Now that the schools have returned for a new year, millions of parents can relax a bit better; no more having to find constant entertainment, no constant request for snacks and food, no more arguing with siblings over nothing. Now there is just the dilemma of what snacks to add to their lunchbox or schoolbag. You don’t want to give them something unhealthy (schools don’t allow unhealthy snacks anyway) but you do want to give them something that is tasty, something that they will enjoy and definitely something that will energise them throughout the day, like a healthy oaty bar.
Piccolo are the nutritional organic snack experts and we have been trying out their brand-new flavour of snack bars that are perfect for the job of school snacks – the Mighty Banana & Cocoa Oaty Bars. They are better than munching on a chocolate bar and have the added bonuses of being gluten and dairy free, organic with no added sugar and suitable for Vegans!
Children not only need a good balanced lunch whilst at school but also good quality snacks to keep up their energy levels, which all go towards aiding their learning. School dinners or a good quality packed lunch can take care of most of their food requirements, but ALL kids want snacks as well. The new Piccolo Mighty Banana & Cocoa Oaty Bars are a high fibre snack bar designed for school lunchboxes are backpacks, developed by an infant nutritionist, so are up to the task.
The Piccolo Mighty Banana & Cocoa Oaty Bars:
- are soft & chewy, textured fruity bars with apple, banana & cocoa
- have no added sugar or salt – only naturally occurring sugars and salt
- have balanced ingredients
- are organic
- gluten free
- dairy free
- no palm oil used to make them
- they are high in fibre
- nutritionist approved
- suitable for 1 year +
- suitable for Vegans
They are the perfect snack for school lunchboxes, backpacks and even picnic baskets as they are high in fibre, soft and chewy multigrain bars to keep the kids fuelled throughout their school day, giving them the energy to learn. They come in packs of six individually wrapped 20g bars, so will see out a school week.
With the schools now back, we wanted a healthy snack to leave in the kid’s school bags. Whilst the youngest will always take fruit with her, the eldest won’t (it’s probably not cool enough) and we want something better than a chocolate bar for their break time. Now, as this is a snack bar they hadn’t tried before it was a good bet that they would both say they didn’t like it (the eldest has this wonderful ability to know that before even trying something, it’s amazing!), so I tried it for myself – and I don’t normally eat breakfast bars / snack bars like this.
My first impression was that the bars are small, they are only 20g. After eating one, it is actually the perfect size for that breaktime snack before lunch. After opening a bar, it is quite soft and textured and after taking a bite I found it is quite chewy, I think I expected something crunchy (I am reliably informed that a lot of bars of this type are not the crunchy type). Now for the taste. They are banana and cocoa flavour, and I could immediately taste banana and fruit but no cocoa, whilst my girlfriend could only taste cocoa and the youngest child could taste fruit (she couldn’t identify what fruit) and no cocoa. For me, the banana flavour was quite strong and sweet but not too overpowering and the chewy texture was pleasing, making the bar very easy to eat. As I had expected a crunchy bar, I was actually surprised I wasn’t eating an oat bar that tasted like a dry bowl of muesli. It was sweet, moist and flavourful. The kids did also quite like them. And being gluten free they were also prefect for my girlfriend, although she still can’t taste the banana for whatever reason.
Overall, we all liked them, and the healthy option makes them perfect for school. They cost around £2.95 for 6 20g bars from Sainsburys (approx. 49p each), so are not the cheapest of snack bars but they are high in fibre, nutritious and tasty all organic bars suitable for Vegans and people with dairy and gluten intolerances and so much better than their unhealthy chocolate bar counterparts (which can cost more).
Piccolo also donates 10% of profits to charities supporting local families. You can find out more about their social purpose on their website at www.mylittlepiccolo.com.
If you are looking for a healthy alternative for your children’s lunchboxes, then you really can’t go wrong with the Piccolo Mighty Banana & Cocoa Oaty Bars. The yellow packaging stands out and is appealing to kids. They are not only healthy, gluten and dairy free and better for the kids but they also meet school standards, are good for digestive and gut development and the perfect size for the kid’s lunch boxes.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £2.95 (Pack of 6)
For more information and stockists, visit www.mylittlepiccolo.com.
