(No) meat, no worries! Iron, in the form of non-haem iron, can be found in plant-based foods too so don’t fret if you’re trying to reduce your meat intake in favour of a few more vegetables on your plate. You can absolutely tick all nutrient boxes in macro- and micronutrients on a vegetarian or plant-based diet — it just takes a little education and discovering delicious recipes like this one.

High on our home menu repertoire is Mexican. We try mixing and matching different ingredients with Mexican spice and flavours and they’re always a cracking success! This combination in particular is a great way to up the iron in your diet from simple plant-based ingredients. Both the tofu and the lentils deliver iron to the dish. The vitamin C rich citrus fruits squeezed over before serving help the body absorb the iron in food — all in a very delicious, wholesome meal. The whole family will love this delicious, nourishing and iron-rich bean salad with a special Mexican twist.

This broccoli rice is a midweek vegie wonder! It’s incredibly rich in minerals such as iron and magnesium, vitamins and fibre from green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, spinach and coriander, which balance beautifully with the protein, choline, vitamin B12, vitamin D and scrumptious flavour in free-range eggs. If kids are at the table and you’re not yet convinced they’ll go the whole broccoli rice meal then simply swap out half the broccoli for some cooked brown or jasmine rice.

My 9-year-old boy requests this slow-cooked tofu sweet potato and vegie dish regularly. It’s the perfect introduction of more vegetarian-based dishes for youngsters because there are so many great flavours in each bite, and parents can rest assured that everyone is receiving a great balance of nutrition. Jump in the kitchen as a family, chop and cook this one together.

Slow Sunday lunches are made for dishes like these. The most flavourful combination of pumpkin, capsicum, zucchini and eggplant with Mediterranean spices cooked in deliciously antioxidant-rich tomatoes. Serve it up with a chunky piece of sourdough and sink into a slow, beautifully nourishing meal.

Having breakfast ready and waiting to go is one of the easiest ways to kick off good nutrition for the day. I’ve incorporated a variety of ingredients in this flavourful breakfast including nutrient-dense hemp seeds to add valuable plant-based proteins to the meal. You can play around with the flavours, fruits and spices but I think this carrot-cake style will knock your breakfast socks off!

A simple breakfast of jam on toast can so easily move from simple to healthfully decadent and abundant in nutrients too with this delicious jam. It’s heavenly on top of a sourdough or seed bread with a dollop of coconut yoghurt and some extra fruit such as banana or kiwifruit.

We usually have a variety of herbs in our fridge throughout the week, but by the end what’s left often looks a little weary. So rather than pop them in the bin or compost I try to make use of what remains by whipping up a scrumptious pesto. While a traditional pesto calls for pine nuts, ricotta, parmesan and olive oil I’ve swapped them for hemp oil and cashews, which create a beautiful earthy but creamy flavour. Serve with your favourite pasta — ours is pulse pasta — and some extra green vegies such as peas and you have a really delicious, wholesome meal.

Having a curry spice on hand is such a delicious way to diversify the way you cook vegies and proteins and this recipe is a wonderful example of just that. If you don’t have tempeh then an organic tofu, chicken or fish will work well, too.

Seasonal fruits cooked in spice are a favourite in our home and this recipe is on high rotation throughout the winter months. Adding a fat such as coconut oil as well as cinnamon to the apples not only gives delicious flavour but slows the release of sugar from the fruit into the bloodstream and helps to keep your energy levels balanced.

This cake is a nourishing take on the more traditional fruity and chocolate cake recipes we all know and love. I’ve swapped grain-based flours for nutrient dense almonds and made the cake deliciously rich with dark chocolate and seasonal winter pears.

This recipe is quick, wholesome and absolutely bursting with flavour! Delicious served with your choice of protein or as a fibre-packed side for pasta or risotto on colder winter evenings.