Good Fats Deserve a Good Time

A few weekends ago I hosted an Avocado tasting party, sponsored by my friends over at Fresh Avocados – Love One Today®. Here are all the delicious details (and recipes)!

We started the party off with these Heart-Healthy Avocado and Mango Kick-Starter Smoothies. Several of the girls had never put avocado in their smoothie before, so it was fun to share this recipe with them. Of course they were delicious!

After toasting to all things avocado, we got down to the business of eating!

I made this super tasty heart-healthy Kale Avocado Salad with Roasted Carrots. Everyone loved it! The chickpeas were roasted along with the carrots and it created a really nice smokey flavor.  I taught the girls how to massage the avocado into the kale with a little lemon juice to create a creamy dressing. This recipe is super simple and perfect for a brunch setting because the kale doesn’t get soggy after it’s dressed, so you can make it in advance.

My best tip here is to never skimp on your dressing by trying to go low fat. Good fats like avocado are not to be avoided! In fact, the fat in the dressing actually helps you to absorb the nutrients in the kale and the carrots. Confusion around dietary fats can result in missed opportunities for eating healthy! This is important because heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US and eating “better” is one important way to help prevent it.

The second dish I made was this heart-healthy Smoky Avocado Quinoa Breakfast Bowl. The smoked paprika in the quinoa gave this dish a really unique flavor. I love that this bowl also has some greens in it, which is a great way to get your veggies in first thing in the morning. I had plenty of quinoa left over and was putting it into all my dishes that week.

The breakfast bowl doesn’t have a dressing, as most of the flavor came from the quinoa and the sauteed spinach. The avocado provides a nice balance of fiber and good fats.

Remember, there are two types of fats — Good (unsaturated) and bad (saturated). Saturated fats are found mostly in animal foods and have been shown to raise cholesterol levels, whereas unsaturated fats are plant-based and heart healthy. The key to healthful eating is balancing the right amounts of the right types of fats.

You can find all three of these recipes, plus a whole lot more over at Love One Today.

I love these avocado makeover recipes, showing you how to sub in avocado for other fats to health up any dish!

Heart-healthy and a source of naturally good fats, fresh avocados are just what you need to start and sustain your day. Nutrient-dense and versatile, fresh avocados can be incorporated into any meal from breakfast to dessert. Whether it’s a quick breakfast before school, a weeknight dinner for the family, or a snack on-the-go to keep you satisfied, avocados are simply the best!