It could have something to do with the fact that being Middle Eastern, growing up, a treat usually consisted of a Medjool date with a walnut stuffed inside. So I just love them.Yum!

You’re going to love this oat slice which is the quickest thing to make, totally scrumptious, and perfect for lunch boxes.

You may also like to check out my popular recipe ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes, much loved by long suffering, lunchbox making parents everywhere.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

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Oat, Seed and Date Bars

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 100 grams butter
• 1/3 cup coconut or rapadura sugar
• 1/2 cup Medjool dates chopped
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
• Grease and line a 9 x 22cm loaf tin with parchment paper.
• Melt butter in small saucepan, once melted keep on very low heat and whisk in the sugar until smooth.
• Turn heat off, add dates and stir through. I highly recommend dipping the finger in to make sure it tastes ok.
• Transfer to a large bowl and stir in egg and vanilla.
• Add flour, oats, chia and sunflower seeds and stir until combined.
• If mixture appears too wet, add in more oats and flour and stir through
• Pour into loaf tin and bake for 20 minutes.
• Cool in pan for 5 minutes, turn out onto a wire rack.
• Once cool, slice into bars and pop into lunchboxes.
• Can be frozen.

Notes

NB: If texture is an issue you can grind up the sunflower and chia seeds before adding to the mixture.

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 Luncbboxes here.

Other recipes you may like are my Raspberry Coconut Squares and the Orange and Poppy Seed Bars. 

Bren x

For such an act of generosity, she dreamed up this sweet (yet savoury!), healthy (yet delicious!) cake as a tasty thank you.

To dress the cake, Julie used freshly harvested tumeric, which she acquired from both her green-thumb Mother, and Milkwood Permaculture Farm, where she was doing a course. I would never have thought of adding tumeric to a cake! But it makes sense when you think about the health benefits, and it adds the pizzazz that Julie is known for.

To introduce her cake, and introducing her cake instinct, here’s Julie:

“I made it with my cake instinct (no trademark, but you can use it), so please use your very own cake instinct when attempting to reproduce this uniquely flavoured and textured wonder.

I encourage using organic and biodynamic ingredients where possible. Whatever you can get your hands on, really. It’s open to experimentation!”

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.

Chocolate and Ginger Angel Mud Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups almond meal
1 cup wholemeal spelt flour
1 cup rapadura or coconut sugar
125 g melted butter
1 1/2 cups macadamia oil
6 or 7 eggs depending on the size
1 cup grated fresh ginger
1 cup cacao
1 tsp baking soda
a few tablespoons of milk to get the right consistency

Preparation:

Pre heat oven to 190 degrees C

Butter two cake tins and make two cakes (or you can make 1 large cake)

Bake for 40-45 mins for two cakes or approx an hour for 1 large cake ( you will know it’s ready when your kitchen smells like CAKE!!)

Test with a skewer

Let cool in tin then run knife round the edge and gently tip out onto wire rack

When totally cool scoop the caramel icing on, it should not be too runny and dress with the Crystallised Tumeric

Caramel Icing:

75g butter
1/4 cup rapadura or coconut sugar
2 tablespoon milk
Melt butter, add sugar and mix until dissolved. Add milk and mix until smooth, and to thicken, add a tablespoon or two of sifted spelt flour and stir out the lumps if any.

Crystallised Tumeric:

Pop a handful of peeled and grated fresh tumeric into a saucepan with a cup of sugar along with a wee bit of water and stir it up until it’s the consistency of jam.

Keep going until you are happy with the texture. Don’t let it dry out too much because its always good to retain a little bit of moisture. Dress the top of the cake with the Crytallised tumeric.

“Good luck everyone! Don’t forget to use your very own cake instinct and fiddle with the sweetness and consistency until you are confident. If it means using more or less oil, then don’t be afraid to adhere to the ‘more is better’ motto. Then again, ‘less is more’, as they say, so there you go – it’s fate, it’ll be perfect!

If you are using the best quality ingredients you are making actual food and not empty calorie confectionary.”

Happy Baking!

Bren x

The ginger and molasses in this recipe produce a taste reminiscent of gingerbread men and all things Christmas. Experiment with other ingredients like dates and walnuts, but this one is hard to go past on its own, judging by the ‘double thumbs up’ from the ladies at the workshop not to mention my family!

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Ginger and Molasses Loaf

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup white spelt flour
• 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour
• 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• small pinch nutmeg
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 100 gms butter
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/4 cup yoghurt
• 1 egg beaten

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a loaf tin and line it with parchment paper.
• Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, bicarb soda and sea salt into a bowl and combine.
• Warm the butter, sugar, molasses, and maple syrup in a saucepan over low heat until the butter has melted. Pour this into the dry mixture and add the yoghurt and egg and stir until just combined.
• Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack.
• Once cool wrap it up in baking paper keep in fridge for 3-5 days before eating. Or just bock in whenever you want to!
• Slice and spread with butter and enjoy!

Other recipes you might like…

Ginger Biscuits

Ginger, Cardamon, Molasses Cookie Hearts

Cardamon Spice Cake

While strawberry daquiri immediately sprung to mind, it was only 2pm … anyhow, for the second punnet, I took the sensible option and decided to use them to make muffins for school lunchboxes this week.

Mr 9 was in the kitchen lending a hand as usual. He just loves it so much! And he’s getting used to me snapping photos of him for my blog and social media, as you can probably tell by his wry smile.

Inheriting another munchkin after nippers, I soon had all three of them circling the hot-out-of-the-oven strawberry muffins like a pack of sharks. And I kid you not, the first bite sent their eyes rolling into the back of heads and into orbit. But all good things come to an an abrupt end, and it was a case of “Sorry kids! I’m a busy lady. The rest are for lunchboxes this week!”

I hope you all enjoy them. And just a little tip, it might be worth making a double batch : )

For 40 more scrumptious sweet and savoury recipes which are nut and refined-sugar free grab your copy of my Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes recipe book here. 

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Strawberry Yoghurt Muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 12

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup white spelt flour
• 3/4 cup wholemeal spelt flour
• 3/4 cup coconut or rapadura sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb of soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 3/4 cup yoghurt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups of washed and sliced strawberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees and grease 12 muffin hole tin.
• Mix dry ingredients together - flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb of soda, salt, cinnamon. Make a well in the middle.
• Mix wet ingredients together - butter, yoghurt, egg, vanilla and pour into the dry mixture well.
• Add sliced strawberries and gently fold mixture until combined. Don't over mix.
• Divide batter into muffins holes and top with extra strawberry slices and a sprinkle of sugar.
• Pop in oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer poked into middle of the muffin comes out clean.
• Rest the muffins in the tin for 5 mins then turn out onto cooling rack.
• Muffins come out a little soft but will firm up on cooling.

If you make this recipe and share 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 delicious muffin recipes you might like are these Apple and Carrot Muffins and these Date and Cinnamon Muffins. Or you might like this Strawberry and Coconut Crumble.

My kids have different palates, one loving banana muffins, the other preferring anything that has even a passing resemblance to berries in it. But they both love coconut, which not all kids do.

In order to stop myself going completely na-na by making multiple batches, I base my mixture around banana, and create varying flavours from there.

According to your little blighters’ tastes (or your own), try adding dark choc chips to the plain banana, or add raspberry or strawberry to the mixture to make those flavours dominate. You can even increase the amount of cinnamon or coconut to your little heart’s desires!

Because muffins are the 8^th wonder of the world, it’s hard to go wrong. With the mix ‘n match, it’s impossible!

They are great for breakfast, afternoon tea, and make a perfect healthy lunchbox snack.

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:

Spelt flour
Baking powder
Salt
Coconut sugar
Desiccated coconut
Ground cinnamon
Milk
Vanilla powder

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Mix ‘n Match Muffins

Lunchbox friendly

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 125 gms melted butter slightly cooled
• 1 egg
• 1.5 cups milk I ran out of milk so used natural yoghurt this time and it was yum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 medium ripe bananas mashed
• 1/2 cup berry of your choice we like raspberries and blueberries, add a full cup if adding to the whole mixture

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a 12 hole muffin tin
• In a large bowl sift spelt flour, baking powder and salt. Add coconut sugar, desiccated coconut and cinnamon and mix well
• In another bowl add butter, egg, milk and vanilla essence and stir well
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients then add banana and stir until mixed through but make sure not to over stir (if mixture appears a little dry you can always add another egg or a bit more milk)
• Spoon the banana mixture into half the muffin holes, filling the hole to ¾ full
• Then add your preferred berry to the remaining mixture and gently stir through and spoon the mixture into the remaining holes
• Sprinkle muffins with desiccated coconut
• Bake in oven for 20-25mins or until lightly golden brown

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

Apple & Carrot Muffins.

Bren x

If you want it a la gluten free, then simply replace the spelt flour with more buckwheat flour or rice flour.

The following recipe makes about 12 large pancakes or 20 smaller ones. It is enough for breakfast, and to pop into kids lunchboxes with a spread of raw honey and/or for savoury lunch pancakes.You can cook up the whole batch or save the wet ingredients in the fridge to cook up later.

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:

Buckwheat Flour
Spelt flour
Coconut or Rapadura Sugar
Baking Powder
Coconut Oil

Print

Spelt and Buckwheat Pancakes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 3 tbsp coconut or rapadura sugar optional
• 2 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
• 2 eggs beaten (I prefer pastured, free-range or organic eggs)
• 2 cups milk
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• Coconut oil or butter for cooking

Instructions

• Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder
• Add the eggs, milk and melted butter, stirring the mixture until smooth
• Preheat a frying pan and grease with coconut oil or butter
• Ladle in the batter and cook for a minute or two each side until golden brown

Notes

Topping tips:
Canadian maple syrup, banana & cinnamon
Mango, dessicated coconut and yoghurt
Berry coulis or fresh berries & cream
Avocado and goats cheese (roll it up and chomp)
Avocado, bacon and sprouts ( roll it up and chomp)

Lunchbox tips:
Apple puree, raw honey & cinnamon
Chicken and avocado
Ricotta and spinach

5 quick health benefits:

1) Butter – great source of Vitamin E, A and K, and is a source of quick energy
2) Eggs – great source of protein and vitamin B-12 required for normal brain function.
3) Buckwheat flour – a gluten free alternative to white flour. It is higher in essential vitamins and minerals, and high in fibre and protein.
4) Coconut sugar – is a wonderful alternative to white processed sugar. It has a low GI and is full of vitamins, minerals and amino acids (but it is still sugar, so use sparingly).
5) Almond Milk – great for those who are lactose intolerant. It is high in vitamins and contains protein and good fats.

If you make these pancakes 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 may also like my Banana and Cinnamon Pancakes too!

Enjoy!

Bren x