Stocking Your Fridge with Healthy Snacks

Stocking Your Fridge with Healthy Snacks

Families are so busy these days that planning and prepping ahead are a necessity. Here are a couple of ideas to help you stock your fridge with healthy, nutritious snacks a week in advance.

A balanced snack for kids is a carbohydrate (which can be a grain or a fruit) paired with a little protein or dairy. At the start of the week, try pre-planning 3 different carbohydrates and 3 protein or dairy options to have ready in the fridge to make packing school snacks or after school snacks a breeze.

Ex)

Carbohydrate Protein
Mandarin orange

Small homemade muffin (pulled from the freezer)

Grapes

Individually wrapped cheese

Beef jerky

Greek yogurt

 

Having these items washed, portioned in baggies or containers and set aside allows for quick and easy snacks, with 9 different combination possibilities. You can always change up the type of fruit, muffin, yogurt and/or cheese for more variety.

  • Orange and cheese
  • Orange and jerky
  • Orange and yogurt
  • Muffin and cheese
  • Muffin and jerky
  • Muffin and yogurt
  • Grapes and cheese
  • Grapes and jerky
  • Grapes and yogurt

 

Some other favorites snack options that can be easily put into rotation are:

  • Smoothies (make extra and freeze as popsicles for later in the week)
  • Crackers with hummus and/or veggies
  • Grapes and dried black beans
  • Homemade energy balls
  • Tomato and boiled eggs
  • Cottage cheese and fruit
  • Banana roll-up (a wrap with nut or seed butter rolled up with a banana)
  • Nut or seed and dried fruit mixture
  • Apple and nut or seed butter
  • Ants on a log (celery, nut or seed butter, and raisins)
  • Egg muffins with fruit
  • Homemade mini pizza bagels (mini bagels or English muffin, tomato sauce, leftover ham and cheese)

 

Taking a few minutes to plan and about 30 minutes to execute over the weekend keeps you organized trough out the busy week. For example, when I make muffins, I make mini muffins as well so I can have snacks to stock our freezer. Homemade mini bagel pizzas are also easy to make ahead and freeze. Keeping your freezer stocked for easy snacks will be a blessing during the busy weeks ahead!

 

By Kelsey Hagen – Registered Dietitian (Nutritionist)

Revive Wellness Inc.