I can always rely on my daughter to help me with meal planning inspiration. Like me, she lives to eat, and shoots out her dinner requests faster than a speeding bullet.

A recurring theme is Mexican, boy does she love it! Maybe it’s the spices or just the overall flavour profile or the fun component. Who cares, we all love Mexican food! From nachos, to tacos, to Tex-Mex Burrito Bowls, to chicken tortillas, even Taco Popcorn! Recently she had burritos at a friend’s house and has now requested ‘that soft flat bread mum’.

So this week I made Mexican Beef and Beans with soft flour tortillas and dear god it was just about the best thing we’ve eaten! I hope this recipe becomes a staple with your families too. It’s a great budget-friendly options that’s got veggies and red kidney beans, and with all the additions like avocado, charred corn, tomatoes and sour cream, it’s bursting with flavour the whole family will love.

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:

Tinned Black Beans
or, Red Kidney Beans
Sweet Paprika
Coriander 
Cumin Powder
Chilli Powder
Tomato Paste
Tamari Sauce 
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

If you make this recipe let me know if your family loves it as much as we do, and please take photos and send them to me, or if you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek

You might also like these other family-friendly dinner ideas, Slow Cooker Chicken and Potato Curry and Middle Eastern Spiced Chickpea Rice.

I had to think quick and get creative before guns were a-blazing.

With some leftover chicken in the fridge and a couple tins of black beans in the cupboard, I saw a way of pleasing all the people and the idea for Tex Mex Burrito Bowl was born.

By simply throwing together a bunch of yummy things into a bowl, this dinner was an instant hit and you should see the smiles on the kids faces when they hear it’s Tex Mex Burrito Bowls for dinner. Sometimes feeding the family is just all about simple, fresh ideas.

These Tex-Mex bowls are fun, filling and delicious and can be served hot or cold, so it’s a great one to prepare ahead.

The Tex Mex Burrito Bowl is also a great example of packing as much nutrition into one delicious meal as possible. Here’s are the ingredients which help to upgrade this dinner into a powerhouse of goodness:

Bone Broth

In this case chicken broth is added to cooking the bean mix and is used to cook the rice in too.

Bone broth is loaded with nutrients that many people lack, and in a form our bodies can easily absorb and use like calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals, like silicon and other trace minerals, amino acids like proline, glycine, and glutamine (which have anti-inflammatory effects).

• It’s exceptionally healing for your gut,
• It treats leaky gut syndrome
• Helps to overcome food intolerances and allergies
• Improves joint health
• Reduces cellulite
• Boosts immune system

The benefits are endless.

Garlic

Garlic is loaded with vitamins like B & C, and minerals like calcium, potassium, copper, manganese, and selenium.

It also contains the active ingredient, Allicin, which is released when the garlic clove is sliced or minced or chopped. To take full advantage of the health benefits you should eat garlic within 1-2 hours of cutting into it. If you are going to cook chopped garlic let it sit for 15 minutes before cooking it. This allows for the allicin to be activated.

Allicin is anti bacterial, contains high levels of anti-oxidants, which helps to prevents cancer, has antimicrobiral properties so it’s great for skin, fights cold and flu symptoms. Lowers bad cholesterol and improves good cholesterol (HDL)

Kale

In terms of nutritional density, kale is virtually unparalleled among green leafy vegetables.

It’s got the highest level of protein out of all the vegetables.

Like beef, it also contains all nine essential amino acids needed to form the proteins within the human body, plus nine other non-essential ones.

It contains omega-3s in a beneficial ratio to omega-6, and is really rich in vitamins A, C, and K1.

It’s loaded with minerals including more calcium per gram than whole milk, and in a more bioavailable form.

Black Beans

They’re packed with protein and iron, they’ve got crucial minerals like copper, manganese, thiamine, phosphorus, and magnesium. So if you don’t use these in your Mexican dishes already, try to scatter them through.

Dulse flakes –which is a sea vegetable that has a strong umami flavour

 In many cases, seaweed is even more nutritious than vegetables from the land. Dulse, rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. High in iodine which is a mineral that is used to make thyroid hormones, make efficient metabolism. It’s also crucial for breasts, skin, brain, stomach, salivary glands.

By seeking out a supplier with high standards and ethics, you’ll receive a true superfood without any risks of contamination or environmental harms.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil is an essential fatty acids which provides the basic building blocks of fats and they have many roles within the body and they play a critical role in supporting your child’s physical, emotional and mental growth. They’re the fats that we can only get from our food, namely Omega 3 (which is the primary fatty acid found in the brain and Omega 6 (helps to support a healthy immune system). They help to …

• Promote heart health
• Protect your brain
• Fight depression
• Relieve inflammation
• Reduce joint pain

They are so important when we’re talking child development and in many of the nutritional diseases that arise later in life.

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:

Tinned Black Beans
Basmati Rice
Cumin Powder
Chilli Powder
Passata
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Print

Tex Mex Burrito Bowl

A fun and filling family friendly dinner the whole family will enjoy.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 5

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• Splash of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 teaspoons Mexican seasoning or a mix of cumin paprika and chilli powder
• Two big handfuls chopped kale
• 2 x tins black beans
• 1 cup tomato passata optional: add if you know your kid prefers their Mexican with a tomato base
• ½ cup of homemade bone broth I used chicken broth
• Handful fresh coriander leaves chopped
• Squeeze of lime juice
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 corn on the cob steamed and kernels sliced off
• 1 avocado smashed up with lime juice
• 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
• Sour cream to serve
• Cucumber lettuce and tomatoes, chopped
• Leftover roast chicken optional
• Olive oil for drizzling
• Extra lime for serving.

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a big pan on low heat and saute the onion for five minutes
• Add the garlic and kale and saute for a couple of minutes, then add the Mexican spices and saute for another minute
• Stir through the black beans
• Add chicken broth and passatta if using
• Stir and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes
• Assemble the plate with rice, bean mix, chicken if using, chopped lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, corn kernels, avocado smash, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of grated cheese
• Drizzle the lot with olive oil and a good squeeze of lime

If you make this recipe let me know if your family loves it as much as we do, and please take photos and send them to me, or if you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek

You might also like these other family-friendly dinner ideas Potato and Zucchini Slice or Chicken Leek and Mushroom Pie

Bren x

As it’s his favourite recipe from the book, we thought we would share it with everyone.

I kept his love of bold, punchy flavours in mind and I was absolutely bang on cause he LOVES this recipe!! Even my capsicum/coriander-sceptic (to put it mildly) daughter gobbles them up (what a relief to get all those extra veges into her!).

The best part is that they make a versatile breakfast (#thinkoutsidethecerealbox) lunch or dinner option.

Print

HEARTY BLACK BEAN AND SWEET CORN QUESADILLA

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 tin of black beans or you could kidney beans or a mix
• Juice of half a small lime
• Pinch of sea salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon chilli flakes or powder optional
• Quarter of a small red onion finely chopped
• Half a large corn on the cob kernels sliced off
• 2 tablespoons fresh coriander finely chopped
• Quarter of a large red capsicum finely chopped
• Half a zucchini finely chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 5-6 Mountain Bread Wraps
• Sour cream
• Avocado roughly mashed with a squeeze of lemon or lime

Instructions

• Drain and rinse the black beans.
• Place the black beans in a large bowl and lightly crush with the back of a fork so some of the beans split open.
• Squeeze in the lime juice, adding salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chilli flakes and stir.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
• Heat a frying pan on medium heat.
• Place half a cup of the mix into the middle of a Mountain Bread wrap.
• Fold long side over, followed by short side, then long side then short side to make a package or pouch.
• Place folded side down into the frying pan and cook until lightly golden browned and crispy and cheese has melted.
• Using a spatula carefully flip the quesadilla and cook the other side until lightly golden brown.
• Either serve whole or cut into triangles and serve with a side of sour cream and/or guacamole.

Notes

We used Eden brand beans because they have been soaked overnight and thoroughly cooked to make them more digestible. They are additive free, and the cans are bisphenol-A (BPA) free. Winning!

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!

Bren x