I have a love-hate relationship with open-plan offices. On the one hand they nurture a more fun, interactive environment but on the other, it does make booking your Pap test awfully tricky. Having polled my friends, other complaints included the embarrassment of a phone call to your spouse deteriorating into a heated debate, and the impossibility of focusing as your co-workers argue over who jammed the photocopier. Although as the lovely husband pointed out, open-plan does make it easier to throw things at people…which could solve the latter at least?

Now, whilst I do generally prefer open environments, they make it much more difficult for me to get away with the occasional diversion from the nutritional straight and narrow. We all know I'm a sincere advocate of healthy eating, but there's still the odd day when all I want to do is sit at my desk with a large bar of chocolate and a bag of chips. However so far, you'll be glad to know, I've managed to restrain myself.

Of course, there's nothing like being a nutritionist for inviting public scrutiny into what you eat. This means that lunch in the office has got to be healthy no trips to KFC or the lunch wagon for me (a sackable offence, surely?). Fortunately, Hamilton is packed with healthy alternatives the salads at Buzz, Common Ground and L'Oriental being among the best and also perfect for setting a good example. Unfortunately, buying lunch every day gets expensive so I've been trying to brown bag it too.

If like me, you want to take a healthy lunch to work, then salads are an obvious option. The problem is they can get boring without a little inspiration. So instead of getting stuck in a romaine/iceberg/spinach rotation, try livening things up with something entirely new. This guacamole salad is zesty, full of flavour and a hit with everyone who has tried it so far!

HINTS: If you want this to last you a few days, then only prepare enough avocado for immediate use and then stir it in on a portion by portion basis. For a larger meal, or to appease the carnivores in your life, serve this for dinner alongside grilled chicken or lean steak. For those of you that are new to orzo, it's a small type of pasta available in most of the larger grocery stores or Miles. Replace orzo with wild/red rice for a gluten-free option.

Guacamole Salad (serves 6)

• 3 cups cooked orzo (or wild/red rice)

• 1 box grape tomatoes, halved

• 1 yellow bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped

• 1 can Eden Organic black beans, drained and rinsed

• ? cup red onion, finely diced

• 2 jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and finely chopped

• ½ teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (approx 2 limes)

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp Morton lite-salt

• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 large clove garlic, minced

• ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper

• 2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled/de-seeded (obviously!) and chopped

Directions

Cook the orzo/rice and prepare the other ingredients.

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl.

Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the salad vegetables. Toss well.

Just before you're ready to serve the salad, fold the avocados into the salad. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.

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 is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at clinicalnutrition@gmail.com