Meals that can be eaten for dinner straight out of the oven, or which are just as delicious eaten cold for those nights when one child is starving at 6pm and the other not home from training until after 8pm, meals which can double up for lunch boxes the next day (and day after that).

Chicken nuggets are a perfect solution. And let’s be honest, what kid doesn’t love them?!

My recipe is super easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. I make a big batch for our big eating family , and it a makes enough for lunch boxes the next day or two. I just throw them straight into the lunchbox as is, or wrap them up in some Mountain Bread with some mayo and lettuce.

If you’re looking for more lunchbox recipes, check out 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! It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

I’m not one for batch frying anything, I just don’t have the patience for it and I can’t bare the mess. These baked versions are just as good as the fried ones, but without the mess and they take a fraction of your time.

The seasoning can be left out of the breadcrumb mix if you prefer, or you can use any alternatives which you family prefers.  I often do a version with a Tex-Mex flavour which the kids just love. Or you can add in some parmesan cheese or lemon rind.

I like to serve the nuggets with oven-baked potato and sweet potato fries and a nice crispy garden salad and a squeeze of lemon over the lot.

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:

Dulse flakes
Sweet Paprika
Smoked Paprika
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Dried thyme 
Dried basil
Himalayan rock salt
Spelt flour 
Extra virgin olive oil

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Baked Chicken Nuggets

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 16

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups breadcrumbs I just popped 2-3 pieces sourdough bread into the food processor
• ½ cup ghee or butter or mix of both
• 8 chicken thighs approx. 900 gms
• 2 teaspoons dulse flakes
• I teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Sea salt or Himalayan rock salt
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees C
• Spread breadcrumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 10 minutes, stirring breadcrumbs a couple of times to ensure they golden evenly
• Towards the end of breadcrumb cooking time pop the ghee and/or butter into a ramekin into the oven to allow to melt.
• While breadcrumbs are in the oven, cut chicken thighs into quarters
• Once lightly golden place breadcrumbs on dinner plate, allow to cool then mix through the dulse flakes, paprika, garlic and onion powder, thyme, basil, salt and slightly cooled ghee or butter
• Place flour on a dinner plate
• Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and lightly brush some olive oil onto the rack. Or you can just line a couple of baking trays with baking paper
• Set up an assembly line of chicken, flour, egg, breadcrumbs and proceed to dip the chicken into the flour (shake off excess), egg (allow excess to drip off) and finally the breadcrumbs and place on the wire rack
• Drizzle chicken with olive oil and bake until the chicken is cooked through, approx. 15 – 20 minutes, flipping half way through the cooking time

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 via Facebook, or if you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek

You might also like these other family-friendly dinner ideas Tex Mex Burrito Bowls or Chicken Leek and Mushroom Pie

Bren x

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

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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

They remind me of a toffee crunch, but without all the refined sugar and crap, and even tastier!

We used almond butter, because that’s all we had, and have got a stash in the freezer for when we need a little healthy treat.

I am thrilled to say that the Martyna Angell agreed to let me share this recipe from her most amazing cookbook, The Wholesome Cook, easily my favourite cookbook of the year. Jam packed with simple, down-to-earth, family friendly whole food recipes, it’s a must for any cookbook collection.

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:

Peanut butter
Rice malt syrup or honey
Vanilla powder
Coconut oil
Raw cacao powder
Maple syrup

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Peanut Butter And Buckwheat Fudge Bites

Choose a natural 100 per cent peanut butter or make your own. Keep a stash in the freezer for unxpected guests or for a satisfying mid-afternoon snack.

Author Marytna Angell

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1.5 tablespoons rice malt syrup or honey we used RMS
• 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder optional – we used some from Nutra Organics
• 1.5 tablespoons buckinis

Chocolate Icing (optional)

• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1.5 tabelspoons raw cacao powder
• – we added a tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

• Combine peanut butter, rice malt syrup or honey, protein powder, if using, and buckwheat in a bowl and mix well. spooon into silicone moulds. Place in the freezer for 1 hour to set. Remove from the moulds and, if using, dip into coconut oil mixed with cacao until coated. Set on a piece of baking paper for a minute. Trnasfer to an airtight container or freezer bag.
• Store in the freezer for 4-6 weeks and enjoy chilled.
• YOU CAN use silicon chocolate moulds for these – the are available from most homewares stores and some supermarkets, or press the mixture inot a loaf tin with some baking paper and cut into squares.
• Enjoy!