Easy Meal Prep Idea for Busy Moms: Mason Jar Snack Kits

Hey there, busy moms! If you’re looking for a simple and practical way to make snack time stress-free, I’ve got the ultimate easy meal prep idea for you—mason jar snack kits! These are perfect for keeping your family fueled with healthy, grab-and-go snacks, but they aren’t just great for kids. They are perfect for sending a snack to work with the hubby, or for staying fueled while breastfeeding or pregnant! Plus, they’re customizable and oh-so-satisfying to put together.

Because…let’s be honest. Us girlies tend to have Mason Jar obsessions and I love finding any excuse to use them in my homemaking. The size I’m showing in this video is idea for grown ups. For kids, I recommend using a smaller wide mouth jar, as these portions would just be too much.

Anywho, let’s dive into how you can make these snack kits part of your home!

Why Mason Jar Snack Kits?

We all know how chaotic family life can get. Between work, school pickups, and endless activities, it can be hard to find time to prepare snacks that aren’t just a bag of chips. Enter mason jar snack kits!

Now, don’t get it twisted, it’s not JUST about convenience around here. These are also a great way to bring a little extra homey-touch to your homemaking. Like, it’s time to romanticize snack time…but in a way that’s actually convenient! Plus, you can always add cute fabrics or ribbon to the lids of these, and take them on a picnic in the Summer…or to the beach…or on a little road trip. Whatever!

Having pre-prepped snacks on hand gives your home that inviting feel, where food is always ready for your loved ones.

What You’ll Need for Your Snack Jar Kits

Here’s the fun part—you get to build your snack kits with delicious and healthy options your family will love. For my mason jar snack kits, here’s what I used (and you can always customize to your tastes!):

• Snack cheeses (string cheese or mini cheese squares work great)
• Summer sausage (cut into bite-sized pieces)
• Nuts (or your favorite small, easy-to-eat snacks)
• Crackers (use cupcake liners to keep them fresh!)
• Protein balls (yes, I’ll share the recipe in a bit)

For some added flair, use festive cupcake liners to separate items. You can even coordinate the liners to match holidays or special occasions—hello, Fourth of July cuteness! You can substitute these ingredients for whatever you like. veggies with a dip cup, other chips/crackers, grapes/fruit on the bottom, whatever your “yum!” Is!

How to Assemble Your Snack Kits

Layering is key here! Start by adding the summer sausage to the bottom of the jar, then stack your cupcake liners filled with crackers, nuts, or other goodies. Finally, top it all off with a protein ball for a sweet but nutritious treat. These layers keep everything neat and separated, so your crackers stay crunchy and fresh. Trust me, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they held up!

Easy Protein Ball Recipe

No mason jar snack kit is complete without these yummy protein balls. They’re simple to make, packed with goodness, and add a nice touch of sweetness to your kits. Here’s what you’ll need to whip them up in no time:

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp flaxseed
• 1/3 cup crushed graham crackers
• 1/4 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• A pinch of sea salt
• Vanilla to taste (optional)
• Bonus: Add a scoop of protein powder for extra nutrition

Instructions for Protein Balls

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix until everything is evenly coated and starts to stick together.
3. Use a small cookie scoop to portion the mixture, then roll into balls (tip: wet your hands slightly to prevent sticking).
4. Store the protein balls in the fridge until you’re ready to pack them into your jars.

Want a little extra indulgence? Try dipping the protein balls in dark chocolate candy melts for a special treat—it’s seriously worth it!

Why This Easy Meal Prep Idea is a Game-Changer

Mason jar snack kits aren’t just about snacking—they’re about adding those special touches that make a house feel like a home. You know I’m al about creating a home that feels cozy, welcoming, and ready for anything. Having prepped snacks on hand ensures that your family never goes hungry during a busy day, and it adds a touch of joy to everyday life.

You can even tape sweet folded notes, or pre-purchased lunchbox joke cards under the lids. Plus, these jars are perfect for all ages, whether it’s your kiddos looking for a fun treat or you needing something quick between errands.

And the best part? Meal prep doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With mason jar snack kits, you’re not only saving time but also making snacks fun and festive for everyone in your household! Whether you’re eating them on a picnic or just grabbing one during a chaotic moment at home, these kits are the perfect combination of practical and delightful.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab some mason jars, raid your pantry, and put together these easy meal prep snack kits! 💕

Having an entire system for meal planning has been a total game changer for me as a work-from-home mom and homemaker.  You can check out my blog post on how I meal plan here, or watch my video on it below. But I’ll give a quick overview of it here, as well as the printables that I use to plan my meals.

First off, I have a recipe master list where I’ve written down all of the meals that we like to eat. Once the sheet was full, then I laminated it and printed another to keep adding as I try new recipes. Then I take my recipe calendar, and pick + schedule meals from the master list. I like to leave one day a week for trying a new recipe, because I LOVE to cook and try new things! After that, I use my laminated grocery list sheet to write out whatever ingredients I need to buy for the recipes. After shopping, is when I make my meal prep kits! I have bins with tags for every day of the week.

On those tags I write what recipe is assigned to that day, what perishable ingredients I will need to pull from the fridge or freezer, and then I place non perishable items into the bins so they’re ready to go. As part of my Domestic Daydreams Radio cleaning routine (you can try a few free episodes here) I clean out the fridge as my Wednesday weekly task. Because of this, I like to do my meal planning, shopping, and prepping on Wednesdays, since I was able to take mental inventory while cleaning the fridge.

A Few Extra Meal Planning/Prepping Hacks

Something else I like to do to make cooking even easier, is I’ll look at all the tags and prep + freeze (if necessary) any of the refrigerated/fresh ingredients I need so they are ready to go. After cooking dinner at night, I check the bin for the next day’s dinner and see what I may need to pull out of the freezer or prep for that nights dinner. This way I’m not caught in a bind of forgetting to defrost the chicken! 😉

This whole process has helped me so much. Making dinner after working all day can be so overwhelming, and if it’s at least all there and ready for me-especially with pre-measured spices and things all taken care of-it makes life so much easier. You can get my whole meal planning system along with the other printables mentioned in this post here.

Anyways! I hope today’s post got you inspired to meal prep some snack jars of your own! Let me know how they turn out, and how you make them your own, in the comments!

Love your homemaking bestie,