This is the perfect time of year to clean up your lifestyle and start fresh. (I know January is over – but I am only finishing my holiday!) I’m  into goals because they help me move towards achieving what I want.

Life is all about setting goals and defining who you want to be. Dream your goals, then do them. Martin Luther King said a ‘I have a Dream’ speech not an ‘I have a Plan’ speech. Similarly you don’t need to plan out every step of the way in order to achieve your goals. Take each day at a time, start small and then build big.

The healthy living experts say it takes about 21 days for your New Year’s resolution to become a new habit. So, if you actually do want to do it, you have to stick to it. Don’t try to hard, just do it. Surround yourself with positivity and believe in yourself. “Whether you believe you can or you cant your probably right.” Henry Ford So I dare you, take out a pencil and sheet of paper right now and just dream.

Do you want to be a better cook, try more foods, eat healthier, create masterpieces, experiment more or become a chef? Whatever you decide, ACT NOW. Look around my site – I can help you!

Studying for exams or doing assignments can be hard work, even sitting on your butt for hours you can still work up a mean appetite. But I also know that what you eat can make a huge difference to your study. I like to snack on something that is good for my body and my brain so ‘Mother Earth’s Nut range are perfect for me! They provide me with energy, protein and the right fats. I find that having a handful of nuts with a piece of fruit is plenty and keeps me full up til dinner time. Think A+ = Think Almonds!

It never ceases to amaze me how some cafes seem hell-bent in overfeeding us. It seems many café owners have adopted the rule of Miss Piggy the Muppet “Never eat more than you can lift”…
Over the past few months I have really started to notice how gross or huge some portions actually are… enormous muffins (enough for you to share with two others) or the excessively huge pieces of caramel slice (which ideally should be cut into thirds or quarters). Whopping portions are everywhere! If you munch your way through the whole piece not only do you feel sick – you have just eaten almost half your days energy intake.
The worst example is the “killer ice-cream” I found in a store on the Coromandel Peninsular. The ice cream was SO huge they gave you a piece of paper to hold it up with. It was so bad – it was funny and nearly violated Miss Piggy’s rule! They even had a chart on the wall listing the names of the hardy souls who had managed to eat it in record time. Okay, I know you don’t have to buy it.
I think this portion distortion has got to stop… so in my own way now I am taking a stand. I understand that cafes want to be generous – but there comes a point when generous becomes obscene.
When I want to have a muffin but the only one that is there is over-the-top-huge I am going to ask for a half, share it or ask them to wrap half up for me to take home.
I stand by my foodie rule “All food is ok but don’t do binge or excess”.

This week on Studio 2 I shared my favorite bacon and egg pie recipe – you’ll also be able to get the recipe in my new book which is out very soon!!!  But I give it to you on the video clip anyway.

With Fathers Day this Sunday – how about you make this for his lunch… speaking from experience I know your Dad will love it and he will be very impressed that you made it for him.  With a smile on your face and a plate full of pie it will the best present he will get?!!

If you are like me you will have heaps of homework at the moment… so if you want better grades here is a tip you might want to listen to!!! Some of my friends don’t eat meat – but you need to know that meat is loaded in iron and you need iron to carry oxygen to the brain and muscles, and keep you physically and mentally fit. If you don’t have enough iron you feel tired, can’t concentrate and find it harder to learn! Of course you can get iron from other foods but meat is the quickest and easiest place to get some – tastes good too! So there you have it, if you want to get better grades – eat lean beef and lamb – don’t laugh – it’s true!!

If you want more detail on why iron is good check this link out!

Hey check out TV2 this Tuesday 22nd June between 4 and 5.30 –  I went to Christchurch to meet Erin for an interview about this site and my cookbooks… and she asked me if I ever go skinny dipping!!!  I didn’t hear her and thought she’d asked me if I have bungy jumpy jumped … so my answer is quite interesting!!!  I’ll post the link soon – you may as well have a good laugh at me!?

The dish I cooked on the show, The Snack,  is in the recipe tab ( above) of this site…

In the meantime if you want to check out Erin Simpson have a look!

Last night for dinner I went all out and I cooked up the winning burger from last years Burger Competition created by Elizabeth Young at Bayfield High School in Dunedin. Wow Elizabeth – that burger was something else!!! I LOVED the flavours of date and coriander in the meat pattie. I must confess that I hadn’t heard of sumac that was used in the dressing – so I had to do a google and work out what I could use instead – I found that is was a ‘ spice with a slightly lemon flavour used in middle eastern cookery’ so I just used more lime and because you used coriander with the meat I figured could use that instead… so even though I didn’t do exactly what Elizabeth did I could see it was see how the favours all worked so well together with Apricot salsa, lamb date and coriander pattie and the sour cream dressing…
I like trying new foods and I like fruit with savoury foods – if this is outside your comfort zone you could play safe – but be bold and give it a go – you might surprise yourself. Here is your chance not to be boring!
For info on the competition check out … http://www.beeflambnz.co.nz/competitions/competitions-burger.html