By the time you read this, I will have been the proud owner of a teen for approximately 24 hours.

Chloe turned 13 yesterday and I am having a serious issue with how fast the time has gone. She was the happiest little baby (so long as you were holding her) and spent most of her toddler years running around laughing, eating snails and dressing up.

She left a trail of paint and glitter wherever she went. She became absolutely besotted with our SPCA rescue cat. They’re still inseparable and when I pop my head round the bedroom door at night, they’re usually curled up together. That’s when she still looks little … when she’s sleeping. I absolutely love those moments.

These days, she’s still a bundle of positive energy and a force to be reckoned with. God help us all if she gets an idea in her head. She’s so busy with big ideas that she doesn’t actually have much time to be very teenage. All I’ve had is a moderate eye-roll so far. I know there’s still plenty of time. I’m hoping that so long as I keep feeding her and providing wi-fi that she’ll hold back on the drama. We will see!

At age three, Chloe very politely rejected a chocolate chip cookie in favour of a bowl of chickpeas. It was the proudest moment of my life. Of course it’s been a slippery slope since then. Once they are given birthday cake and lollipops, it’s hard for the healthy stuff to remain the favourite. She’s an amazing eater though and will happily eat a huge bowl of salad as long as I cover it in mango chicken and avocado. That’s the easiest dinner ever by the way – a bowl of leaves, mango chicken breast (Miles deli), avocado, cucumber, olives and a quick dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and a dash of maple.

Still, now she’s a teen, I’ll be upping the ante a little and getting more adventurous with our dishes. I have just converted her to kale and so I’m going to try this abundance bowl next. If you make double, it’s great for lunch the next day too. I am all about cooking once and eating twice!

Give this recipe a whirl yourself, I promise you it’s amazing. Tons of flavour and really easy to do. If you think ”abundance bowl” sounds pretentious, forgive me. It’s just that “salad bowl with a lot of incredibly nutritious things in it” would be a very long title. Have a great weekend, one and all.

Butternut Squash, Lentil and Feta Abundance Bowl

(serves 4)

1 cup dried Puy or brown lentils (use Eden organic tinned lentils, rinsed, as a shortcut)

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Splash of light olive oil

1 large bunch kale, washed, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces.

1 pomegranate, seeded or ½ cup prepped

½ cup fresh mint leaves, torn

1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted ideally

1/4 cup organic feta cheese

Lemon juice

Salt

Pepper

Method:

1. If you have time, pre-soak the dried lentils for a few hours and rinse well. Not essential but more digestible.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss butternut squash in light olive oil and bake for 25 minutes.

3. Add 2 cups of water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil, add lentils and a pinch of sea salt and reduce to a simmer. They should cook and soften but hold their shape and have a slight chew – about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, season with salt pepper and lemon juice. Set aside.

4. Once butternut squash has finished, put into a large frying pan on medium heat, add kale, another splash of olive oil, toss and let the leaves soften up a bit.

5. In a bowl, layer the lentils with the squash and kale. Sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds, mint and feta. Works on its own or as a side.

Catherine Burns is a qualified nutritional therapist. For more details: www.natural.bm, 505-4725, Natural Nutrition Bermuda on Facebook and @naturalbda on Instagram