We all know hummus and carrot sticks, or peanut butter on oatcakes, or sliced apple and cheese are nutritious snacks for kids (and us). But a) they need preparation b) don’t translate well to in-car eating and c) are a bit dull.
There I said it; some healthy food is dull if that’s all you eat. Sometimes we want chocolate, or cookies, and it’s no wonder people can’t stick to a healthy diet if all you eat is hummus and crackers.
It’s no secret I have a very sweet tooth. In fact given the choice I’d rather bypass a proper meal and eat a sweet snack instead (though thankfully these days I’ll opt for a protein shake or bar on occasion, instead of Cornetto ice creams and Kitkat Chunkys like when I was a student).
I also have a husband who buys hoola hoops and eats a family pack in one sitting, ditto chocolate chip cookies and chocolate ice cream. The ice cream is organic, but that’s as innocent as it gets.
The idea behind Treat Trunk is simple – they send you a beautifully packaged box of healthier versions of snacks and treats every month.
Snacks vary from month to month and may include seasonal items like for Christmas or Easter, new products you won’t have tried yet, a mix of sweet and savoury, fruity ones, chocolaty ones, drinks, nuts and seeds, and if you have any dietary requirements like gluten free then this can be accommodated. Sally also welcomes and responds to feedback on products included which means theoretically each month’s box will be even better!
All snacks are healthier in some way than their regular alternatives. Lower sugar, higher fibre, free from refined sugar, high protein, dairy free – all of these are possibilities. However I love that founder Sally isn’t dogmatic about every ingredient and acknowledges that sugar isn’t evil, we just need a little less than most of today’s families eat. Therefore snacks in a Treat Trunk box aren’t a substitute for apples and unsweetened nut butter and organic cheddar cheese. They are, though, a brilliant alternative to those family packs of junk filled crisps and snack size chocolate bars you buy because they’re on offer (and somehow ‘snack size’ is justification in your head…..).
A standard box has 20-25 treats in it, while the mini box contains 10-15 snacks.
You can then choose from monthly or quarterly that start at just £19.99.
One off boxes either for yourself or as a gift (gift wrapping is available) are also available I two sizes, with subscribers getting 10% off.
That includes both one off boxes and the first box in a subscription, and you can cancel subscriptions any time.
Mr Filberts Tamari & Miso pumpkin seeds
These were the first thing I tried. The box arrive late morning and I threw then onto a salad with broccoli & tinned crab. It was a ‘rest day’ and I eat more fat and fewer carbs on days I don’t workout, so this was a delicious impromptu lunch.
Pukka Ginseng Matcha Green Tea
I drank this with the above lunch. I’d just woken up from an indulgent morning nap (actually I had a mild ear infection to be fair…..) and needed a pick me up. Green tea always hits the spot and doesn’t leave me groggy like coffee can do.
Montezuma’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Mini Eggs
Is founder Sally a mind reader?! Montezuma’s are local to me in Sussex and I’ve met the creator Helen. Their chocolates are absolutely divine and that’s not me just being geographically biased.
Adonis Turmeric Orange & Brazil Nut Bar
This has only 1.7g sugar in the whole bar, but tastes sweeter thanks to coconut, fruit extract and natural sweetener. Sometimes hubby takes nut bars to snack on at work so I’ll add this to ‘his tin’.
100% Natural Raw Chocolate Brownie
I’m always amazed how close healthy brownies taste to the real thing. In fact when they taste this good why even bother with full sugar and refined flour ones?
Wholesums Whole Veg Popped Chips
Aka healthy veg based crisps. I’m a ‘sweet’ person but the kids love crisps, so they can share this or one can have……
Growers Garden Broccoli Crisps
They look like regular crisps but are made with 27% broccoli! What a way to get them to eat their greens!
The Protein Ball Lemon & Pistachio Vegan Balls
I’ve had these before, they’re delicious and the serving size is just perfect.
Mighty Fine Dark Chocolate Raspberry Coated Almonds
My husband James always gets the chocolate-munchies in the evening in front of the TV but I’ve been trying to steer him towards healthier options. He’s also trying to lose ‘the belly’ before Summer so he’ll love these.
Get Fruit Fruit & Oat Bars, Pineapple & Coconut and Strawberry
That’s tomorrow’s post kids’ gymnastics class snacks sorted then.
Pollen & Grace Sesame & Acai Berry Super Square
A fruity nut & seed bar, I ate this on the way to my Friday night pole dancing class to fuel up. Yum!
Rhythm 108 Super Coconut Bar
10 year old Aurora loves ‘Bounty’ chocolate and so do I (James and Bella don’t) but maybe I’ll be kind and let her have this one.
Deliciously Ella Cashew & Ginger Energy Ball
Another Mum-snack with only 4 ingredients – dates, cashews, oats & ginger. I’m often out all day and this came in handy when I was shuttling between kids’ clubs and didn’t have time to stop for a snack.
Moreish Dates stuffed with Pecan & Crushed Apple
I love dates with have never seen anything like this and they were really good! Extra flavour & texture. I didn’t wat the whole pack in one go. I just picked one up when I needed a pick me up of something sweet.
Moo Organic Dairy Free Rosie Rabbit
This has 6 year old ‘Bella’ written all over it which is fine because Aurora really loves……
Bear pure fruit Strawberry YoYo
Concentrated fruit puree as opposed to refined sugar make these a much better option than sweets, and kids love them so what have you got to lose?
Olly’s Lemon & Thyme Olives
I got creative and mixed these with prawns and vegetables for a quick Friday night supper for one. The whole pack is only 95 calories and it meant I didn’t have a half finished jar of olives in the fridge for weeks afterwards!
Discover Dark Chocolate with Fig & Cashew
Oh my goodness this is divine! Like ‘fruit & nut’ but grown up, but with extra health benefits (from dark chocolate) and it’s sweetened with stevia so the only sugar is from fruit.
Mello lightly salted roasted Watermelon Seeds
Watermelon seeds aren’t the most commonly found seeds but why not? They’re just as nutritious and really tasty. Good snack or in my case another salad topper.
Heath & Heather Organic Oriental Chai & Liquorice tea
Naturally caffeine free, liquorice helps curb sugar cravings. A good thing for me if you see my above comments!
Nairn’s Fruit & Seed Oatcakes
We’re big fans of Nairn’s oatcakes in this house as they’re all natural and perfect for busy children. These come in individual packs, extra helpful for packed lunches or when out and about.
I also checked out a box the month before I got the one I’ve written about above too, check it out here (or watch below), it’s pretty cute as Bella helped out!