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When it comes to parenting tasks, few are as relentless as packing the daily lunchbox. Not only does it clash with the inevitable morning chaos, keeping food healthy, safe and appealing can feel overwhelming, especially for years on end.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where the concept of lunchbox building blocks come in, say cookbook authors and nutrition experts Julia Tellidis and Lauren Skora. The duo, who authored Baby Food Bible, have now released a new collection called Lunchbox Bible. The cookbook is a guide to making balanced school snacks that tick all the requirements around nutrition and food safety, while also being delicious and satisfying. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have a few simple, practical tools on hand, you\u2019ll be able to leave the house feeling organised and confident that your child is set for the day,\u201d Tellidis and Skora write in the book.<\/p>\n
Their lunchbox checklist includes five basic items, starting with a \u201clunchbox hero\u201d packed with protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats. Also on the list are a protein-rich snack, vegies and fruit, and a small bite, plus a water bottle.<\/p>\n
\u201cSnacks can contribute up to half of the food your child consumes in a day, providing a great opportunity to pack in the nutrients,\u201d they write.<\/p>\n
Here, they share two freezer-friendly muffin recipes packed with nutrients, fibre and flavour.<\/p>\n
The best recipes from Australia’s leading chefs straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n
Sign up<\/a><\/p>\n \u2013 Megan Johnston<\/p>\n We wanted to create a muf\ufb01n that was absolutely packed with nutrition, \ufb02avour and all the good stuff! The kind of snack that doesn\u2019t come home because it\u2019s been completely devoured. With the help of cannellini beans, zucchini, spinach and tahini, these muf\ufb01ns tick all the boxes. They are incredibly satisfying, highly nutritious and so chocolatey, making them the ideal snack for lunchboxes. They\u2019re also super \ufb02uffy and freeze beautifully, so you can always have some on hand when you need them. We make these weekly because they\u2019re an easy way to increase our kids\u2019 vegie intake!<\/p>\n INGREDIENTS<\/p>\n 425g canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed1 large overripe banana1 cup grated zucchini, squeezed (approx. 1 medium)\u00bd cup packed frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed) or 1 cup chopped fresh spinach2 eggs\u2153 cup maple syrup\u00bc cup tahini\u2153 cup raw cacao powder\u00be cup spelt flour1 tsp baking powder1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)1 tsp vanilla extractpinch of salt\u00bc cup chocolate chips (optional)<\/p>\n METHOD<\/p>\n Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Grease a 24-hole mini muf\ufb01n tin or a 12-hole standard muf\ufb01n tin.Put all the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) into a blender or food processor and blitz until well combined. If you\u2019re including chocolate chips, stir them through now (or, you can sprinkle over each muf\ufb01n before baking instead). Spoon the batter into the muf\ufb01n holes.Bake for approximately 14 minutes for mini or 16 minutes for standard, or until a skewer inserted into one of the muf\ufb01ns comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring the muf\ufb01ns to a wire rack to cool completely.<\/p>\n Makes 24 mini or 12 standard<\/p>\n Age 18 months +<\/p>\n Contains egg, sesame, wheat<\/p>\n TOP TIPS<\/p>\n We grate the zucchini before adding it to the blender or food processor so we can squeeze out the extra liquid.<\/p>\n Swapsies<\/p>\n eggs > \ufb02ax eggs; bake for an extra 5 minutes at 170Ctahini > seed butter or nut butter (if allowed)spelt \ufb02our > buckwheat \ufb02our<\/p>\n Lunchbox tips<\/p>\n Include an ice brick to keep the \ufb02uf\ufb01ns fresh until lunchtime, or simply place a frozen \ufb02uf\ufb01n in the lunchbox in the morning (it will defrost in time for morning tea).<\/p>\n Storage<\/p>\n Fridge: Up to 3 days<\/p>\n Freezer: Up to 2 months<\/p>\n A savoury muf\ufb01n that looks and tastes like it came straight from the cafe? Yes, please! These protein-rich treats are jam-packed with veg, so even if the kids ignore everything else in the lunchbox, you can breathe easy because they\u2019ve got all the good stuff: cheese, seeds and a vegetable rainbow all combined in a golden, \ufb02uffy muf\ufb01n. Great as a main or a hearty snack, this is the kind of thing that makes you feel smug while packing lunchboxes (and even more smug when it\u2019s eaten).<\/p>\n INGREDIENTS<\/p>\n \u00bd cup finely grated cauliflower1 cup finely grated and squeezed pumpkin \u00bd cup finely grated broccoli\u00bc onion, finely grated2 tsp crushed garlic1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley\u00bc cup sunflower seeds, chopped2 eggs\u00bd cup milk of choice\u00bd tsp apple-cider vinegar\u00bc cup extra-virgin olive oil\u00bd cup crumbled feta2 cups spelt flour2 tsp baking powder\u00bd tsp bicarbonate of soda salt and pepper, to season\u2153 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)<\/p>\n METHOD<\/p>\n Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Grease or line a 12-hole standard muf\ufb01n tin.Put all the ingredients except the grated cheese in a large bowl and combine well, then spoon the mixture into the muf\ufb01n holes. Top with some grated cheese (if using) and bake for 16 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean and the tops are golden.Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding to lunchboxes. Serve at room temperature and add butter if desired.<\/p>\n Makes 12<\/p>\n Age 12 months +<\/p>\n Contains egg, dairy, wheat<\/p>\n TIPS<\/p>\n For little ones under four, blitz sunflower seeds. For a shortcut, put the roughly chopped cauliflower, pumpkin, broccoli, onion, parsley and sunflower seeds in a food processor and blitz for about 5 seconds until broken down but not pureed, then stir through the remaining ingredients.<\/p>\n Swapsies<\/p>\n eggs > \ufb02ax eggs; note that \ufb02ax-egg muf\ufb01ns may need to be baked for an extra 2-3 minutesfeta > goat\u2019s cheese, cheddar cheese or omit cheese completelyspelt \ufb02our > wholemeal \ufb02our or other \ufb02our of choice<\/p>\n Lunchbox tips<\/p>\n Pack cold with an ice brick or warm in an insulated container.<\/p>\n Serve as is or with a side of tzatziki, hummus or a little butter.<\/p>\n Storage<\/p>\n Fridge: Up to 3 days<\/p>\n Freezer: Up to 2 months <\/p>\n This is an edited extract from Lunchbox Bible by Julia Tellidis and Lauren Skora, published by Hardie Grant. Photography by Rob Palmer and Ruby Holland. RRP $50.<\/p>\n Related Article You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Packed](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1ea3b9d1c6e8a7d7027bfd9de1e932e6b0464410.jpeg\")
Packed with all the good stuff.Hardie GrantChoc fluffins<\/p>\n![\"Great](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4fd0c4ac7c6e7e4a89f941d81b385ad04374b774.jpeg\")
Great as a main or a hearty snack.Hardie GrantThe cafe muffin<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/43ca4397a1dbccb50b8b70613d05c74a198d59ba.jpeg\")
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