4 Cheap Snacks With Little Prep Time and Easy Cleanup

When mealtime has come and gone, a good snack can be a great way to feel refreshed. There are plenty of choices available in the grocery stores, but they are not always so nice when it is time to check out. Making snacks at home often takes too much time, and it can create a mess that needs to be cleaned up. When it is important to stay within the budget, making snacks at home is the best way to save money. Most of these items can be made using some of the easiest time-saving kitchen tools out there and may only require you to buy a toaster. While there may be a bit of cleaning up, these satisfying snacks can be made quickly, and they can be made without using every dish or utensil in the kitchen for easy cleaning.

Cool and Refreshing

Going through the fresh fruit section of the grocery store for healthy snacks may break the weekly budget. If it is time to find a better solution that will not create havoc in the kitchen to take all day to make, this is the place to start. Never purchase fruit salad again because it can be made at home less expensively with ease. Buy whole fruits like watermelon or cantaloupe in season. Berries can also be bought in season, and they can be frozen whole. Cut up and combine the chosen fruits in a large bowl. Store them in the refrigerator. It only takes a spoon and a small bowl to serve a healthy snack for the entire family. For those who like a little something extra with their fruit, a tub or can of creamy topping can turn it into a special treat.

Neat Cupcakes

One of the issues many have with cupcakes is that icing gets everywhere. They can also be quite pricey when bought from the grocery store or at a local bakery. Cake mixes are relatively inexpensive, and tubs of icing do not cost much more. Mix and bake up the chosen flavor of cake mix into cupcakes, and then let them cool. Rather than slathering lots of tasty icing on the top, put about half a tub of icing into a plastic storage bag after cutting a tiny bit off one corner. Just before the cakes cool completely, stab the tip into the cupcake and squeeze a little icing into it. These treats can be stored on the kitchen shelf in an airtight container and remain fresh for about two days. Store the leftover icing in the fridge for next week’s delicious treat.

Cracker Sandwiches

There are plenty of things that can top a cracker, but it may take too much time to decorate each other with a dab of peanut butter or soft cheese spread. Instead, put the filling into a plastic storage bag that has already had a small corner cut off. Lay out the crackers to be dabbed with the spread and put a second cracker on top. Place them on a plate and serve them immediately, or they can be stacked and wrapped in plastic for a snack after school, work, or in the evening.

Delicious Relish

For those who serve traditional holiday meals with a relish tray, snacking may be easier than ever before. Rather than putting that relish tray away after the holidays, fill it again with gherkins, green and black olives, a selection of pickles, or any other item that comes out of a can or jar that is a family favorite. When it is time to serve, small bowls with forks will work wonders for those who want a cool and refreshing treat that gives them that wonderful holiday feeling.

All of these are just a few ways to get snacking without using a large part of the grocery budget or spending hours creating them and cleaning up. Except for baking time for the cupcakes, they can all be made in less than a half hour. Each of them offers a treat that is delicious, and they are easy to serve the entire family.