Product Recommendations

To accompany the recipes in the Silver Bullet Lunchbox, here’sTFW-Lunchbox some recommended products to purchase that will ensure your homemade goodies are additive free.

I’ve mentioned these ingredients in particular as they are most likely to contain additives, so if you are deviating from the list below, be sure to read the label!! And as usual, if you can, go organic to be sure, to be sure!

GOOEY COOKIE DOUGH COOKIES

  • Chickpeas – Many canned goods could contain harmful BPAs in the lining of the can, so it is best to avoid canned chickpeas. Buy dried chickpeas, then soak them overnight in water. If you are purchasing canned chickpeas, most are additive free. If you’re after organic canned products, here’s a few suggestions
    • Siena Organic Chickpeas
    • Everyday Organic Chickpeas
    • Macro Organic Chickpeas (from Woolworths)
    • Coles Organic Chickpeas
  • Vanilla extract
    • Queen organic vanilla extract
    • Vanilla Australia organic vanilla essence (not as concentrated as extract)
    • Or use your favourite organic vanilla beans (mine are Daintree Mountain View organic vanilla beans)
  • Peanut butter – Avoid Kraft as they often have vegetable oils with 320 (a nasty BHA antioxidant additive to avoid! Even Kraft no added sugar or salt peanut butters have 320 in them). Most homebrands have hydrogenated palm oil which is best to avoid also. Try these additive free options;
    • Sanitarium Natural (100% peanuts)
      Dick Smiths OzEnuts spreads (palm oil free and Aussie made)
      Mayvers Organic peanut spreads
  • Agave syrup
    • Loving Earth organic agave syrup
    • Coles organic agave syrup
  • Baking powder – Wards is better than Anchor brand – less additives, but both have ‘ok’ additives. For an additive free option try;
  • Chocolate chips
    • Nestle, Coles and Woolworths cooking choc bits are all colouring & preservative free
    • Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory dark chocolate flakes

MEAT FREE HOMEMADE SAUSAGE ROLLS

  • Tamari (or Soy sauce) – If ok with wheat, you can go the soy sauce, for gluten free, go the Tamari. Try these options;
    • Kikkoman soy sauce
    • Abundant Earth tamari
    • Pureharvest organic tamari
    • Lotus organic tamari
    • Spiral organic tamari
  • Cottage or cream cheese
  • Breadcrumbs (or rice crumbs and almond meal) – almost EVERY brand and type of breadcrumbs mix/coating mix contains preservatives, colourings and a myriad of other additives. Check out the labels, it will blow you away with how many ingredients there are. At a pinch, the Kellogs Cornflakes crumbs are ok (they do still contain barley malt extract which is a hidden form of MSG/flavour enhancing glutamates). For additive free versions try these options;
    • Orgran brown rice crumbs (even if you’re not gluten free, they’re so light and crunchy)
    • Bobs Red Mill almond meal (almost all brands have no labelled additives eg: Lucky plain – but not with Omega 3) – check the label as there are a few that are not 100% almonds.
    • Make your own with your favourite wheat or gluten free bread
  • Puff pastry – Pampas butter puff pastry sheets, or if going organic, try
    • Careme all butter puff pastry (yum!)
    • You could also make your own pastry!

CHEESE MINI MUFFINS

  • Flours & almond meal – for a comprehensive list of gluten free options our have a look at the Gluten Free Flour Mixes & Tips
  • Grated cheese
    • Barambah Organics grated cheese
    • Coon grated cheese
    • Devondale Tasty Allrounder grated cheese
  • Butter – almost all homebrand pure butters are just that, with no additives. Most blends have preservatives except for those listed below. Avoid margarine! For blends, try
    • Mainland Buttersoft
    • Devondale Dairy Soft (other Devondale ‘types’ such as Extra soft have additives)
  • For organic pure butters, try:
    • Organic Dairy Farmers butter
    • Macro Organic butter
    • Harmonie pure butter
    • Organic Times organic pure butter
  • Organic olive oil, coconut oil or butter for greasing the pan – Most extra virgin olive oils are ok, but not extra light and not spray (spray oils contain preservatives).
    • Woolworths organic extra virgin olive oil
    • All Pureharvest organic oils
    • Macro Organic coconut oil
    • Melrose Organic coconut oil
    • Niugini Organic virgin coconut oil
    • Melrose Organic coconut oil
    • Nui Organic virgin coconut oil
  • Bacon or ham – Preservative free or organic is a little harder to find, check your local organic store or omit from recipe. Try these brands;
    • Bonah Meats
    • Barossa Fine Foods nitrate free bacon
    • The Naked Butcher products
    • Backfatters pork products

TOMATO SAUCE (KETCHUP)

  • Tomato paste
    • Leggos and Woolworths do an organic tomato paste, as do many reputable organic brands, however most pure tomato pastes and concentrates are preservative free
  • Apple cider vinegar – vinegars are hard to find preservative free, so try
    • Macro Organic apple cider vinegar
    • Braggs organic apple cider vinegar
  • Rapadura or coconut sugar
    • Sustainably Sweet organic coconut palm sugar
    • Organic Road coconut sugar
  • Spices – most ‘pure’ spices (not seasonings or blends, just plain spices eg: nutmeg) are assumed to be additive free (there is the 5% labelling loophole to consider here as well as the farming, production & processing practices re: pesticides etc) so providing you don’t buy seasonings and stick to the raw ingredient (spice or herb) it should be additive free. If you want to try organic, these are good;
    • Planet Organic range
    • Gourmet Organics range

CHEATS FROZEN YOGHURT

  • Yoghurt – most natural plain yoghurts are additive free, however any “light” or flavoured yoghurts often have additives (even vanilla flavour). Try these additive free options;
    • Mungalli Creek natural Greek organic yoghurt
    • Five am Natural organic yoghurt
    • Five am Organic vanilla bean yoghurt
    • Jalna Biodynamic natural yoghurt
    • Jalna Biodynamic honey yoghurt
    • Easiyo natural organic yoghurt – homemade from starter packet
  • Jam – check the labels of some of the generic brands, some are ok, but others may have preservatives and colouring.
    • Dick Smith’s, Coles, Woolworths Select, Cottees, Yackandandah, Anathoth are all ok
    • NOT IXL variety or Weight Watchers (some have colouring and preservatives)
    • I especially love Planet Organic sugarless jams
    • Woolworths Select jam range
    • St Dalfours jam range
    • Macro Organic jam range
    • Ozganics jams and spreads

HOMEMADE SAUSAGE ROLLS

  • Mince – whilst it is illegal to have preservatives in mince in Australia, regulation is sketchy. Where possible, I recommend you choose organic mince.
  • Tomato sauce – You can make your own, or there are a lot of organic tomato sauces such as
    • Masterfoods plain tomato sauce
    • Dick Smiths OzEsauce Tomato Sauce
    • Heinz Tomato Ketchup
    • Coles Tomato Sauce
    • Fountain Tomato Sauce
    • Pops Tomato Sauce
    • NOT Woolworths Homebrand or Select (has 1422 in most but possibly Woolworths Select Tomato Sauce Ketchup 500ml only is ok…check the label!)
  • BBQ sauce – There are quite a few organic BBQ sauce brands available. If choosing non organic, it’s quite a bit harder to find one. I haven’t found a non organic brand that is colouring and preservative free, except for HP sauce.
  • Mustard
    • Keens Mustard Powder
    • Coles Dijon, Wholegrain & Hot English Mustard
    • Masterfoods Dijon, Australian, Hot English & Wholegrain (not French or English Mild – it has colouring)
    • NOT Maille or Woolworths Homebrand or Woolworths Select (have preservatives)
    • There are quite a few of organic mustards available, try Macro Organic Dijon mustard
  • Puff pastry – see above

EASY BAKED RICE CUSTARDS WITH FRUIT

  • Honey (any brand of pure honey is preservative free) or agave syrup
    • Pureharvest honey
    • Australian Organic Rainforest honey
    • Loving Earth agave syrup
    • Coles Organic agave syrup
  • Sultanas or dates – make sure they’re preservative free or organic

HONEY SOY CHICKEN MARINADE

  • Tamari or soy – see above
  • Ketjap Manis or Hoisin
    • Westcountry Organic ketjap manis (sweet soy sauce)
    • Westcountry Organic hoisin sauce
  • Honey – see above