The Summer Mango Coconut Cream is great for breakfast, or an after-school snack or I like to surprise the kids with one in their lunchboxes. For school, I just pour it straight into this insulated container and pop it into the fridge, and serve with the Crunchy Seed Granola from my Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes ebook before packing it into their school bag.

Be sure to check out more delicious sweet snack recipes like Coconut Rough Cookies, Brownie Fudge, and Rustic Apple Slice, in my Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes ebook .

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:

Vanilla powder
Maple syrup or raw honey
Coconut milk

Print

Summer Mango and Coconut Pudding

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Author Brenda Janchek

Ingredients

• 700 gms of ripe mangoes Around 6 small or 4 medium
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or raw honey
• 1 1/4 cups of coconut milk I used 1 x 270ml tin of Ayam brand
• 2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder

Instructions

• Peel the mangoes and slice the flesh off the stone, reserving some slices for decoration.
• Puree the remaining mango, vanilla essence and maple syrup in a blender.
• In a small saucepan heat the coconut milk near to boiling over med-low heat. Meanwhile, mix the arrowroot with a little cold water in a cuap
• Remove the milk from the heat and add arrowroot mixture, stirring until the mixture thickens.
• Leave to cool.
• Pop arrowroot custard into blender with the mango puree, blend until mixed through.
• Spoon into individual bowls and chill
• Serve garnished with slices of fresh mango, banana slices, and toasted shredded coconut or homemade granola

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.

Bren x

While they’ve been cooking in the kitchen with me since they were wee little things, they were yet responsible for cooking an entire meal from start to finish (as well as doing the dishes) until now.

They were both excited to get stuck in and they immediately knew what they wanted to cook for week one.

My son studied food technology at high school this year, and really loved a recipe for Burek they created. Sadly, I lost the recipe, so my son set out to recreate it, with a little helping hand from me. They worked out perfectly, so tasty and crispy,  so we’ve decided to share his recipe. My daughter made us a delicious Mushroom Soup and Focaccia, both Thermomix recipes.

During school term kids really do have enough on their plate (see what I did there) and I am concerned that the balance is never quite right – there just never seems enough time for it all – earthing outside, running around, eating their greens, studying, memorising, doing assignments… &nbspWhile my kids still do lots of cooking during term, making a whole meal from scratch just hasn’t made the cut.

But we’ve got to shift the thinking, because cooking from scratch is as important as reading or swimming or doing maths – everyone should grow up with this skill. It’s a matter of health and culture. And this means it is our duty as parents to introduce culinary literacy to our kids from a young age and provide more an more opportunities for them to learn the skills.

For us the school holidays offers more space for these opportunities, and kids cooking dinners means parents get more time off! Here’s my son on Facebook Live strutting his stuff in his kitchen and making the Cheese and Spinach Triangles.  It’s worth a look if you’re not sure how to cut and fold the pastry.

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:

Olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Milk
Sesame seeds

Print

Cheese and Spinach Triangles

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Author Orlando Janschek (with a bit of help from mum!)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 350 grams spinach chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 350 grams feta cheese
• 200 grams ricotta cheese
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 2 sheets of pastry we used Careme butter puff pastry because it's made from real butter and not margarine. It's expensive, but I'm having more and more trouble finding Pampas Butter Pastry which was more affordable
• 1 egg with a splash of milk lightly beaten to be used as egg wash on the pastry
• sesame seeds and poppy seeds for sprinkling

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in large frying pan over medium heat
• Saute onion for a few minutes then add garlic and spinach and saute for another few minutes until spinach is soft, then add parsley and stir together. Allow to cool.
• In a medium bowl stir together the feta and ricotta cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Stir through the cooled spinach mixture.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
• Pop some baking paper over two baking trays
• Cut pastry in half, then each half into quarters, so you end up with 8 triangles per sheet of pastry.
• Pop a couple of heaped tablespoons of the cheese and spinach mixture along one of the shorter sides of the triangle, and fold over.
• Secure pastry together and seal the edges using the back of a fork ( Best to watch the Facebook Live video to see best way to fill, fold and secure).
• Brush some egg wash over each triangle and sprinkle over the sesame and poppyseeds.
• Place triangles on baking tray and cook for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown
• Serve with a big side of salad.
• Enjoy!

Notes

These are delicious hot or cold, and make a perfect lunchbox addtion.

I love seeing you create my recipes, so please send me your photos.  And if you share on social please tag me on instagram @brendajanschek or facebook at Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle.

Bren x

The benefits of eating wild tinned salmon, soft bones and all, are massive!

The high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids  has heart, retinal and neurological benefits.

Also, eating the soft, delicate bones of the salmon provides a huge dose of calcium which is so important for building and maintaining strong bones and reducing the risk of bone fracture later in life.

Calcium is so important for teeth, muscle and nerve health too. And just so you know, the soft bones can’t be detected once they are cooked.

If you add sweet potato into the mix, then you’re really packing a nutritional punch.

It contains Vitamin A (beta-carotene), Vitamin C and manganese and decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion, increased energy, and overall lower weight.

Not to mention building immunity, vision, cancer, aiding digestion and blood pressure.

Isn’t it amazing what food can do?!

I have included these super ingredients plus a few more powerhouse ingredients to bring you this easy peasy fritter recipe for you and your family to enjoy!

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:

Parsley
Salt and pepper
Spelt flour

Print

Sweet Potato, Corn and Wild Salmon Fritters

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potato chopped into 2 cm cubes
• 310 grams wild tinned salmon I used 1 x 210g tin and 1 x 100g tin
• 1/2 cup organic corn kernels
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1/2 red onion finely chopped
• 1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs I make my own by popping some sourdough into the food processor/Thermomix
• Handful parsley or coriander finely chopped
• Zest of half a lemon optional
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup spelt flour

Instructions

• Steam sweet potato until tender, approx 8-10 minutes then mash in a bowl and allow to cool.
• Mix together all the other ingredients then add cooled sweet potato.
• Pop olive oil or coconut oil (or a mix of the two) into a frypan on medium heat.
• Place a quarter cup of spelt flour into a shallow dish.
• Form the mixture into half palm size fritters, and lightly coat both sides of the fritter on both sides and place into hot (but not smoking) frypan. Cook for approx 3-4 minutes each side, or until golden brown, and then set aside and continue until all fritters have been cooked.
• Serve on a bed of baby spinach with a tomato and avocado salsa and a slice of lemon. Add a side of pesto, homemade mayonnaise or a yoghurt sauce for extra yumminess and nutrition.
• Enjoy!

Whether you like you cakes raw, fancy, allergy-free, gluten-free, rich, indulgent or basic….I’ve got you covered.

Double Whammy Chocolate Cake according to Jo from Quirky Cooking is perfect for those fancy occasions.

And she reckons her Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake is a great for those semi-fancy occasions.

Double Chocolate Banana Slab Cake by me is an easy one for everyday and perfect for lunchboxes.

Magic Bean Chocolate Cake by Clevercook is a massively popular one.

Avocados in the Raw Chocolate Cake by Clevercook. Holy yummy richness!

Rich and Delicious Chocolate Muffins (which can easily be turned into a cake) by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

Best Ever Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Chocolate Cake by 84th and 3rd

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes by Alexx Stuart which can also easily be turned into a cake.

Easy One Bowl Chocolate Raspberry Cake by Lisa Corduff. Chocolate and raspberries is on of my personal favourite combos.

Gluten-Free Brownie Cake by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

Chocolate Yoghurt Cake by Natural New Age Mum

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Chocolate Chia Cake by Tania Hubbard

Hot Chocolate Cake by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

If you make any of these recipes 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 my new Easy Wholefood Luncbboxes here.

Bren x

Who doesn’t like to pop into the local gelato shop while you’re waiting for the cool change to sweep across and cool everyone off?

We could easily make gelato a daily ritual in the summertime, but to avoid common nasties like skim milk powder, dextrose, stabilizers, colours, preservatives and the high amounts of refined sugar, you can make your own in less than 5 minutes with only 5 ingredients.

You get 6 servings out of it and it’s much lighter on the wallet. The kids reckon it’s better too! When I asked why they said because it tastes ‘real’. Howzat?!

This is a recipe I have adapted from the Thermomix Everyday Cookbook.

Mango Sorbet

Ingredients

50 grams rapadura or coconut sugar (optional as the mango itself provides enough sweetness)
400 grams frozen mango
1 egg white (save the yellow to throw into scrambled eggs)
300 grams ice cubes
Dash of coconut cream

Preparation

Place sugar into a food processor or blender and mill until resembles castor sugar.

Add mango, egg white, coconut cream, and ice cubes and pulse to break into smaller pieces, gradually increase speed then whizz on high until blended.

Top with chopped macadamia nuts and shredded coconut.

Thermomix instructions

Place sugar into mixing bowl and mill 8 sec/speed 9.

Add mango, egg white, coconut cream, and ice and blend 20 sec/speed 10, gradually increasing speed from speed 1 – speed 10, use a spatula to assist.

Check if it has blended well and is nice and creamy, if not, continue to blend as needed on speed 9.

Serve immediately topped with chopped macadamia and shredded coconut.

Freeze the rest and make sure to thaw for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Other recipes you might like…

Healthy Chocolate Banana Protein Ice Cream

Summer Mango Coconut Cream

Have you signed up for my newsletter here to receive your free ‘Think Outside the Cereal Box’ breakfast ebook?

Last Saturday I had one of those days. I was unstoppable! Which is another way of saying I was in a snowball-like frenzy. Yes, we’ll mash anything in this house, whether it’s food or grammar! Anyway, while Master 10 and his dad were doing the cricket and golf run, Miss 7 and I had the kitchen production line set to 11, churning out a variety of beauties.

While I like to create my own recipes, I adore discovering, trialling and sharing recipes by other wellness mums. As a result, we had lots of nourishing goodies to see us through the week, which dramatically reduced the drama of ‘what should I cook today?’

Here’s what I made:

Nectarine sorbet

Thermie made this delicious icy treat with only 4 ingredients – nectarines, coconut sugar, egg white and ice cubes. We had it as a special after dinner treat over a few nights. Mr 10 is desperate for a mango version so I’ll get onto that this weekend.

Choc-Mint Fudge

This one was made specifically for the lunchboxes, but has been gobbled down by guests on two occasions for afternoon tea. I love the extra boost of nutrition with the addition of pepitas. Pepitas are full of goodness like magnesium, zinc and Omega 3’s.

The recipe is by Cut Out the Crap and you can find it here

Gluten-Free Banana bread

I am mindful of reducing the wheat and gluten load when cooking for my family, and this recipe by Alexx Stuart is a total gem. It’s the second time I’ve made it, but this time I included the ginger. The whole family enjoyed it toasted for breakfast with a side of cinnamon yoghurt and frozen berries.

Mayonnaise

This is the best recipe ever! Another thermomix recipe from the awesome Quirky Cooking. I didn’t add the shallots cause I didn’t have any, and raw shallots don’t really agree with me anyway. Also, I used a mix of Avocado, Macadamia and mild Olive Oil. We dolloped it over fried barramundi one night and chicken schnitzel the next and dipped our vegetables in it both nights. Mr 10 has requested some chicken schnitzel for his lunchbox and demonstrated the (huge) size of the container to be filled with mayonnaise to dip his schnitzel strips into!

Pizza

Thermomix sure got a work out today! Next on the list was pizza dough, which Thermie conjured in a flash. I use Quirky Cooking’s spelt flour pizza dough recipe. We made the dough for pizzas to have the following night and topped them with home-made pesto, lightly fried garlic, red onion and kale, fresh mushroom and goats cheese. And there were leftovers galore for the kids lunchboxes. Yipeee!

 

Huevos Rancheros and Vegetarian Nachos Sauce with Kidney Beans

I was exhausted by the end of the day, but had two hungry men heading home and Miss 7 starting to bug me about dinner. Somewhat ironically, I couldn’t think of a thing to make! A deep breath and a quick search later, and Quirky Cooking saves the day again. This recipe is sure to become a family staple, it took 10 minutes to make and hit the spot after a long, but productive, day in the kitchen.

I also had some brown rice soaking to cook the next day so I could make the kids some sushi rolls for their lunch boxes.

The next day I spent lazing about the beach and swimming in the ocean – it’s all about balance, after all!

Do you ever have the urge to cook all day? What do you like to make? I’d love to hear from you.

If you are keen to learn about how you can create nutritious real food lunchboxes and how to make some of my favourite lunchbox recipes, check out my next workshop here.

Bren x

I took advantage of the cool change the other day and snuck in a wintery meal which I’d been planning to make, but hadn’t got around to – until now. Knowing that my opportunities would diminish as the summer really kicked in, now was my chance.

I pulled out my Thermomix Everyday Cookbook to make the Cauliflower Soup recipe, but found the recipe evolved right before my fingertips into a more nutrient-dense version that had my family licking the bowls! Memo to self: don’t take them out in public!

This soup is perfect for dinner or packed to take to work or school for lunch.

I’m often asked how to keep the food hot until lunchtime.

Well, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Boil the kettle and then pour the water into the thermoses, be sure to pop the lids on
2. Heat up the food
3. Pour out the hot water  add the warmed up food into the container,  then pop the lid on immediately.

Here are my fave insulated jars which have lasted me years:

Lunchbots Insulated Stainless Steel Container 470ml 16oz
In these containers I pack soups, pastas, any hot meals and also cold salads.

Goodbyn Insulated Food Jar 12oz 350ml – Blue
I like this smaller size option to keep things cool like yoghurt, granola and fruit, overnight oats or to keep things warm like the chicken nuggets or smaller serves of things like soup, stew, pasta.

If you’re looking for more 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!

There’s even a delicious recipe for Kale and Cannelleni Bean Minestrone which my kids love taking to school in their insulated container.

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:

Chicken stock
Salt
Nutmeg

So I’m excited to say this is my first (adapted!) Thermomix recipe, but an easy one to make the conventional way too.

Here’s how to make it both ways:

Print

Cauliflower and Potato Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 6

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 30 g parmesan cut into cubes (optional)
• 600 g chicken stock I used home-made for all it's benefits or 300mls chicken stock and 300mls water
• 600 g cauliflower cut into small florets
• 3 medium potatoes diced
• sea salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1/4 cup cream
• pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

• Place parmesan into mixing bowl and grate 10sec/speed 9. Set aside.
• Place stock/water, cauliflower, potato and salt into mixing bowl and cook 15min/100 degrees C/speed 1
• Add butter and cook 5 min/100 degrees/speed 1
• and Blend 1 min/speed 9, gradually increasing speed from speed 1 to speed 9
• Add parmesan and cream and blend for 10 sec

Notes

CONVENTIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
Grate 30g parmesan. Set aside.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add cauliflower and potato and sweat with lid on for  10 minutes. 
Add stock and salt and bring to boil.
Simmer with lid on for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Pour contents into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

If you know someone who could use some inspo in the kitchen, please share this recipe with them.

And if you make any of my recipes please take photos and send them to me, or if you share them on Facebook or instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. I get a total kick out of seeing you make my recipes!

For more nourishing and soothing recipes, check out my soup round up, 7 Soup Recipes To Soothe the Soul.

Bren x