Nicole Bando | Dietitian & Lactation Consultant

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Healthy and Balanced Family Recipes

‘My recipes are colourful, pretty, balanced and designed to inspire happy & sustainable eating habits’

Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

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raspberry & pear tea cakes

raspberry & pear tea cakes

Hands up if you like pretty, sparkly things? My philosophy is that the food we eat should be as beautiful as the clothes we wear. These raspberry and pear muffins hit the spot with their little bursts of pink yumminess (and are a healthy option too).

Ingredients:

1&3/4 cup wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup low fat Greek yoghurt
2 eggs
1 small pear, sliced (skin on)
3/4 cup raspberries

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.
  2. Whisk together vanilla, egg, oil and yoghurt.
  3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the wet mixture and fold through.
  4. Gently fold through pear and berries.
  5. Place into a greased 12 half cup muffin tray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
raspberry & pear tea cakes

Hands up if you like pretty, sparkly things? My philosophy is that the food we eat should be as beautiful as the clothes we wear. These raspberry and pear muffins hit the spot with their little bursts of pink yumminess (and are a healthy option too).

Ingredients:

1&3/4 cup wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup low fat Greek yoghurt
2 eggs
1 small pear, sliced (skin on)
3/4 cup raspberries

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.
  2. Whisk together vanilla, egg, oil and yoghurt.
  3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the wet mixture and fold through.
  4. Gently fold through pear and berries.
  5. Place into a greased 12 half cup muffin tray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

sweet potato, corn & black bean salad

sweet potato, corn & black bean salad

Flexitarian eating is a diet that promotes both our health and our planet’s health. It is based mainly on plant foods, includes some lean meat, fish and other proteins (e.g eggs, dairy), whole grains and good fats. 

Try this fresh and vibrant sweet potato, corn and black bean salad for meat-free Monday, it’s a great way to obtain phytonutrients, reduce meat intake and your environmental footprint:
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed (skin on)
2 corn cobs
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 capsicum, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
To serve: avocado, coriander, lime wedges, feta cheese, fresh chilli
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, place sweet potato on 1 tray, corn cobs on another. Drizzle vegetables with oil and roast until golden brown.
Whilst veg are roasting, sauté onion and garlic until softened, add spices and toast, 30 seconds.
Add tomatoes, drained beans, capsicum and a splash of water to loosen mixture if needed.
Cool until capsicum softens.
Chop corn into a mixture of small cob pieces and shaved kernels. Fold roasted vegetables through bean mix.
Scatter with coriander, diced avocado, lime wedges, feta, chilli and serve.

sweet potato, corn & black bean salad

Flexitarian eating is a diet that promotes both our health and our planet’s health. It is based mainly on plant foods, includes some lean meat, fish and other proteins (e.g eggs, dairy), whole grains and good fats. 

Try this fresh and vibrant sweet potato, corn and black bean salad for meat-free Monday, it’s a great way to obtain phytonutrients, reduce meat intake and your environmental footprint:
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed (skin on)
2 corn cobs
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 capsicum, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
To serve: avocado, coriander, lime wedges, feta cheese, fresh chilli
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, place sweet potato on 1 tray, corn cobs on another. Drizzle vegetables with oil and roast until golden brown.
Whilst veg are roasting, sauté onion and garlic until softened, add spices and toast, 30 seconds.
Add tomatoes, drained beans, capsicum and a splash of water to loosen mixture if needed.
Cool until capsicum softens.
Chop corn into a mixture of small cob pieces and shaved kernels. Fold roasted vegetables through bean mix.
Scatter with coriander, diced avocado, lime wedges, feta, chilli and serve.

rainbow veg meatballs & spaghetti

rainbow veg meatballs & spaghetti

My friends and I always joke that cooking for kids requires 1000 ways of reinventing minced meat. What’s your go to mince recipe? Here’s a new one to add to your repertoire as the weather cools:


Ingredients:
500g lean mince
1 carrot, grated
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small beetroot, grated.
Rice bran oil, for cooking

Method:

1. Combine ingredients in a bowl, mix well with your hands (wear gloves to avoid the beetroot staining).
2. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls. 3. Heat a pan on high, add 1-2 tablespoons of rice bran oil and brown meatballs. Remove from pan.

Tomato sauce:
I made a tomato sauce with 2 cans crushed tomatoes, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tb tomato paste and 400mls of boiling water. I added the browned meatballs, a can of drained kidney beans and 200g of @vettapasta spaghetti to the pot to make a soup. Cooked for a further 10-12 minutes. Seasoned and served with fresh basil and parmesan.🌿

rainbow veg meatballs & spaghetti

My friends and I always joke that cooking for kids requires 1000 ways of reinventing minced meat. What’s your go to mince recipe? Here’s a new one to add to your repertoire as the weather cools:


Ingredients:
500g lean mince
1 carrot, grated
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small beetroot, grated.
Rice bran oil, for cooking

Method:

1. Combine ingredients in a bowl, mix well with your hands (wear gloves to avoid the beetroot staining).
2. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls. 3. Heat a pan on high, add 1-2 tablespoons of rice bran oil and brown meatballs. Remove from pan.

Tomato sauce:
I made a tomato sauce with 2 cans crushed tomatoes, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tb tomato paste and 400mls of boiling water. I added the browned meatballs, a can of drained kidney beans and 200g of @vettapasta spaghetti to the pot to make a soup. Cooked for a further 10-12 minutes. Seasoned and served with fresh basil and parmesan.🌿

slow roasted tomatoes

slow roasted tomatoes

Tomatoes are so beautiful at the moment.
Quarter 6 truss tomatoes, drizzle with 2tbs each of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, salt & pepper.
Place skin side down on a lined baking tray in the oven at 130 degrees for 1.5 hrs until semi-dried.
Toss through a simple pasta with tuna, lemon, olive oil and spinach leaves and you have yourself a simple and fresh dinner.

slow roasted tomatoes

Tomatoes are so beautiful at the moment.
Quarter 6 truss tomatoes, drizzle with 2tbs each of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, salt & pepper.
Place skin side down on a lined baking tray in the oven at 130 degrees for 1.5 hrs until semi-dried.
Toss through a simple pasta with tuna, lemon, olive oil and spinach leaves and you have yourself a simple and fresh dinner.

moroccan red lentil soup

moroccan red lentil soup

Soup!! One of my favourite things about the cooler weather. Meals for days and it’s an easy way to jam in lots of nutrients.
I have lots of mums saying their kids won’t eat soup. Here are my tips:
– provide options such as grated cheese, yoghurt or light sour cream, dried herbs or fresh herbs as toppings they can add
– add small amounts of cheesy toast ‘croutons’ or mountain bread ‘chips’.

Ingredients:
1 red onion, diced
1 bunch coriander
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 cans crushed tomatoes (low salt)
2 tbspn tomato paste
3/4 cup red lentils (dried)
1/2 cup brown rice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 capsicum, deseeded and diced
4 carrots, finely chopped (skin on)
1 sweet potato, cubed
2L low salt chicken stock

Method:
1. Saute onion and finely chopped coriander stalks (reserve leaves) until soft, add cinnamon and cook until fragrant.
2. Add tomato paste, cook 1 min.
3. Add all ingredients except coriander leaves.
4. Bring to boil and simmer roughly 45 minutes until everything is cooked through. Scatter with coriander and serve.

moroccan red lentil soup

Soup!! One of my favourite things about the cooler weather. Meals for days and it’s an easy way to jam in lots of nutrients.
I have lots of mums saying their kids won’t eat soup. Here are my tips:
– provide options such as grated cheese, yoghurt or light sour cream, dried herbs or fresh herbs as toppings they can add
– add small amounts of cheesy toast ‘croutons’ or mountain bread ‘chips’.

Ingredients:
1 red onion, diced
1 bunch coriander
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 cans crushed tomatoes (low salt)
2 tbspn tomato paste
3/4 cup red lentils (dried)
1/2 cup brown rice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 capsicum, deseeded and diced
4 carrots, finely chopped (skin on)
1 sweet potato, cubed
2L low salt chicken stock

Method:
1. Saute onion and finely chopped coriander stalks (reserve leaves) until soft, add cinnamon and cook until fragrant.
2. Add tomato paste, cook 1 min.
3. Add all ingredients except coriander leaves.
4. Bring to boil and simmer roughly 45 minutes until everything is cooked through. Scatter with coriander and serve.

5 healthier lunch box treats

5 healthier lunch box treats
pineapple-coconut-muffins
zucchini-strawberry-muffins
sweet-potato-oat-bars
sugar-free-banana-bread-103403-1
vegie-scrolls

It’s almost school time again and one of my friends from school (which was, ahem, a little while back now), requested some healthy lunch box treats. Whilst I can only take credit for one of these recipes, I can tell you that they will all be baked, frozen and appearing in my children’s lunch boxes.

1. Nicole Bando, APD – Pineapple and coconut wholemeal muffins
This recipe uses yoghurt instead of sour cream and wholemeal flour rather than white. A small amount of added sugar makes it a healthier alternative to other treats.
Ingredients:
– 2 cups wholemeal flour
– 2 tspn baking powder
– 1 cup low fat Greek yoghurt
– 2 eggs
– 1 tspn vanilla essence
– 1/3 cup coconut or olive oil
– 1/3 cup sugar
– 3/4 cup shredded coconut
– 1.5 cups chopped fresh or drained canned pineapple (in juice, not syrup)

Method:
1. Whisk eggs, yoghurt, oil and vanilla.
2. Add flour, baking powder, coconut and sugar, stir.
3. Fold through pineapple (drain juice first), place into 12 patty pans.
4. Optional: sprinkle tops with coconut and bake at 180 degrees (fan-forced) for 20 mins.

2. The Biting Truth – Strawberry, Zucchini and Banana muffins
A great source of fibre, low in added sugars and a way to pack in some fruit and veg.
thebitingtruth.com
Serves: 10 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
2 Bananas
2 Zucchinis
1 Apple
250g Wholemeal self-raising flour
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Rice malt syrup, pureed dates or honey (optional)
Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Punnet strawberries, sliced
Shredded coconut, 1/2 cup

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
2. Line muffin tray with paper cases or spray muffin tray with olive oil.
3. Grate the zucchinis and apples. Use a tea towel to squeeze out any excess juice.
4. Using a fork, mash the bananas.
5. In a bowl sift the flour. Then add the rice malt syrup,cinnamon, apple and zucchini and stir to combine.
6. Add the bananas and mix together. (Note: be careful not to over stir the mixture).
7. Stir in the oil until the mixture forms together. (Note: add water if required).
8. Spoon the mixture into cases and press a slice of strawberry onto the top of each muffin. Then top with a sprinkle of shredded coconut.
9. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned.

3. The Nutrition Guru and the Chef – Sweet Potato and Oat bars
High fibre, low sugar and includes some veg in your child’s day.
http://www.thenutritionguruandthechef.com
Author: The Nutrition Guru and The Chef
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Serves: 16

Ingredients
2 cups of almond meal (or equal quantity of spelt flour, or equal quantity wholemeal plain flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sultanas (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder (choose gluten free baking powder if coeliac or highly sensitive to gluten)
1 1/2 cups grated sweet potato (skin included)
4 eggs
1/4 cup olive or coconut oil
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (optional)

Instructions
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper
Place almond meal, oats, sultanas and baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl
Stir well to combine
Grate the sweet potato and add to the mixture
Stir well to combine
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs lightly
Add the oil to the eggs and whisk lightly to incorporate
Add this mixture to the sweet potato and almond meal mixture, then add the honey or maple syrup
Stir well to combine all ingredients
Pour mixture into a greased and lined loaf pan
Optional: you may wish to sprinkle with crushed nuts or seeds such as pumpkin or sesame to decorate
Bake for 30 minutes, until brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and leave in tin to cool.

4. Taste – Sugar-free banana bread
A healthier spin on the traditional banana bread (read: cake)
http://www.taste.com.au
INGREDIENTS
4 very ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

METHOD
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 160C or 140C fan-force. Grease and line an 11.5cm x 22cm (base measurements) loaf pan with baking paper.
Step 2
Mash bananas in a large bowl with a fork until smooth. Add eggs, oil, milk and vanilla and stir until combined. Sift flours, cinnamon, baking powder, bicarbonate and salt over banana mixture (tip in the flour kernels). Stir until combined. Spoon into prepared pan and level top with a spatula. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5. Foost – Veggie scrolls
A great alternative to sandwiches that you can mix up to keep lunch interesting.
foost.com.au
Makes 12-15 scrolls
Ingredients
1½ cups wholemeal self raising flour
1½ cups white self raising flour
2 Tbs reduced fat margarine
1 cup low-fat milk
½ cup pesto
low fat dip or tomato paste
½ cup olives
1 large handful fresh spinach leaves
1 red capsicum
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
8-10 mushrooms
1 small zucchini
¾ cup reduced-fat cheese
Baking paper
Directions
Turn oven to 200°C
Line tray with baking paper
Halve olives
Wash vegetables
Dice mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and capsicum
Grate zucchini and cheese
Sift flours in bowl and combine with wooden spoon
Rub margarine into flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
Add milk and mix into soft dough
Place dough on lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth
Roll out onto a 20cm and 23cm rectangle
Spread dip or tomato paste over dough, leaving a 1cm strip along 1 long side
Sprinkle dough with tomatoes, red capsicum, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini and cheese
Roll up, like a Swiss roll
Cut into 12 – 15 rounds, being careful not to squash roll
Lay scrolls flat onto prepared baking tray, about 3cm apart
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack
Notes
Try using a range of ingredients to flavour the scrolls, sweet and savoury.

chicken soup with barley & green, leafy veg

chicken soup with barley & green, leafy veg

Another day, another soup to warm you through to the soul and boost those immune-fighting nutrients for this long, cold winter. This covers most food groups in one excellent bowl. Many micronutrients = happy body. It includes some great plant-based protein from the chickpeas and continues along the theme of my love affair with legumes. Really. Here is my healthy twist on a traditional favourite.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (I removed as much skin as possible), cleaned
2 carrots
celery
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
1.5L water
Dried bay leaves x 3
salt, lots of black pepper
half bunch kale, leaves removed or 2 handfuls spinach
1 small bunch broccoli, cut into small florets, stalks sliced
1/2 cup barley
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
lemon zest, dill to serve

Method:

1. Cover chicken in large pot with cold water, add roughly chopped carrot, onion, garlic and celery, seasoning and bay leaves.
2. Cover with lid and bring to the boil. Lower heat and simmer for about an hour, until chicken cooked through.
3. Remove chicken, garlic cloves and bay leaves from pot, add rinsed barley and continue cooking stock until barley soft, roughly 30 mins. Whilst this is cooking, remove chicken bones and reserve meat.
4. When barley cooked through, add broccoli, kale (or other leafy green) and chickpeas. The heat from the soup will cook those veg.
5. Add some of the chicken back to the pot, stir through lemon zest and dill and serve.

Tips:
– Reserve some chicken for sandwiches or to add leftover chicken to brown rice with frozen mixed veg, canned corn and low salt soy sauce for quick fried rice.
– Freeze leftover chicken for other sandwiches and meals
– You can prepare this recipe up to step 3, strain the broth and put the veg and barley aside. If the broth is refrigerated overnight, any fat that comes to the surface can be skimmed off the next day. Simply add the barley and cooked veg back in, reheat the soup and go from step 4 the next day. Of course, you don’t have to wait a whole 24 hrs if you would prefer to serve immediately.
– The kids may enjoy this with some cheesy soldiers on the side.
I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as we did,
Nicole.

sweet & sour chicken, vegetable & noodle bowl

sweet & sour chicken, vegetable & noodle bowl

Gluten-free

Ingredients:

300g cubed tofu or chicken
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, sliced roughly
Rice bran oil
1 head broccoli, chopped
2 carrots
1 capsicum
8 mushrooms
Handful green beans
300g soba (buckwheat) noodles

Sauce: 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 1 tbspn apple cider vinegar, 1 tbspn soy sauce or tamari (GF), 1/2 tablespoon gluten-free corn flour. Combine ingredients with 1 clove of crushed garlic, set aside.

Method:

1. Cook soba noodles in boiling water 3 mins, drain and rinse.
2. Brown tofu or chicken in heated wok, remove.
3. Add vegetables, cook on high 1-2 mins.
4. Add sauce, tofu until mixture thickens.
5. Serve with soba noodles.

rainbow crunch rice paper rolls

rainbow crunch rice paper rolls

Vegetarian, Gluten free, FODMAP friendly
When the sun is shining, making dinner with vibrant, fresh ingredients feels exciting. Make my rainbow rice paper rolls this weekend, packed with plant-based protein, sustained release carbohydrates, vitamin C, beta carotene, iron and monunsaturated fats.
The combination possibilities are endless.

Ingredients:
I used: pre-marinated satay tofu (marinate your own plain tofu for gluten-free) (pan-fried 2 mins each side), grated carrot, shredded purple cabbage, sliced cucumber, capsicum, avocado and coriander leaves.🥒
Soak rice paper sheets for roughly 30-60 seconds, place ingredients inside middle third of rice paper add ingredients and roll. Work quickly as the rice paper is quite sticky. Place rolls on a plate with a clean, damp towel covering them to keep fresh.
Dipping sauce: sweet chilli sauce with a bit of fish sauce and lemon juice.
Other ideas: shredded chicken, vermicelli noodles, spinach, mint, avocado (omit for Low FODMAP option)

chilli, feta, mushroom pita stack

chilli, feta, mushroom pita stack

I promised a return to fresh, few ingredient balanced meals and this will be the best thing you eat all day.
Packed with folate, choline, Vitamin B12, iron, protein, B vitamins & monounsaturated fats and the right balance of macronutrients: carbohydrates, lean protein & vegetables.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Olive oil
4 eggs
4 mini wholemeal pita
2 cups baby spinach
40g feta cheese
4 tablespoons hummous
Chilli, salt, pepper

Method:

1. Boil 500mls of water, add a generous glug of white vinegar.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add garlic, mushrooms and brown on high heat. Remove and add spinach to the pan until wilted.
3. Crack 2 eggs into rapidly boiling water, reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining eggs. Whilst eggs are cooking, toast pita and set aside.
4. Spread pita with hummous, pile each with mushrooms and a poached egg. Scatter feta, heap spinach on the side. Season with chilli flakes, salt and pepper.