Healthy fridge snacks at work

One of the biggest challenges in eating healthy is snacks at work. As part of eating better, snacks play an important role, however having useful ones handy needs a bit of planning. I am no dietician discussing the benefits of the snacks, rather just sharing what helps me to keep going without reaching out for that extra coffee or a cola. When you are working between your waistline and a time crunch, these healthy fridge snacks keep you on track.

Why healthy fridge snacks are important?

The fridge is the first place you will peek into when the hunger pangs hit. Therefore it is the best place to keep some snacks that you will actually eat. Moreover, your workspace may or may not provide a microwave, hence it is optimal to think of a fridge as your first go-to spot.

Planning the space

Depending on your office you may have a larger fridge or a mini one. It is really important to remember that it is a shared space. Get containers that you can clearly see. Wash the fresh stuff, pat them dry and then put them in so you don’t have to spend time washing them. Use dividers or small trays to organise your snacks so it is not so messy and you can grab one thing at a time. You may prefer to label your stuff. Rotate the items you choose in your healthy fridge snack stock. It is best to add a use-by date as well so you know what to finish first as it comes to the end of the week.

Managing the stock

Be aware that if your stuff looks too good, you are bound to get some taste testers and curious coworkers. Though you have a time crunch, it works better when the others are motivated too. Usually, I prefer to stock the fresh ones once a week and the dry ones once in two to three weeks. The bigger packs are always opened and portion sized in boxes or packs before packing them. Otherwise, I will end up eating all in one go!

Be mindful

Space: space is always a thing with small fridges. Often this is where we all disagree. Keep mindful of the space constraint when packing portion-sized snacks.
Allergies: As much as we may know our colleagues, we may not really know what allergies the other may have. High allergens nuts or known allergens are best avoided in the fridge. It is also good to ask few work friends if they have any allergies so you can label the foods accordingly to avoid any accidents. 
Smells: in a fridge, it is easily possible to have string smells take over. So avoid strong-smelling foods.

Keep only the things you actually eat.

It feels natural to be over-ambitious and stock the stuff that you may have on your wish list to try eating in that fridge. Let me honestly tell you – don’t fall for it!  At that moment,  you are looking for comfort and familiarity. Hence, new adventures do not have a place. Don’t keep a huge list for your meal prep to stock your fridge. Either they don’t get made or they stay for the last in the fridge and get forgotten. Keep the balancing act. Some good meal prep ones and some storebought. This actually prompts you to work better on yourself.

Here are the top picks based on reviews from friends family and officemates

There are a variety of quick eats you can store in your office fridge. You can either prepare some of these on your own or rely on storebought. As you buy them keep in mind you are eating healthy. Here are some ideas that you can easily access.

Yogurt: with toppings. a small box or two of yogurt with some sweet or some granola or just plain to top with the berries you have in the fridge are perfect.

Fruit: Berries, fruit cuts, whole snack-sized apples, pears, plums or peaches are great to have in the fridge. I was them, portion size and then pack it for snack time. This ensures I don’t just go on a mindless eating binge. 

Basic Salad veggies: baby cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and baby carrots are the ones that were on the top lists of the people I spoke to. These are fresh and crunchy therefore reducing the craving to catch up on something quick.

Hummus or dips portion-sized hummus packs are brilliant. You can have it with crackers or salad veggies. At other times, I like a bit of cacik or tzatziki to dip my veggies in. 

Dry fruit: not much dry fruit is recommended as it does give you a sugar spike. However, it is a great energy provider that you can keep for a bit longer time. 

Cheese: small bites of cheese is actually so good. Make sure you have a bit of fresh fruit or veggies to have with it. Some weeks I keep grapes to go with the cheese.

Juice and Drinks: Choose wisely here. Avoid sugary drinks and lots of water.

Ideas from this blog

If you are looking for some homemade ideas here is what I store other than the store-bought.

Ladoos: Ladoos have a good balance of grains and sweetness. The ones I prefer are Bajra raisin ladoo or nuts and dates ladoo ( make sure no one is allergic). Lime bliss ball, Quinoa bites all work equally well. 

Grapes platter: If fresh grapes are available I put together a simple stack just like the platter we made. They are wonderful to munch together.

Oats Chivda: Actually this namkeen oats recipe doesn’t need a refrigerator. If there are colleagues who are allergic add seeds and avoid the nuts.

Kale guacamole: If you are making guacamole save a batch to take to work and have with toasties or rice crackers.

Dark chocolate clusters: these are instant satisfaction. You can do a sunflower seeds cluster or one with fresh pomegrante arils.

Crackles: Chocolate and rice crackles are ageless treats. Make sure they are small bites with dark chocolate than the indulgent ones. 

Muffins: Orange muffins, savory cheese muffins or banana oat muffins always hide in my fridge. However, I only keep one or two at a time.

Recipe collections from us

We have added a couple of posts that may come in handy for you at other times. If you haven’t checked them out Try out these links.

Soft food recipes after dental extraction

Moving house recipes

Stay connected

With that 10 minutes that you have to spare between meetings and deadlines on a long-haul day you have to accommodate a washroom break, a quick chat and grab a bite. This is the reality. Now it becomes an absolute necessity to keep little bites handy so you can sustain yourself better. Hope you like this post and that it comes in handy for you. If you are someone who travels and doesn’t have an option for a fridge this can be an option in an icebox in the back of your car too. Stay with us as we explore more ideas that make your life easier. Subscribe to this blog or follow us on our Instagram to get regular updates.

See you in the next post.