….enter kids and it seems anything that involves dough and a rolling pin is total bliss for them!

So here we are, Quiche Lorraine with Kale, totally made from scratch by my 11 yr old daughter under my guidance and on high rotation here due to the YUM factor. And what’d ya know, it’s so easy and quick to make. Especially the pastry!

Our pastry edges clearly need some work, but that can be our next challenge.

Btw, on the occasions I just can’t be bothered making the pastry, I use Pampas Butter Pastry or Careme Pastry instead.

And if you’re clever you’ll make a double batch and pop slices into your kid’s lunchboxes  for the week and not have to think about what to make again!

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, take a look at my recipe ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes, packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

Print

Quiche Lorraine with Kale

Servings 6

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 200 grams spelt flour
• 100 grams butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 60 grams chilled water
• 200 grams bacon or ham chopped
• 200 grams cheddar cheese grated
• 7 eggs
• 200 grams pouring cream
• 2 cups kale finely chopped
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• pinch ground nutmeg

Instructions

• Pop flour into a large bowl, add butter and rub together until resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir in salt, then add 2-3 tablespoons of water and mix till a firm consistency.
• Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface then pop in the fridge to chill for around 15 minutes.
• While dough is resting in the fridge, grease a 25cm flan tin and preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
• Beat eggs together then add cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg and add cheese and stir through.
• Remove dough from fridge and roll out to 1cm thickness and line the pastry in the flan tin.
• Prick the base using a fork, cover with baking paper, pop on some pie weights or beans, and blind bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
• Once cooked remove from oven and remove baking paper, pie weights or beans.
• Lower oven temperature to 180 degrees C.
• Spread base of pastry with chopped bacon, then pop in the kale and pour over the egg mixture.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and firm.

Notes

This is delicious served with a big garden salad and makes a great lunchbox leftover.
For a sharper flavour so a mix of cheddar, parmesan and Romano cheeses, so good!

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.

Other recipes you might like are Egg Muffins and Potato,Feta and Spinach Frittata.

Bren x

One way I like to up the quota of vegetables for my whole family is by including vegetables for breakfast.

Not only does this jumpstart our day with a boost of nutrients, but the phytochemical-rich foods with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds start pumping through our bodies right from the beginning of the day.

Initially, when I help clients to start thinking outside the cereal box, typically we start moving away from things like boxed cereals, vegemite or nutella on toast and breakfast drinks like Up & Go. Depending on the family, we may move towards muesli, bircher muesli, porridge, notella on sourdough. Then start including recipes like smoothies, banana bread, parfaits and breakfast ice-creams.

It’s when I suggest vegetables for breakfast that I get the most resistance. “Vegetables for breakfast!! We would never eat that!”

There are some really simple, non-confronting ways to ease the whole family into the idea of eating vegetables for breakfast. Here are a few examples of breakfast ideas which are rotated in my house:

Placing an egg with a side of sausage on a bed of baby spinach and chopped tomato, capsicum and cucumber;

Haloumi on sourdough toast with avocado, baby spinach and tomato slices;

Open omelette with rocket, chopped tomato and avocado;

Sourdough with scrambled eggs, ham, herbs, baby spinach and tomato.

You’ll note the ‘realness’ of these photos, no fancy plating up during rush hour!!

Need some more inspiration? Here are some delicious recipes for you to try.

Ginger, Mint and Green Apple Smoothie by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

Shakshouka with Tomatoes, Feta and Peppers by Yummy Inspirations

Veggie-Loaded, Super- Nutrient Primal Pizza Omelette by The Holistic Nutritionist

Garlic Mushroom Omelette Wrap by Well Nourished

Carrot Cake Pancakes by Well Nourished

Cauliflower Toast by The Holistic Ingredient

Sweet Potato Bruscetta by Vegan Sparkles

Slow Cooker Baked Beans with Vegetables by Salus Southern Highlands

Enjoy!

When we’re rying to cut down on processed and packaged food, this doesn’t just mean just ditching the packets of gummy lollies and  cheezels. It means looking at each meal and finding simple, healthful replacements to ensure we are nourishing our bodies and souls.

When it comes to breakfast, it’s important to #thinkoutsidethecerealbox and replace with quick and delicious real food breakfasts recipes like these…

Banana & Buckwheat Pancakes by Mamacino

Carrot Cake Pancakes by Well Nourished

Sweet Cinnamon Omelette by The Holistic Ingredient

Miso Paste Toast by Wholesome Cook

Lemon and Blueberry Bread by Mummy Made It

Creamy Dairy-Free Porridge by Alternative Chef Kitchen

Spiced Quiona Porridge by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

Home-made Baked Beans with Ham by Natural New Age Mum

Apple Pie Rice Pudding by A Healthy Mum

Superfood Black Rice Pudding by Nourishing Hub

Mexican Egg Scramble by Eat, Drink, Paleo

Shakshouka with Tomatoes, Feta and Peppers by Yummy Inspirations

Sweet Potato and Apple Hash by Barefoot Kitchens

Baked Eggs by Lisa Corduff

Enjoy!

Bren x

Coconut flour is high in fibre, healthy fats and protein and has a low GI.

The flour is  made from ground and dried coconut meat and it’s good to remember that it can’t be used as a direct swap for other flours in recipes. That would be a recipe for disaster. So please don’t try to take a traditional recipe and convert to a coconut flour recipe, it just won’t work.

Bascially, when using coconut flour, you will inevitably need less flour and more liquid in the ratios.

Here’s a bunch of recipes from some very talented recipe writers, follow these and you won’t go wrong.

Chocolate Pudding with Gooey Bits by Low Tox Life

Almond, Lemon & Coconut Steamed Pudding by Quirky Cooking 

Berry Mug Cake by Becomingness

Gluten and Nut-Free Apple Bread by Becomingness

Berry and Walnut Crumble Slice by Mummy Made It

Carrot Cake by Natural New Age Mum

Healthy Tiny Teddies by Mummy Made It

Lemon Drizzle Cake by Yummy Inspirations

Paleo Banana Loaf by Dom’s Kitchen

Brownie Cake by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

And a few savoury recipes…

Carrot and Parsnip Muffins by The Joyful Table

Super-simple Salmon Patties by The Holistic Nutritionist

Gaps Wraps by Quirky Cooking

Enjoy!

I’ve been gradually moving away from all things plastic, so I did my research (i.e. stalked Facebook threads) and asked around. I also asked my kids what style, size, shape they wanted, finally deciding that stainless steel was going be a ‘cool’ way to go – cool for them given their shiny and slick appearance, and cool for me because they are earth friendly, chemical-fee, sustainable and super easy to clean.

Each day the kids take a smaller box for recess – U Konserve Rectangle Container which has a divider which makes it extra versatile because the divider can be removed and used as a larger lunchbox as well.

For lunch they take a large bento style box –  Lunchbots Trio. My kids are very active and therefore hungry all the time and I find the size of the boxes to be perfect to contain enough food to sustain them through the day.

I’ve also got a Thermos 450ml Wide Mouth Food Jar with Folding Spoon  and Goodbyn Insulated Food Jar 12oz 350ml. In these containers I pack soups, pastas, stews, all hot meals really and also cold salads and things like bircher muesli, yoghurt, fruit and granola. The Goodbyn comes in Black or Pink.

For bread rolls stuffed with healthy fillings I just can’t go past the awesome 4MyEarth sandwich wraps. We’ve had ours for years so we’ve got the Combie design but I’ve noticed some new designs which I love like this OceanLife and Flamingo.

And for water bottles I just can’t go past Klean Kanteen stainless steel.

I love everything about these bento style boxes, bags and water bottles and it makes adding vibrant, nourishing foods to the repertoire so much easier.

Here’s a snapshot of how I pack them. Recess is chunks of rockmelon and a savoury muffin and sweet muffin.

Lunch contains organic home popped popcorn with lots of good quality butter and sea salt, chopped up organic vegetables, and spinach and cheese Mountain Bread toasties (the kids also like to add ham or chicken to these, but we had none left).

The kids were on lunch duty while I got breaky ready. Getting your kids in the kitchen from a young age has so many rewards! Read more here.

A bit of prep on Sunday made lunch boxes a breeze come Monday morning with Mountain Bread Pizza with some homemade tomato pizza sauce, ham, olives, baby spinach and mozzerella cheese and some vegetable sticks plus a piece of Cardamom-Spice Cake.

That should keep them going until the barge through the door at 3.15pm asking for more food!

If you’re looking for more lunchbox recipe inspiration take a look at my 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 make your kids for lunch!

Other post you might like are:
10 Warm and Hot Meals to Pack for School Lunches
10 Savoury School Lunchbox Ideas
17 Sweet and Easy School Lunchbox Recipes

Bren x

Just the other day I sat on the lounge with a cuppa, flicking through a magazine, while chatting to my son who was in the kitchen testing out his creation for Chocolate Choc Chip Cookies. The recipe invention had been on his mind for a while (off course it had to be chocolate on chocolate!)

So on the weekend between basketball and golf he whipped up this batch and saved me having to think about a healthy treat for lunch boxes this week.Winning!

He had a couple of attempts with this recipe (mum got involved the first time and apparently wrecked it a bit) before he was happy for me to blog it. And he wants me to tell you that for some reason, they are yummier after a couple of days!

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:

White spelt flour
Wholemeal spelt flour
Vanilla powder
Cacao powder
Baking powder
Coconut or rapadura sugar
Choc chips

Print

Chocolate Choc Chip Cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 22 minutes

Author Orlando Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup white spelt flour
• 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour
• 2 - 3 eggs depends on size
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 125 gms butter melted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut or rapadura sugar
• 1/4 cup choc chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
• Mix the dry ingredients together in a one bowl.
• Mix butter, two eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl.
• Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix together until just combined.
• NB: If batter appears too dry, add in the third egg and mix through.
• Roll up tablespoons of dough into balls and place onto lined baking trays.
• Cook for 10-12 minutes. Rotate cookies at 5 minutes.
• Leave them to cool on trays.

Notes

These are delicious with my Notella spread on top : )

NB: My kids are used to less sugar in recipes, if you are just starting to transition your kids away from sugar, you may decide you need more. A sneaky taste of the batter will tell.

Why not spread some Notella on top for some extra decadent deliciousness!

Bren x

Whether you like you cakes raw, fancy, allergy-free, gluten-free, rich, indulgent or basic….I’ve got you covered.

Double Whammy Chocolate Cake according to Jo from Quirky Cooking is perfect for those fancy occasions.

And she reckons her Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake is a great for those semi-fancy occasions.

Double Chocolate Banana Slab Cake by me is an easy one for everyday and perfect for lunchboxes.

Magic Bean Chocolate Cake by Clevercook is a massively popular one.

Avocados in the Raw Chocolate Cake by Clevercook. Holy yummy richness!

Rich and Delicious Chocolate Muffins (which can easily be turned into a cake) by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

Best Ever Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Chocolate Cake by 84th and 3rd

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes by Alexx Stuart which can also easily be turned into a cake.

Easy One Bowl Chocolate Raspberry Cake by Lisa Corduff. Chocolate and raspberries is on of my personal favourite combos.

Gluten-Free Brownie Cake by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

Chocolate Yoghurt Cake by Natural New Age Mum

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Chocolate Chia Cake by Tania Hubbard

Hot Chocolate Cake by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

If you make any of these recipes 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 my new Easy Wholefood Luncbboxes here.

Bren x

First world problems to the max.

So together we set to task and created this delectable cake and she assures me that this time the texture is “just right”. Phew!

I had planned on using dates but had run out (a rare thing in this house). Having seen a few recipes around using prunes, I was inspired to give it a go.

Verdict: Prunes and chocolate = match made in cake heaven

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:

Prunes
Bicarbonate of soda
Coconut or rapadura sugar
Spelt flour
Baking powder
Dark chocolate
Raw honey

Print

Hot Chocolate Cake

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup prunes deseeded
• 1 1/4 cups boiling water I used water from the kettle
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 60 grams butter chopped
• 1/2 cup coconut or rapadura sugar
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 100 grams dark chocolate chopped (I used 90% Lindt but you may like to go for 70% as it may be too intense if you're not used to it)
• thick cream
• raw honey

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees
• Butter and line cake tin
• Pop prunes, hot water and bicarbonate of soda into a food processor with the lid on and let it stand for 5 minutes
• Add the butter and sugar and pulse until just combined
• Add flour and eggs and pulse again until just combined (careful not to over pulse)
• Add chopped chocolate and pulse a few more times
• Pour the mixture into the prepared bake tin and pop in the oven for approx 50 mins - 1 hour, test to see if it's is ready with a skewer after 50 minutes
• Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack
• While it's cooking stir together your cream with a teaspoon of raw honey (or to taste), with a spoon
• Serve cake warm with some honey cream and berries
• Eat the cake within 3 days or store in the freezer

Notes

These Thermomix and Gluten-Free Instructions were sent to me by my clever friend Sarah from CleverCook.
250g pitted prunes in 250g boiling water
1 teaspoon bicarb of soda
Speed 1/no temp.
Add
60g butter
80g rapadura
100g dark chocolate
SP 4/30 secs, scrape down
Add
2 eggs
120g GF flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
SP 5/15 secs. Pour into lined muffin tins and cook 25-30 mins.
Thanks Brenda, they are lovely!

You can even turn these into muffins!

Please send me pictures on Instagram or Facebook if you make this cake, or leave a comment on this blog post to let me know how you go.

Here’s one by one of my lovely Facebook followers who told me it was “ohhh so delicious” and apparently her husband has claimed it his favourite cake recipe!

Woo hoo!

You might also like Cardamon Spice Cake and Double Chocolate Banana Slab Cake.

Bren x

With all the goodness from the coconut oil and good quality eggs, and a bit of a pick-me-up with the cacao, and potassium and vitamins and minerals from the dates, I think these make a nice healthy lunchbox treat. Miss 8 has ordered hers with cream already!

I always hold my breath around the family taste test. After all, I’m using quality organic ingredients which are a bit of an investment, so there’s nothing worse than a recipe flop.

But this one got the family thumbs up, though apparently it’s more of a ‘Brownie Cake’ than a straight-out brownie.

It’s easy to make, lovely and moist, and is extra-delish served with fresh berries in season.

For more favourite healthy treats to create (and eat!) which are perfect for lunchboxes, my Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes recipe ebook is proof of this with family faves like Coconut Rough Cookies, Muesli Biscuits, and Strawberry Chia Jam Drops, to name a few.

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:

Coconut Flour
Cacao Powder
Medjool Dates
Baking Powder
Coconut sugar or Rapadura sugar
Coconut oil
Coconut milk
Dark chocolate chips

Print

Brownie Cake

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 2/3 cup Medjool dates chopped
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar or rapadura sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unhomogenised milk or coconut milk if dairy free
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate-chips optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees C
• Lightly grease a 20cm square tin and line with baking paper
• Process all the dry ingredients and dates in food processor or Thermomix
• Add wet ingredients and continue to process until just combined (don't overmix)
• Stir through dark choc-chips
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin lined with unbleached baking paper, and bake for 20 minutes or until set
• Remove from oven and set aside to cool before cutting into squares
• Enjoy plain or with cream and raspberries

Do you bake with coconut flour? I love using it for the occasional healthy treat, but you need to remember that it doesn’t behave like other flour in baking. A small amount of coconut flour sucks up lots of liquid very quickly!

I hope you enjoy my Brownie Cake recipe!

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.

Some other healthy lunchbox treats you might like are Raspberry Coconut Squares and Orange and Poppyseed Bars.

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