They know the boundaries, so they never ask for anything too outlandish, but they appreciate being asked just the same.

Now I can take it a step further as I have the pleasure of actually creating recipes with my 12yr old food-loving son. And because he understands the balance of nourishment and taste, the upside to this little collaborative approach is that the food is more likely to be eaten rather than return home! Unsurprisingly, muffins are hot on their list of regular items.

Muffins are always a delicious treat, but it’s still a good idea to mix them up for variety.

I always try to make my muffins as nutritious as possible, so in this recipe I added the sunflower seeds, carrots and apples to the staples, which include the best quality eggs, butter, flour, sugar and coconut I can find and don’t they just make the perfect healthy lunchbox snack too!

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:

White Spelt flour
Wholemeal spelt flour
Coconut sugar
Sunflower seeds
Baking powder
Cinnamon
Salt
Desiccated coconut
Milk
Vanilla powder

Print

APPLE AND CARROT MUFFINS

Ingredients

• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds roughly or finely ground
• 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 large granny smith apple peeled and grated
• 1 medium carrot grated
• 2 cups milk
• 100 grams butter melted and slightly cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
• Butter a 12 hole muffin tray.
• Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, desiccated coconut, cinnamon, sunflower seeds and salt in a large bowl.
• Whisk together the eggs, butter, milk and vanilla and add to the flour mixture along with the grated carrot and apple and gently mix through.
• Spoon the batter into the muffin tray until 3/4 full and bake for approx 20 mins or when skewer comes out clean.
• Enjoy and share the recipe with your friends!

Here’s a little information on the benefits of each ingredient:

Sunflower seeds

High in Vitamin E, magnesium and cancer-fighting selenium, anti-inflammatory, mineral-rich (great for bones), great for nerves and skin.

Carrots

Protect against heart disease and cancer, high in anti-oxidants and vitamins (A, K, C and calcium).

Apples

Packed full of disease fighting vitamins (C & B-complex), and a rich source of antioxidants, minerals flavanoids and dietary fibre.

Eggs

Go for pasture-raised or organic. High in Omega 3’s, Vitamin D, choline and selenium.

Butter

Full of vitamins (A, E, D & K), lauric acid, anti-oxidants anti-cancer properties.

Coconut

Contains minerals, supports brain function, increases feelings of satisfaction and fullness, healthy fat, high in fibre.

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.

If you liked this recipe you may also like these other delicious muffin recipes – Date & Cinnamon Muffins and Savoury Cheese Muffins.

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

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.

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