Mango, Pineapple and Strawberry Smoothie

Okay, okay this is a dead easy recipe and you could accuse me of being very lazy today.  Yep.  You got me.  It's not that I couldn't be bothered.  Just got beaten by plain, old-fashioned exhaustion.

I've been off on an overnight 'jolly' with work on a 'non-course' which was actually used to highlight all my worst points and then tell me that if I pull my socks up, I might get to do something different one day. I don't think baking cakes all day long really figured in their plans for me.

If I'm honest, it was far more than just looking at the negatives that need work, it also celebrated the positives and had a dash of the 'ministry of the bleedin' obvious' about it too.  Sometimes you just need a little nudge to remind you of long surpressed ambitions or to be elbowed in a direction that you'd not really considered before but is acutally quite appealing.

Anyhoo, after a day in the kind of hotel that leaves huge-mongous jars of sweets (sour apples, double lollies, cola bottles...) and custard creams near the water coolers and serves not-too-bad meals and awesome pastries at breakfast, all I wanted was something simple and healthy for my tea.

Please Santa, can I have a camera?

When I arrived home, the fridge was overflowing with the BOGOF fruit I got from Ocado last week that I've not gotten round to eating.  So I grabbed my well used copy of 365 Smoothies and Juices and off I went.

I got given the book several years ago (or maybe I bought it??) when my family gave me a juicer to celebrate moving into our new house.  As I was working from home full time then, I diligently juiced every morning - my favourite being apple, ginger, orange and beetroot.  Cleaning it was a pain in the backside, but the earthy-purple juice with a spicy kick made me feel like I was being the healthiest person in the world despite it being one of my 'fat' periods.

One day, it just turned up its toes and went to the big appliance heap in the sky and I've not touched the book since.  When I got my new Kenwood over a year ago, I never really thought to get making smoothies again with the piles of fruit we get through every week thanks to the child but will definitely be experimenting as part of the challenge.

I don't think you can go far wrong with smoothies.  They always taste pretty good and this one was refreshing and filling.  Only change I'd make would be to add a twist of lime but I didn't have one anyway.

Ingredients - Serves 2

• Half a fresh pineapple, cubed
• 1 mango, cubed and frozen
• 8 frozen strawberries, plus two fresh to decorate
• 400ml orange juice - fresh or frozen
• juice of half a lime.

Throw all the ingredients into a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Serve in glasses decorated with strawberries - and if you have it, a sprig of mint or some candied lime zest.