School's back, and with it, the need for packing lunch boxes again.

Instagram foodie and recipe developer Olivia Moore has supplied some healthy and simple ideas to make the back-to-school process easier.

A common misconception about making healthy food options is that they will be bland and boring, but Moore’s recipes are anything but.

“It is of course really important to make sure kids are being fed a healthy balanced diet of nutritious vegetables, protein, carbs and healthy fats,” Moore said.

After years of creating and developing recipes, Moore published her very own cookbook, That Green Olive, which holds an array of helpful, healthy and simple recipes to help inspire you in the kitchen.

Taupō foodie and recipe developer Olivia Moore.

One of Moore’s suggested healthy lunchbox options is a quiche.

“With a good quiche base, you can easily mix whatever vegetables and protein you have in the fridge,” she said.

“To suit lunchboxes, you can also divide the quiche mixture into muffin holes for snack-size servings.”

Moore acknowledged that some kids may not be excited to open up a container of salad or vegetables.

However, she said: “They could be enticed if said vegetables are drizzled or sprinkled with their favourite ‘flavour bomb’ – think flavoured butters, dukkah, pesto or dips.

“Anything that can add flavour to any dish with just a dollop, sprinkle or drizzle.

“In my cookbook, I have a double-page spread called ‘Five Glorious Butters’ – which includes five recipes for flavourful butters that can be used in a variety of ways – from spreading on toast or sandwiches, melted and drizzled over vegetables, or even used in savoury muffin batter, as I do in my Zucchini and Corn Muffins with Spiced Fennel Curry Butter.”

Moore said these muffins are a great way of getting some vegetables in, as the flavours are completely disguised by the flavoured butter.

“Another fun idea is to include a little container of flavoured nuts in your kids’ lunchboxes.”

She said nuts are a source of protein and healthy fats which are essential for growing minds.

“If your kids aren’t fans of nuts by themselves, try roasting them with herbs and spices to make them a bit more exciting.

“These are also great chopped and sprinkled over salads or fruit, to make them a bit more enticing.”

Moore has provided some recipes below to provide you with some meal-prep and lunchbox ideas straight from That Green Olive.

The full version of the book, with its large array of recipes, can be purchased here. More recipes and ideas from her website can be found here.

If you try out some of her recipes, Moore would love to see your photos and hear your feedback. You can contact her by emailing oliviamoore@thatgreenolive.com or messaging her on Instagram @thatgreenolive.

Smokey Sundried Tomato, Bacon & Olive Crustless Quiche. Photo / Olivia Moore @thatgreenolive

Smokey Sundried Tomato, Bacon & Olive Crustless Quiche

Makes one 20cm quiche

25g butter

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 small red capsicum (150g), cored, deseeded and diced 1cm

100g white button mushrooms, sliced

2 rashers streaky bacon (about 100g), chopped

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp capers

100g (3/4 cup) drained sundried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped

50g or 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced

4 eggs

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup cream

100g Cheddar, grated (about 1 packed cup)

2 large thyme sprigs, leaves picked

1 tsp salt

Method

Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.

Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until soft. Add capsicum, mushrooms, bacon, smoked paprika and coriander seeds, and stir through. Cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are soft and bacon is cooked. Remove from heat and stir through the red wine vinegar and capers. Reserve some of the sundried tomatoes and olives, and stir the rest through the vegetable mixture. Allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 160C fan bake. Line a 20cm cake tin or pie dish with baking paper.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then whisk in the milk and cream.

Reserve a small handful of Cheddar, and stir the rest through the egg mixture along with the thyme, salt and a generous season of black pepper. Fold through the cooled vegetable mixture.

Pour into the prepared dish, and use a spoon to distribute the vegetables and bacon evenly. Scatter the reserved sundried tomatoes and olive slices over top, and sprinkle over the reserved Cheddar.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until nicely browned on top and no longer jiggly. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the tin, before removing and transferring to a cooling rack. Serve warm or chilled.

Zucchini & Corn Muffins with Spiced Fennel Curry Butter. Photo / Olivia Moore @thatgreenolive

Zucchini & Corn Muffins with Spiced Fennel Curry Butter

Makes 6 medium-sized muffins

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

150g or 1 packed cup freshly grated zucchini

200g or 1 and a 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp plain white flour

1 and a 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 batch (100g) Spiced Fennel Curry Butter (psee below), at room temperature, plus extra to serve

75g Cheddar, grated (3/4 packed cup)

60g or 1/3 cup cooked or frozen corn kernels

5g (about 2 tbsp) finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C fan bake. Lightly grease a 6-cup muffin pan.

Mix milk with apple cider vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes to curdle.

Wrap grated zucchini in a tea towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside.

Put all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.

Put the Spiced Fennel Curry Butter in a large bowl and beat until pale. Add egg and continue beating for 3-5 minutes, until fluffy. If it has trouble incorporating, you can add a couple of spoonfuls of the dry mixture to help it along. Once fluffy, add the dry ingredients and curdled milk, and mix with a wooden spoon only to combine. Fold through squeezed zucchini, Cheddar, corn and coriander.

Divide batter among muffin holes and bake for 30-35 minutes, until risen and nicely browned. Serve hot, with a generous slathering of extra spiced curry butter.

Spiced Fennel Curry Butter

Makes about 300g

300g butter, cubed

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Put everything in a saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring to a bubble, then reduce heat to low and let gently bubble away for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure the spices don’t burn – briefly remove the pan from the heat if it gets too hot.

Pour into a ramekin or small dish lined with baking paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so until firm. Bring to room temperature, before whipping with an electric beater until light and creamy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 1 week.