I have been absolutely delighted to see both the number of my newsletter-subscribers and my blog readers grow in the past couple of months. I often think about you, even thought I may not know you, and I am very conscious about ensuring that I bring you as much value as possible. After all, if you have honoured me with your time by reading my blog, then I want to make sure that you get as much out of it as possible.

With this mind, I would be super grateful if you could complete a short survey of just 10 quick questions, so that I can see where you are now, where you want to go, and how I can best tailor my free recipes and information and my products/courses to suit you.

As a little thank you, you have the option of being entered into a draw to win a copy of my e-book ‘Loving Life-Loving Desserts‘. Just make sure you have responded before Monday 12th April for a chance to win.

Take the survey here to let me know how I can help you, and to have the chance to win a copy of my yummy e-book.

One way that I know I have been able to help people is by sharing my recipes for delicious desserts to make it easier for them to eat healthy food without having to compromise on taste. With this in mind, I also wanted to let you know that my Easter discount on my e-book runs until tomorrow, so if you would like to get access to 43 heavenly healthy dessert recipes for 15% less, do make sure you use the following instructions:

To get your discount scoot on over to this page, select your preferred currency, and add the discount code eat15 at the check out. Discount valid until, and including, Friday 9th April 2010. Enjoy!

I will be posting a tasty blog post as usual tomorrow, so until then, stay healthy and yummy!

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When I am abroad I always make the point of visiting health food shops. Not just for supplies to sustain and treat me during my trip, but to see what interesting things I can find that I haven’t seen back home in Sweden.

In one such shop (The Bran Tub in Malvern) I was looking for a present for a friend. And let me admit something to you, dear Reader, Miss Best did a very naughty thing. No, I didn’t stuff my jacket with chocolates and do a runner, what I did was find a funky little gift, bought it, and then liked it so much I decided to keep it for my self!

What was this treasure that my friend would not be getting, you may ask? A tin of tea! Yes, just tea. And not even magic tea, just organic English breakfast tea. And here is the irony – I don’t even like black tea! So why did I deny my friend this gift so that I could keep it for myself if I don’t even intend on drinking the tea? Well, the tin was so eye-catching and inspiring I knew that I just had to have it in my tea cupboard (yes, Miss Best does have an entire cupboard for her tea collection.)

As you can see from the picture above, the tin is rather funky with cool little cartoons created by Mr Scruff himself and this type of art work just tickles me. The tin sits rather well beside my other favorite tea tin which cost far more than a tea tin should, but is rather handy as it contains compartments where you can rather cleverly organise your tea, so as not to confuse your guests when offering them a choice. Though, I must admit it can be overwhelming when you are presented with more than two types of tea to choose from.

The tea is selected and packaged by a small new company called The Make Us a Brew Company which was started by Mr. Scruff, a DJ, producer & cartoonist. Not only is Mr Scruff a lover of music but he is also a lover of tea. Not a tea connoisseur – as he himself points out – but just someone who loves a good brew. He started by having a little tea stall at his gigs and festivals and so many people loved these brews that he decided to make them available for everyone to buy.

All of the teas are organic and ethically sourced with environmentally responsible packaging. I have yet to try the English Breakfast tea that I have hoarded, but I will one day, and will be very happy to share this with tea loving guests. What is a big hit though is the Mint & Chili. At first you think it is just a jolly good cup of peppermint tea, then you get a cheeky little zing from the chili. Mr Scruff also offers us Forest Fruit tea for berry lovers and Big Chill tea, with rooibos, pear & cinnamon, as well as Look Lively!, which Mr S describes as “a rather perky number, with lemongrass, yerba mate & mint”. Sounds yummy to me!

OK, so he does nice tea. In funny packaging. Is that reason enough to be a present hoarder? Well, actually yes, I think so. I am so inspired by people who manage to combine their different passions and skills to create a diverse and creative life. This is something I too am striving after – to work with graphic design on one day and food and nutrition the next. It is also a reminder that our creative output can bring pleasure to people we have never met – or ever likely to meet. Something as ’small’ as a little cartoon on the side of a tin, can spark inspiration in someone who may then go on to write a blog post about it. Every time they open the cupboard to ‘make a brew’ they will be reminded of other creative folks who have something to brighten another soul’s day!

Oh and by the way, Mr Scruff also does pretty funky mixes too – music mixes, not just tea ones! He is signed to Ninja Tune – thought I would drop that bit in and make me sound all cool, and happening and not the type of person to have a tea cupboard and hoard tea caddies and even seriously consider whether they should knit themselves a tea cosy! – and you can find him on Spotify or here >> or here >>

Ah…does this mean that Miss Best has a little crush on Mr Scruffs? No, not at all – I keep my crushes for Christoffer and cake – and to clear something else up, I bought my friend a yummy box of vegan truffles instead, which I did actually manage to stop myself from keeping for myself. Though they would have gone exceedingly well with a cup of mint and chili tea!

So, let’s put the kettle on, turn up the volume and have a think about how we too can share our passions and skills with the world!

To buy some of this yummy and fun tea, visit The Make Us a Brew Company >>
(I love the fact that they are physically located on a road called Sparkle Street!)

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My Love Christoffer has been engaged in a very cool personal experiment. Since August he has adopted one new routine per month to work towards improving his health, fitness and well-being.

The first one was to get up at 5am (!) in order to have time in the mornings for things he wants to do before leaving for work. So now he gets up, takes Pixie Dog for a nice walk in the forest, does some yoga and weight-bearing exercises, and works on his personal projects before heading off for the day. I am super proud of him. He is the first to admit that he has not previously been one for sticking at things. After the initial enthusiasm wears off the good habits get left at the wayside. But now he gets on with it, and as each month passes he has got in to a good routine, and each month adds something positive to his daily life.

His latest ‘good habit’ is doing push-ups. You can read about it here.

But I wonder how people react to such a blog post. Just like when someone Tweets or Facebooks that they are on a juice feast, running marathons, or succeeding in balancing productivity with relaxation. Is your first reaction ‘Yeah, nice for you, no need to brag about it. You want a medal or something’? Or do you think ‘ Wow!, good for them. Sounds like a great idea…I wonder how I would benefit from trying that.’ Maybe you feel a mixture of the both: an initial recoil, small feelings of jealousy perhaps. Then maybe you realise that hell, if they can do it so can you. And you go dig out your running shoes and look up that recipe for a yummy healthy smoothie.

I think it’s OK to feel a little negative at first, as long as you try to recognize why you want to put down their achievement. Are you perhaps making a comparison that if they are getting healthier, fitter, happier then it makes you less healthy, fit, happy? Does it remind you of a time when you tried to get in to a good habit but ‘failed’?

What would be most useful is if you can progress and be inspired by what they do. OK, so you may not be able to run a marathon straight away, but neither did they. Look at Christoffer’s chart in his blog post – he wasn’t too impressed by his initial results, but every day he gets better and better. And for the record, I can actually see the positive changes in his body. And even better is his sense of achievement and increasing well-being.

So please do try and take those small steps towards your goal, whatever it may be – you will get there! And along your journey you will doubtlessly inspire others too.

Now, where are those running shoes?

Image: said_w

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As I have mentioned before, I love Booja Booja truffles. I also love inspiring companies that break the mold and operate in an authentic and responsible way.

I thought I would share this beauty with you:

“The Booja Booja company exists to nurture intimacy, balance, well-being, love, ecstasy and humour in the world through all avenues available.” – the Booja Booja Business Purpose

What’s your business/life purpose?

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Selfish and Selfless Reasons to be a Warrior of Light and an Excited Entrepreneur!

Today has been one of those blissful days that make all the risks and scary leaps worthwhile. Coming back from a beautiful walk in the sunshine with stunning scenery, surrounded by birds and butterflies (I felt like I was in a Disney movie!) I was smiling so much. Jumping about excitedly from time to time, I even shouted ‘I love life’ over the water from the top of a cliff. But then my thoughts turned to my darling Christoffer who had to go in to town to work at an uninspiring office, and would probably come home with the slight dampness of city working about his soul. He too wants to be an entrepreneur – to work with something he loves and which he can direct, instead of working for someone else. But he is not quite there yet, and I so want him to be so he too can experience the joy I have experienced today. Just like I want you to experience it. I want you to live a life that makes you proclaim your love for it from cliff tops. Knowing that will increase my enjoyment of my bliss.

For me, finding out that it is possible to work with something that we love gave me hope. Like many others I had previously thought that work was a necessary evil. That in order to enjoy what one does or do good, one either has to do it for free or for very little money. I have lived my volunteer and charity worker chapters and realised very soon that – although I am not a money-chaser – until the utility companies, public transport authorities, vegetable growers etc start offering free services and products, then I too need to make an acceptable living.

But what was my alternative? To work for some random company, dissolving into the stained beige carpet? I wasn’t about to accept that. Well, not 5 days a week anyway! But the universe led me to read Nick Williams’ book ‘The work we were born to do’ and my eyes were opened. So many people have already taken the scary leap away from ’secure employment’ to work with what they love the most. And I have learned that we all deserve to get paid for what we love to do; and that what we love to do is in fact a gift to the world and other people, and following your dream is not in fact selfish – it is incredibly unselfish. Imagine if your favorite artist / musician / dancer / chef / writer / clown / teacher had not followed their dream. Imagine being denied the pleasure they have brought you!

This also helped me understand that there are more ways to do good in the world than donate money or time to charities. (Though they are great things to do too, of course!). Just being the kindest, nicest, joyous person you can be can bring so much light into people’s lives. And although it is said that the best way to forget one’s woes is to listen to someone else’s it is much easier to be a happy bunny when one is content with one’s life.

And think, if we are all occasionally so blissed with life that all we want is good for other people, and that we are prepared to do almost anything to spread that joy, think what a world we could be sharing!

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Nick Williams offers a very inspiring FREE e-course to help you discover the work you were born to do and how to implement it. I highly recommend it!

Sign up for the e-course here.

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