I woke up on Mother’s Day morning to the joyful sound of the LH creeping out of bed and ushering the girls downstairs. It was 6.45am and although I knew they would be back in ten minutes with something resembling breakfast, I drifted off back to sleep, star-shaped in our peaceful bedroom. There is something amazing about not having to be “the one that gets up”. Even more amazing was the fact I slept undisturbed until 9am. Miraculously, the kids had been distracted with car-washing and a movie. I have never been so in love with my husband. But wait, it gets better. My lie-in was followed by breakfast in bed, flowers and a pile of homemade cards. Chloe wished me a “spektaclar” Mother’s Day and my heart melted.

Fast forward to tonight’s horror show at bedtime and I have been left wondering exactly what happened. Where did my sweet baby girls go? After Belle threw a wild tantrum, Chloe announced “I have just done 14 farts in your bedroom!” There was a fight over stories, a stand-off over tooth-brushing and a showdown over who got what song. By the time I escaped, I was ready to Google “adoption”. As every parent knows, children have a good and a bad side. They are unconditionally loving and amazingly fulfilling. And yet they can also be tiny little terrorists.

I’m also having the same issue with our cats. Affectionate and loyal, they have a flip side too. They have torn up our carpets and brought shame on our household by stealing pizza off our neighbours table. Don’t they know they’re supposed to toe the line and advocate a healthy lifestyle? If they are going to steal something from somebody’s garden, I would much rather it was a floret of broccoli.

The upshot is this, that there is usually a good and bad side to everyone and everything. The same is true for food too. Whether it’s olives, chocolate, wine or kale — they can be terrible or fantastic, all-based on how they are prepared. There’s nothing very sexy about metallic tinned olives or wet, overdone kale. But a truffley black olive marinated in oil and herbs, or a local kale salad with an amazing dressing (see last week’s column!) can knock your culinary socks off.

The same can be said for Chia too, which can be done really well, or really badly. I still remember trying my first Chia “pudding” which was the saddest thing I have ever tasted. But I think it works amazingly well in smoothies, jam (coming up next week!) or in cookies. If you’re yet to be converted but have a bag lurking at the back of your cupboard, give this recipe a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Double Chocolate Chip Chia Cookies

Ingredients

½ cup refined coconut oil, melted

2 eggs (“flax eggs” work fine for those who are egg free)

1 tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup Sucanet (a wholefood form of sugar from Supermart, Lindos, Miles)

1 3/4 cups almond flour

1 cup arrowhead mills organic fine corn flour (not corn starch) or brown rice flour

½ tsp baking soda

5 tbsps Chia seed

2 tbsps good quality cocoa powder or raw cacao

1/2 cup chocolate chips (choose gluten/dairy free if necessary)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

2. Whisk together the first three ingredients (wet) in a small bowl.

3. Stir together the rest of the ingredients (dry) in a large bowl. Blend well.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir. When you can’t stir any longer, roll your sleeves up and kneed the ingredients together into a moist dough.

5. Roll the mixture into balls (the mix should make at least 14 but you can stretch it to 24) and flatten in your palm into discs. Place on the cookie sheet with at least an inch between cookies.

6. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes.

7. Cool on the rack!

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