Make these yummy fig bars!

Like me, you may have discovered a forgotten bag of figs you meant to put out on the platter for NYE!These are so plump and soft and the buttery spiced crumble is a yummy contrast to the sweet, sticky filling. ⁠
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These bars make a a great little healthy snack either mid morning or mid afternoon when it’s time to put your feet up with a cuppa. Or just grab one for dessert. ⁠

Put them to good use with this easy recipe which make a perfect lunchbox friendly snack or delicious dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. You could also replace the figs with Medjool dates if you like.

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:

Rapadura Sugar
Wholemeal Spelt Flour
Desiccated Coconut 
Ginger powder
Rolled Oats
Figs or Medjool Dates

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!

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Fig Bars

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 12

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

Bottom layer

• 100 grams cup butter softened
• 1/4 cup rapadura sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour or any plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Fig Filling

• 1.5 cups chopped Turkish figs or you can use Medjool dates
• 1 cup water

Oat Topping

• 1/4 cup wholemeal spelt flour or any plain flour
• 1/4 cup rapadura sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger optional but our whole family love ginger and it goes well with fig
• 3 tablespoons cold butter

Instructions

• Heat oven to 175 degrees C and line a 20 cm square pan with parchment paper.

Bottom Layer

• Beat butter, sugar, vanilla together in a bowl until pale and creamy (2-3 minutes). Add egg and beat until just combined.
• Sift in flour and baking powder and stir until just combined.
• Press mixture into the pan and bake for 10 minutes until just set and remove from oven to slightly cool.

Fig Filling

• While bottom layer is in the oven, put figs and water into a small saucepan and bring to boil. Uncover and stir intermittently until figs are tender and water is absorbed, around 5-8 minutes. Mash with a fork or blend in small processor to create a fig paste.
• Spread paste over slightly cooled bottom layer.

Oat Topping

• In a small bowl mix flour, sugar, oats, coconut and ginger. Add butter and rub dry mixture into butter with your fingertips until well combined and it looks similar to a crumble topping.
• Spread over fig layer and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until top is golden brown.
• Cool completely (around 1hr) and then cut into bars.
• Topping may be a bit crumbly but will continue to set.

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

Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook. She’ll get a total kick out of seeing you bring her recipe to life.

Some other delicious healthy treats you might like are Orange and Poppy Seed Bars and Muesli Slice. 

The warming spices in this creamy Gingerbread Smoothie provide so much comfort against the rain and cold. Not to mention it’s oh so nutrient dense!

It’s high in fibre, protein, and calcium, and a good source of vitamin C (banana) and iron (molasses and chia seeds), protecting our immune system and keeping us healthy and strong.

And because of the blended nature of smoothies they are really gentle on our digestion which makes it that much easier for our bodies to assimilate and utilise all the nutrients.

This Gingerbread Smoothie can be enjoyed for breakfast, as a snack, or packed in an insulated drink container and sent to school.

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:

Cinnamon powder
Ginger powder
Cardamom powder
Nutmeg Powder
Chia Seeds
Oats

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Gingerbread Smoothie

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes

Total Time 7 minutes

Servings 1

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk of choice I used unsweetened almond milk
• 1 large banana
• ¼ cup cashews
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon yoghurt optional
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup or 2 Medjool dates
• 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 x 1 cm fresh ginger peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or powder
• pinch of allspice
• pinch nutmeg

Instructions

• Pop all the ingredients into a blender, blend for a couple minutes or until smooth

Notes

I like to let the smoothie sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the chia seeds to swell and thicken the smoothie. You can also store this smoothie in the fridge.

If you make this smoothie 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.

Some other warming recipes you might like

7 Soups To Soothe the Soul
10 Warm and Hot Meals to Pack for School Lunches

Bren x

Some of the measurements were missing, including the amount of flour, but her mum suggested to just add enough flour to make a semi thick mixture : )

As usual mums back then never wrote down recipes, they just went by look, smell and taste.

This is my adapted, ad libbed version which I recently took to a picnic and they went down a treat!

Note the dried mint goes perfectly with the cheeses and gives the muffin a lightness and lift.

These are perfect for breakfast, lunchboxes and are just delicious dipped into soup.

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:

Spelt flour
Aluminum-free baking powder
Bicarb soda
Extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper

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Savoury Cheese Muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 15

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 6 eggs
• ½ cup mild extra virgin oil oil
• 2 & ¾ cup spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
• 1 cup romano cheese grated
• 1 cup feta crumbled
• 1/2 cup cheddar or tasty cheese grated (extra to sprinkle on top)
• cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried mint

Instructions

• Line a 12 cup muffin pan with muffin cases
• preheat oven to 180 degrees
• In a jug whisk together milk, eggs and olive oil.
• Into a large bowl add the flour, baking powder and bicarb soda, all the cheeses, black pepper and dried mint .
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it.
• Stir lightly with a fork until almost combined. (the batter should be lumpy, don't overmix) Spoon into muffin tin and sprinkle with remaining cheddar.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until skewer comes out clean and muffins are golden on top.
• Allow to cool in tray for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack

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!

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.

Other similar recipes you might like are Egg Muffins and Rich and Delicious Chocolate Muffins (with vegetables!).

Bren x

Fetch it out and transform them into this delicious, savoury snack.

Straight out of the oven they are crunchy and crispy. Once stored, they soften back up again, but follow my notes in the recipe section if you want your chickpeas to stay crispy for longer.

Serve them sprinkled over salads or soups, or eat them by the handful as a moreish snack.

Chickpeas make a great high fibre, high protein snack in your kids’ lunchboxes which they’ll just love munching on.

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:

Chickpeas
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Garlic powder
Paprika
Cumin
Chilli powder
Cracked black pepper

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Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 400 gram tin chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt extra for taste
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• pinch of chilli powder optional
• Cracked black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Dry chickpeas in a tea towel REALLY WELL. Remove any skins which have come loose. Leave the chickpeas to air dry for a few minutes.
• Place chickpeas in a medium bowl. Stir through olive oil to coat the chickpeas..
• Pour chickpeas onto the prepared baking tray. Roast for 25-30 or until golden and crispy. I like to stir them half way through.
• Remove from oven and toss with spices and salt while still warm. Allow to cool.
• Store in container for up to 3 days.

Notes

If you want your chickpeas to stay crispier for longer, switch off the oven and leave the chickpeas in there to dehydrate until the oven is completely cool. Even leave overnight.

If you know someone who could use some wholefood recipes please share this recipe with them. Feel free to share my FREE breakfast ebook below with lots of ways to “think outside the cereal box”

If you make my recipes please take photos and send them to me, or if you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek or #brendajanschek,  I’d love to see what you make!

Here are a couple of other easy savoury snack recipes you might like – Auntie Helen’s Hummus or my Taco Popcorn.

Bren x

So in usual Brenda style I set out to make the healthier version while the kids doubted I’d be able to match the tastiness (without all the sugar).

Lo and behold!

The kids went cray cray over my version, popped them in their lunch boxes each day, and have already asked me to make them again, and again …

These bars are so good that I just had to put this recipe into my Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes ebook  which is packed with 40 delicious nut-free, sweet and savoury wholefood recipes your kids will love! Grab you copy here.

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:

Rapadura or coconut sugar
Spelt flour
Baking powder
Honey or rice malt syrup

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Orange Poppy Seed Bars

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 165 grams butter softened
• 1/2 cup rapadura or coconut sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups spelt flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds soaked in 4 tablespoons orange juice
• ICING
• 150 grams cream cheese
• 1-2 tablespoon honey or rice malt syrup
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 2 teaspoons orange zest

Instructions

• Grease and line a slice pan with baking paper
• Preheat oven to 175 degrees
• Pop butter and sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric mixture until pale and creamy (1-2 minutes)
• Add one egg in at a time, beat well
• Add in the poppy seed/orange mixture and stir
• Add flour and baking powder and fold in
• Pour into the slice pan
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean
• Cool in the tin for 10 minutes
• Carefully turn onto a cooling rack
• Ice once completely cool
• ICING - simply pop all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth
• Using a butter knife spread icing onto cooled cake
• Slice into bars
• I stored them in the fridge

If you know someone who could use some lunch box inspo, please share this recipe with them!

And please take photos and send them to me, or if you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek

Remember to check out Easy Wholefood Lunchbox ebook here.

You might also like these Oat Seed and Date Bars or this Muesli Slice. Both also make great lunch box fillers.

Bren x