Vegan mums netters - advice please - my Teenager is now almostly completely vegan ...... I need some lunchbox ideas!

[Noellefielding]

From M&S.

He now doesn't do any dairy at all and is even objecting to honey .

I have just bought him his first non leather school shoes (exhausted emoticon) they are exactly like his school ones, from M&S £35. At least not as expensive as the vegan shoe websites!

Are there any supermarket products I can stick in his lunchbox that aren't too expensive? I need some biscuits/treats that have no dairy and no HONEY. You are going to tell me to bake aren't you?!

Alpro milk, is it cheaper anywhere at the moment?

(Sound of me sobbing on the floor)

Many thanks

Do you have a Waitrose near you? Their Vegan range is reasonable but I bet it depends on where you live as stores vary don't they. Alpro milk is 2 for £2 at the moment.

We aren't vegan and not in the UK, but I buy a lot of vegan stuff simply because DD1 is allergic to dairy & egg.

If you have an iPhone there is an app called "is it vegan" that lets you scan bar codes and it tells you if it's vegan or not. It works best in the US, I think, but you may find it helps.

Also, there are a few things that are vegan that you might not think of (like Oreos. They are a lifesaver for bribing a grumpy 3yo!)

I hate to say it, but baking might end up actually being simpler as you can control exactly what goes in. I bake a lot of vegan stuff. But I bulk bake. 48 banana muffins. Keep 8 or 10 out for munching and freeze the rest in 1s or 2s, lift them out in the morning they're defrosted and ready to eat at lunch. There are some truly amazing vegan baking websites - and the recipes may be appreciated more by a teenager than a grumpy toddler.

Actually, strike that - make him bake :)

Sandwiches: nut butters, marmite, Tesco own brand dairy-free cheeses and spreads, houmous etc
Lots of snack bars, including all of Nak'd range
Lots of brands of crisps (beware whey powder and lactose)
Banana Soreen Malt Loaf
Oh, there's so much - too much to list!

There are various Facebook groups, such as Suitable for Vegans and The Vegan Womble Chatroom, which are very useful.

Good on your DS!

If he's a teenager can't you tell him to do his own research and tell you what he wants you to buy then make his own lunches? Why are you doing it?

vvviola I think oreos might be among the small list of things that are vegan in the USA but not in the UK as different factories use slightly different ingredients.

There are very limited ranges of vegan sweet treats - but I agree with TeWiSavesTheDay - any teenager who conscientiously becomes vegan should not be expecting his mum to source appropriate food for him. He needs to take his own nutrition as his own responsibility - vegans need to understand nutrition very well to keep healthy. Give him broad criteria for what an acceptable lunch should contain (e.g. target for protein content, fruit & veg etc) and leave it to him to source.

A school packed lunch is only 5 out of 21 meals in a week - there's another 16 meals each week for opportunities to make up for any deficiencies in food-group coverage and variety of what goes into the packed lunch box.

Really FishwithaBicycle???! Oh no! We're heading back over that side of the world (leaving NZ for Ireland in January) and I was consoling myself with "at least if reading the back of every packet gets too much again, I'll have Oreos as a standby until I figure out which treats are safe".

(Sorry for the bad advice OP )

He's a teenager. Make him sort it out!

Avocado/vegan cheese/vegan 'meats'/salad leaves/beans (best in wraps) in a salsa or sauce

You can buy bean salads from any old supermarket really. Add avocado or marg to a wrap and you're done.

Vegan cheese-tesco or morrisons near us do this.

It depends what he likes?

Vegan 'meat' and salad is fine on its own with marg or salad or vegan mayo (our nearest morrisons does vegan mayo as does Holland and Barrett).

Some of this is simple, others for the adventurous only.

vegansoulpower.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/50-vegan-sandwiches.html

Oreos are ok in the UK now, we changed our recipe

Oreos, jammy dodgers, foxes chunky dark chic chip cookies are all vegan. Free from section of most supermarkets will hive you vegan millionaires shortbread, rocky road and tiffin (expensive but good for treats).
Marks and spencer will have a list of products suitable for vegans, as do Tesco.
If you have a coop nearby they have packs of 5 custard or jam doughnuts that are vegan. Just bow they have Christmas ring doughnuts that are,really nice.
Swedish Glace ice cream (black hexagonal tub) is really creamy and lovely and also available in most supermarkets.
Don't despair, there are so many more vegan products out there than when I went vegan as a teenager 24 years ago. Also want to add good for you being so supportive

lot of junk here -the Nakd bars are 35% sugar!

I agree - let him work out his own healthy diet (including the B12 supplements) and help with the shopping and cooking.

doesn't mean he shouldn't do it, but vegans need to work harder to get all the right nutrition.

for instance:
www.veganhealth.org/articles/bones#reccal

I highly recommend "vegan special offers UK" which is a group on facebook that you or your son can join. There is usually alpro on offer somewhere (and loads and loads of other vegan stuff), and people post on there as soon as they spot the offer. If it's soy milk you are after though, consider trying the supermarket own brand. Even the basics brand has all the added vitamins and minerals and tastes just fine.

Someone has just posted about Lotus biccies on the fb group that are in snack packs available at Poundland.

The nakd bars are great, no added sugar, it's just sugar that is naturally occurring in the fruit contained in the bars. 2 for £1 at Superdrug and sainsburys at the moment I think.

dark chocolate often dairy free...and Oreos are a good shout... And I second the posters saying your son should do some of the researching ;) it's all available on the internet so it won't be hard.

Tesco sell frozen falafels for £1 that could be cooked the night before and a few chucked in the lunch box the next day.

Well done for being such a supportive mum, he will never forget this :)

Are there any mums of teenage vegans out there? i would love some moral support. I am not even vegetarian, I feel really overwhelmed trying to feed the incredibly disparate diets in this one house!

Oh I've just realised I started this thread!
I am flagging at the moment, he is SOOOOO hungry, he ends up eating tons of cereal, I need to fill him up but it's really hard. He is so carb hungry. I think I'm spending a fortune as well...

Hi Noelle, I feel your pain! [hug]

It's possible I may have the perfect answer for you!

IMO, pizzas beat sarnies hands down in a lunch box.

Teenagers love pizza, right?

So, let him make his own vegan pizza!

I've got loads of ideas and recipes on my blog - but start him on this one - around 70p for a 25cm pizza.

He can make a couple over the weekend, sometime, cut them into quarters or thirds, stick them in the freezer and take out one each day!

I have to say my favourite topping is Pateole mushroom spread (available from your local HFS or H&B) and vegan pesto, but once he's made a pizza base he can start inventing his own toppings.

It's a good age to start - I have a young friend who reckoned she paid for half her social life at uni by making and selling pizzas to her fellow students!

Good luck, and if he needs any advice, tell him to get in touch!