How to Make on the Go Tube Snacks With a Foodsaver Machine

I love healthy snacks that i can eat on the go, but i hate the extra cost of buying pre made individual snacks. So, when i finally got up the courage to buy a food saver,(on sale) i thought i would try some new ideas out on it. it is inspired by 3leftturns'  instructable Backpacking food packets.   (link below)
https://www.instructables.com/id/Backpacking-Food-Packets/ 

You can use this method to make on the go packets for lunches or just for a quick snack when you need a pick me up. So far I've tried apple sauce, pudding, yogurt, and juice with great success, but experiment with different things and see what works for you.

Step 1: Materials (aka the Stuff You Need)

So, you need these things: 

scissors
knife(if you don't have above)
spatula
spoon
wet cloth
food saver in the model and brand of your choice

and of course you're going to need some kind of liquid or sauce type food (i used yogurt)

Step 2: Preparation (aka Making Your Bag)

Now you need to pull about 8 to 10 inches down from the roll inside your food saver and cut it using the built in cutter ( if yours doesn't have a built in cutter cut it with the scissors)

Next, poke about two inches into the slot where the machine seals the edge into a bag and press the 'seal' button once.

Great! Now you should have a 6-8 inch bag with one end opened and one end heat sealed. Now open the bag.

Step 3: Insertion (aka Putting Your Stuff in the Bag You Just Made)

Ok so now put the stuff in the bag and flatten it out so it looks kind of like the pictures...

Step 4: Sealing

Do what you did when you first sealed the bag only dont push the button and press down on back of the bag to minimise the amount going into the machine. Don't forget your two inches.

Step 5: Done

Your done. You now have a individual on the go snack that costs way less than the store brand. 
Don't forget if your snack is meant for the refrigerator keep it refrigerated or use a ice pack in your lunch bag.

Happy Food Saving.



Trouble shooting:

If it doesn't seal all the way, open the machine and clean out the drip tray and re-seal.

Comments

[idlebidle]

So this is old, and I haven't searched for any other similar things, but it seems to me you could get efficient about sealing the sides (less waste) and follow a different procedure which is less messy.

How about:

1. seal one side.
2. Cut desired width.
3. Seal that side. (now you just have a sealed bag with nothing in it)
4. Cut an end off.
5. Fill from the end.
6. Seal the end.

I think I might give this a try.
You could use this on dry snacks too. The plastic is more durable than sandwich bags, so it would be good for treking.

[Lorddrake]

not trying to be mean .. but i'm not seeing the savings here.

unless you are getting your bags for free or way cheaper than retail ...

a 20 foot roll of bag material is $11.99 ... given that you can make 30 8" baggies from one roll

the box you show is an 8 pack .. each tube is 2.25 oz of yogurt = 18 oz per box

if you make your homemade tubes with the same amount you would use 67.5 oz of yogurt to fill the 30 baggies you made

67.5 / 18 = 3.75 8 packs (since you can't buy .75 of a box we will round up to 4 boxes)

4 * 2.79(cost per box) = $11.16

so for less than what a roll of bags(not even figuring in the cost of the yogurt) cost you can get the same amount by buying pre-packed

that being said ...

this may not be a huge cost savings .. but it is a great idea since you have more control over portion size and content. also as you showed in the last step .. you are not limited to what the manufacture decides to offer you .. you can put whatever you want into the bags.

overall .. great instructable ... thanks for another creative way to use the vacuum sealer.

[fairytopian]

I know it's probably not cheaper, i just thought it was good for camping and stuff. My original thought was for the juice, to make a camelback type thing but it sort of mutated into this.It was fun to make anyway.

[Lorddrake]

don't get me wrong .. i like the idea ... I was just pointing out the math.

for opening the tubes ... does notching the plastic work or do you need to have a knife/scissors to get it open?


so did you ever succeed in making a homemade camel pack? .. would be interested in the details if you did.