything up. I’ve been thinking we should just do more prep work, so this is great motivation. Plus now I have tupperware envy :)
Maya @ Treats and Eats recently posted…Meyer Lemonade
Exactly! We never want to chop or cook anything either when we are just looking for a quick snack. Haha, Tupperware envy! I got a bunch of super cheap Ziplock Tupperware at Walmart for this project ;).
Loving the lists of snacks! I know what you mean about going to the fridge and not having any snacks. This has motivated me to do a big grocery run:)
I’m so glad I motivated you :). It is so frustrating not ever having snacks in your fridge!!
I love the idea of using portions, Annie! Such a good idea, especially for snacks. I never think to do that, so I definitely need to start! Thanks for sharing!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Spinach and Mushroom Quinoa Bowls
Thanks, Gayle! It really is great to have some healthy, pre-made snacks in the fridge :).