When I was little and went to birthday parties, along with pass-the-parcel and musical statues we played something called The Chocolate Game.

We all sat in a circle and rolled a die; if you were lucky enough to roll a six, you would race to the middle, put on a pair of gloves, a scarf and hat, and proceed to eat an enormous unwrapped bar of Dairy Milk with a knife and fork. You had to use the cutlery and you had to cut the chocolate down into individual pieces before putting it in your mouth.

If someone else rolled a six while you were at it, you stopped and traded places. It was the best game ever but I haven’t seen it yet in our generation.

I think we’re all too worried about sharing hats (nits!) and cutlery (germs!).

What a load of party poopers we are. I should probably be worried about the chocolate but I can’t remember ever getting past one or two bites before being kicked out of the middle.

It’s really hard to eat chocolate with a knife and fork, let alone with gloves on.

Maybe that’s one solution to our health problems — eat all the junk you like, so long as it’s in a kids’ party game format whilst wearing the full range of winter accessories.

I am pretty sure that’s where my love affair with chocolate began — sitting in a circle, anticipating the next roll of the die. These days I try and tame it with better options (dark, organic) and smaller portions. I learnt a long time ago to try not to eat chocolate when I’m hungry.

If I am starving I will eat it all. If I am full, a little goes a long way …. most of the time. I should admit though that while I am writing this with sparkling water in a wine glass next to me, I also have the licked-clean bowl of a dessert experiment by my side.

I am trying to finalise my version of a vegan hazelnut and chocolate bar but keep getting lost in “a little bit of this” and “a little bit of that”. Once I have the final recipe down I will share it with you as it’s going to be a keeper I swear.

In the meantime, although vegan used to mean “pretty awful” to me, I am quickly learning that just isn’t true. The best part is this — with no raw eggs in sight, you can lick the bowl without risking salmonella. Hooray!

The only problem with tonight’s plan is that I thought I’d be ready to share the recipe with you.

As I’m not, here are some tips on quick summer desserts for kids instead.

Hot weather and ice cream go together so well, but we have hot weather every day …. and if you have ice cream every day, you’re kinda asking for trouble.

Whether it’s weight gain, hyperactivity or the irritability that accompanies the sugar low after the high, here are some better ideas for a quick summer cool-down:

If it has to be ice cream

If it’s an ice-cream day, try and go with one scoop in a cone, rather than a whole bowl! It’s a fun way to manage portion sizes.

Ideally, pick organic too (as with all animal products) such as Three Twins from Supermart.

If you’re dairy-free, try the Luna & Larry’s organic coconut milk ice-cream — that’s at Supermart too and it’s to die for. For a lower fat option you could pick a Greek frozen yoghurt but watch the sugar content.

Less fat nearly always means more sugar. I suggest going for a small portion of the real deal.

Popsicles

Most Popsicles are just water, sugar and food dye. I have a huge problem with artificial food dye as it alienates kids from what real food should look like.

Studies suggest it also aggravates ADHD behaviours and is linked to carcinogenic activity in the body. Re the latter, the dose makes the poison of course, but with food dye in candy, cereals, boxes of mac n cheese, yoghurt and even some brands of juice, it’s much more common than you think. Go dye-free with the Mott’s juice pops (you can cut these in half and split these between kids easily) or the Waitrose brand. My favourite option is the Ruby Rockets at Supermart which combine fruit and veg juices — they just have 4g of sugar (1tsp) which is the best I have found so far (in the absence of artificial sweeteners). You could also make your own using the Popsicle moulds available at People’s Pharmacy and the Chef Shop on Par-la-Ville Road.

Frozen fruit

Have you ever tried frozen grapes? They’re slushy, delicious and so easy! They require a little supervision as they’re a choking hazard for small kids, but you can always cut them up before you freeze them. Frozen slices of watermelon also go down a treat — pop them on an old-fashioned wooden lolly stick (before you freeze) for a fun and cheap option.

Banana Berry “Ice Cream”

Try putting frozen bananas and frozen berries in a food processor and blitz them. You’ll get instant soft-serve style ice cream.

You need to eat this straight away as it goes too hard if you refreeze it. If your berries are sharp, add a little honey or maple syrup to sweeten things a little. Banana and peach would also work well. Experiment!

Avocado chocolate pudding

This is a huge hit in our house and the only way Belle will knowingly eat avocado. She actually used it as war paint the last time she had it, but she had a great time trying to lick herself clean. You can add frozen banana and chia to this too if you have more adventurous kids.

Needs to be eaten straight away as it doesn’t really keep. Here’s the recipe:

Avocado chocolate pudding

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

1 very ripe, large avocado

¼ cup cocoa powder

¼ cup brown rice syrup or maple syrup

¼ cup plain almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Chill the avocado and milk. Pop all ingredients in a blender and whizz until completely smooth. Serve and enjoy! It’s that easy.

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