I got the Nutri Ninja Slim for Christmas this year and have honestly been obsessed with it ever since, if you saw my Christmas wishlist post you'll know that I've had my eye on a blender like this for a while. I was totally not expecting to get it (or anything else for that matter) because I was being helped towards the cost of driving lessons instead, however I was really lucky and did still get some goodies to open on Christmas morning too with this beauty being one of them. I was desperately in need of a new blender- my old one was a regular jug style and was just nowhere near powerful enough so I was forever left with big lumps in my smoothies. Never the best start to the day, so I'm very happy that's now a thing of the past!

Performance wise, this is able to reduce the toughest and most fibrous of fruits and veggies including raw carrots, kale and frozen bananas to a completely smooth puree with no lumps whatsoever in a matter of seconds. I don't know about you but I think that's so impressive- I reckon these are the types of things that even the most high end jug blenders would have trouble with! One of the best things for me is that because it's able to get everything so well blended it means I can include ingredients in my smoothies that I'm usually not that keen on, and it's still palatable to drink. I'm sure most of us are guilty of buying the same foods week in week out, I know I am. But now I have this I've been experimenting with all kinds of fruits and vegetables, it's a great way to get loads of different nutrients in without having to eat things you don't particularly like. I find that you can blend just about anything up with some frozen berries and a banana and it tastes alright! Another thing this is great for is homemade soups, you simply cook up the vegetables that you want to use and let them cool to room temperature before blending (it can be done in batches if you're making it for more than one person). Each of the ninja cups makes a perfect bowl sized portion of soup, and it's so quick and healthy.

Another huge bonus with this is how convenient it is to use. You can drink your smoothie right from the cup, which not only cuts down on the washing up but also means you get the right portion every time. This was something I always struggled with with my previous blender, and always ended up having to pour some away where I'd made too much. Because the blades are in the lid rather than at the bottom it also means cleaning up afterwards is so easy, instead of having to stick your hand to the bottom and clean around fiddly blades or having to dismantle anything you simply unscrew the lid and the blades are right there. Having something thats easy to use, works well and is easy to clean up afterwards means I'm actually inclined to use it. No one wants to mess around in the morning and so this is ideal, in just a couple of minutes you can have a healthy, perfectly blended smoothie that's packed full of vitamins. I have the Nutri Ninja 'Slim' model which appealed to me because of it's size, it's such a small device and takes up hardly any room in the kitchen at all. I've looked at the more expensive Ninja models and although they look good I don't see why you'd need them, this literally does everything you could possibly need. It comes with two 450ml cups complete with travel lids, so if there are two of you in the house that like taking your smoothie on the go it's no problem at all. It also includes a handy recipe booklet which gives you lots of ideas for gorgeous healthy smoothies, I found this really helpful and gave me ideas for combinations I never would have thought to try. I'm so happy that I managed to get my hands on this, and know that it's going to be a fantastic tool for getting in plenty of nutrients into my diet in 2016!