Raspberries, yoghurt, dates and coconut – just a few of my kids favourite things!

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 Oil
Dates
Coconut flakes
Coconut flour
Himalayan rock salt
Vanilla powder

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Raspberry Swirl Slice

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Author Berleena Eberle for Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• Base
• 2 tbsn butter slightly melted
• 1 tbsn coconut oil
• 6 dates seeds removed
• 3/4 cup coconut flakes
• ½ cup coconut flour
• Pinch of himalayan rock salt to taste
• Topping
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1 egg
• ½ tpsn vanilla powder
• 1 cup frozen organic raspberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees in a fan forced oven. Grease a medium slice dish.
• To make the base, place the dates and butter in a food processor to form a paste then add the coconut flakes, flour and salt to create soft crumbs. The crumbs should stick together easily when you squeeze together.
• Pour the base into the dish and press evenly into the dish, creating a mould 1-2cm up the sides.
• To make the topping, clean the processor and whiz together the yogurt, coconut flour, egg and vanilla powder. Remove blade and gently fold in the raspberries.
• Pour topping into base then place in oven for 10-15 mins or until lightly golden on top and the middle is set.
• Allow slice to cool then refrigerate to help it set. Cut into 10 squares then store back in the fridge.

Notes

Ensure slice is kept cool for kids lunchboxes.

I love seeing the pictures of when you make my recipes, so please share them on my Facebook page or Instagram and tag #bjhealthandlifestyle

Berleena has been the wonderful recipe developer helping me create a series of delicious recipes, here’s a bit more about her…

Berleena Eberle — Food Mindset Coach
Berleena specialises in helping her clients develop a healthy relationship with food and their body. Her clients know how to deal with food triggers, let go of guilt, identify cravings and make healthy eating simple again with nutrient-rich, real food. Berleena strips back nutritional confusion to develop an intuitive eating approach.

Usually on the weekend, if time permits, the kids and I will get busy in the kitchen making food for the lunchbox.

I always like to pop in something fun into their lunchbox each day. We don’t ‘do’ dessert at home, so once a day at recess my kids look forward to their healthy treat.

They are almost always made from scratch ( I have a stash of our fave packaged options for those insane days), from the best ingredients I can afford, and as nutrient dense as I can make them.

For more lunchbox inspiration check out my Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes eBook filled with 40 of my children’s favourite nut-free and refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes. All kid-tested and kid-approved!

Here are some of their fave lunchbox treats.

Rich and delicious chocolate muffins (with vegetables) by Brenda Janschek

Sweet potato and choc chip muffins by Mummy Made it – gluten free

Beetroot, quinoa and chocolate muffins by The Holistic Ingredient

Sweet potato brownie by Slim Birdy – gluten free

Chocolate Orange Truffles by Brenda Janschek (if nuts are allowed)

Leftover porridge cakes by Lisa Corduff

Date, oat and seed bars by Brenda Janschek

Nut-free chocolate and coconut no bake bars by BecomingNess

Coconut slice by Homemade, Healthy, Happy

Chai, date and sesame biscuits by Brenda Janschek

Vanilla Apple Chia Pudding by Brenda Janschek

Cinnamon, turmeric custard by Low Tox Life

Banana Pancakes by Brenda Janschek Health & Lifestyle

Pancakes 3 ways by Quirky Cooking

Super smoothie by Brenda Janschek

Brownie Cake by Brenda Janschek

Raw Cacao Balls by Brenda Janschek (nut free)

Find the best 10 Savoury School Lunchbox Ideas here

For more lunchbox inspo, grab my new Easy Wholefood Lunchbox recipe eBook with 20 savoury and 20 sweet recipes filled with simple wholesome ingredients to meet your kids nutritional needs and fuel their learning and play, giving them the brainpower and energy they need to get through the day.

Unless we are prepared, it can be a pretty slippery slope to grabbing whatever is available ‘downstairs’ and munching on it at the desk, and it’s never satisfying. Nor is it good for us when it becomes a repeated pattern. In order to make sure we eat well at work, it is imperative to be organised in advance. The beauty of doing this is that it’s not really that difficult!

I want to share with you a simple system that is guaranteed to keep you away from the burritos and schnitzels and in a steady supply of refreshing, rejuvenating, delicious lunch bowls.

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 and the whole family will love!

Off course, the easiest way  is to ALWAYS make extras at dinner to pack for lunch the next day. Here are some meals which provide great lunch bowl leftovers:  fish cakes , make extra and break them up into a garden salad for lunch; make extra Potato, Feta and Spinach Frittata for dinner and pack the rest for work with a salad; Fresh and Raw Zucchini Salad makes an easy ‘pack and run’ lunch bowl option; or this Indian Cauliflower, Potato and Mung Dhal Soup is a great option for Winter; add some diced cucumber and tomatoes to this Middle-Eastern rice and lentil dish; or pack up some of this Asian-Style Vegetable and Noodle Salad.

Other tips when you are making dinner:

• throw in some extra vegetables to roast
• cook up some extra rice or quinoa
• add an extra shank into the slow cooker, chicken thighs into the oven, fish patties into the frying pan.

And now…

Each Sunday spend up to an hour getting your lunch bowl ingredients organised for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, then prep again on Wednesdays for Thursday and Friday.
The 4 main components you need to prepare for the lunch bowl are VEGETABLES, PROTEIN, GRAINS/CARBS AND DRESSING. Always ensure you include some healthy fats, which can be found in some of the ingredients suggested below like avocado, olive oil, fish, meat, eggs, olive, cheese and nuts.

VEGETABLES

Vegetables can be raw, lightly steamed, roasted and a combination of all of them can be used in your salad

Here are some of the bounty you can choose from,choose seasonal and make sure to include at least 1 type of leafy green

Eat the Rainbow

• Cucumbers
• Red Capsicum
• Radish
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Green Beans
• Snow Peas
• Beetroot
• Cauliflower
• Eggplant
• Cucumber
• Potato
• Sweet Potato
• Corn
• Squash
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Avocado
• Pumpkin
• Mushrooms
• Asparagus
• Olives
• Garlic
• Sundried Tomatoes
• Herbs like basil, parsley, coriander, mint

Greens

• Kale
• Baby Spinach
• Brocolli
• Spinach
• Rocket
• Asparagus
• Beet Greens (the leafy bit on top of beetroot)
• Bok Choy
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Celery
• Chard
• Lettuce
• Sprouts
• Watercress

Fruits which are also yummy in salads

• Grapes
• Figs
• Apple
• Pear
• Strawberries
• Mango
• Raspberries

PROTEIN

• Chicken
• Fish (including tinned wild caught salmon and sustainable tuna)
• Meat
• Eggs
• Nuts and Seeds
• Cheese – cheddar, parmesan regianno, halomi, fetta, gruyere, blue, goats
• Legumes/pulses -adzuki, red kidney, black, chickpeas, navy, pinto, lentils
• Tempeh

GRAINS/CARBOHYDRATE (optional)

• Basmati Rice
• Brown Rice
• Wild Rice
• Quinoa
• Rice or Buckwheat noodles
• Sweet Potato(starchy carb)
• Beans (starchy carb)
• Corn (starchy carb)
• Peas (starchy carb)

DRESSING

• Vinaigrette
• Sesame oil and tamari
• Olive oil,mustard and balsamic
• Fresh herbs, Olive Oil,Lemon
• Honey and tumeric
• Japanese Miso Dressing

ADD ONS

• Fermented Veges
• Dulse Flakes
• Nutrional Yeast
• Dried Herbs
• Spices
• Sesame,chia, poppy seeds

5 SALAD BOWL RECIPE IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED

Warm Spinach Salad with Chicken, Bacon & Mushroom by Becomingness.

Tex-Mex Burrito Bowl  by me.

Spicy Quinoa, Apple and Kale Salad by The Holistic Ingredient.

Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad by Low Tox Life.

10 minute Nourishing Dinner Bowl (which I think is perfect for lunch too!) by The Fit Foodie.

There you have it. With a bit of preparation, you can keep firing on all systems while you work, and get excited about your next lunch break.

Bren x

Most kids love pancakes for breakfast and they are super handy to pop into lunchboxes for a healthy treat.

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:

Sunflower seeds
Chia seeds
Spelt flour
Buckwheat flour
Cinnamon
Aluminum-free Baking powder
Raw honey
Milk

The standard pancakes I make my kids use low- gluten flour, good quality eggs, milk and butter, which are all full of wonderful goodness.

As an experiment, I decided to add in some extra protein/good fats/healthy carbs in the form of ‘seed-meal’ (my term for ground-up seeds). Adding in some ripe banana  and cinnamon proves to be a great way to reduce the amount of sweetener required, whilst boosting that all important tryptohphan which helps to keep their spirits up for the day. The experiment was a success with the kids gobbling these down with glee!

To save time, you can even make this mixture the night before, ready to be turned into these tasty little delights in the morning.

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Banana Cinnamon Pancakes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons raw honey optional
• 1-2 cups milk we do 1 cup because we like a nice thick pancake
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 2-3 medium ripe bananas mashed

Instructions

• Process seeds in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs
• In a bowl mix the mix the seeds, flour, baking powder and cinnamon
• In a separate bowl mix honey, milk, eggs and bananas
• Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients
• Pop a medium frypan on medium heat and melt some butter or coconut oil (I like using a mix of both)
• Ladle in the pancake mixture and flip once sizzling
• Serve on it's own, in lunchboxes or with some whipped cream and berries.

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 to try my Favourite Granola Recipe too.

Enjoy!

Bren x

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

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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

And when you can sprout forth on such diverse topics as antioxidants, flavanoids and LDL while going weak at the knees upon hearing the words mousse, ganache, or even cake, you know you are a servant to your dark master.

But it’s not a guilty pleasure, and you don’t need to step behind the big pot plant to consume it, even if moderation is advised (as in all things, except chocolate……..just kidding!).

The best thing about dark chocolate is that it gives you yet another reason to drink red wine, as if you needed one! You could even follow that up with another uncontrollable slip about antioxidants.

C’mon people, I know I had you at ‘chocolate’.

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
Vanilla powder
Spelt flour
Rolled oats
Desiccated coconut
Dark choc chips

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Choc-Chip Cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 110 g unsalted butter softened
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1.5 – 2 cups spelt flour sifted (use the extra half cup if the final mixture is too wet)
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup dark choc chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees C & line 2 large baking trays with non -stick baking paper.
• Beat the butter, honey and vanilla until pale and creamy. Gently beat in the egg.
• Add the sifted flour, oats and coconut and stir until well combined.
• Add choc chips and gently fold in.
• Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on baking rays and flatten slightly.
• Place in oven and bake for approx 12-15 mins or until lightly golden.
• Leave on trays to cool.

Bren x