Pantry Organization Ideas & How to Build a Pantry Snack Station

This blog post is brought to you in partnership with Brandless. The opinions in this post are my own.

Keeping a well-stocked pantry is one thing, but organized? That’s a whole different ball game at my house. With three kids coming in and out of the kitchen and their friends coming over to play nearly every afternoon -having a variety of snacks on hand are a must!

In the past, I shared with you a very thorough post on the products I like to order from Brandless, a company that offers a variety of top quality household and kitchen essentials at affordable prices. We are talking non-GMO, organic food, kitchen utensils, and cruelty-free beauty products, amazing health & wellness products at very reasonable prices without the added markup of fancy labels and the middlemen. With Brandless you pay for the product itself, none of the “in between”.

I go more in-depth about all they have to offer here, plus find out how I keep my pantry stocked for easy family meals.

And today, I’ll be giving you a few pantry organization ideas to simplify snack time.

How to Organize a Pantry

Whether you are spring cleaning or getting everything ready for back to school, a little pantry organization is a perfect start to a solid mealtime routine. Below are the simple but effective tips to achieving your #pantrygoals.

1. Empty Everything Out

This is the hardest part but it’s best to start with a clean slate by clearing out every shelf and basket. From there, make two piles, one for the items that will stay and the other for everything you need to donate or throw out.

Next, give the space a good wipe down and map out a section for each category. Which brings me to…

2. Create Areas

Like a well-stocked grocery store, a well-stocked pantry has everything in its place.

To do this, you’ll need to create a section for canned goods, another for baking ingredients, another for sauces, seasonings, and condiments. From there, place the pantry items you are keeping into the respective sections.

3. Get Transparent Bins

Do yourself a favor and purchase those cute storage bins, jars, and containers you’ve been eyeing for a while. Not only do you get to take them home but they’re helpful in keeping the pantry organized.

4. Create a Kids Snack Zone

Keeping snacks separate from the rest of the pantry will let everyone know what’s up for grabs and what’s a future meal. Set aside a special area in the pantry or kitchen, line it with storage containers and stock it with your family’s favorite snacks.

5. Restock on Autopilot

I used to wait until we were “running low” on snacks to place my Brandless order. And, although shipping is lightning fast, there were times where I didn’t have our favorites on hand.

Until I learned that I could create a subscription box with my favorite Brandless items; which helps me stay stocked and I never run out of snacks. #winnning

The subscription box just means that our “regular” items are sent on autoship but I can edit my box to change items out or add one-time purchases -and this saves the environment with fewer shipments.

This also makes me feel good because for every subscription box shipped, Brandless donates two additional meals to someone facing hunger through their partnership with Feeding America®. That’s #dogoodfeelgood

Pantry Essentials

We all know things like pasta, rice, tomato sauce, and canned goods are on the top of the list for pantry essentials. With these items, you can make dinner quick, like Minestrone.

But an important essential that gets overlooked is snacks!

My crew is serious about snack time and it’s one more reason we love Brandless. They offer all my favorite pantry staples and my family’s favorite snacks for the best prices with door to door delivery. You can’t make these things up.

Why your family needs a snack station

If you have kids you know how important it is to have a well-stocked snack area for your own kids and all their friends.

Our house is known as the hangout and having a snack station is the best way to keep everyone satisfied while not eating us out of house and home.

Healthy Snacks for Kids from the Pantry

We’re all aware that snacking can “spoil the appetite” but snacks are an important part of anyone’s day. They help to curb hunger in between meal times and give a good energy boost for activities and sports.

The important part is to make sure you keep healthy snacks on hand and serve them in the right portions, which is why I like to create single-serve portions of crackers, trail mix, nuts, etc. It’s the right amount of fuel and you don’t have to worry about eating an entire bag of trail mix in one sitting. Even good things should be had in moderation, and sometimes kids forget.

Keeping snacks portioned out helps them remember and keeps me from finding half-eaten bags of snacks lying around the house too. Unfortunately, it doesn’t prevent me from grabbing a spoon and going to town on the tub of peanut butter… but let’s leave that story for another day.

List of Snacks to Keep Stocked

A good snack has two qualifications: it has to taste good and be good for you. I’m a creature of habit and always go for the nut butter but my kids prefer beef jerky, granola, popcorn, fruit, cheese, or a homemade energy bite.

Keep a list in mind of what each person in your family likes to snack on, and try to find a healthy version to keep on hand for them to grab when they are needing a boost.

Brandless Healthy Snacks List

I definitely went heavy on the snack haul but since we’ve loved everything we tried so far I wanted to try some new ones. I’ve broken the list down into regular snacks, healthy treat options, and items I would usually serve as party food or an appetizer.

Regular Snacks:

• Cranberry Almond Granola Bars
• Coconut & Almond Granola Bars
• Mocha Fudge Bars
• Peanut Butter Mocha Coffee Bar
• Sea Salt Pretzel Thins
• Everything Pretzel Thins
• Organic Applesauce Pouches
• Sweet & Spicy Beef Jerky
• Beef Jerky
• Roasted & Salted Cashews
• Roasted & Salted Almonds
• Nuts, Dark Chocolate & Fruit Mix
• Sweet & Salty Trail Mix
• Maple Pecan Granola
• Blueberry Chia Oatmeal Cups
• Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cups
• Almond Butter
• Crunchy Peanut Butter
• Creamy Peanut Butter
• Baked Honeycrisp Apple Chips
• Toasted Unsweetened Coconut Chips
• Lightly Salted Roasted Green Peas
• White Cheddar Popcorn

If you need a treat:

• Double Chocolate Cookie Thins
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Thins
• Hazelnut Spread with Honey Graham Crackers
• Cocoa Granola
• Organic Dark Hot Cocoa Mix

Party snacks:

• Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
• Organic Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips
• Tomato Basil Hummus Crisps
• Organic Thick & Chunky Salsa

Why I Stock My Pantry with Brandless Products

Rather than shopping at several local stores, Brandless makes it possible to stock my cabinets and pantry with top quality, organic and non-GMO pantry staples and snacks at the best price. In fact, I’m even ordering my dog’s treats and gear from Brandless these days!

It’s simple, affordable and with the convenience of front door delivery, it’s a force that can’t be reckoned with. Plus, who doesn’t love online shopping and this time it’s for household essentials.

Brandless is absolutely worth it. Everything is top notch in quality and taste! You can take a look at everything brandless has to offer here.