Lunchbox Fillers

It’s nearly back to school time and the elusive hunt for lunchbox fillers returns…and my Veggie Chocolate Muffins might just be exactly what you’re after!

Of course, there’s a massive selection of packet snacks vying for your attention at the supermarket and they can be sanity savers at times. But when you think about how many lunchboxes need to get filled over a year (~190 lunchboxes per child in fact!!) ultra processed foods can end up making a big contribution to your kid’s food intake.

Some packet foods are fine, but some are heavily laden with preservatives, emulsifiers, e-numbers, sugars, salt and processed fats which are not good for our, or our kids’ health.

Nourishing Lunchboxes

It makes sense to have some homemade additions to the lunchbox from a cost and health perspective. I’ve got a whole e-book dedicated to Nourishing Lunchboxes – from how to get kids involved with making their own, exactly what we want to include in a lunchbox, and some family-friendly recipes. Your kids (and you) can enjoy corn fritters, mini pork meatballs, chicken katsu, summer rolls and chickpea blondie slice so you’re know you’re getting quality fuel in and yummy flavours. You can grab your copy here.

And you might also want to try my Veggie Chocolate Muffins! They could be a great option for your household, chocka with wholefoods such as carrot, zucchini, spinach, banana, eggs and chia seeds, they’re a healthier take on the usual choc muffins BUT they also taste delish (and there’s no veggie bits in sight).

Pureeing the veggies together with banana, eggs, maple syrup and oil makes for a smooth batter to add to the dry ingredients so the fussiest eater will be none the wiser! Plus chocolate chips in the muffin and on top shows it’s all about balance.

These muffins are higher in fibre, omega 3 fats, magnesium and vitamin A than regular chocolate muffins, and lower in sugar too 🙌 Plus they don’t have any added emulsifiers, preservatives, additives, colourings, flavourings etc.

Veggie Chocolate Muffins – makes 12

¾ cup grated carrot

¾ cup grated zucchini (if it’s big you may need to squeeze out the extra water, mine were small, dry-ish homegrown zucchinis so didn’t need squeezing!)

1 and ½ cups of spinach or baby silverbeet

2 bananas, ideally pretty ripe so they’re sweeter

¼ cup oil

2 eggs

¼ cup maple syrup (or you can use more brown sugar, see below)

1 cup of plain flour

1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup dark cocoa

2 tablespoons of brown sugar (if you’re not using maple syrup you can add an additional 4 tablespoons brown sugar, so 6 in total)

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup of chocolate chips, plus extra for topping

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Pop the carrot, zucchini, spinach, bananas, oil, eggs and maple syrup into a nutribullet or blender and blend until completely smooth. It will be a runny, green batter.

In a large bowl sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and cinnamon. Add the chia seeds. Stir together until combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the green batter in. Mix carefully until combined, don’t overmix or the muffins will be tough. Add the chocolate chips and fold through gently.

Divide the mixture into 12 greased muffin holes, or use cupcake cases for an easier clean up and portability. Add a couple of chocolate chips to the top of each muffin.

Cook for 20 minutes or until the muffins are cooked (they spring back when touched).

Enjoy! Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days or frozen and popped in the lunchbox frozen to thaw out over the morning.

Last thought…

Although covert veggies can be handy, it’s also great to get kids eating veggies that they’re aware of – carrot sticks, celery sticks and cucumber batons can all be great additions to the lunchbox or dinner plate too.

Share this recipe with friends, family and colleagues, or anyone who you think might find it useful 😊