Healthy Snack Bin Ideas For Kids

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These snack bin ideas for kids make snack time a breeze and give your kids all the healthy snacks they need. Not into packaged snacks? No worries, there’s lots of fresh, healthy snack ideas listed below too. To go about it the easy way and to help your kids be self sufficient when it comes to snack time, you just need a few things to help you get organized: a snack bin and some snacks!

What is the Best Kind of Snack Bin?

There are lots of different options and ways you can go about creating a snack bin, depending on your kitchen and pantry. If you do not have a separate pantry, it may be better to have a snack drawer, cabinet, or wire basket that you can sit out on the counter. If you have a pantry then a clear bin, storage bin, or box would be great options. I love a clear container because it makes it easy for the kids to see their snack options and makes it easy for me to see what needs to be purchased at the grocery store. For fresh snacks, baskets work well for fruit on the counter, and glass storage bins inside the refrigerator work well for cut fruit. Other options inside the refrigerator include a designated spot, shelf, or drawer, and stainless steel bento boxes to curate a grab-and-go snack bin

Healthy Snack Ideas For a Pantry Snack Bin

Pantry snacks are best if they are individually packaged or portioned out. This way kids can be self-sufficient during snack time. If you aren’t worried about your budget choose pre-portioned options, but to save some money you can buy bigger snack bags and use non-toxic silicon bags to portion snacks out. I save packaged, healthy snacks when we are traveling and a clear bin is so helpful because older kids can just grab and go. The easy way to choose packaged, healthy snacks is to learn how to read ingredient labels. (learn more here) Get comfortable with knowing what ingredients are good and which ones to avoid. Understanding ingredient labels will not only up your snack game but will ensure you are choosing the best options for your family. It’s also important to look for whole food items that will add nutrients to your child’s diet. Snacks that include processed sugars, artificial colors flavors, and preservatives will rob their bodies of vital nutrients, leaving them hungrier than before. Another trick I love is to set fruit out on the counter in baskets or bowls—things like oranges, apples, and bananas. Leaving them out in the open makes it more likely for kids to choose them as a healthy snack. Below, I’ve listed a few examples of healthy packaged snacks and the brands you see in the above image:

• Skout Organic bars – quality, clean ingredients
• GoodSAM sweet plantain chips – use regenerative farming and are a source of potassium
• Blue Stripes chocolate cover cacao beans – quality sweet option that provides many nutrients
• Solely dried mango halves – nutrient dense and pairs great with cheese
• Gimme avocado oil roasted seaweed snacks – amazing source of iodine
• Country Archer ancestral blend beef sticks – my favorite snack for protein and nutrients
• Epic venison and beef strips – quality, grass-fed, ingredients and protein option
• Solely fruit jerky – quality ingredients
• Lesserevil Himalayan sea salt popcorn – uses quality oils instead of seed oils

Healthy Refrigerator Snack Bin Ideas

Some of our favorite snacks are fresh options. Having a snack bin in the refrigerator will give your kids lots of healthy options. You can use a clear bin, shelf, or drawer to store all of the healthy snacks, clear glass containers for fresh-cut fruit, or stainless steel lunch boxes (find my favorite little kids option here and big kids option here). A stainless steel lunchbox is my favorite way to store healthy snacks. I like to combine meats, cheeses, fresh-cut vegetables and fruit. Pre-packing combinations of snacks helps my little one choose balanced options that will fill him up and give him energy (learn more about balanced snacks here). Below is a list of healthy snacks to include in your refrigerator snack bin.

• Clean, deli meats for rollups
• Quality pepperoni
• Raw, organic cheese
• Fresh, seasonal fruit like berries in the summer and apples and pears in the winter
• Fresh cut veggies like cucumbers and carrots are easy to digest
• Dips like homemade french onion or hummus
• Stuffed dates, stuff with grass-fed butter or organic nut butter
• Organic, greek yogurt or skyr cups
• Pasture-raised hard boiled eggs
• Lacto-fermented pickles, look for salt as an ingredient not vinegar
• Homemade beef gelatin gummies
• Guacamole cups

Why You Should Choose Real Food for Your Snack Bins

Choosing real food options for snack time is important if you want to cut down on snacking, are focused on health, and want to provide foods that add nutrients to your diet. All moms know what it is like to be asked 1000 times for another snack, but choosing real foods can help to eliminate (some) of the constant snacking. Nutritious foods are more filling, especially if you choose to make snack pairs for a balanced snack. I go into more detail about the importance of balanced snacks in my blog post, The Importance of Healthy Fats for Kids: Balanced Snack Ideas, but the quick version is that when you are eating a snack that includes protein, fat, then carbs your body will be more satiated afterward. This leads to less snacking and a more nourished child. If possible, try to set a rule that at least one of the snacks per day has to be a real food snack and a balanced snack. Use the stainless steel lunch boxes or any storage containers to pair snacks together creating a simple and seamless snack time.

Shop this Post

• Lunch Bots Stainless Steel Lunch Box (Bento Box)
• Stasher non-toxic silicon snack bags
• Skout Organic bars
• GoodSAM sweet plantain chips
• Blue Stripes chocolate cover cacao beans
• Solely dried mango halves
• Gimme avocado oil roasted seaweed snacks
• Country Archer ancestral blend beef sticks
• Epic venison and beef strips
• Solely fruit jerky
• Lesserevil Himalayan sea salt popcorn