Prepping your weekly lunches has never been so easy! Make the ultimate nutritious bento box with this mini meatballs recipes.

MAKES 1 bento box // COOKING TIME 30 min

INGREDIENTS
For the meatballs
500 g beef mince
½ green pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp paprika
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 egg
⅓  cup oats
2 tbsp olive oil
For the brown rice salad
2 cups cooked brown rice
½ cup olive oil
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp mustard
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ cucumber, chopped
4 radishes, thinly sliced
2 wheels feta
To serve
180 g tub red pepper hummus
½ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

METHOD
For the meatballs
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Mix the mince, pepper, onion, garlic and spices in a bowl.
2. Add the tomato paste, egg and oats and mix until it comes together. Season generously.
3. Shape the mixture into small balls, arrange on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Bake for 20–25 minutes, turning occasionally until cooked through.
For the brown rice salad
1. Place the rice in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the wet ingredients together and season. Stir the dressing through the rice.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and toss.
To serve
1. Place the brown rice salad in a lunch box with a few mini meatballs on top. Place the hummus and pumpkin seeds in separate containers.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Sean Dollery // HMimages.co.za

Looking for more lunch inspiration? Try our tortilla chip dipping bowl with salsa.

The post Mini meatballs with brown rice salad bento box appeared first on MyKitchen.

No longer just a side dish, it’s time for rice to take centre stage on your plate. Start with these rice and red kidney bean burgers!

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 15 min

INGREDIENTS
For the rice and red kidney bean burgers
1 tin red kidney beans, drained
¾ cup cooked brown rice
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 egg
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
For the cucumber-garlic yoghurt
1 cup yoghurt
½ cucumber, grated and drained
1 garlic clove, crushed
To serve
6 seeded brown rolls, halved and toasted
Handful baby spinach
2 carrots, ribboned
½ red cabbage, thinly sliced

METHOD
For the rice and red kidney bean burgers
1. Pulse all the ingredients together in a food processor until well combined.
2. Shape the mixture into 2 cm-thick patties. Rest on a baking tray
For the cucumber-garlic yoghurt
1. Combine all the ingredients and set aside.
2. Preheat a pan with olive or coconut oil. Once hot, add your patties and gently fry for 10–12 minutes until heated through.
To serve
1. Toast your bread rolls. Spread on the yoghurt, then top with a burger patty, baby spinach, carrot ribbons and red cabbage.

Recipe & styling: Leila-Ann Mokotedi
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

The best part about rice? There are so many different kinds you can use and all with varying benefits. We used basmati rice for this whole roast butternut with vegetarian stuffing.

The post Rice and red kidney bean burgers with cucumber-garlic yoghurt appeared first on MyKitchen.

Talk about a meal dash! You only need a handful of ingredients and 10 minutes to put together these basil-mushroom rotis with cream cheese.

SERVES 2 // COOKING TIME 10 min

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, grated
1 punnet exotic mushrooms, chopped
Handful basil
2 rotis, toasted
¼ cup cream cheese

METHOD
1. Heat oil and butter in a pan and fry garlic until golden. Add the mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and add the basil to wilt.
3. Spoon mushrooms and cooking juices over rotis, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve with the cream cheese on the side.

Tip
Exotic mushrooms are tastier than button mushrooms, but they can be pricey. If you can’t afford them, add a dash of soy sauce for umami flavour.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

There are so many ways you can enjoy mushrooms, and they’re all meat-free! Check out these creamy herbed mushrooms on home-made crumpets next.

The post Basil-mushroom rotis with cream cheese appeared first on MyKitchen.

Start your day with this classic boeber breakfast, complete with apricots and crumble for super sustaining meal to keep you fuller for longer.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 1 hour 45 min

INGREDIENTS
For the apricots
1 cup dried apricots
3 cups water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise pod
For the crumble
1 cup nutty wheat flour
1 cup oats
¼ cup desiccated coconut
¼ cup chopped almonds
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup melted butter
Pinch salt
For the boeber
¼ cup sago
2 tbsp butter
1 cup vermicelli, crushed
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods, crushed
2½ cups milk
1 tin condensed milk
1 tsp rose water
1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD
For the apricots
1. Mix the apricots, half the water and the lemon juice together. Cover and soak for 20–25 minutes, then drain.
2. Add the sugar and remaining water to a pot over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Once dissolved, add the cinnamon stick and star anise. Boil without stirring for 10 mins.
3. Allow to cool slightly, then mix in the apricots.
For the crumble
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Mix all the ingredients  together and spread out evenly on a baking tray.
3. Bake for 15–20 minutes. Cool and break into pieces.
For the boeber
1. Soak the sago in 1 cup boiling water for about 15–20 minutes, then drain.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the vermicelli and stir for 2–3 minutes, until browned. Add the cinnamon and cardamom, and fry for another minute.
3. Add the milk and sago, reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom, until the sago is transparent.
4. Stir in the condensed milk and cook for another 5 minutes. Add in the rose water and vanilla.
5. Spoon into bowls and top with apricots and crumble. Enjoy hot or cold.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

We’ve got options! Try these fluffy oat pancakes with apricots next.

The post Traditional boeber with apricots and crumble appeared first on MyKitchen.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and flu season approaching, we need to make sure we are taking all the steps to optimise our natural defence systems, and Fulvic Acid may be the key to great health.

It’s common knowledge that minerals and nutrients are required for a range of biochemical processes in our bodies, but we are seeing more and more deficiencies each day, and even the food we eat nowadays doesn’t always contain the vitamin and mineral content that we need. Plus, most supplements do not absorb well enough to correct the shortfall.

So, what is there to do to make sure we stay healthy? Fulvic Acid is one of the most vital nutrients for our health and well-being, and not just another nutrient that we are seeing less of in our food. It’s actually the most important health-building compound because it is nature’s intended vehicle for transporting minerals and other nutrients into living cells in our bodies.

What is Fulvic Acid?
Fulvic Acid is a very small molecule (or- of low molecular weight). This, along with the fact that it is water soluble at all pH levels, makes it an exceptional transport mechanism in the body. Here are a few more amazing benefits of Fulvic Acid:

• It brings superior antioxidant benefits
• Removes toxins and infection from the body- as waste
• Delivers nutrients to the body’s cells

Where did it go?
While attempting to kill the pests and weeds and bolster plant production, the chemicals used in agriculture have inadvertently destroyed friendly troops, such as Fulvic Acid, in the soil jungle. Chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides were created to kill insects, control weeds and increase crop yields. Yet, despite the increased amount of food, these modern farming practices have taken a toll on the soils’ microbes, plant nutrients, and in turn it has impacted our health. The price of growing food this way is dramatically altering the natural recycling process required in nature, and the downstream effects on our health is growing.

CHD-FA – The Missing Puzzle Piece
Many people are feeling the effects of low nutrient absorption, even in the presence of a good diet with regular intake of supplemental vitamins and minerals. And although Fulvic Acid is the missing puzzle piece for many people seeking increased health, most supplements come from sources that are ground-sourced and are contaminated with heavy metals like aluminium, lead, mercury and even arsenic.

This is where internationally patented (pure plant-sourced) CHD-FA, Carbohydrate derived Fulvic Acid, from Bettamed® products comes in. Bettamed® Cleanse and Recover Capsules (or liquid-in glass packaging) has a well-established product safety profile which delivers the benefits of clean Fulvic Acid products. Whether you are fighting an infection, rebuilding health, or optimising Immune for extra COVID-19 protection, simply add Bettamed®’s CHD-FA daily to help your body absorb and use much needed nutrients.

The CHD-FA molecule is also a highly active carbon, hydrogen, molecular oxygen (more available oxygen) and enables better electrolyte balance. This means that it’s able to recharge rundown cells, allowing them to carry an extended electrical charge and survive longer. CHD-FA molecules also act like mini-batteries, going around and charging cells that it comes in contact with and raising their voltage. When our cell’s membranes are fully charged, nutrients can get inside cells more easily. When nutrients are inside cells they are available for biochemical processes that support our immune system and well-being.

Nature’s answer
CHD-FA supplementation is a powerful addition to our immune-system weaponry and an ideal solution to the problem that man has created with over-farming and the production of processed foods. It can assist with toxins and depleted nutrients in food, making it an absolute essential to a healthy diet.

Bettamed® is available from Dis-chem, Alpha Pharm, Wellness Warehouse and The Local Choice Pharmacies. or find them on Facebook. 

For more information visit bettamed.com or find them on Facebook. 

Photography: Courtesy Images

The post Discover the benefits of Fulvic Acid with Bettamed® appeared first on MyKitchen.

With a glorious change of season comes some glorious veggies – fill your plate with these healthy baked Parmesan pumpkin fries.

Serves 4 // COOKING TIME 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
1 small pumpkin
4 cups water
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
3 tbsp Parmesan, grated
To serve
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 220°C and line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Slice the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the pumpkin, then cut the flesh into 1.5 cm fries.
3. Soak the pumpkin fries in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towel.
4. Place the cornflour and pumpkin fries in a large bowl. Mix to cover the fries well.
5. Drizzle with olive oil, and then add the paprika. Toss to coat.
6. Bake the fries in a single layer for 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.
7. Remove the fries from the oven and turn the heat to grill. Sprinkle the fries with Parmesan and return to the oven, grilling them for a further 5 minutes.
8. To serve, top with fresh parsley, sea salt and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

We can’t forget the OG veggie-alternative – baked baby marrow fries!

The post Low-carb baked Parmesan pumpkin fries appeared first on MyKitchen.