You know how some people carry around a gallon jug of water with them all day to remind themselves to drink water and so they can always see how close they are to hitting their one gallon per day goal? Well, I’ve been doing that with vegetables. I pack up these easy and convenient Meal Prep Vegetable Snack Packs at the beginning of the week and challenge myself to eat one per day. They’re always there, ready to go, and staring at me every single time I open the fridge. 👀
This idea is nothing new, but since I’m guessing most of you don’t live with your parents anymore and don’t have your mom nagging you to eat your veggies every day, consider this post as me doing it for her. EAT YOUR VEGETABLES! ;)
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And no, I usually don’t just sit down and eat the entire bowl in one sitting. I eat a little before each meal to offset my appetite, and a little more any other time I’m feelin’ snacky!
DIY Vegetable Trays
I’m always tempted to buy those pre-made vegetable trays at the grocery so I can have some healthy snacks on hand. But I never actually pull the trigger because when I flip them over to look a the price it makes me just about faint right there in the produce aisle. Even the smallest trays are like, eight bucks. Excuse me? No ma’am.
So the other reason I wanted to post about these veggie snack packs is to highlight just how much you’re being charged for someone to simply put vegetables in a container for you. These four large meal prep vegetable snack packs (I have ambitious vegetable goals) are probably close in total size to one of the party-sized vegetable trays at the store, and they only cost me about $6 and maybe 10 minutes of my time, including making my own dressing.
Options for Vegetable Snack Packs
In my meal prep vegetables this week I included fresh broccoli, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, and my Homemade Ranch Dressing. I switch up my vegetables and dressings each week to make sure I get variety in nutrients and don’t burn out. Here are some other ideas for your veggie snack packs:
- celery
- bell peppers or mini peppers
- snow peas
- radishes
- cauliflower florets
- cucumber
- Honey Mustard Sauce
- Hummus (especially the flavor variations)
- Scallion Herb Cream Cheese Spread
- Guacamole
- Lemon Dill Tahini Dressing (Dairy-free!)
What Containers are Best for Vegetable Meal Prep?
Don’t let containers be a barrier between you and your vegetable snack packs. Use whatever you have as long as it gets you to actually try pre-packing your vegetable snacks. You don’t have to have the “perfect” or special containers, just use anything that works. I will say that having the dressing pre-portioned into little cups just makes it that much easier and removes one more barrier between me and eating my vegetables, so I encourage you to portion out your dip or dressing as well.
The containers I use are my 4-cup Pyrex bowls (affiliate link), and these little 2.5 oz. metal dipping cups (affiliate link), which fit nicely in the bowls and have their own little lids. And just as a reminder, you can always find the meal prep containers, kitchen equipment, appliances, and gadgets that I use in my Amazon shop.
Meal Prep Vegetable Snack Packs
Servings 4 About 3 cups vegetables eachIngredients
- 1 lb. baby carrots ($1.49)
- 2 crowns fresh broccoli, cut into florets ($1.69)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes ($1.69)
- 1 cup homemade ranch dressing ($1.02)
Instructions
- Place the dressing cups in the center of your meal prep containers and fill each with about 1/4 cup dressing.
- Divide the vegetables between the four containers, packing them in around the dressing cups.
- Refrigerate the veggie snack packs up to 5 days.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!So tell me, do you pre-pack your vegetable snacks? What is your favorite combo? Have you found any other tricks that make it easier for you to get your vegetables in every day? Share your tips and techniques with the rest of us in the comments below!
Another great reason to pack your own vegetables in REUSABLE containers is the plastic waste you will avoid! I’m often overwhelmed by how much plastic packaging is seen in supermarkets. Aargh!! This idea is a healthy snack, easy to put together & an easy way to get some good stuff in you!! Thanks for having this included in your snack ideas!
I recently discovered that raw asparagus is great for dipping as well! I love this idea, thanks girl!
Ooh I’ll have to try that!
Just tried this out for meal prep and it was a 100% success!!! So simple, yet it was delicious and healthy. This helped me learn a lesson about over-complicating my food :p
We prefer regular big carrots peeled and sliced into long strips. It doesn’t take much time and is a little bit cheaper. I have had too many baby carrots that went soft and slimy before we could eat them up. I can’t wait to try your ranch dressing!
Those snacks are such life-savers, especially for people like me who are binge addicts. I have gained so much weight in just 3 months because of my binging habit. Thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes!
Loads of love!
Laura
https://www.ceraonline.org
Thanks ‘Mom’….. always thinking of me. I’m on it.
Hahah, thank you for the appreciation. You’re a good son. 🤣
This is brilliant!! Can’t wait to try it.
Just a quick update that I tried this idea along with the dip and it was a hit, for me and my kiddos. I ate more veggies in a week than I usually do in a month. Thanks for sharing your great recipes, can’t wait to read more!
Yay!! That makes me SO happy to hear!!
This is genius, so clever that I legit slapped myself thinking «duh! Of course!»
Currently I’m working well into the evening, often not coming home before 22 pm. Which means I get very hungry and tired. Been trying to cut back on unhealthy snacks (cheesedoodles, you clever mistress, why do you tempt me so.) Seeing your post, I made two big trays, it was so good. Being hungry from work, I accidentally ate a whole tray, but that is a lot better than a bag of cheesedoodles or chocolate. So thank you!
So the dollar store sells the big portioned party trays with lids, and in the summer, I’ll buy one and keep it filled with lots of veggies, some fruit and a little meat and cheese. Whenever my kids whine about being hungry and wanting a snack, I’ll pull it out and let the, graze. They love it because they get to pick and choose, I love it because it’s healthy and I don’t spend my entire summer trying to prepare and think of snacks and it’s pretty affordable when you shop sales and seasonal produce. The only rule is that they have to finish one before I’ll refill it, which prevents them from picking out all the grapes and only eating that. Love these little individual ones for myself though!
Ooh! Also equal parts lite vanilla yogurt and peanut butter whipped together for fruit is the greatest dip ever! (I know this was about veggies, but had to share!)
Love it! That rule is so clever, too. :D
Great idea Laura!
I am with you on the green beans and green onions. In addition to Beth’s many suggestions, I also do celery sticks and sugar snap peas.
I usually make a dill dip for veggies. During the summer, I often include raw green beans, wax beans, baby zucchini or yellow squash, and green onions on my veggie trays. (My teenager loves green onions so I include them for him.) Mushrooms are good too.
I used to do this for my packed lunch. I like carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and radishes–with broccoli, caulifower, celery, or apple slices sometimes showing up. Instead of a fat loaded dip or dressing, I included a few kalamata olives–or other olives or pickles (a fave snack is thinly sliced extra sharp cheddar with dill pickles). I no longer eat much salt, but at one time I kept a shaker at my work desk. I also had nuts around for a little healthy fat and protein–just a few seeds or nuts quell my appetite most of the time. Fresh ranch dressing is nearly irresistible–I’ve been known to dip fresh spinach or romaine leaves while making a salad.
Oh wow,
you can eat cauliflower florets and broccoli florets raw?
Yep! They’re deliciously crunchy. :)
Omg-yeah! Whenever I was making salad our dog would race from wherever she was so she could mooch cauliflower & broccoli bites (she loved the aroma of mushrooms too but didn’t know what to do with them, she’d just leave a mushy mess on the floor). Cucumber was another of her favourite treats.
I haven’t done this before, but I have to say this is such a fantastic idea. I carry a water bottle everywhere with me – I think I need to start doing the same with veggies! This will be a great way to use up some of the extra CSA veggies that don’t quite make it into salads or dinners each week too.