Tell Soreen about your healthy snacks that pass lunchbox police scrutiny- £300 to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

Most Mumsnetters are probably familiar with the concept of the lunchbox police - those whose job it is at your child’s school to ensure pupil’s lunchboxes meet a certain standard. The fact is, whether you like them or not, if there are lunchbox police at your DC’s school, you have to make sure your snacks comply with their rules. This being the case, Soreen want to know about your go-to recipes for healthy snacking that get past the beady eyes of even the toughest lunchbox police officer.

Here’s what Soreen have to say about their Lunchbox Loaves: "We know how hard it is to find a snack for school lunchboxes that’s both nutritious and tasty but Soreen Lunchbox Loaves strike that perfect balance. Available in Malt and Banana flavours with a satisfyingly squidgy texture, Lunchbox Loaves are individually wrapped, low in fat, contain only 95 calories and provide a source of fibre.

If that wasn’t enough, Soreen Lunchbox Loaves are also suitable for vegetarians and meet guidelines set by the Children’s Food Trust for ‘School Foods Standards’ - so you should have no problem getting them past the lunchbox police."

To help other Mumsnetters branch out beyond bread sticks and yoghurt, tell us about your best lunch box recipes for the ultimate police-proof snacks. Post on the thread with your healthy alternatives to chocolate, crisps and cakes and you could be in with a chance of winning a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Little pots of sliced cucumber :)

Cheese and crackers, mini cucumbers, flapjacks, fruit salad and my daughter loves malt loaf!!

I DS received a certificate for a healthy lunchbox the day I sent homemade lemon biscuits in . The rest was admittedly very healthy as we were getting low on food and so I used the ends of everything (think small carrot and cucumber sticks, chopped up fruit salad etc!).

Both DS's like soreen, particularly the banana ones. Or quite often I'll try and make a 'healthy flapjack' where I sneak in some ground seeds. Still full of sugar though.

We all do actually love Soreen, so that is a regular staple in the snack box. I started taking it on cycle rides with me having heard it mentioned many times and as it was in the cupboard it got dished out in the household and everyone else loved it!

It is so hard getting them food past those lunchbox police that they actually like and will eat. I have discovered home made Hummus goes down really well with some veggies to dip and of course easy stand bys such as bananas and i do actually love the individually wrapped soreens.

My DC has a policy of no 'junk' in lunch boxes, there are pictures on the classroom wall of 'yes' and 'no' foods with smiley and sad faces as appropriate. Happily Soreen mini loaves have a smile against them. I regularly add tuna fish and sweetcorn sandwiches, packets of raisins and grapes, and in summer add a frozen fromage fraise tube which keeps the lunch cool until it defrosts in time for lunch.

I put in homemade pancakes - the only ingredients are egg, banana and porridge oats - which are healthy, seem like a treat to the children & have never come back uneaten unlike apples & bananas!

Crudites and dips are brilliant

Have also experimented with 'frushi' (fruit sushi) - Bake blended fruit in the oven on a tray to make a fruit alternative to seaweed, then roll it up with sushi rice and fruit in the middle! (even add a bit of chocolate for a real treat!)

I sometimes make sweet potato crisps instead of crisps - really simple and quick to make and they always go down really well. Tangerine segments dipped in yogurt are another winner.Fruit sundaes have also been successful - yogurt swirled with mushed up strawberry's and topped with almonds and berries.

Either a banana or crackers with cheese triangle and red pepper batons is what usually goes in as a healthy snack.

Home grown food. The taste of home grown cherry tomatoes, peas in the pod, baby carrots, berries etc, taste so much better than store bought & every bit as good as unhealthy snacks

Carrot sticks, home made banana cake, raisins and cherry tomatoes. My son loves original Soreen too, spread with butter of course!

My son is mad on cucumber sticks and hummous in his lunch box...that makes him sound like a saint...he is currently devouring a milk chocolate Magnum as I write this message 😂

Lots of fruit

My go to snack is usually fruit or carrot sticks sometime I do send the little Soreen loaves and they do get past the lunch box police and more importantly do not come back at the end of the day.

One child thinks a radish is an exciting snack - as for the other one I am grateful for school dinners. As for me I could eat a whole malt loaf, must add to online shop!

Crunchy carrot sticks with dip!

Cous cous, in a little plastic pot with a fork seems to go down well. For my ds, I put raisins, cherry toms, cucumber and some sort of cheese like halloumi with lots of olive oil and a pinch of salt. For dd, less adventurous with Just cucumber and cherry toms and olive oil to stop it getting dry. If you use the whole grain cous cous this makes for a healthy snack next to a small sandwich or wrap and some fruit.

Mine would also get a biscuit or some sort of flapjack. They eat a lot at lunchtimes!

home made fruit flapjacks

My children aren't keen on sandwiches and rolls so I send marinated chicken wings and drumsticks for protein or boiled eggs since our chickens like to lay overtime.
Everything they have is homemade and I always reduce the sugar in recipes right down and find it almost never compromises the taste of the end result. We do a big cook up and bake on a Sunday ready for the week, with 4 children and 2 adults we go through a lot of food.

In the kitchen we have tubs of things to pick from and the fridge is always stocked too so they make their own packed lunched from the following,

Seeded crackers,
Breadsticks
Flapjacks with lots of seeds and dried fruit (no nuts for school)
Bananas
Melon wedges
Oranges
Grapes
Yoghurt with fruit purée and/or vanilla essence
Soft cheese for dipping (garlic and herb or lemon)
Cucumber/carrot/pepper sticks
Hummus
Cooked chicken
Boiled eggs
Ham
Fruit muffins
Dense fruit tea loaf (this is great for sports club days and gives them a boost)
Popcorn

Cucumber sticks are the favorite at the moment. Red grapes always go down well too.

Homemade flapjacks, muffins and banana bread

My son has a hummus wrap, a pot of raspberries, pot of strawberries and a organix fruit pot.

fruit is a must, plus carrot sticks and cucumber, then I try and find a bar that has raisins in, that is the naughty bit but really neccessary

My DN loves the banana soreen.