Just had a small dance around my kitchen as, partly, I’ve broken out the Christmas tunes and also — after 11 batches — I’ve perfected an allergy-friendly Cheat Day Brownie recipe that’s been driving me crazy!

Even better, I used a tiny garlic grater that I’ve been holding on to in the hope that one day I will need it — and I did! This little grater arrived in a Christmas cracker a few years ago and I was determined not to throw it away. I know it’s an odd thing to get excited about. Gosh is this what happens as you move through your forties? And just in case you’re wondering, I didn’t put the garlic in the brownies, don’t worry.

I’m writing this under the crunch of a deadline, having just spent all day in the kitchen recipe testing. Try as I might to tidy up as I go along, it’s a little bit like Armageddon in there. Hopefully I’ll get to it after this, and before picking up the littlest Irishman. Chloe just wandered in, took one look and said, “Oh! Having fun, Mom?” and laughed at me … aargh, there are just not enough hours in the day!

While the festive season should be quiet for a nutritionist, it’s a little chaotic. We have Beat the Couch wrapping up its 25th season, a Nutrifit challenge on the go, and all the prep to do for our Healthy Kickstart in January.

The kick-start is a free 14-day programme offered to everyone in Bermuda from Waterfront Wellness and Miles Market. It’s packed full of tips for healthy living and the most delicious recipes. Based on clean-eating, with a hefty dose of practicality too. As I test them and write them, I give lots of options for ingredient substitutions (because try as we might, keeping things in stock on our little island can be tricky) and for timesavers. While you can do everything from scratch, you don’t always have to. It’s so nice to have some shortcuts so that you can still be healthy without resorting to greasy takeout.

As a sneak peek, I thought I would share one of my favourite recipes with you. This is for Greek-style lamb kebabs, and although you need to make a marinade, it’s super quick and easy. You just throw all the ingredients in a blender and then let the meat sit in it for anything from 30 minutes to overnight.

I also found that if you have extra marinade, then so long as it hasn’t touched the meat (so keep some to one side) then you can just stir in a little of the plain yoghurt to make the most amazing dip. If you do have time to make the tzatziki, then that’s wonderful, as it’s also delicious! But you don’t have to.

I’ll be sharing the recipe for a quinoa tabbouleh to serve with this in January, but meanwhile, it will go perfectly with plain quinoa. The marinade and the tzatziki will give it plenty of flavour. (I haven’t tried this yet but I imagine this would also work really well with chicken. If you try it, let me know how it works out.)

If you’d like to get on the list for the kick-start, then pop along to waterfrontwellness.bm. A banner at the top of the page shows you how to sign up. I love Christmas, so I am not wishing it away at all, but I’m excited to share some great new recipes with you in the New Year!

Greek-style lamb-kebabs (makes 4, gluten and dairy-free)

Ingredients:

1lb lamb, diced into bite-sized pieces

Salt and pepper

Quinoa — optional side

Marinade:

1 bunch spring onions, peeled and roughly chopped (I used two thirds of the green part)

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tsp ground allspice

½ tsp cardamom

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

1 cup (packed) fresh parsley

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

Method:

1, Season the lamb with a little salt and pepper

2, Pop all the marinade ingredients in a blender and blend well

3, Toss the lamb in the marinade and let it sit in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes

4, Soak some kebab sticks for 20 minutes

5, Prep your quinoa and some green veg

6, Load the lamb on to four kebab sticks. Grill on high for 8-10 minutes depending on how well done you like your lamb

7, Slide off the sticks and serve on a bed of quinoa with some green veg and the tzatziki on the side

Dairy-free tzatziki ingredients

½ cup grated cucumber

1 cup plain coconut milk yoghurt (or Greek cow’s if you can tolerate dairy)

1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste

½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large garlic clove, grated

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Method:

Place the cucumber on a clean towel and gently squeeze out a bit of the excess water.

In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yoghurt, half the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, dill and mint. Taste test and add more salt and lemon juice if needed. Chill until ready to use.

• 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, BNTA is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in Britain. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda