Delicious, nutritious smoothie

January is a great time to whack out the blender and detox with nutritious and delicious smoothies (but beware they do contain a lot of sugar) - and lucky for you, this one doesn't contain spinach or kale like my other recipes - although if you want a green kick then feel free to throw some in for extra nutrition!

I'm using Juice Plus Complete vanilla shake powder in mine as a nutritional supplement, so if you are a Juice Plus user then this is a great smoothie recipe for you, but most of you who don't have this, this smoothie is just as fab on its own and has a lovely sweet flavour - with four different fresh fruits, what could be a better way to start your day, or as a nutritious snack!?

Makes 1 large smoothie (about 500ml)

- 3-4 spoonfuls of low fat natural yogurt

- 1 banana, sliced

- 2 pineapple rings, chopped, plus some of the juice (use tinned pineapple)

- handful of blueberries (fresh or frozen)

- handful of raspberries (fresh or frozen)

- half a scoop of Juice Plus Complete vanilla flavour (optional)

- about 100ml of cold water (depending on how thick you like your smoothie)

1. Add the yogurt to the blender, then add the banana, pineapple (plus some of the juice) and the berries.

2. Add the Juice Plus powder if using (or any other supplement like protein etc.)

3. Top off with the cold water then blend for a minute, or until completely smooth!

Enjoy :)

Skinny chocolate and cranberry muffins

This is a recipe I got straight off the BBC Good Food website so I'm just going to link the recipe rather than writing it all out because I feel like it's copyright or something like that. I usually either create my own recipes or alter existing ones slightly but this time I didn't change a thing!

Here is the recipe: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/252615/skinny-chocolate-and-cranberry-muffins

So first of all, how cute are these cupcakes cases!? I just got them from Sainsbury's the other day in Nottingham so they should be selling them in most stores around the country at the moment if you're looking for some pretty cases.

As you can see, the muffins didn't seem to rise very much which was a pain, but I guess it's because they're 'healthy'. Don't expect these to be some sort of miracle muffins that taste amazing but are really low in fat, because although they do taste good, they are not like normal cakes or muffins because they don't have the normal butter, sugar etc. The fats have been substituted for natural yogurt and oil, which is also why these muffins were quite dry after a few hours of cooling. What we did was just heat a muffin in the microwave for 10 seconds every time we wanted one, because the texture is just so much better when they're warm - it makes them more moist etc. I love the other textures in these from the cranberries, I think dried fruit in cakes is scrummy so that's definitely a plus. They also have a really strong chocolate flavour which makes these more appealing. Give them a try if you're trying to be healthy but still need a cake fix or something sweet, but don't expect them to be the best thing ever - there is a reason why cakes are so good - because of the fat and sugar in them!

Enjoy :)

Pineapple and spinach smoothie

I know it doesn't sound or look particularly appetising (hence the snazzy bit of pineapple on the side trying to improve it...) but don't turn your nose up at it until you try it! It honestly does taste pretty good, although you have to like the texture of smoothies to enjoy this. I usually opt for really sweet, berry smoothies, and although this does contain berries, it isn't as sweet as I usually prefer. Having said that, I will definitely make this again as I love the tang the pineapple gives, and I love knowing how nutritious it is - perfect if you're having a detox day. It sounds weird, but you really can taste all the ingredients individually, yet they taste delicious together. I got the idea of putting pineapple and spinach together from Jordan's workout DVD, believe it or not - her nutritionist makes a juice with those 2 main ingredients, alongside tons of other fruit & veg.

Ingredients (makes 1 large glass)

- 2-3 heaped tbsp natural yogurt

- 80g frozen strawberries & blueberries (or any berries)

- 2 rings fresh pineapple, cut into chunks

- big handful of spinach

- few splashes of water (depending on how thick/runny you want it)

Put the yogurt into the blender first with the berries and blend. Add the pineapple, spinach and water and blend until smooth. Taste and add more of anything if necessary.

Enjoy :)

Strawberry, peach and yogurt trifle

 This is a delicious snack or dessert that is healthier than it looks! I named it a trifle purely because of the way it looks - it doesn't contain sponge, jam or whipped cream unfortunately, but it is a perfect substitute if you don't want to be so naughty or spend lots of time putting together a dessert. Although I made this with plain, natural yogurt, the syrup from the tinned peaches sweetens it so it doesn't taste bitter or bland. The fresh strawberries compliment the peaches well - the colours also make this look amazing! I topped it with full fat crème fraiche because it was all we had in the house, but opt for reduced fat if you want it to stay healthy. Do not be sceptical of a healthier dessert - this will seriously satisfy your sweet tooth! If you are craving chocolate you could grate some dark chocolate on top, or melt it to drizzle over the top. Don't forget that the tinned peaches in syrup will be quite high in sugar so don't be fooled in thinking this is perfectly healthy. The glass I used was quite big so I had half as a snack and am saving half for dessert later. It was hard to resist eating it all at once I must admit...

Fills 1 large glass

- 1/4 tub of low fat natural yogurt (I used Sainsbury's less than 2% fat probiotic natural yogurt)

- 1/3 tin of sliced peaches in syrup

- 5 or 6 strawberries, sliced

- small dollop of crème fraiche

- dark chocolate, grated or melted (optional)

1. Stir some of the peach syrup into the yogurt in a separate bowl to sweeten.

2. Spoon some yogurt into the bottom of a large glass, layer 2 or 3 peach slices on top. Spoon another bit of yogurt over the peaches. Top with some sliced strawberries. Repeat again.

3. Dollop some crème fraiche on top and garnish with some chopped peach and strawberry - delicious!

Enjoy :)