Wow I’ve done it – I have my first book in the iTunes Apple iBookstore!

I’ve spent much of my university holidays working on a series of new publications for you – this first one is now available.

You are going to love this – for any of you are iPad fans this is so so cool! This first book is summer stuff – light summery food, barbecues, salads and in of course there are some sweet treats too!

I have five review copies to give away – if you would like a free copy to review please email  glenda@foodsavvykids.com and she will send you a code.

Click here to see the blurb etc in iTunes…

Teenager Claire Gourley shares her food discovery journey with easy, quick recipes and tips to get kids food savvy. For kids aged 9 – 16, this book reflects Claire’s food motto – “I don’t do complicated” and is all about making cooking fun and achievable.
Claire recipes work, taste great and are really really easy. If she didn’t find them reliable, tasty and easy, she ditched them! She has added lots of photos, tips and things kids will probably want answered as they are cooking… for anything a bit tricky she links to her YouTubes.

Claire wants to know enough about food to take good care of herself. She figures lots of kids are the same as her – they love eating food but they’re always busy with friends, school and sport, so they can’t really be bothered spending too much time cooking – but that doesn’t mean want to settle for average food!

It’s My Turn To Cook takes kids on Claire’s food journey as she has worked out what she needs to know to get food savvy! She has gathered quick, easy recipes made a lot of YouTubes, and asked a lot of questions. She intertwines food and nutrition tips so that while kids are cooking they also get skills to make good food choices.

Many cookbooks are written by adults for adults and while they may look beautiful they are often boring… Claire doesn’t do boring!! This informal chatty approach has much appeal with kids of all ages.

The other two titles are now finishing off are

• It’s My Turn to Cook Quick Food and
• It’s My Turn to Cook Bread

I want to tell you a story about mushrooms and me… I used to hate them – in fact I used to go to all sorts of drama picking them out of food. This went on for years. Then one day I was at a friends place and I felt I couldn’t pick them out of the food because it would look too rude. So I ate them… and guess what – I loved them!

So then I had to eat a bit of humble pie – because I had always made such a fuss, (yes – I admit I was an anti-mushroom drama queen) so I was sure my family were going to give me heaps about changing my mind – but they didn’t really. Truth is I hadn’t eaten them for about 5 or 6 years… and in that time I am sure my taste buds must have changed – because NOW I LOVE THEM!!!

So the moral of my story – just because you don’t like a food once – doesn’t mean you won’t like it forever. On another day, cooked in another way, or in a different setting when you are in a different mood,… so give foods a second chance – you may just find your new favorite.

PS: Think what you would miss out on if you never tried  a food more than once – what foods have you ruled out??

Most parents want us to be able to rustle up a snack or meal, know how much to eat and the difference between a good choice and a not-so-good choice. The impact of us not being able to do this pretty obvious and is sending a few parents into a spin!

So my mother Glenda and I wrote a book life love food kids to give your down to earth strategies and practical tips to help parents.  My mother considers the serious stuff (nutrition, self esteem, eating too much junk food or not enough vegetables etc) and I bring her back to earth so she remembers how we think and operate. Her website for parents is www.foodsavvykids.com  – and yes it is safe for you to send them there – she won’t insist that they feed you only cottage cheese and celery sticks – I have made sure of that!!    

Life love food kids is a book about journeys.  My mothers food journey – from when she was a little girl to now. It’s about what happens when childhood memories, the science of nutrition and the teaching of cooking get mixed up with family and life.  And my journey about getting myself ready to leave home and wanting to know enough about food so that she can look after herself.   As I say “It feels good to know I know enough about food to take good care of myself.”

I have just watched the movie Julie and Julia and I loved it – has fired me up and I have cooked each night this week – has been fun – my favorites have been  a potato tortilla ( so easy and really tasty) and an apple tarte tartin – a sort of upside down apple pie…  I think I need to blog more and I have just found the inspiration… although I have to say that was a LOT of recipes no wonder Julie nearly went crazy…

I think you should start the year off the way you mean to finish  learn to be more independent this year… these are my 5 reasons you need to ‘ get some cooking skills’…

ahah – this is in the latest edition of NZ Womans Weekly …