Get That Guacamole!

On today's blog I'm giving a shout out to my niece and all her peeps in Tar Heel country.  Being college students and trying to eating healthy is not an easy task.  Remember being in college? We ate a lot of mac-n-cheese, a lot of ramen and a lot of take out.  Even for most of us today, trying to eat healthy and make good choices is not always easy.

Enter the Avacado and welcome guacamole.  Guacamole is so easy to make and is a great protein snack or addition to a meal.

Now I know what you are thinking...  You are already worrying about all the calories and fat found in an avocado.  Yes, there are quite a few calories in an avocado, but the health benefits far out weight the calories.  

The avocado is packed with vitamin A, C, E, K, B6, Potassium and "healthy" fat.  Yes, there are good and bad fats and you need good fats to function optimally.  Eating avocados will improve your absorption of other nutrients from foods you are eating.  Avocado's are good for your skin, regulate blood sugar and have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits.  The fat in an avocado protects against heart disease.  It is rich in omega-3 and provides all 18 essential amino acids for the body to form a complete protein! Over half of the total fat in an avocado is in the form of oleic acid - similar to the fat composition of olive oil.  Low in sugar and low in carbohydrates it also falls low on the glycemic index.  So.....why wouldn't we want to eat more of this yummy fruit!

Let's make some of the best guacamole and worry about calories later.  

Take two avocados and slice them in half.  Take the pit out of the middle and using a spoon, scoop out the green meat and put it into a bowl.  Get all of the dark green part because that is the most nutrient.

 I use a knife to cut crossways across the avocado and then blend til creamy with a spoon.

Get some fresh hot salsa (the hot adds a little spice to the guac) from the fresh food part of your grocery store.  It is nothing but tomatoes, onions, green peppers and jalapenos.  Most stores have this chopped and ready to go.  It is all natural with no preservatives. 

Add some sea salt and use some good chips and you are all set.  Don't be afraid to add salt!  

Now, don't go crazy with guacamole.  It is high in calories and it is easy to eat a lot of it.  But, if you make this for a group, it won't be around for very long.  It is best to eat right before serving.... and when stored it turns an ugly brown.  Fine to eat but not great to look at.

Another great way to eat avocado and salsa is on whole grain or ezekiel bread.  This might be my favorite breakfast of all time!  It's about 320 calories per serving.  The good part about this if you are trying to watch your weight - is that this is filling AND it tastes great.  It is slow to metabolize and will take you to lunch time without hunger pains.  Part of why we don't keep to our healthy eating programs is because we crave really good yummy food.  Well my friend......this is the bomb!

Put some guacamole in your life and a smile on your face.  I promise it won't disappoint!

Happy Thursday!

Paula