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Breakfast cereals are a product that come with a fair amount of packaging. Many families can get through lots of packets of cereal per week. Making your own cereals like this easy homemade muesli is a great way to reduce packing waste. The core ingredients for this can all be bought in bulk using reusable containers or packaging.

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 3/4 cup nuts (eg slivered almonds, chopped hazelnuts or brazil nuts)
• 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup dried fruit (eg apricots, chopped or sultanas, raisins, craisins, blueberries)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cover 2 baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, add honey and canola oil. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. In a large bowl combine all the oats, seeds, nuts and coconut. Pour the honey and oil mixture in and stir to coat.
4. Pour onto the lined trays and bake for 15 minutes. Stir every 3-4 minutes.
5. Allow to cool after toasting and stir through the dried fruit.

Why not make a compote from our Munch Lunchbox Cookbookto go with the muesli, along with some fresh cut apples. You will find that most kids will enjoy a cut up apple for breakfast or as a snack. But make sure you find fresh crispy apples as no one likes an old soft apple!

Other easy homemade muesli recipes by Munch include our seeded Weetbix Granola recipe.

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Beetroot is mostly available between November to April, and is abundant and cheap in summer time. Why not try making this beetroot chocolate cake?

Beetroot contains fibre, potassium, folate and other B group vitamins, and a little iron and vitamin C. Beetroots have a high anti-oxidant value because they contain a group of red pigments known as betalains. Its crimson colouring is not seen in any other vegetables. 

And, did you know that you can use beetroot juice as a natural food colouring? Simply add a few drops to water to make pink drinks, or add a few drops to your favourite icing recipe instead of food colouring.

BEETROOT CHOCOLATE CAKE

For a long time I wanted to make a beetroot chocolate cake, but they seemed like a lot of work. I wanted to find a recipe where I didn’t have to cook the beetroot first. After perusing a few versions online, I decided to modify my standard chocolate cake recipe, and came up with something I am pretty pleased with. It is dairy free, and uses coconut oil so you could say it is almost healthy.

The end result is a moist, chocolately cake with only a hint of the earthiness of beetroot in the aftertaste. The batter has a beautiful crimson hue, but once cooked you wouldn’t know there was a vegetable in it.

This cake is a great way to sneak in another 5+ a day into their diets. Adjust the cooking time for muffins/cupcakes. I syphoned off a small amount of batter and made some mini muffins for the lunchboxes. For more lunchbox inspiration be sure to check out the Munch Lunchbox Cookbook which is filled with easy healthy recipes.

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I have made this recipe on several occasions, and it is fair to say that I probably modified it each time. The original inspiration for this recipe came from a recipe I found in Taste magazine, March 2011.

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These coconut milk ice blocks contain no refined sugars. Not only are they delicious and healthy they really only take a couple of minutes to prepare.

You could use an ice cream maker to process and freeze the mixture initially. However you can also simply freeze them straight in the ice pops or in a plastic container. The advantage of using an ice cream maker is that you don’t get any ice crystals.

Coconut milk is high is saturated fatty acids an easy source of energy, the main source is lauric acid. A fatty acid that helps fight against bacteria and viruses and also helps promote brain development. Interestingly breast milk is the only other natural source of lauric acid.

Coconut provides a nutritious source of meat, juice, milk, and oil that has fed and nourished populations around the world for generations. On many islands coconut is a staple in the diet and provides the majority of the food eaten.

Nearly one third of the world’s population depends on coconut to some degree for their food and their economy. Among these cultures the coconut has a long and respected history.

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This nut butter can be spread on toast, used in sandwiches or as a dip. A great after school snack, I hope you enjoy experimenting with this wonderful nut butter recipe.

Thanks to our friends at the www.heartfoundation.org.nz for supplying us with this wonderful recipe. The Heart Foundation help people affected by heart disease. It funds research and helps people make healthy living choices. It also runs programmes to encourage Kiwi heart health.

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