My Mad Fat Diary

No this isn't my mad fat diary. Given my blogging track record we all know I would be terrible at keeping a diary. I just wanted to quickly have a chat about the incredibleness that is this E4 series.

To quickly summarise for those of you who haven't seen it the show centres on 16 year old Rae who suffers from a mental illness and is constantly battling it. Rae is overweight, under-confident and struggles to fit in. When she returns from a four month stint in a psychiatric hospital she struggles to hide her problems and fit in.

Told from Rae's point of view the audience is provided with a real insight into Rae's world and her issues. The cliche's that typically appear in any show centering on a mental illness barely rear their ugly heads here and instead we are presented with a beautiful, sometimes all too real look into the self-confidence issues that plague many people today. As we follow the story, Rae (and us as an audience) soon come to realise that everyone is battling their own demons.

The story is about more than self-discovery and self-acceptance. It does more than promote positive body images and self-loving.
For me the show helped me come to terms with the fact that it is not a burden to tell your friends your troubles and ask for their help. Rae feels like she's alone but  she has a solid group of friends who were always there for her if she only went to them!

Yes the show can be a bit depressing and hard to watch at times but it is also rewarding and well worth the pain.

I realise I have made a very poor attempt at enticing you all to watch this show but if you get nothing else from me please just give this show a go! You won't regret it.

If you have any tv show suggestions for me leave them in the comments!

Stay true to yourselves
xx nzunigirl

Looking Forward

About this time last year I wrote a post about finding the things that make you happy and today I wanted to make a short post about finding something to look forward to. Similarly to finding your happy things finding something to look forward to can help keep you focused on being happy when things are tough.
When I get down I usually feel like things are never going to go up again and it can make it really hard not to spiral even further downwards. Something I've started doing recently is making lists of things I have to look forward to so that even when things are bad I know they will get better because of said things to look forward to.
I thought I'd share the list I have currently. I keep mine on the wall beside my bed because that's where I usually curl up when I feel sad but you can of course keep yours wherever you want; maybe even take it out with you to keep you happy during the day. I encourage you to all make your own, even if you're currently in a very positive place; you never know when things may get to you and you may need the list to keep you focused on being happy.

My List

> The return of all of my tv programs - You may remember back to the last post when I said it helped having something I was excited about watching when I was having a bad day

> Summer is arriving!!!!

> Halloween - It's super soon and even though I'll be working that night I'm still excited!

> Christmas - Further away still, the most wonderful time of the year! Even if it doesn't snow.

> The end of exams! Still close to a month to go but time seems to be flying at the moment!
> I'm in a play over summer and rehearsals just starting and I'm very excited for the whole process to get underway!

So these are just a few of the things coming up that I'm excited for. 

Let me know what you're excited for
xx nzunigirl

Recipe: Steak Puff Parcels

In my flat we LOVE this for dinner. Honestly it's delicious and not entirely unhealthy if you leave out the chips.
This recipe is taken from countdown. You can find the original recipe here.

Serves four


Ingredients:

• 500ml Oxo beef stock
• ¾ cup Homebrand tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1Tbsp smoked paprika
• 575g gravy beef or chuck steak (or any cheaper cut of stewing meat, I usually use topside because I prefer less fatty cuts of meat)
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 rasher Signature Range streaky bacon (I often leave this out because we're cheap :P)
• 2 sheets Homebrand puff pastry
• 1 Tbsp milk 

Method

Mix together stock, ½ cup tomato sauce, brown sugar, ½ Tbsp paprika and salt. Pour into a saucepan, add steak (ensuring the liquid covers the meat) bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 hours or until the meat is falling apart.

Remove from the stock and set aside. Place 500ml of the stock in a clean saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.

In a large frying pan, pour oil, add remaining paprika and onion. Sauté gently for 2 – 3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add bacon, cook for a further minute or so.

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Shred steak into bite sized pieces. Toss into the onion and bacon and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes then pour over the thickened sauce. Mix well and season. Remove from heat, set aside and allow to cool.

Take your puff pastry and cut in half. Place a large spoonful of your steak mixture at one end. Using a little water wet the edges of the parcel then take the other end and close it. Seal the edges with a fork.

Continue until you have 4 parcels. If you like you can brush with milk. Place on an oven tray and in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes or until golden and crispy. 

Serve with veggies and fries if you wish.

Sorted Food

Hello all!
I just wanted to quickly tell you about a YouTube channel I am obsessed with! This is the sort of channel I wait with baited breath for their new videos to be uploaded and I have the notifications turned on for them on my phone. That channel is Sorted Food (in case the post title hadn't given in away).
You can find them here https://www.youtube.com/user/sortedfood (go subscribe; you won't regret it!)
They're a food channel (in case that wasn't obvious) and they make all sorts of food, most of it is quite simple and easy to make even for poor students. It is presented by four fairly charismatic men (who aren't that bad looking to boot).
I won't go in to too much detail; I'll leave you to explore their channel yourselves.
I challenge you to pick a video and cook along with it! Myself and a friend are making these tomorrow so I'll let you know how we get on!

Do something for yourself today!
xx nzunigirl

NZUniGirl makes return to field... but will it last

And here today we see the grand return of fan favourite nzunigirl.  Her return has been long awaited since her unexpected departure from the realm earlier this year. Her unstable past in the game has this reporter wondering just how long she'll be able to keep up her performance. Fans are hoping she'll be able to find the motivation to not let them down again.

This just in; nzunigirl promises to stay on track.

"I'm back and I'm in for the long haul this time! I have four posts already written and as soon as this press release is over I'm off to write two more! I'll admit I've been quite the slacker in the past, I have some issues with commitment but with summer approaching and a bizarre change in personality I truly believe that I'll be around for some time now."

The floor is now open to questions.

> "Have you got any exciting posts in the making?"

> "I have some more recipes and my monthly playlists. A few one offs are in the works and I am hoping to start writing product reviews as well."

> "Where have you been?"

> "I took a casual trip to the moon"

> "Will you take a photo with me?"

> "Perhaps after this question and answer session has finished."

> "Can this question and answer session finish?"

> "Yes please."

Well this reporter is certainly underwhelmed by those responses but only time will tell just how committed nzunigirl is to her blog. This reporter is only one among many hoping she will stay.