Today, I have two recipes that you can make quickly at the weekend and use for the lunchboxes during the week. Flapjacks are usually laden with sugar, but with this recipe they are more of a healthy cookie. They are packed with vitamins and omega 3.

A simpler form of this recipe was one of the first things I cooked regularly when I was about eight, so it brings back good memories. You can vary the ingredients a lot with different seeds, dates, cranberries, sultanas and raisins to change the flavour and taste.

Muffins are great for an on-the-go meal and always feel like a bit of a treat. Instead of the brown sugar, you might try coconut sugar. I bought some recently in Dunnes and it is a fantastic product to bake with. It is a low-GI sugar and very sweet, so you use less of it. I used it in a Madeira cake and was delighted with the result.

Chia seeds are one of those superfoods. Amelda uses them a lot in things like porridge and I hear some people use them in omelettes. You will find Chia Bia in supermarkets. It started as a small company in Tramore about five years ago and has been a huge success.

Happy cooking.

Healthy flapjacks

Makes about 16

200g (7oz) pitted dates

200g (7oz) extra virgin coconut oil

150ml (1/4 pint) honey

300g porridge oats

50g milled flaxseeds

50g (2oz) mixed seeds (such as pumpkin, sesame and sunflower)

100g (4oz) desiccated coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF/gas mark four). Line a 28cm x 23cm (11in x 9in) tin with baking parchment. Blitz the dates in a mini blender to a puree or you can very finely chop them by hand. Melt the coconut oil in a pan over a low heat with the honey and date puree, crushing up the dates with a wooden spoon so they break up and get lovely and squidgy. Stir in the oats, flaxseeds, mixed seeds and desiccated coconut.

2. Using slightly damp hands, press the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. The flapjacks will seem soft at this point, but don’t worry as they’ll firm up once cool.

3. Remove from the oven and immediately score the surface into about 16 squares.

4. Leave to cool completely in the tin and then cut into squares, each one should be about 2.5cm (1in) thick. Store in an airtight tin for up to three days and use as required.

Blueberry and chia seed muffins

Makes 12

1 large egg

100g (4oz) soft brown sugar

225ml (8fl oz) buttermilk

4 tbsp melted coconut oil

2 tbsp honey

¼ tsp vanilla extract

225g (8oz) plain or white spelt flour

1½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp salt

150g (5oz) blueberries

2 tbsp chia seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 190oC (375oF/ gas mark five). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Whisk the egg and sugar in a bowl until combined. Then stir in the buttermilk, coconut oil, honey and vanilla.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl, then fold in the buttermilk mixture until just combined (be sure not to over-mix or you will end up with dense muffins). The mixture should be thick, almost similar to cookie dough. Gently fold in the blueberries and chia seeds.

3. Divide the muffin mixture among the paper cases and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Although these are delicious warm, they will keep well in an airtight container for a couple of days or can be frozen with great success.