Little kiwi lunch box

Sharing healthy lunch box inspiration and recipes

Baking

Cheese and cauliflower muffins

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Cheese and Cauliflower muffins

These yummy little bites are fluffy and oh so cheesy! The kids couldn’t identify the mystery vegetable hiding in the muffins nor did they realize there was one until I told them. I chalk that up as a win for those who have fussy eaters on their hands. I am not one for hiding vegetables from my kids, I am very upfront about them but I can sympathize with those who do struggle feeding their little ones some much needed veggies.

These yummy little cheesy muffins are perfect for  baby led weaning, lunch boxes and afternoon tea. They are also freezable for up to four weeks, so why not make a double batch?

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Cheese and Cauliflower muffins

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup oil or melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup grated cauliflower Use the fine side of the grater
  • 1 cup finely grated cheese Edam or Colby
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 small handful of cheese for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  1. Beat egg and oil/butter till thick - Should take about 1 minute with a hand mixer 

  2. Add grated ingredients and mix to combine 

  3. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine 

  4. Add mixture into a greased muffin tray - We used a mini muffin tray about 1 1/2 tbsp of mixture per slot. 

  5. Sprinkle some cheese over the top and bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven of 180 degrees. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then remove from muffin tin. Store once completely cooled in an airtight container. 

Recipe Notes

Makes about 12 mini muffins or 6 medium size muffins. 

Dipped Apple Pancakes

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Dipped Apple Pancakes

Every kid I know loves pancakes! They are so flavor versatile and they can be eaten at any time of the day, heck you could eat them for dinner if you paired them with the right sides ha!

I have grated apples into many a pancakes but I wanted to try something a little adventurous this time around. And it turned out to be a bit hit with the kids. They loved biting into the doughnut shaped pancakes and finding a sweet slightly crunchy piece of apple. I quite enjoyed it myself!

With the slice of apple in the middle the pancake mixture didn’t really need any sugar added, bonus!

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Apple Dipped Pancakes

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp sugar of choice This can be halved or even left out
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup milk can use non dairy
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup plain flour
  • 1/2 cup wholemeal
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon this is totally optional

Instructions

  1. Beat egg and sugar until thick. If you choose to not use suagr than beat egg till fluffy. 

  2. Add milk and vanilla, stir till combined.

  3. Sift in dry ingredients and fold into mixture. Allow to sit for 10 minutes till a few bubbles form.  

  4. While your mixture sits. Peal, core and thinly slice 2 - 3 apples into circles. 

  5. Heat a non stick pan over a low to medium heat. Grease with a little coconut oil or butter. 

  6. Dip your sliced apple into the batter. Allow a little to run off the apple and then place in the fry pan. Cook for approximately 1-2 minutes a side. 

Peanut Butter Muesli

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Peanut Butter Muesli

What can I say about this muesli….. It is just soooo good!! If you or your kids are a peanut butter fan then this is a must try.

We love using muesli for more than just breakfast. It is perfect sprinkle on yoghurt with some fruit for afternoon tea, it is also a great addition to frozen yoghurt bark and it makes the best no bake muesli bars. And did I mention you can sprinkle it on some melted dark chocolate and create a crunchy peanut butter chocolate bark?! Delish!

This muesli is a great addition to the lunch box if your children don’t attend a nut free school. But if they do, tahini works fantastically in its place as it has a rich nutty flavor similar to peanut butter.

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Peanut butter Muesli

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Old fashion oats
  • 1/4 -1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter we used a no salt added, no sugar added version
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Instructions

  1. In a bowl mix oats, cinnamon and salt.

  2. In a microwave safe bowl or pot. add peanut butter, honey and vanilla. Heat till they become a liquid. Should take no more than 30 seconds in the microwave or two minutes on the stove top. 

  3. Add wet ingredients to the dry. Stir till all the oats are covered.  

  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Your oven will determine the exact time. 

  5. Allow to completely cool. The muesli will harden as it cools off. 

  6. Add the pumpkin seeds and mix through as you break the muesli up. Store in an airtight container or jar for a few weeks (If you make it last that long). 

Homemade Wholemeal Crackers

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Homemade Wholemeal Crackers

These are similar to our original version but we made them that little bit more healthier with swapping out the white flour for wholemeal flour, we also discovered that you can whip up the ingredients in a blender!! This is awesome news for those of you who have fussy eaters that don’t like the look or texture of those mighty little seeds. These can easily be made dairy free if you leave out the cheese too but we are lucky enough to be allergy free in our house and love a bit of cheese in our crackers.

I think my favorite thing about these crackers are that they are actually very cheap to recreate and are very quick to make! They last in the cupboard for a few weeks if you store them properly, in an airtight container/jar/zip lock. They are a perfect hunger strike snack to have on hand, especially if you keep some hummus on hand.

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Homemade Wholemeal Crackers

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup self-raising wholemeal flour +2 tbsp of quick oats. If you dont have self raising you can use plain wholemeal with 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup seeds sesame, pumpkin, chia, flax, sunflower, quinoa
  • 1 cup cheese -grated any cheese will do, we used edam
  • 2 tbsp olive oil rice bran or coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup water + 2 tbsp *leave out the extra 2 tablespoons of water if you don't use oats in the mix

Instructions

  1. Add flour, salt, seeds, cheese into a blender. Blend for a few minutes. 

  2. Add oil and water. Blend until combined into a dough.

  3. Place dough onto a piece of baking paper that will fit your baking tray. 

  4. Place another piece of baking paper over the top and roll your dough very thin. About 25mls, the thinner you roll your crackers the crispier they will be. 

  5. Remove the top layer of baking paper. Using a pizza wheel or knife cut your desired size and length. 

  6. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 12-15 minutes. Until golden in color, every oven varies in timing. 

  7. Allow to cool and cracker apart. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks (if they last that long hehe) 

Strawberry chocolate chip muffins

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Strawberry chocolate chip muffins

These are sooooo good! I am very excited about strawberries coming back into season because that means I can make more of these yummy little muffins.

These can be made gluten free for those who can not eat gluten with just a few little adjustments to the recipe ( notes in recipe). They are also egg free!!

These scrummy little muffins freeze well too, so make a double batch and store some away to make those busy mornings that little bit easier.

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Strawberry chocolate chip muffins

Ingredients

  • 100 gms butter room temp or can be made dairy free with room temp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup honey/ pure maple syrup / sugar (we used honey)
  • 1 large ripe banana
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract/paste
  • 1 1/2 tbsp chia seeds or 1 egg mix with 3 tbsp water and let sit for a few minutes to form a gel
  • 1/2 cup plain/glute free or wholemeal flour
  • 1/2 cup quick or fine oats leave out fot gluten free and add 1/2 cup more gluten free flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder or 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup fresh strawberries diced
  • 4 sliced strawberries for decoration optional
  • 2-3 tbsp chocolate chips sprinkle on top of muffins

Instructions

  1. In a bowl mash the banana. With a hand beater or mixer, mix the room temperature butter with honey, banana and vanilla. (Add egg here if you are using egg). Add dry ingredients to the mix. Slice strawberries and fold through the mixture. Place mixture into a greased muffin tray, or lined. Decorate the top with chocolate chips and sliced strawberries. Bake at 180 degrees for 15-20mins. If you don't have strawberries then they are easily swapped out for frozen or fresh blueberries!

Homemade seed crackers

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Homemade seed crackers

Crackers have got to be one of our favorite snacks of all time. They are great for dipping, with cheese and all on their own. These are our go to cracker recipe. So simple and quick to make!! They last a few weeks in an airtight container in the cupboard (if you don’t eat them all in one sitting hehe). They are easily converted to gluten free for those who are gluten intolerant or and trying to cut down on gluten consumption.

 

 

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Homemade seed crackers

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup flour gluten free or plain
  • 1 cup finely grated cheese can be left out for dairy free
  • 2/3 cups mixed seeds flax, chia, sunflour, pumpkin, sesame
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp olive oil other oils will work fine
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water

Instructions

  1. Mix dry ingredients, add cheese and mix through. Add oil and 1/4 cup water. Mix till it begins to form dough. Add the remaining 2 tbsp water. Mold dough. Place dough onto baking paper, place more baking paper over top and with a rolling pin roll the dough out till about 1/2 cm thick. Remove top layer of baking paper and score the dough with a knife to create crackers the size you desire. Bake at 200 degrees for 15-20 mins (all ovens vary in timing). Once out give the crackers a few minutes then crack with a knife along the score lines. Allow to cool completely before storing. 

Chickpea snack sticks

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Chickpea snack sticks

If your kids love something crunchy to nibble on then these are the perfect little savory snack. They go great in the lunch box and are also a great on the go snack. They last in the cupboard in an airtight container for up to a week. If you have rather damp weather they may go a little soft after a day or two but that’s not a problem, just pop them back in the oven for a few minutes and they will crisp right back up!

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Chickpea snack sticks

Ingredients

  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 1 garlic clove small
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp oil olive, coconut, rice bran
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 cup flour can use gluten free
  • pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Drain and rinse chick peas. Add in all ingredients into a blender or use hand blender. Blend till it becomes a smooth paste. Put into a piping bag and pipe out onto a lined baking tray into desired length. Bakes at 200'C for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow to sit for 10-20mins. Cool and store in an airtight container or bag for a week.

Low sugar chocolate chunk cookies

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Low sugar chocolate chunk cookies

These are our go to cookie recipe. They are lower in sugar than most cookie recipes and they taste sooo good. They are crunchy and the chunks of chocolate are of course the best part. They are a fairly simple recipe to make which makes them perfect for the kids to help with.

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Low sugar chocolate chunk cookies

Ingredients

  • 115 gms butter room temp
  • 1/3 cup soft brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp golden syrup can be left out but recomended
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence r extract
  • 3/4 cups self raising flour can use white
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

  1. Cream butter, sugar, golden syrup and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix. Roll into tablespoon sized balls. Place in baking tray and put in the fridge for 20 mins. Place in a preheated oven at 180'C for 20 mins. 

  2. The longer you leave them to bake the more crunch they have, so if you like crunchy leave them to go quite golden. If you prefer more of a chewy texture then take them out around the 20 minute mark. 

Mashed potato bites

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Mashed potato bites

Don’t know what to do with that left over mashed potato??

For some reason I always make too much mashed potato and there isnt much you can do with a small amount of left over mashed potato but this solves my problem and maybe yours if you are anything like me.

The kids love them. They are a great for filling the lunch box up and are nice either hot or cold.

Once you have popped them in the freezer you can get out what you need and keep the others in the freezer till you are ready to use them. How handy is that?!

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Mashed potato bites

Ingredients

  • left over mashed potato
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Instructions

  1. Allow leftover mash to cool. Roll into balls. Roll through crumbs. Press slightly. Freeze. When you want them bake from frozen at 200'C until golden.

Recipe Notes

If you want to mix it up you could add finely chopped onion and grated cheese to your mash before rolling.

 

Spiced maple pumpkin and apple loaf

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Spiced maple pumpkin and apple loaf

This loaf is so good if I say so myself. It makes the house smell amazing while it bakes, its soft and sweet and earthy at the same time without using a lot of sugar. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

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Spiced maple pumpkin and apple loaf

Ingredients

  • 125 gms butter at room temp
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp all spice
  • 1 medium apple grated about 1 cup
  • 1 cup raw grated pumpkin

Instructions

  1. Cream butter and maple syrup. Add eggs, mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix. Add milk. Stir through grated ingredients. In a lined loaf dish or cake tin add mixture. Decorate with sliced pear or apple and pumpkin seeds (optional decoration).

    Bake at 180'C for 35-45 mins or until your knife comes out clean.

    Drizzle with a little maple syrup to top it off once out of the oven. 

Recipe Notes

*You can swap the maple syrup for brown sugar if you don't have enough or have none.