Last week, due to a combination of bad luck and gale force winds, I slammed my head in the car door. Just as I was climbing in, the wind ripped the door out of my hand and then smacked it back into my forehead.

This wouldn't have been so bad, except that I'd just picked up my brother and his family from the airport, so spent the first ten minutes of their visit in tears.

I'm not sure if it was the pain or the shock that got to me, but never the less, once I started, I couldn't stop.

I veered from wholehearted sobs to hysterical laughter and back again, totally confused as to whether this was very funny or outrageously painful. Perhaps it was both.

I was hoping to have a huge bruise to show for it, but now just have the kind of bump that could be confused with a boil. Charming.

Fortunately the family visit has been on the up since then. I've been getting to know my little nephew and we've had some lively dinners together the grown-up chat interspersed with toddler talk and animal noises for baby entertainment.

It seems completely normal these days for the conversation to go along the lines of "Yep work is good, always busy and rrrrRROAARR rrrRROAARR, that's what a lion says! So the same as ever and if you eat one more spoon of peas Chloe then you can have a yoghurt, and what about you?"

But whilst all this parenting makes me feel like my brother and I have come a long way from our teenage days, there are some things that never change his appetite being one of them.

I know many teenagers are described as "bottomless pits", but for this to have extended into his thirties without a single ounce of weight gain makes him something of a dietary phenomenon.

He could literally eat his body weight in biscuits and regularly does and yet is still, at over six foot, lighter than me.

However, although I used to have concerns that the biscuit obsession was to the exclusion of all things healthy, he is certainly dabbling in the other food groups.

In fact, to be fair, he really is a full-on foodie, interested in all things new… including strange foreign veggies.

On his last visit, he discovered and loved spaghetti squash and ever keen to help balance out the biscuits, I've been trying out a new recipe for him.

The great thing about spaghetti squash is that it's a really easy and simple way to liven up a boring rotation of rice-potatoes-pasta at dinner time.

This is a fun option that gives you something new to try out with all the family as kids tend to love it too.

Spaghetti squash looks just like a paler version of pumpkin or butternut squash when you cook it, but once it's done, it comes apart into strands that you can wind round your fork just like spaghetti.

It's absolutely good enough to be served as a simple side dish, but it's also easy to dress it up. The recipe below is great either on the side or is good enough to stand alone as a vegetarian dish.

Try it out this weekend and see what you think!

Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash

1 medium-sized spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 tablespoons light olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ cups plum tomatoes, chopped

1 ½ cups blanched broccoli, chopped into small florets

¾ cup organic feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup black kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F

2. Wash the outside of the spaghetti squash and cut in half lengthways

3. Scoop out the seeds in the middle of each half and discard

4. Brush the flesh with olive oil

5. Place in a roasting dish (cut side down) and roast for approximately 30 — 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the squash over to roast skin side down.

6. Meanwhile, warm the oil over a medium heat in a skillet. Sauté the onion until tender. Add the garlic and sauté for a few more minutes.

7. Stir in the tomatoes and heat through gently.

8. Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for a few minutes till a little tender, then add to the tomato mixture and keep warm.

9. To check if the squash is cooked, run a fork along the inside of the squash to separate a little of the flesh into strings. If the strings separate easily and are nice and tender when eaten, then it is done.

10. Use a fork to gently pull out all the squash and place in a large serving dish. Toss with the tomato mixture, black olives and basil. Finally, sprinkle the feta cheese over the top and serve.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it.

Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons., Dip ION is a fully-qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the U.K. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. She can be contacted at nourishbda@gmail.com.