Do-it-yourself: single servings

One of the easiest ways to be green and keep an eye on your bottom line (and waist line, thigh line, flabby arm line) is to pass up the convenience of single-serve packaging and do it yourself! These days you can find everything from yogurt to Goldfish Crackers to dried fruit and more in handy single-serve containers. But not only do these cost considerably more than their "regular" counterparts, they also generate a lot of unecessary packaging and waste.

With an investment of approximately $2.50 in a set of plastic containers like the ones pictured above, you can make your own ready-to-grab snacks. And it only takes a few extra minutes of your time -- PROMISE!

Here are some ideas:

• Cottage Cheese: Skip the 4-pack of Breakstone at the grocery store and buy a bigger tub. Place 1/4 c. to 1/2 c. of this high-protein treat in each container and grab one to take to the office for a snack or lunch.
• Goldfish, Animal Crackers, Pretzels, etc.: I have a toddler who gets very cranky if there is no after-daycare snack waiting for him in the car. Put a small amount of Goldfish crackers in the containers, and store in the car or pantry. Your kids will get a controlled amount of snack and still have room for dinner!
• Raisins: You really can save money by buying the bigger containers over the pre-packaged mini-boxes. Repackage. Eat. Repeat.
• Yogurt: I don't know about you, but where I work they do NOT recycle plastic yogurt containers. And I hate throwing them away, so I simply buy the 32-oz. container (store brand can be found for under $2) and take a little bit with me each day. I save money AND avoid trashing all those containers. Then I recycle or reuse the big containers at home. Nice!
• Pudding: My husband laughs at my juvenile obsession with pudding, but I love it. I recently found the instant pudding mix for $.45, then made it at home with 2 cups of cold milk (in 3 minutes flat). It fills 4 of the 4-oz. containers perfectly. Dessert, anyone?

Take any of the above ideas -- or whatever else you can fit in the containers -- and spend a few minutes on the weekend repackaging. You'll have convenient, cost-saving and portion-controlled snacks to take with you throughout the week. Happy eating!