With more and more people doing the “work/school from home” thing, an organized home is extra essential. When there’s a place for everything, and everything is in its place, life is good!
But getting organized when your schedule is already hectic might not be as easy as it sounds. The constant demands of, “I’m hungry!” and “When’s dinner?” interrupt your concentration and require attention.
That’s when snack stations come in handy!
Setting up your home to be kid- and adult-friendly gets rid of half the problems! Even when you’re unsure what you want, you don’t have to stand in front of an open fridge and guess.
These seven snack station organization ideas will help you get your kitchen up and running so you can stop being an on-demand chef!
vitamins and minerals
Table of Contents
1. Start With a Storage System for Snacks
When it comes to snacking, everyone has preferences. Some people are all about the sweet tooth, while others need a crisp crunch to feel satisfied.
No matter who loves what in your home, first decide how much access you want everyone to have. Snacking in moderation is okay. Snacking until the food is gone completely is unhealthy.
Invest in pre-packaged snacks to save time and add convenience to your schedule. It’s more cost-efficient to go for bulk-sized options and portion them individually.
Disposable plastic sandwich bags are becoming obsolete as people reduce their carbon footprint. Your family can do its part with reusable snack containers or Mason jars to store munchables.
Once you know how you’ll package the snacks, you can decide where you want to store them so everyone can find them.
2. Create a Pull-Out System
It may help you streamline your day by giving everyone full and equal access to your snack station. If so, a pull-out system is the easiest way to start. Pick a drawer in the kitchen or pantry that is in reach of the littlest hands.
Using a drawer divider, store your now neatly packaged snacks in this space. The divider can separate types of food or split up enough for each person. That way, you can check how much each person is eating throughout the day.
3. Put the Pantry Door to Use
The flat surface of your pantry door is probably wasted space right now. But it’s just right for housing your snack station!
With an over-the-door organizer, your family can quickly see available snacking options. Place the treats you want your smallest members to have access to on the bottom. Put everything else in ascending order.
There might be some empty room once you fill the station with snacks, but that’s best for your storage solutions!
You can use the top of the organizer to store your other food items. This gives you a bird’s-eye view of what needs replenishing before you head to the store.
4. Personalize Their Weekly Snacks
Does everyone in your family argue over who gets what and who took all the good snacks? That problem is solved when you personalize each person’s allotment for the week.
Start by getting some small, basic plastic storage bins or baskets. Add a label for every person in the household.
In each basket, add the snacks for the week and store the finished container on a shelf where it’s in reach. When they run out of favorites, they have to move on to the rest of the goodies. It’s a great way to encourage healthy snack habits!
5. Make Grab-and-Go Baggies
Another way to limit the arguing and junk food binging is to make grab-and-go baggies. One big laundry basket-sized container and eco-friendly disposable bags are all you need for setup.
Inside the basket, store an assortment of small baggies. Keep chips, cookies, fruits, and other snacks in each one.
When someone has a sweet tooth or a craving for something crunchy, they can pick their satisfying treat.
6. Design a School Lunch Station
What’s more frustrating than realizing on your way out the door that you forgot to make lunches? But is it really only your job, or can you create a system that spreads some of the responsibility to your family?
If most kids had their way, they’d load up their lunchbox with junk food and pizza. You can’t give them full control, but you can provide them with structure.
Teaching your child how to pack their lunch and make healthy choices is a good learning experience. If they’re old enough to go to school, they can help you pack their lunch.
You encourage their independence and design ways to teach them. It also frees up your time while helping them learn to make smart choices.
Set up a lunch station with baskets for entree choices, snacks, and drinks. Control how much independence they get in their lunch choices depending on their age.
Remember, the sooner you show them, the sooner you can teach them to do it independently.
7. Use Your Fridge
Do your children seem to have endless pits in their stomachs? Are they always acting like you’re starving them?
Instead of distracting you every time they’re hungry for a snack, let them know what’s okay to eat in (mostly) unlimited portions.
Healthier snacks are the best option for treats that don’t need to be limited. Most healthy foods need refrigeration, though.
Designate a shelf in the fridge to store fruits and vegetables. Then add drawer organizers filled with cheese, baggies of raw fruits and veg, and other yummy but healthy snacks.
With this system, you get a double benefit. You add time to your schedule while also knowing everyone is filling up on vitamins and minerals!
Conclusion
With a handy, organized snack station, the constant demands of “I’m hungry” and “What can I eat?” are no longer a problem.
All it takes is a strategic system and some weekly planning, and your loved ones can snack on-demand!
Author bio:
Caitlin Sinclair is the Property Manager at Portside Ventura Harbor with five years of property management experience and many more in customer service. She loves sharing her passion for her community and looks forward to making Portside Ventura Harbor the place to call home.
