Anyone else have New Year Fever?! I’m working on converting all my angst and bitterness about 2016 into hope and excitement for the New Year. With a new year comes new opportunities, 365 chances for you to change your life. What are your resolutions for the New Year?

Personally, I choose not to make resolutions. Not because I fail to follow them through, but I believe that one shouldn’t have to wait for a new year to make a change. If I’m going to pledge to do something, let it be at any point during the year. I’m not necessarily opposed to New Year’s Resolutions, but I often find that by the end of February, people have given up on them. The gym membership card sits dusty and unused at the bottom of a drawer, the Paris brochure has been torn up and lies in the waste paper basket. Then at Christmas, when we recount our failed resolutions to our family members, we feel ashamed and wish we had done better. So what do we do? We make another New Year’s Resolution and promise to do better. Only to do the same thing again. It’s a toxic cycle and  as our time on earth is limited, I feel that there are better things I could spend my time doing.

Does drinking sorbet floats by the pool happen to be one of them? Yes. We all need to take time to ourselves sometimes, and I encourage you all to do that before this year comes to an end. Set aside some time to reflect what you did in 2016, the triumphs and defeats, the highs and lows, the positives and negatives. Think about how you can modify your behaviour such that 2017 is a year with greater wins and fewer losses. Let go of the bad stuff that happened and move into the new year with a clear conscience and an open heart. Make sure you’re holding one of these when it happens, okay?

This is literally the easiest recipe on the blog but the wow factor is right up there with even the most complicated of recipes. I started with this Coconut Mango Sorbet that I made this week and just topped it off with a bottle of sparking grape juice I had lying around. This is a must have if you’re going to be hosting this New Year’s Eve. You don’t necessarily have to use mango flavoured sorbet or even peach flavoured juice. Mixing and matching is most welcome here! A few ideas:

• Raspberry Sorbet + Peach Juice
• Coconut Sorbet + Strawberry Juice
• Lime Sorbet + Tequila
• Any flavour sorbet + Unflavoured Sparkling Juice

The aim here is to be as creative as possible, all within good reason of course.

Peach Mango Sorbet Floats             One 500ml bottle fills 5 glasses so plan accordingly

Ingredients

about 2 cups of mango sorbet, homemade or storebought 

1 500ml bottle of sparkling grape juice; peach flavoured

Method

Add one scoop of mango sorbet to the bottom of a champagne glass. Top with the sparkling grape juice. Serve and enjoy!

Whilst you’re here, check out the recipe for this Coconut Mango Sorbet I made this week too. Cheers to the New Year!