Portion sizes are so confusing.  The other day I was drinking a natural soda thinking it was only 90 calories, until my husband pointed out that there were two servings in a can.  Who opens a can of soda, drinks half, and saves the rest for another day?

It’s hard to keep tabs on calories when you are snacking from a big bag of chips or a box of cookies, so I can certainly see the appeal of pre-portioned snack packs, especially the 100 calorie packs.  But think of all the extra packaging that goes into those snack packs.  Here are a few ideas to help you make your own snack packs.

When snacking at home, use a small dish, mug, or even a measuring cup to keep your portions in control.   I have small yellow dessert dishes (above, filled with Barbara’s Bakery Jalapeno Cheese Puffs, otherwise known as Allie’s healthy eating kryptonite) that I use to portion out snacks.  I measured one using water and a measuring cup.  They have a ridge on the inside that measures at 1/2 a cup and full they hold 3/4 of a cup.

If you are committed to washing out baggies, you can use those to divvy up your snacks.  Or use small reusable plastic containers.  Better yet, use jars you’ve saved and washed, or 1/2 pint Ball jars.   And I bet that for some dry snacks like nuts or pretzels, Organic Needle’s fabric produce bags would do the trick.

Of course, I still go back for seconds when I shouldn’t or snack out the bag from time to time.  Who doesn’t?  I’m far from perfect, but when I’m trying hard to exercise self control, this is one of the simplest, waste-free ways to go.