Feeding children is a minefield. Mainly because we give them “children’s food” rather than just “food” in general.

Do you ever wonder if cave babies rejected the sustenance their parents dragged in? I doubt there were many fussy eaters in our hunter-gathering days.

And yet, in these relative times of plenty, most of us find ourselves worrying about what our children will choose to eat, rather than whether or not we can feed them at all.

As frustrating as family dinners can be, sometime it’s worth remembering that we are the lucky ones. I know it doesn’t feel that way when your home-cooked masterpiece is being rejected. All you want to do in that moment is sit them down and Google images of starving children in Africa.

“Want do you mean, you don’t want to eat my $20 grass-fed beef casserole with organic quinoa? There are children around the world without food or a bed! Don’t you know how lucky you are?”

The thing is, as adults we have a lifetime of education and perspective behind us. Our children are yet to understand the privilege they have been born into.

Let us acknowledge, of course, that there are varying degrees of luck or circumstance within our small boundaries, but most of us would admit we are collectively blessed. I touch on this often, especially when we are on the beach.

“Look girls, see how beautiful this is? Most people don’t have this. Soak it up. Drink it in. Many people dream of visiting just for a few days. And yet we can come anytime we like.”

My children are generally great eaters, but they have polar opposite likes and dislikes which makes feeding them tricky. So whenever I do find something that they both love, it’s easy to go overboard.

I have basically ruined three favourites by making them too often — nutrifit banana bread, pesto and hummus. This is seriously annoying as they were three quick staples that I felt great about serving.

The banana bread especially — sweet enough to win over the children, yet packed with extra protein and fibre for more steady blood sugar.

So while the banana bread is out of circulation, I’ve been experimenting with other recipes. Recently, I discovered an amazing Nigella lemon drizzle recipe — and set to work making it gluten and dairy-free.

I’m also trying to bring down the sugar, so far reducing it by a third, though I think I could go lower. I’ve included my interim recipe for you. It’s a good place to start if you are trying to adjust your taste buds to less sugary options.

If this proves popular in your house, just remember not to overdo it. Rotate your recipes so that you don’t get bored of the same-old, same-old.

The same applies to your fitness. Keep trying new things so that you challenge your body in new ways, stay motivated and accelerate your results. On that note, Beat the Couch starts next week. It’s a ten-week programme for beginner runners (ages 18 to 65-plus) that will have you 5K fit by Christmas. It’s one of my very favourite programmes and I would absolutely love to work with you. Join us!

• Sunken Lemon Drizzle Muffins

Ingredients

Dry mix:

150g almond flour (or ground almonds)

30g brown rice flour

125g organic sugar

Large pinch salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Zest of one large lemon

Wet mix:

4 eggs, room temperature (important)

½ cup unsweetened apple sauce

Juice of half a large lemon

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup dairy-free “buttermilk”. Place 1/2 tsp lemon juice in your 1/4 cup measurer and fill to the brim with soy or almond milk. Let it sit for five minutes before using so it curdles.

Drizzle:

Juice of one large lemon

2 tbsp maple syrup

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 355F

2. Line your muffin pans or grease well

3. Prepare your dry mix. Throw all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well with a hand whisk.

4. Prepare your wet mix. Whisk the eggs (room temperature or the coconut oil will harden and go lumpy) and add the lemon, apple sauce, oil and “buttermilk” in any order. But keep whisking. If yours does go lumpy, no major drama, but you may get more bubbles in the muffins. Just whisk to as smooth a consistency as possible.

5. Combine the dry and wet mixes, pour into the cases and then pop in the oven.

6. Cook for 25 minutes and remove from oven. They will have risen but sunk in the middle.

7. Whisk the drizzle ingredients together in a small pan over a gentle heat. Use a skewer to quickly poke holes into the outside of the muffins, then drizzle the solution over the top getting good coverage but without soaking.

8. Cool in the pan completely before serving (if you can wait!)

• 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 the managing director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda