It could have something to do with the fact that being Middle Eastern, growing up, a treat usually consisted of a Medjool date with a walnut stuffed inside. So I just love them.Yum!

You’re going to love this oat slice which is the quickest thing to make, totally scrumptious, and perfect for lunch boxes.

You may also like to check out my popular recipe ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes, much loved by long suffering, lunchbox making parents everywhere.

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

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Oat, Seed and Date Bars

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 100 grams butter
• 1/3 cup coconut or rapadura sugar
• 1/2 cup Medjool dates chopped
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
• Grease and line a 9 x 22cm loaf tin with parchment paper.
• Melt butter in small saucepan, once melted keep on very low heat and whisk in the sugar until smooth.
• Turn heat off, add dates and stir through. I highly recommend dipping the finger in to make sure it tastes ok.
• Transfer to a large bowl and stir in egg and vanilla.
• Add flour, oats, chia and sunflower seeds and stir until combined.
• If mixture appears too wet, add in more oats and flour and stir through
• Pour into loaf tin and bake for 20 minutes.
• Cool in pan for 5 minutes, turn out onto a wire rack.
• Once cool, slice into bars and pop into lunchboxes.
• Can be frozen.

Notes

NB: If texture is an issue you can grind up the sunflower and chia seeds before adding to the mixture.

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 Luncbboxes here.

Other recipes you may like are my Raspberry Coconut Squares and the Orange and Poppy Seed Bars. 

Bren x

I personally adore dates which make up the base of most bliss ball recipes, but I am often asked if I have a recipe with a replacement for dates and which are nut-free and I always send across this Raw Cacao Ball recipe which uses desicatted coconut instead of dates.

With 5 simple pantry ingredients these make a quick, delicious, portable snack perfect for the school lunchbox, to throw in the gym bag, or as an afternoon snack.

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:

Desiccated Coconut – full of fibre and good saturated fats (the medium-chain kind) which make you feel nice and full, and coconut has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.

Cacao powder – a raw and unprocessed superfood that contains iron, fibre, zinc, potassium, calcium. The anti-oxidants can help your body decrease inflammation and slow cortisol (stress hormone) production, stimulating feelings of wellbeing and euphoria. Cacao is known to lower blood pressure, adding to a feeling of calm. NB: Cacao contains theobromine which is a mood enhancer so I don’t recommend it for kids under 2yrs of age.

Coconut oil – boosts HDL cholesterol (our good cholesterol), high in anti-oxidants also, antimicrobial. Balances blood sugar and detoxifying. The fatty acids in coconut oil help the hormones get to where they want and need to go in the body, and so support the creation, processing and elimination of estrogen and progesterone, leading to hormonal balance.

Raw honey – contains beneficial compounds such as pollens, enzymes and anti-oxidants, full of vitamins and minerals.

Maple syrup – contains lots of zinc plus other vitamins and minerals which have cardiac benefits.

Vanilla powder– contains anti-oxidants, calms the nervous system, fights infections.

If you’re looking for more recipe 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!

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Raw Cacao Balls

Gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free

Total Time 15 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of raw honey or pure maple syrup or rice malt syrup add up to 1/3 cup of sweetener if needed
• ½ cup cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla powder

Instructions

• Put all the ingredients into a food processor and whiz them together well (If you don’t have a food processor try mixing all by hand)
• Mixture should be wet but not soaked. If you find it too wet just add extra coconut and mix; too dry, add more oil
• Roll the mixture into tablespoons size balls with your hands then roll the ball into shredded coconut and place them on a cookie tray
• Pop them in the freezer for approx 20 mins or until they set (doesn’t take long)
• Either store in the freezer (where they become firm, but not frozen) or the fridge

Notes

If popping into lunchbox, ensure you do so with an ice-brick otherwise they will 'melt' due to the coconut oil

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.

Other similar recipes you might like are Chocolate Orange Truffles and Brenda’s Breaky Balls. 

Bren x