Meal Prep Monday! Part 2

As mentioned last Monday, I would follow up with the rest of my Meal prep series. And next on the list is Daily Snacks.

In my opinion they are THE most important meal to prep ahead. If we don't have snacks in the house that are healthy and pre-portioned then I go to town on anything I can shove in my face, or I just don't eat. Lets face it. I am either way too lazy or busy to have to deal with making snacks on the fly.

Its also a MASIVE time saver. Especially with 2 little ones running around, snack time isn't really a time as it is a "feed me I'm hungry NOW" rage. It can turn sour quickly if I'm not prepared.

For the most part the snacks I prepare are made for my Husband and I, but I also cut up anything the boys need as well. If you take an hour on grocery day It will save you loads of time every day. Time that you could spend on other projects, or just hanging with the kids.

Its no secret, we follow the meal planning and portion control from the 21 Day Fix. I can't live without it now. Those containers have changed my life. So all the snacks I pre-portion are generally measured out to be compatible.

We follow 2 basic guidelines for getting snacks organized.

1. Clean, Cut, and Portion anything that needs to be refrigerated.

2. Portion and organize all non-perishable snacks.

I also like to keep pantry snacks on a level in my pantry my toddler can access. That way, he can grab whatever he wants when he is hungry and I am not too worried if its healthy or not.

For both refrigerated and pantry snacks we like to use snack sized ziplock bags or Rubbermaid modular canisters.

As a general rule I wash most of the produce we get. Their are a few exceptions however. Any berries or fruit with a peel that I can remove. I don't usually wash. I also use paper towel in the base of containers, to keep moisture from building up. Or, with lettuce, to keep them moist so they don't go bad. I found that delicate lettuces wilt faster if I don't.

I created these simple charts for future reference. I like to have them on my fridge or the inside of my pantry door.

As for pantry items, that is a little easier. Cereals, rices, and grains I like to remove from boxes and put into containers. Cereals are generally put in pourable containers because my kids like to use the boxes to stand on. Its also WAY easier to tell how much of something we are low on. Nuts, seeds, and crackers I like to portion into snack sized bags as a quick grab and go. It also stops us from eating a Costco sized box of Gold Fish.

I am always curious about what other people use to keep their fridge and pantry organized. What is your favourite container? What do you do differently?

Next Monday I will be going over how we prepare for our morning shakes. If you like what you see so far make sure to subscribe for updates on new files and posts. Don't forget to check out my Facebook page and Instagram. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week.