On top of all the learnings of how to create, execute and cook a recipe, he’s learnt what’s involved in creating an eBook, as well as business concepts like costs, breaking even, profits and valuing your product. I’d love to think my kids are little entrepeneurs in the making!

So we agreed to share just one more recipe from our eBook, and based on a Facebook poll, the most popular recipe chosen from the options were these totally scrumptious SPICY CHICKEN WINGS.

Orlando pretty much created this recipe on his own and I have such fond memories of sitting together at the kitchen bench, sun streaming through the windows and foraging through the herb and spice box. From there he threw together a few flavours with a couple of other essential marinade ingredients and voila, spicy chicken wings were born!
It took him a couple of tweaks to get the balance right (he was initially a bit heavy handed with the cayenne pepper – ouch!) but the end result is sooooooo good and I’m one heck of a proud mum.

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do.

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:

Chilli powder
Oregano
Cayenne pepper
Paprika
Thyme
Onion powder
Olive oil or coconut oil

Print

Spicy Chicken Wings

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 3

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted coconut oil
• Juice from half a lemon
• 700 grams chicken wings or around 7 medium sized wings (small drummies are also an option)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
• Crush garlic cloves into a large bowl.
• Add all the herbs and spices.
• Add the oil and lemon juice and stir well.
• Pop the chicken wings into the bowl and massage the marinade in thoroughly.
• Place chicken wings onto a baking tray and cook in the oven for approx. 45-55 minutes.
• Serve with lightly steamed and buttered broccoli and green beans, or a side salad and homemade sweet potato and potato chips (these are seriously sooooo good, and also have a special herb and spice mix and can be found in the snack section of Real Food for Hungry Teens.

Real Food for Hungry Teens eBook

Created by certified health coach, Brenda Janschek, and her hungry, foodie son Orlando, this eBook contains a rich variety of over 20 nourishing, real food recipes designed to satisfy the tastebuds and growth requirements of developing teenagers.

Teenage years place a great burden on the body as it transforms into adulthood. These tasty recipes are designed to help our growing kids through this period of physical, emotional and intellectual upheaval with food that actually supports their accelerating growth, without simply resorting to a loaf of bread at each sitting.

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

How do we busy women nourish ourselves when we don’t have 5 minutes from sunrise to sunset?

How do we find the energy to focus on ourselves and understand the true importance of this?

Well, I’m here to tell you it is possible.

Now, I’m not talking about making time for oil pulling, or 1-hour yoga sessions three times a week  (it’s great if you do, but this mama doesn’t have time for that!).

I’m talking about more realistic stuff, such as:

• creating a nourishing kitchen so there’s always healthy, delicious food on hand
• committing to even 5 minutes of quiet time to breathe or lie down with your legs raised
• eating lunch mindfully with your feet on the grass instead of under a computer
• exercising more efficiently whilst still losing weight
• creating time to visit a naturopath to check your overall health
• take a preventative approach to your health and add lots of medicinal herbs and spices to your meals or supplement with natural medicine like Turmeric Curcumin.
• running your household more efficiently so there is more time for fun stuff

If you find yourself stuck in a rut with your health that and you’re done thinking about doing something about and it’s time for you to take action, take a look at my series, 6 Simple Steps To Reset Your Hormones and Shed Stubborn Weight. 

Another simple way you can nourish yourself today is by making a batch of these divine Protein Ball Recipes below, two recipes that we created for the busy women on the program, that have been much loved by the whole family.

Eaten mindfully, these make a great accompaniment to a breakfast smoothie if hunger pains ensue, or perfect to throw in the handbag for a before and/or after workout snack.

They make a nutrient-dense and delicious alternative to the vending machine at the 3pm crash (at least until we get those blood sugars stabilised) and they make a perfect after-school snack for the kids if you are willing to share!

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 of 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:

Cashews
Goji berries or prunes
Tahini
Pumpkin seeds
Coconut oil

Print

Zesty Lemon Protein Ball

Ingredients

• 150 g cashews
• 50 g Goji berries or prunes
• Zest from 1 lemon
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 heaped tablespoon tahini
• Half a cup of pumpkin seeds
• 10 gms coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon Great Lakes collagen protein optional

Instructions

• In a blender, blend lemon juice, zest, and coconut oil into a smooth cream.
• Add tahini, cashew, goji berries and pumpkin seeds and blend until mixture forms together.
• Shape into little balls and roll in coconut flour.
• If mixture is too wet add in some desiccated coconut or coconut flour.
• Store in the fridge or freezer.

Print

Dark Chocolate Protein Balls

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cacoa powder
• Half a teaspoon of vanilla powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 50 g goji berries soaked for 10 mins to rehydrate and add moisture
• 180 g pecans soaked for 10 mins to rehydrate and add moisture
• 20 g coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1/2 cup filtered water if needed

Instructions

• In a blender, blend raw honey, coconut oil and cacao powder to from a creamy consistency (would make amazing icing!).
• Add pecans, goji berries, cinnamon and vanilla and blend until nice and smooth.
• If needed, add half a cup of water to help soften mix (add slowly until you reach a consistency you like)
• Form into little balls and roll in a mix of cacoa powder and cinnamon. You could also a little chilli powder for that extra kick!

TAKE A LOOK AT 6 SIMPLE STEPS TO RESET YOUR HORMONES AND SHED STUBBORN WEIGHT AND GET READY FOR SPRING AND SUMMER!

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

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.

When my kids devoured this soup served by my sister in a recent visit to the Blue Mountains, I was quick to ask for the recipe.

Last night I made it for the first time, and decided to add some mung dal (for extra protein) that had been in the cupboard debating its purpose in life.

I’m pleased to report it found a happy home in this soup. And despite protests from the kids revolving around the pappadums being the real attraction of the initial dish, they both loved this spice-rich soup packed in their thermos flasks for lunch the next day.

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.

Our fave insulated jars are from Biome which have lasted years:

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

Print

Indian Cauliflower, Potato and Mung Dal Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 large brown onion chopped
• 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 chilli finely sliced (I took out the seeds and used half a large red chilli)
• 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 4-6 cups water or bone broth
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 3 potatoes diced
• 1 cup mung dhal
• 700 gms cauliflower chopped into medium florets
• 1/2 cup plain yoghurt for serving, optional
• Chopped coriander

Instructions

• Fry onion in ghee or coconut oil for a few minutes until soft.
• Add garlic, ginger and chilli and lightly saute until soft.
• Stir in the spices for 1 minute or until fragrance is released.
• Add water and coconut cream and bring to the boil.
• Add potato and mung dhal and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add cauliflower and simmer for 10-15 minutes until cooked.
• Process half the mixture then add to remaining soup and serve.

Notes

Serve with yoghurt and chopped coriander and a nice big salad.

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.

You might also like to check out my favourite soup round up, 7 Soup Recipes to Soothe the Soul.

Bren x

These little puppies sure kept them quiet for a while. Well, until the next day, that is, when they forcefully relayed their expectation that more cookies would be appearing in their lunch boxes!

The banana kinda replaces an egg as the binder, giving it its chewiness, and extra sweetness. The dark chocolate gives it some delicious texture and a touch of decadance on top.

Banana and chocolate – a match made in 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:

Honey
Whole Spelt Flour or White Spelt Flour
Dark Chocolate Chips
Rolled Oats

While you’re here you may like to check out my recipe ebook to give you some lunch inspiration, 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!

Print

CHEWY CHOC-BANANA COOKIES

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 110 g unsalted butter softened
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 banana mashed
• 1 cup spelt flour sifted
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chopped (I used 70% lindt, approx 4-5 squares) or dark choc chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 C & line 2 large baking trays with non stick baking paper.
• Beat the butter, honey and vanilla until pale and creamy. Stir in the banana.
• Add the sifted flour, oats, coconut and stir until well combined. Add chocolate and mix well.
• Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on baking rays and flatten..
• Place in oven and bake for approx 10-12mins or lightly golden.
• Leave on trays to cool.
• Thermomix Instructions
• Blend banana, butter and vanilla together on Sp 4 for a few seconds.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on Sp 4-5 for 10 seconds.
• Scrape down the sides and mix on Sp 4-5 for 6 seconds
• Press roughly chopped chocolate onto top
• Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on baking rays and flatten..
• Place in oven and bake for approx 10-12mins or lightly golden.
• Leave on trays to cool.

Steal one for yourself with a steaming cuppa, the kids won’t even notice. But if they do, you’re on your own…

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 easy healthy treat ideas you might like are Peanut and Choc-Chip Biscuits and Healthy Anzac Biscuits.

It’s not every day you can just go and strike up a conversation about Tahineh (a delicious breakfast spread) or Mann al-Sams (Iraqi Taffy and my all time favourite sweet). Ta-what? Ma-who? So it was was a real thrill to be able to discuss these dishes with a real foodie after my own heart!

I don’t really cook traditional Iraqi food that much for my family. I leave that to my mum who visits every second Tuesday night with a truckload of Cooba bil Leben (Arabic meatballs in yoghurt soup), Fasoulia (white beans with lamb in tomato sauce) and Baklawa (Lebanese sweets, which she forgot this week, and is now in the bad books!).

Mjaddra is a wholesome, tasty vegetarian dish of lentils, rice and caramelised onions that I have always looked forward to when visiting my Lebanese Aunties and cousins. Having a fair idea how this simple recipe would go, I checked with my foodie Auntie (who made my favourite version … sorry mum …!) to get the benefit of her experience, and tweaked it to make it right for me (and you!).

Apparently this is an ancient dish that has roots in the Old Testament, being mentioned in Genesis as the dish Jacob gave up his inheritance for. He clearly had good taste, if not financial matters!

The recipe is inexpensive, easy to make and delicious. You could try to soak your lentils in an acidic medium and rinse off well before cooking (I did my rice too) the night before. This makes them both more digestible and quicker to cook. Don’t stress though if you don’t have time. It’s delicious served with Fatoush (a beautiful Arabic salad, which I will blog for you at some point) or a Cabbage salad and minted yoghurt.

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:

Lentils
Basmati rice
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Cumin
Parsley

Print

Lentils and Rice (Mjaddra)

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown lentils
• 1/2 cup basmati rice
• approx 2.5 cups water use home-made chicken stock if not vegetarian
• 3 medium onions diced
• 2 tablespoons ghee or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp celtic sea salt
• pinch of cumin
• Parsley chopped

Instructions

• Soak lentils and rice overnight and rinse well before cooking.
• Heat ghee or olive oil n a skillet and fry the onions on medium heat until golden-brown (approx 15-20mins). Pop in a splash of water to the pan if the onions start to stick to the bottom. Make sure the onions don't burn. Reserve half of the onions for garnish.
• Meanwhile, place the lentils and rice together in a saucepan, along with half of the caramelised onions and the water (or stock).
• Bring to the boil, then simmer gently with no cover, add cumin and mix.
• Stir occasionally until the mixture starts to thicken (10-15 mins)
• Add the salt at the end of cooking and stir.
• Serve on a platter and garnish with the onion set aside earlier and a sprinkle of parsley.

Notes

Mjadra can be eaten hot or at room temperature with a side salad and some natural yoghurt mixed with mint, lemon juice and some ground coriander. You could even add some Lebanese bread if you like. We ate it with a thinly sliced raw cabbage salad with some salt, lemon and olive oil drizzled on it.

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!

If you make my Mjaddra recipe, please 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 Roasted Spiced Chickpeas and Mediterranean Buddha Bowl.

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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This recipe is not only lip smacking tasty, but it’s versatile enough to prepare for a family lunch, dinner, bbq or I used to roll it out when I ran my kids cooking classes, where even I was taken aback by the kids raving about how gorgeous the beans were ‘done this way’. One little girl looked at me accusingly and said suspiciously, “I don’t know how you’ve done it, but you’ve got me eating and liking broccoli.”So cute! Happy days!

I have to admit, we rarely eat tofu. I’m not a massive fan of it from a health perspective, but every now and then I like to change things up, so we went for an organic tofu (meaning not-GM). Tempeh would be a better choice,  as the process of fermenting reduces the anti-nutrients and creates a natural probiotic food. Using prawns is definitely my favourite!

But really, you can leave it out if you so desire, increase the seeds, add some cashews, or whatever you favourite protein may be.

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:

Udon noodles
Salt
Sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds/sesame seeds
Coconut or rapadura sugar
Olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
Tamari sauce
Sesame oil

Print

Asian-Style Vegetable and Noodle Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• Noodle Salad
• 300 g broccoli cut into small florets
• 150 g green beans halved
• 270 g organic udon noodles or kelp noodles if gluten free
• Coconut oil
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon ginger grated
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 cake firm organic tofu sliced thickly (or fried tempeh, seared sliced beef, sliced chicken or pork)
• 1/4 cup sunflower/ pumpkin seeds/sesame seeds I used a mix
• Optional: seeds can be dry roasted on frying pan to create a depth of flavour
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Lemon or lime wedges for serving
• Dressing
• 1 teaspoon coconut or rapadura sugar dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 35 ml apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon tamari sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

• For noodle salad, boil a saucepan of water and blanche vegetables for 2 minutes. Drain, and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
• Cook noodles according to packet in same water (full of alkaline goodness left from the veggies, strain and leave to cool.
• In a frypan, sauté the onion in a little coconut oil for a few minutes, add garlic, ginger and salt and continue cooking until onion is soft. Pour mixture into a bowl. Add more coconut oil to the frying pan and fry tofu, beef, chicken, pork or prawns until cooked
• For the dressing, In a jar combine all the dressing ingredients and shake well. Taste for seasoning.
• In a large bowl combine all the components and toss with dressing (use as much or as little dressing as you prefer) and serve with lemon or lime wedges.

If you make this please take photos and send them to me, or if you share them on instagram remember to tag me.

Other recipes you might like are Spicy Pork and Vegetable Nasi Goreng and Homemade Miso Ramen. 

Enjoy!

Brenda x