Most of us love chips or fries (whatever you call them – sort of depends where you live) but you know they have a bad reputation. Well here is the inside scoop (haha I am just studying for English and that is a good pun ?!?)

1. When a potato comes out of the ground it is just about fat free.
2. By time it leaves the processor it is around 3-5% fat.
3. By time gets on your plate it can be around 9% for wedges or thick cut ones and around 17% fat for skinny ones.

(But let’s keep this in perspective here – we need some fat. Even the skinny ones have less that most pies or chocolate cookies and neither of them have any Vitamin C  - so chips don’t deserve to be so maligned – problem  is we eat so many of them though!)

So it’s not the potato that is the problem – it is how they are cooked… but there are a few things to help …

• Go for chunky or thick cut – these have about half  the fat of skinny ones. Lots of the skinny ones can give you a big bum if you eat them too often – more than a few times a week. If there are only skinny ones then just go for small size  so you can still enjoy the yummy taste.
• Making chips at home can be great – there are lots of packets you can buy that are around 5% fat or less so that is a good choice. Read the label. They taste good too.
• And better still (cheaper and even lower fat) you can make your own wedges or roast potatoes – these are really easy  and seriously delicious.

So with bought chips and fries just make a decision to eat a little less so you can still enjoy them – my trick is to eat them slowly so you enjoy every morsel – that way you don’t feel deprived – if you feel deprived you’ll only pig out later…

But if all goes wrong,  your will-power does a runner and you succumb to a big serve – there is redemption. Go easy at your next meal, have a glass of milk and an apple, plus do a bit more exercise  to swing back into balance. Do that and it will all work out in the end and your jeans will still fit!?!?

PS; it’s the same strategy you need for chocolate.

Remember my foodie rule No 1:

All food is ok, but don’t do binge or excess – it’s how much and how often you eat a food… two or three chocolate biscuits are ok – a packet isn’t… a can or glass of coke is fine – 2 litres is over the top… Watch out for ‘portion distortion’ – a serve should be about the size of your fist.

I am just back from Wellington where I did some filming for the Small Blacks TV Show for next year…

We did 25  easy recipes for kids for 25 weeks of shows… a bit of a marathon but it was lots of fun and it will show you how easy it is to cook! I worked with the amazing  rugby player and All Black Richard Kahui (Kaks) – he can cook too! Like me, he likes food which is really easy to make. I  look  forward to telling you more about the show when we get screening details…

The recipe in this picture is a quick and easy dessert based on custard – just make it a bit more fun by adding stuff to make a face…

Custard is made from milk so has lots of calcium in it – great for bones and teeth – but you don’t need to worry too much about that – all you need to know is that  it tastes good and is easy to make!!

Hey school holidays and I’ve had a bit more fun in the kitchen – just posted this to YouTube – hope you like it!!

To all my friends in Christchurch…  I  have watched in horror as we have seen the earthquake news and what you guys have been going through – I can’t even imagine how tough it must be for you. I hear that research shows that people choose potatoes when they want a bit of comfort – so guys I reckon you should hook into potatoes and you might just feel a bit better. I thought the best thing I could do for you is to share my favourite potato meal – without a doubt a meal of bangers and mash makes the world seem a better place! I have updated the recipe page with my bangers and mash recipe. Thinking of you all – take care, Claire.

Baked potatoes are so so simple to make and taste fantastic…  check out this (less than 2 minute) video which shows you just how easy they are to make… this  is what I did on Studio 2 last week. One look at this and you will see anyone can make them!!!

Follow this link to discover how simple baked potatoes are!