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

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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

With my ‘planning ahead’ hat on, I thought about all the ways we could get more than just a meal out of them that day. I didn’t really have to think that hard either! Because of their size, they are perfectly suited for the kids’ school lunchboxes. And because they’re ready to go, they save oodles of time in the morning helter skelter. Or, you could simply heat up some of your stash for a quick heat-it-up-dinner with a scrummy salad for the kids if you’ve made plans to be out with friends (as I did that week!).

After a long Sunday of work, chores and cooking, I was incredibly grateful when the kids eagerly jumped up to take over the cutting of the pastry rounds, scooping the meat into the pastry, glazing with the egg wash, and sprinkling with sesame seeds. I was even more relieved when they gave the finished product the double thumbs up! (I’m always a nervous wreck waiting for their ratings!)

Because the pies are so little, they are a little time consuming to make, so I highly recommend making them as a school holiday activity and getting the kids involved in helping out. There are so many benefits to getting the kids in the kitchen, and it’s such a lovely way to connect with them too. You could also just make them into the bigger sized pies for a heartier meal or I’ve been known just to pop some pastry into a dish, fill it up with the meat mixture, top it with pastry and shove it in the oven!

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:

Oregano
Cayenne pepper
Curry powder
Tomato paste
Tamari
Salt and pepper
Spelt flour
Milk
Sesame seeds

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Mini Meat Pies

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 brown onion finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot finely chopped
• 1 small zucchini finely chopped
• 5 mushrooms finely chopped
• 400 gms beef mince
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 heaped teaspoon curry powder
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tablespoon spelt flour
• 3 - 4 sheets butter puff pastry
• 1 egg
• splash of milk
• Sesame or poppy seeds

Instructions

• Gently cook onions in the butter in a large frying pan. Add garlic after a couple minutes and saute for a minute.
• Add the carrots and continue to cook until soft, then add zucchini and mushrooms and cook for a further couple of minutes.
• Add the beef and cook until it is well browned, then add the oregano, cayenne pepper and curry powder and saute for 1 minute.
• Stir through tomato paste, tamari, salt and pepper and then add the beef stock and simmer for a few minutes.
• Add the spelt flour, mixing well, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
• Grease 2 x 12 hole muffin tins.
• Whisk together the egg and splash of milk.
• Using a cookie cutter or empty glass jar, and while the pastry is still cold but malleable, cut out circles to fit into the muffin holes and for lids (noting I stretched out the pastry circles a little further with my hands for the bottom of the muffin holes).
• Spoon in approximately two tablespoons of mince mixture into each hole (be careful not to overfill) then top with the lid and press sides down gently to seal the pie.
• Brush the top of each pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.
• Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Here’s my boy having fun helping out while my daughter continued cutting out rounds…then they swapped roles for the second batch.

Do you have any plans to cook with your kids these school holidays? What are you going to make? Check out the recipes on my blog for some easy and fun dishes you can create!

Enjoy!