Are you a gift-lover or a gift-hater? Do you love planning, plotting and shopping or does trying to find your favourite people their perfect gifts leave you feeling stressed beyond belief? I am the former so I’m at peak excitement right now! I even have a spreadsheet, and I’m not a spreadsheet person, so this is a big deal.

However, if you’re on the other side of the fence, I see you. It’s hard when inspiration doesn’t strike and it’s even worse when finances stand in the way. I’ve started adding in a few home-made gifts lately and it’s nice to feel a little creative and also relieve the purse strings a little.

I’ve found the key to home-made gifts actually being cheaper is to do them in big batches. This Christmas I’m giving all my girlfriends homemade Hot Honey. It’s spiced with paprika, ginger, jalapeño and has a twist of lime to give it a zing. It’s amazing with crispy baked chicken or drizzled over grilled salmon.

If all that sounds tasty, then make sure you sign up for the Waterfront Wellness Healthy Kickstart! We begin on January 12 and it’s free for everyone. You can sign up at waterfrontwellness.bm.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to try a different home-made gift, then how about making a superfood chocolate bark? In small doses, it’s easy to justify dark chocolate — it’s full of antioxidants and won’t spike your blood sugar in the same way other sugary stuff will. Once you’ve made it, you can break it up, pop it in cellophane bags (try the Chef Shop!) and tie them with a festive ribbon. Easy!

This is actually an incredibly simple and flexible recipe — you can switch up the toppings based on what appeals to you. Remember though, including nuts and seeds with chocolate provides protein to help steady sugar release (so that’s always a good thing.) To make this Nutrifit-approved, you would skip the white chocolate (which is higher in sugar and contains dairy) but it does add a fun touch for those who are OK with those things!

If you are making this for someone with a dairy allergy, make sure you choose dark chocolate that is either labelled vegan or is free from derivatives such as butter oil, lactose or milk powder. Note that cacao butter is not a dairy product so that’s OK. If you can find a vegan white chocolate, then you could include that. Either way, enjoy!

Pumpkin, pistachio and matcha superfood chocolate bark

Ingredients

200g (7oz) dark chocolate chopped

100g (3.5oz) white chocolate chopped

1 tsp matcha powder

Handful dried blueberries

Handful pistachios (shelled, roughly chopped)

Handful pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp Let’s Do Organic flaked coconut

Method:

1, Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

2, Prepare the pistachios — shell them, and chop roughly (half-sized pieces will do) making sure you remove the spare skins and dust!

3, Melt the dark chocolate in short bursts in the microwave; don’t let the chocolate get too hot.

4, Melt the white chocolate in the same way and then stir in the matcha powder. If the chocolate becomes too thick, give it a couple of seconds in the microwave to re-melt it.

5, Pour the dark chocolate onto the baking sheet and use a spatula to spread it into a rectangular shape. Drizzle half of the matcha chocolate over the dark chocolate.

6, Scatter over the dried blueberries, pistachios, pumpkin seeds and coconut. Then drizzle over the remaining matcha chocolate. Set for 20 minutes in the fridge until the chocolate has set, then use a sharp knife to chop the slab into rough pieces. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.

• 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 England. She works at Waterfront Wellness in Bermuda. Join Catherine on Facebook: nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram: @naturalbda