The Perfect Plan for Portable Snacks

Last Christmas I was gifted a Mini Bag Sealer. I wasn’t sure exactly what I would do with it at first. I usually use clothespins or a chip clip to keep our pantry items fresh. But last week I thought of a pretty genius idea and have since put that bag sealer to great use! We follow the SCD diet in our home, requiring us to make much of what we eat ourselves. There are very few commercial products that are allowed. This leaves our daughter feeling left out at school when everyone else is eating packaged snacks and she has to pull out a Tupperware of fruit. I am constantly coming up with ways to make her feel less self-conscious and included and this latest scheme was a HUGE win! Here was the plan:

Step 1: Mini Bag Sealer

What is a Mini Bag Sealer? Great question! I had no idea either. There are many brands, but THIS is the one I have. It is rechargeable with the included USB cord. It heats up surprisingly fast…literally in seconds. The charge lasts for hours and recharges quickly. All you need to do is slip the bag in between the Sealer’s two heat strips and press down for 10 seconds. It’s that easy.

Step 2: The Wrappers

The next step in my ingenious plan- the wrappers. Last Halloween I purchased THESE cellophane wrappers to create homemade wrapped Halloween candy for our daughter. Side note: check out the super cute homemade treats Kylie got to enjoy while trick-or-treating below. I folded these 5″ x 5″ wrappers in half and sealed them on the long side. Next, I sealed one short side to make the perfect little snack pocket.

Step 3: The Snack

After using the Mini Bag Sealer to seal two sides, I simply popped a few small, homemade snacks inside and sealed the final side. I even cut a tiny slit one the side near the top (just like ‘store bought’ bags) so Kylie could just tear across to open the bag. Our snack of choice so far has been these Lemon Bar and Coconut Ginger Energy Balls. Three of the balls fit perfectly in the pocket. We have also packaged almond flour crackers with great success to make homemade ‘lunchables’.

The WIN!

Would a ziplock bag work just as well? Of course. And honestly, a Tupperware container is a lot more Earth-friendly. We do use those other methods most of the time. But there is just something about being able to enjoy a ‘store bought’ looking snack at school with your friends. This little extra effort puts a huge smile on Kylie’s face. And that makes it all worthwhile!

Do you have a favorite homemade packaging idea? Please share in the comments below!