This week I threw together this tasty Potato and Zucchini Slice for lunch and it was massive tasty hit for the whole family! Make a double batch and voila, you have lunchboxes set for the next day!

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:

Spelt flour or gluten-free flour
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Dried rosemary

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Potato and Zucchini Slice

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 10

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 2 large zucchini grated and moisture squeezed out
• 6 cooked chat potatoes skin removed and cubed (slice some for the top) OR 2 medium raw potatoes, peeled, grated and moisture squeezed out
• 1 cup parmesan grated
• 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
• 6 eggs lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup spelt flour or gluten-free flour
• ½ cup butter melted
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C
• Grease and line a 20 cm x 20 cm baking tin
• Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
• Pour into the baking tin, pop slices of potato on the top, brush with olive oil and sprinkle over rosemary.
• Bake for 30 – 35 mins until golden or when eggs are firm.
• Serve with your favourite salad or cut up vegetables

Notes

This slice would be dee-lish with some chopped ham or chopped cooked bacon!

I love seeing you create my recipes, so please send me your photos.  And if you share on social please tag me on instagram @brendajanschek or facebook.

Other recipes you might also like are my Mini Quiches and Healthy Lasagna.

Bren x

This pie offers perfect healthy comfort food for those cold wintery nights or when teamed with a big, crispy salad is perfect for those warm summer nights too.

If your body does better without too much wheat or gluten, just keep a serving  of the chicken mix just for you before it meets the pastry. Enjoy it with the sides suggested in the recipe below. It’s truly delicious!

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Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• Olive oil or ghee
• 1 medium leek chopped
• 1 brown onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 600 grams chicken thigh diced
• 1/4 cup home-made chicken stock
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons thick cream
• 300 grams mushrooms sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons spelt flour or rice flour if gluten free
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 1 teaspoon herbamare optional
• 1 teaspoon dulse flakes optional
• pinch of sea salt and pepper
• 1 sheet of shortcrust or puff pastry - I use the Careme brand or Pampas All-Butter pastry
• 1 small egg lightly beaten

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
• Heat some olive oil or ghee in a large frying over medium heat.
• Gently fry leek and onion for a few minutes until translucent, then add garlic and fry for a couple more minutes.
• Add the chicken and fry for approx 10 minutes or until just cooked, stirring it around intermittently.
• Add the mushrooms and fry for a few more minutes.
• Add spelt flour, stir in and fry for 1 minute.
• Gradually add the liquid, followed by the mustard, herbamare and dulse flakes, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Put the chicken mix into a baking dish ( I used was 29cm x 9cm) and cover with the pastry.
• Brush on the lightly beaten egg and using a sharp knife puncture a few slits through the pastry
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden.
• Serve with steamed vegetables, cauliflower mash or big garden salad

Enjoy!

While you’re here you may like to check out my popular recipe 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! 

Other chicken dinner recipes you might like are Oven-Fried Chicken and Easy Chicken and Vegetable Casserole.

Bren x

I took advantage of the cool change the other day and snuck in a wintery meal which I’d been planning to make, but hadn’t got around to – until now. Knowing that my opportunities would diminish as the summer really kicked in, now was my chance.

I pulled out my Thermomix Everyday Cookbook to make the Cauliflower Soup recipe, but found the recipe evolved right before my fingertips into a more nutrient-dense version that had my family licking the bowls! Memo to self: don’t take them out in public!

This soup is perfect for dinner or packed to take to work or school for lunch.

I’m often asked how to keep the food hot until lunchtime.

Well, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Boil the kettle and then pour the water into the thermoses, be sure to pop the lids on
2. Heat up the food
3. Pour out the hot water  add the warmed up food into the container,  then pop the lid on immediately.

Here are my fave insulated jars which have lasted me years:

Lunchbots Insulated Stainless Steel Container 470ml 16oz
In these containers I pack soups, pastas, any hot meals and also cold salads.

Goodbyn Insulated Food Jar 12oz 350ml – Blue
I like this smaller size option to keep things cool like yoghurt, granola and fruit, overnight oats or to keep things warm like the chicken nuggets or smaller serves of things like soup, stew, pasta.

If you’re looking for more lunch inspiration, take a look at my recipe 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!

There’s even a delicious recipe for Kale and Cannelleni Bean Minestrone which my kids love taking to school in their insulated container.

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:

Chicken stock
Salt
Nutmeg

So I’m excited to say this is my first (adapted!) Thermomix recipe, but an easy one to make the conventional way too.

Here’s how to make it both ways:

Print

Cauliflower and Potato Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 6

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 30 g parmesan cut into cubes (optional)
• 600 g chicken stock I used home-made for all it's benefits or 300mls chicken stock and 300mls water
• 600 g cauliflower cut into small florets
• 3 medium potatoes diced
• sea salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1/4 cup cream
• pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

• Place parmesan into mixing bowl and grate 10sec/speed 9. Set aside.
• Place stock/water, cauliflower, potato and salt into mixing bowl and cook 15min/100 degrees C/speed 1
• Add butter and cook 5 min/100 degrees/speed 1
• and Blend 1 min/speed 9, gradually increasing speed from speed 1 to speed 9
• Add parmesan and cream and blend for 10 sec

Notes

CONVENTIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
Grate 30g parmesan. Set aside.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add cauliflower and potato and sweat with lid on for  10 minutes. 
Add stock and salt and bring to boil.
Simmer with lid on for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Pour contents into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

If you know someone who could use some inspo in the kitchen, please share this recipe with them.

And if you make any of my recipes please take photos and send them to me, or if you share them on Facebook or instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. I get a total kick out of seeing you make my recipes!

For more nourishing and soothing recipes, check out my soup round up, 7 Soup Recipes To Soothe the Soul.

Bren x