Start as you mean to go on

A new year, new plans, and in my case, a new kitchen. Farewell to the student sparseness of our last place and hello to Spanish tiling, a fan oven, a HUGE fridge and freezer, and, best of all, a dishwasher. So maybe it's a natural consequence that many of my thoughts over the past couple of days have involved food.

My first thoughts on waking yesterday weren't "ouch" or "I'm never drinking again" or even "where am I?" but "I need to bake bread!" And so I bounced downstairs (perhaps I was still a little drunk?) and threw a tomato and herb quickbread mixture together to go with our mammoth new year's day fry. After that it was a swift retreat to the sofa where we spent the day alternately snoozing and snacking and generally feeling bloated. I woke this morning still feeling full and determined to use my new found cooking enthusiasm for good rather than grease-infused evil. So, this week I will be attempting some or all of the following feats:

- not eating junky ready meals
- batch cooking for the freezer (hello, Jamie Oliver vegetable curry)
- perusing my new Jamie O cookbook for quick and healthy dinner ideas
- actually cooking quick and healthy dinners
- appreciating quick and healthy dinners at our new dining table and not in front of the TV
- emptying my fridge of leftover rashers and sausages by giving said meat products to grateful hungry male friends
- making soup to bring to work so I don't have to endure a daily dose of double cream and mini meatballs in the canteen's

I figure doing even half of the above will save me some money and help me lose a few kilos, which would tie in nicely with two of my new year's resolutions: Become Cash-Savvy and Buy And Wear A Bikini. We'll see how it goes.