Because they are quick, nutritious and delicious, they make a fantastic lunchbox snack. You can always dial up the nutrition factor by utilising the beneficial fats contained in butter, controlled amounts of natural sugar, and the vitamins, minerals in the seeds

These are not like your average crunchy Muesli bar. Rather, they’re a softer, crumblier (but not too crumbly) version and make a great option to keep your kids happy, full and focused at school.

Because most schools have a nut-free policy, I have omitted nuts in favour of seeds for this recipe. Maybe you could add some almonds to a batch for home use!

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, take a look at my new recipe ebook which is getting rave reviews, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Oats
Spelt flour
Coconut sugar
Desiccated coconut
Sunflower seeds, pepitas
Chia seeds
Dried apple, Sultanas, Apricot, Cranberries
Cinnamon
Vanilla powder
Raw honey

Print

Muesli Slice

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup of organic oats
• ½ cup spelt flour
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• ½ cup dessicated coconut
• ½ cup mixed of sunflower seeds sesame seeds, pepitas (your choice)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/3 cup chopped dried apple or you could use sulphur-free sultanas, sulphur0free dried apricot or sugar free cranberries
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
• 90 g butter
• 3 tablespoons natural yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

• Grease and a 3cm deep, 16cm x 28cm (base) baking pan
• Pre-heat oven to 175 degrees C
• Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
• Melt butter, add honey and yoghurt and stir well.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until mixture sticks together.
• Press evenly & firmly into the baking pan.
• Bake for 20-25 mins or until top is golden.
• Cut into squares when hot and allow to cool.
• Once cold remove individual squares from pan and store in air-tight container.

Notes

I like to freeze them and pop a couple into the kids lunchbox each morning.
Once cold remove individual squares from pan and store in air-tight container.

If you make this recipe please do take photos and send them to me.

If you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook. I get a total kick out of seeing you bring my recipes to life. 

And remember, if you haven’t already, grab your copy of Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes here.

Similar recipes you might like are Raspberry Swirl Slice and Apple Crumble Slice.

Bren x

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! And by everyone, I mean Mums.

I’m never quite sure where the apostrophe goes in ‘Mother’s Day’. That’s true of most apostrophes, bothersome little things that they are, but is that the right place? Or is it ‘Mothers’ Day’, as in the collective noun that describes a hotbed/brilliance/sparkle of Mothers? Whatever the case, in this house it will be ‘Mother’s Day’ (there being only one, as far as I know), where my agenda will include lots of things that make life very simple … for me.

Specifically, I’m expecting:

– no responsibilites (I’m not here, I’m not here … unless you’re spoiling me)

– no decisions (which, granted, could go pear-shaped if history is a guide)

– a general smattering of spoiling by my family (so I hope you’re reading!)

– no apostrophes

– palm leaves and grapes (soaring too close to the sun?…)

– breakfast in bed (no, hubby, you’re not invited – get your apron on)

When I thought about brekky, it dawned on me (get it? get it?) that I had so many breakfast ideas on this little blog of mine, and I had quite forgotten how many. So, strap yourself in for a short compilation of some of my favourite brekkies. ‘Get your orders in early’ is my advice!

My latest and favourite is the Date and Walnut Muesli. It’s so totally simple that it can be prepared the night before in 5 minutes flat, even by males (well, 25 minutes and four days for them). It’s so full of goodness and it’s great to know that some of the ingredients are boosting my immune system. This is a great one for the kids if they want to do it themselves and serve to Mama with some extra yoghurt and fresh fruit.

I haven’t made my famous ‘Notella’ for a while, so bring it on so I can lather it onto some Spelt and Buckwheat pancakes, or some Sonoma Spelt Sourdough bread. It’s so simple to make in the food procerssor or Thermomix, I think the kids could handle this one on their own. Dad could help them out with a warming cup of chai tea to accompany. Mmmmmm!

But what if I’m feeling in more of a savoury mood? Well, cue my tasty Egg Muffins, which never let me down. I just hope the kids remember that I particularly love them wrapped in a piece of organic bacon, or they could ‘surprise. Perhaps a variation like spinach and ricotta! Just as long as they remember the cheese please (love the stuff!)

Any recipe that includes the words ‘coconut cream’ or ‘ginger ‘ automatically gets my vote. So a steaming bowl of my Coconut and Ginger Infused Rice Porridge would be a welcome breakfast in bed. So nourishing and grounding and made out of only properly prepared natural ingredients. Yum!

These Date and Cinnamon muffins are a cracker! With the gorgeous richness of dates and the warming sweetness of the cinnamon, it’s a match made in heaven! Plus with all the added benefits of vitamins and minerals and the cinnamons’s blood-stabilizing effects. These would be complemented beautifully with a steaming mug of hot chocolate made from my ‘Notella’ stirred into some hot milk. So indulgent, but still so healthy!

What’s your favourite Mother’s Day breakfast? I’d love to hear from you!

If you are interested in finding out my families top 10 breakfast recipes then sign up for a copy of my free breakfast ebook here.

Bren x

As outlined in my Big Batch Bircher Muesli post, Swiss nutritionist, Dr. Bircher-Brenner was the inventor of Bircher Muesli and believed that the raw, natural ingredients were essential to health and healing. The grated apple in the muesli, for example, is choc-full of awesome vitamins and minerals, not to mention adding some chopped seasonally fresh fruit on top for a nutritious sensation! I’m not overselling it, you’ll see …

The deliciously sweet and chewy dates kind of melt into the mixture overnight. They are easily digested and contain lots of fibre and nutritional goodness which protect our eyes, skin and mucus membranes, and from certain types of cancer. The crunchy walnuts soften in the mixture overnight, and add a lovely subtle texture to the bircher once soaked.

In a nutshell (pun intended), the Omega 3s found in walnuts help us in all sorts of ways, such as protecting against heart disease and cancer, and even mental illness.

Bircher is a perfect way to start the day, makes a great snack, and is perfect for the kids to take to school.

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration take a look at my popular ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes. It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved and take the guess work out of what delicious, healthy food to pack your kids for lunch!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Rolled Oats
Walnuts
Medjool Dates
Cinnamon

If you make this recipe and share on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

Some other breakfast recipes you might like are Brenda’s Breaky Balls and My Favourite Homemade Granola.

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Last Saturday I had one of those days. I was unstoppable! Which is another way of saying I was in a snowball-like frenzy. Yes, we’ll mash anything in this house, whether it’s food or grammar! Anyway, while Master 10 and his dad were doing the cricket and golf run, Miss 7 and I had the kitchen production line set to 11, churning out a variety of beauties.

While I like to create my own recipes, I adore discovering, trialling and sharing recipes by other wellness mums. As a result, we had lots of nourishing goodies to see us through the week, which dramatically reduced the drama of ‘what should I cook today?’

Here’s what I made:

Nectarine sorbet

Thermie made this delicious icy treat with only 4 ingredients – nectarines, coconut sugar, egg white and ice cubes. We had it as a special after dinner treat over a few nights. Mr 10 is desperate for a mango version so I’ll get onto that this weekend.

Choc-Mint Fudge

This one was made specifically for the lunchboxes, but has been gobbled down by guests on two occasions for afternoon tea. I love the extra boost of nutrition with the addition of pepitas. Pepitas are full of goodness like magnesium, zinc and Omega 3’s.

The recipe is by Cut Out the Crap and you can find it here

Gluten-Free Banana bread

I am mindful of reducing the wheat and gluten load when cooking for my family, and this recipe by Alexx Stuart is a total gem. It’s the second time I’ve made it, but this time I included the ginger. The whole family enjoyed it toasted for breakfast with a side of cinnamon yoghurt and frozen berries.

Mayonnaise

This is the best recipe ever! Another thermomix recipe from the awesome Quirky Cooking. I didn’t add the shallots cause I didn’t have any, and raw shallots don’t really agree with me anyway. Also, I used a mix of Avocado, Macadamia and mild Olive Oil. We dolloped it over fried barramundi one night and chicken schnitzel the next and dipped our vegetables in it both nights. Mr 10 has requested some chicken schnitzel for his lunchbox and demonstrated the (huge) size of the container to be filled with mayonnaise to dip his schnitzel strips into!

Pizza

Thermomix sure got a work out today! Next on the list was pizza dough, which Thermie conjured in a flash. I use Quirky Cooking’s spelt flour pizza dough recipe. We made the dough for pizzas to have the following night and topped them with home-made pesto, lightly fried garlic, red onion and kale, fresh mushroom and goats cheese. And there were leftovers galore for the kids lunchboxes. Yipeee!

 

Huevos Rancheros and Vegetarian Nachos Sauce with Kidney Beans

I was exhausted by the end of the day, but had two hungry men heading home and Miss 7 starting to bug me about dinner. Somewhat ironically, I couldn’t think of a thing to make! A deep breath and a quick search later, and Quirky Cooking saves the day again. This recipe is sure to become a family staple, it took 10 minutes to make and hit the spot after a long, but productive, day in the kitchen.

I also had some brown rice soaking to cook the next day so I could make the kids some sushi rolls for their lunch boxes.

The next day I spent lazing about the beach and swimming in the ocean – it’s all about balance, after all!

Do you ever have the urge to cook all day? What do you like to make? I’d love to hear from you.

If you are keen to learn about how you can create nutritious real food lunchboxes and how to make some of my favourite lunchbox recipes, check out my next workshop here.

Bren x

Having had some issues with wheat and gluten intolerances in the past, I set about creating a gluten-free alternative that would be just as tasty as the popular versions of tart bases. A brief flirtation with trial and error that included different ingredients and measures, and I was there.

I now make several variations of the crust and filling. It’s really hard to go wrong!

The recipe below is one my whole family loves, and as soon as my husband discovers this post, I’ll be making some more I’d imagine!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Rolled oats or quinoa flakes
Raw almonds
Raw cashews
Maple syrup
Coconut oil
Ground cinnamon
Salt
Cacao powder
Honey or maple syrup
Vanilla powder

Print

Chocolate Mousse Tarts

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• TART BASE
• 1 cup rolled oats or quinoa flakes
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablesppons coconut oil
• 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• pinch of celtic sea salt
• CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
• 1/2 medium avocado
• 1/2 medium banana frozen if possible
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch celtic sea salt

Instructions

• BAKED TART
• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
• Grease a 12 hole muffin pan very well
• Blend the oats or quinoa flakes in food processor until they are fine and crumbly and then pour into a mixing bowl
• Add the almonds and cashews to the food procesor and blend until fine and crumbly
• Add the oats or quinoa flour back into the food processor along with all the remaining ingredients
• Blend until everything comes together, is sticky and holds together.
• Press 1 tablespoon of the dough into the greased hole and spread evenly & thinly around the base and sides
• Bake in a preheated oven for approx 10- 15 mins or until golden brown.
• Leave to completely cool down.
• CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
• Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and spoon into the cooled baked tarts and serve.

Notes

Be sure to grease the muffin tins well.
I love these with a dollop of pure cream on the top, some raspberries, sliced strawberry or banana.
Leftover chocolate mousse can be stored in the fridge for two days and be added to leftover tarts when ready to serve.

Bren x

My kids have different palates, one loving banana muffins, the other preferring anything that has even a passing resemblance to berries in it. But they both love coconut, which not all kids do.

In order to stop myself going completely na-na by making multiple batches, I base my mixture around banana, and create varying flavours from there.

According to your little blighters’ tastes (or your own), try adding dark choc chips to the plain banana, or add raspberry or strawberry to the mixture to make those flavours dominate. You can even increase the amount of cinnamon or coconut to your little heart’s desires!

Because muffins are the 8^th wonder of the world, it’s hard to go wrong. With the mix ‘n match, it’s impossible!

They are great for breakfast, afternoon tea, and make a perfect healthy lunchbox snack.

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, take a look at my new recipe ebook which is getting rave reviews, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Spelt flour
Baking powder
Salt
Coconut sugar
Desiccated coconut
Ground cinnamon
Milk
Vanilla powder

Print

Mix ‘n Match Muffins

Lunchbox friendly

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 125 gms melted butter slightly cooled
• 1 egg
• 1.5 cups milk I ran out of milk so used natural yoghurt this time and it was yum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 medium ripe bananas mashed
• 1/2 cup berry of your choice we like raspberries and blueberries, add a full cup if adding to the whole mixture

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a 12 hole muffin tin
• In a large bowl sift spelt flour, baking powder and salt. Add coconut sugar, desiccated coconut and cinnamon and mix well
• In another bowl add butter, egg, milk and vanilla essence and stir well
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients then add banana and stir until mixed through but make sure not to over stir (if mixture appears a little dry you can always add another egg or a bit more milk)
• Spoon the banana mixture into half the muffin holes, filling the hole to ¾ full
• Then add your preferred berry to the remaining mixture and gently stir through and spoon the mixture into the remaining holes
• Sprinkle muffins with desiccated coconut
• Bake in oven for 20-25mins or until lightly golden brown

If you make this recipe please do take photos and send them to me.

If you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook. I get a total kick out of seeing you bring my recipes to life.

And remember, if you haven’t already, grab your copy of Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes here.

If you liked this recipe you may also like these  other delicious muffin recipes –

Date & Cinnamon Muffins

Apple & Carrot Muffins.

Bren x

Simply pop all the ingredients on the stove while you get the kids lunchboxes ready for school. Within 15 minutes you have a delicious, creamy & comforting porridge that will have the kids’ spoons licked and their tummies full to start the day!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

3 cups of leftover brown or white rice

3 cups of milk, I choose raw milk, but almond, rice or coconut all work well

1 cup of water

1 dash of cinnamon

1 – 2 tablespoon’s of honey or ¼ cup of coconut sugar to taste

¼ tsp of vanilla extract or half a vanilla bean, split

¼ cup of raisins (optional)

Chopped or sliced fruit in season,

Nuts & seeds

Toasted coconut flakes

Preparation:

Combine the rice, milk, cinnamon & vanilla in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Then reduce heat to a low simmer for approx 15 mins.

Check consistency half way through and add more liquid if needed

Serve in bowls topped with seasonal sliced fruit, nuts and seeds, toasted coconut flakes or home-made granola. A dollop of yoghurt and an extra shake of cinnamon won’t go astray either.

ful life bites:

Although brown rice is more nutrient-dense, there isstill nutritional value in white rice. It contains protein, carbohydrates, iron, and some B vitamins.

Enjoy!

Bren x