2017 has been an incredible year, although it hasn’t always been easy.

At times it has seemed as though the world has been in total chaos.

I keep seeing this picture floating around the interwebs of 2016 being the caterpillar, 2017 being the cocoon and 2018 representing the butterfly.

One of the jobs that put me through uni was working at a hairdresser. Which mostly involved making coffee, giving head massages and sweeping the floor.

But one of the most memorable parts of that job was Helen’s famous mini Christmas puddings. People would always “just drop in to say hello” from the 1st of December in hope of taking home one of the absolutely dense, decadent mini puddings.

Sometimes I feel like I’m either bossy or awkwardly quiet, there’s nothing in between. I often come out of conversations wondering whether I came on too strong.

I spent the first 12 years of my life being a bossy older sister (I take full credit for my brothers’ intelligence and athleticism), and the years after that I figured I should tone it down a notch for fear of offending anyone. Hence the awkward quietness.

This morning I woke up with the sun and walked to a sweaty yoga class in a studio immersed in the jungle. After yoga, stopped at a cafe for a healthy breaky and headed straight to my coworking space (which is a bamboo hut looking over the rice paddies in Ubud, Bali) to start “working”.

This week has been big. Between webinars and uni assignments, life has been rather "full", as they say. So, to make sure I had something to snack on in a hurry, I made a batch of this delicious fudge!

For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with PMS and cramps. I did a pretty good job of masking the acne, PMS and cramps for the 10 years I was on the contraceptive pill (band-aid approach, anyone?!). But ever since I went off the pill a few years ago, I’ve been doing a whole lotta work on myself to balance my hormones with real food nutrition and lifestyle changes.

In my group nutrition programs, I help people ditch the sugar and processed foods and transition to a real-food approach to eating. Without a doubt, the number one question I get asked as people are going through this process is "what on earth can I eat for breakfast?!"

How on earth have I been making and sharing recipes for this long without letting you in on my banana bread recipe?! I really don't know. 

It's getting pretty crisp here in Sydney. I'm most def not cut out for Sydney winter. Yep I know, it's almost 20 degrees outside. "It's not cold", they tell me.

The secret to living your most awesome, fulfilled and happy life comes down to one word: Alignment.

Small word, big impact. 

I’m not talking ‘bout your tyres here, mate. I’m talking about your LIFE.

After 3 long years without hot cross buns, I thought it was about time I created a healthy, gluten free version.

These bad boys are quick and easy to prepare, and taste absolutely phenomenal.

You’re at work. It’s 3pm. You’d give an arm and a leg for some chocolate right now.

You get up and walk to the kitchen and make a cup of tea. And you just happen to wander past a box of those charity chocolates.

Only $1? What value! And for charity? I must! I’ll take 3, thanks!

I’ve had some pretty crazy eating habits in my time. I was never at the point of say an “eating disorder”, but there were definitely stages of disordered eating.

If I went out to dinner I’d eat way too much, and wind up with a food baby feeling painfully bloated. (The undiagnosed gluten sensitivity meant I had major cravings for food like pizza and pasta, even though they made me feel like crap.)

As a kid, I hated meat. In my teens, I became anaemic (low in iron). I was absolutely exhausted and nobody could figure out why. This wasn’t ‘the one’ reason why I was struggling with fatigue, but it definitely played a part.

Everything we do, every second of every day, is a choice.

Every action we take, every word we speak. Where we work, how (and if) we move our bodies, whether we nourish our bodies with healthy food. How we feel about ourselves. Every single thing in your life is a choice.

I'm guessing you've heard of kombucha, it's everywhere! But what about kefir? 

It is absolutely deeelicious! Plus, it’s jam-packed with healthy probiotics.

And even better, it’s super simple to make yourself.

This mango + coconut chia pudding is the perfect dessert for summer barbeques, and it's so healthy you could even eat it for breaky!

When my boyfriend asked what I was making (he got excited when he saw the mangoes) and I replied with 'chia pudding', he was pretty quick to let me know he wasn't too keen on chia.

But then he tried some. And quickly changed his mind.

It's that time of year again! I absolutely love Christmas, but there's nothing I dislike more than fighting for a parking spot on my way to a jam-packed shopping mall on a beautiful summer's day. 

So let's not do that, shall we? You can find all of these gifts online, easy peasy.

When I was in India earlier this year, I met a 9-year-old boy called Lava.

He wandered over to watch us rock climbing, and we had a chat over afternoon tea. 

He asked what I do. I explained that I'm a nutritionist, and I help people figure out what to eat.

Summer is coming in Sydney, and that means it's ice block season! 

Store-bought ice creams are jam-packed with refined sugar and other questionable additives, so it's way better to make your own. These bad boys are so healthy you could eat them for breakfast!

Ah, the power of perspective.

As I’m writing this, I’m heading home to Sydney from an awesome workshop weekend in Brisbane as a Group Leader for the NTA’s Nutritional Therapy Practitioner training program.

As I sit here in the emergency exit row (hey, it’s no business class but I’m digging the legroom), I’m thinking back to this very day last year.

It's been months since I've baked, and I loooove baking. I don't know why I've waited so long, but these babies were worth waiting for!

Side note: I probably waited so long because I really don't need to encourage myself to eat cookies.

There are two types of people in this world: those who watch The Bachelor and those who deny that The Bachelor even exists.

Until a few weeks ago, I was proudly the latter. An enlightened non-Bachie watcher.

You've probably heard of bone broth as the new superfood. For most people, broth is very healthy. It’s rich in minerals and amino acids, and boasts a long list of health benefits, including immune, skin and gut health.

Make your room a blissful sleep sanctuary. Ideally, your room should be dark, quiet and cool.

It's super important to get rid of all sources of light in your bedroom. Use blackout curtains where possible, although if you're getting to get early enough to make sure you're clocking up plenty of hours of sleep, waking up with the sun is an awesome and healthy way to start the day.