Delicious and creamy. Sweet, satisfying, and quick! How healthy are these bowls really?

Smoothie bowls are fruit-based which means while it’s all-natural sugar they can contain far more servings of fruit than you’d typically eat in one sitting. In its blended form, the fructose hits the bloodstream quickly and all at once. All that fructose can spike insulin and get you riding the blood sugar roller coaster.

And because smoothie bowls are carbohydrate-based you can end up hungry again very soon after.

The trick is to make sure there is enough protein, fat, and fibre to balance out the carbs and get a slower release and stable breakdown in the body.  This is why I always recommend including things like nuts, seeds, yogurt, and protein powder to slow down that fast release.

Smoothie bowls topped with lots of fruit are popular and make the bowl look very pretty and Instagram worthy but I try to limit the fruit toppings for more fat and protein-based toppings like nuts, seeds coconut flakes or shreds and my homemade granola.

The same goes for your regular ol’ smoothies like this Choc-Banana Nut Butter Smoothie and Ginger Mint and Green Apple Smoothie. 

In the recipe below you’ll see how I make my smoothie bowls with one of our favourite combinations.

Print

Berry Smoothie Bowl

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 1

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup your favourite frozen berries or you can replace berries for frozen mango
• 1 banana, frozen and sliced
• ¼ cup mixed raw cashews and chia seeds or macadamias and almonds work well too
• 2 tbsp natural or Greek yoghurt
• 1 scoop protein powder optional
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1/4 cup milk of choice add extra if needed

Toppings

• 2-3 tbsp homemade granola
• 1 tbsp coconut flakes or shredded coconut
• fruit sliced paw paw, banana, berries or your fruit of choice (optional)
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tbs peanut butter optional

Instructions

• Blend up nuts and seeds until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend on low until smooth
• Serve into bowls with toppings

If you’re looking for more 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!

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

Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

Other recipes you might like are Anti-oxidant Smoothie and Super Smoothie. 

… sometimes only a smoothie will do!

Your kids will think they’ve hit the jackpot and you’ll still be serving them a nutrient-packed dinner option that will keep everyone full and satisfied and nice and cool!

Here are 8 of my faves.

Choc-Banana Nut Butter Smoothie by Brenda Janschek

Ginger Mint and Green Apple Smoothie by Brenda Janschek

Bone Broth Smoothie by Nourishing Lola and Sage

Pineapple and Mint Smoothie by Eager for Life

Detox Smoothie by Eager for Life

Super Hero Smoothie by Low Tox Life

High Energy Mango and Macadamia Smoothie by Quirky Cooking

Carrot and Turmeric Smoothie by Guide to Organics

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.

You might also like 8 Nutrient Packed Smoothies for Dinner and 20 Reasons to Love Smoothies and 10 Recipes

Bren x

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

Ok, now back to apples. I really didn’t think we were ready for the change from Summer to Autumn. Surely the kids would mourn the end of summer’s succulent bounty of stonefruits like mangoes, peaches and nectarines, wouldn’t they? Well, no, actually. As much as they love those fruits, they seem to have naturally and instinctively followed the rhythym of the seasons to embrace the sweet flavours provided by Autumn’s apples and pears. Because we try to eat seasonally, the replacement of Summer fruits with Autumn fare follows a natural progression, and we are always ready for the introduction of a new set of tastes. Out with the old, and in with the new. We’ll be naturally craving our mangoes soon enough, but for now, it’s all about the delicious, crispy sweetness and juiciness of the pome fruits.

So cue the ritual of cooking with apples and the endless ways they can be used in recipes. And as the air starts to chill, wrap yourself in a blanket and try this homey Autumn fare by some of my favourite real foood bloggers.

Let’s kick off with my Apple Crumble Slice

Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake by Wholefood Nutrition and Wellness

Choc Chia Quinoa Crumble by Naughty Naturopath Mum

Easy Gluten-Free Apple and Fig Crumble by Natural New Age Mum

Apple Berry Custard Crumble by Quirky Cooking

Apple Rhubarb Pie by Wholefood Nutrition and Wellness

Upside Down Apple Cake Puddings by Alexx Stuart

Anyone salivating yet!!!!

Carrot and Apple Cake by The Nourished Psychologist

Apple and Lemon Cinnamon Ginger Quinoa by The Wholefood Mama

Apple and Cinnamon Brown Rice Waffles by Wholefood Nutrition and Wellness

Apple Oat Fritters by Quirky Cooking

Sweet Potato Apple Hash by Barefoot Kitchens

Chia Apple Porridge by Healthy Natural Changes

Cheesy Chicken Apple Balls by Barefoot Kitchens

Turkey Leg Confit with Cranberry Vodka Sauce and Baked Apple by The Wholesome Cook

There you go, now you can put those big bags of apples to good use.

I wonder which recipe will be first cab off the rank? I’d love to know in the comments.

Enjoy!

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If you want it a la gluten free, then simply replace the spelt flour with more buckwheat flour or rice flour.

The following recipe makes about 12 large pancakes or 20 smaller ones. It is enough for breakfast, and to pop into kids lunchboxes with a spread of raw honey and/or for savoury lunch pancakes.You can cook up the whole batch or save the wet ingredients in the fridge to cook up later.

If you’re looking for some 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!

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:

Buckwheat Flour
Spelt flour
Coconut or Rapadura Sugar
Baking Powder
Coconut Oil

Print

Spelt and Buckwheat Pancakes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 3 tbsp coconut or rapadura sugar optional
• 2 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
• 2 eggs beaten (I prefer pastured, free-range or organic eggs)
• 2 cups milk
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• Coconut oil or butter for cooking

Instructions

• Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder
• Add the eggs, milk and melted butter, stirring the mixture until smooth
• Preheat a frying pan and grease with coconut oil or butter
• Ladle in the batter and cook for a minute or two each side until golden brown

Notes

Topping tips:
Canadian maple syrup, banana & cinnamon
Mango, dessicated coconut and yoghurt
Berry coulis or fresh berries & cream
Avocado and goats cheese (roll it up and chomp)
Avocado, bacon and sprouts ( roll it up and chomp)

Lunchbox tips:
Apple puree, raw honey & cinnamon
Chicken and avocado
Ricotta and spinach

5 quick health benefits:

1) Butter – great source of Vitamin E, A and K, and is a source of quick energy
2) Eggs – great source of protein and vitamin B-12 required for normal brain function.
3) Buckwheat flour – a gluten free alternative to white flour. It is higher in essential vitamins and minerals, and high in fibre and protein.
4) Coconut sugar – is a wonderful alternative to white processed sugar. It has a low GI and is full of vitamins, minerals and amino acids (but it is still sugar, so use sparingly).
5) Almond Milk – great for those who are lactose intolerant. It is high in vitamins and contains protein and good fats.

If you make these pancakes 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.

You may also like my Banana and Cinnamon Pancakes too!

Enjoy!

Bren x