Lose Weight with Ruth: Would You Believe a Pink Avocado Smoothie?

Lose Weight with Ruth: Would You Believe a Pink Avocado Smoothie?: California Avocados February may be National Avocado Month, but any month is a great time to celebrate avocados! Avocados are...

Would You Believe a Pink Avocado Smoothie?

California Avocados

February may be National Avocado Month, but any month is a great time to celebrate avocados!

Avocados are one of the “super” foods. They are delicious and packed with powerful heart health nutrients. For starters, the potassium helps lower blood pressure, and the monounsaturated fat helps lower cholesterol.

After receiving a shipment from the California Avocado Commission (CAC), I got busy and make guacamole, avocado pineapple salsa, avocado grilled cheese sandwiches and mashed avocado on whole grain toast. Mouth-watering goodness for sure! I also made the perfect smoothie. It’s a complete meal containing protein, carbohydrate and fat. BTW: The beautiful pink color is from the strawberries, not the avocado. Try it for yourself! So easy!

Avocado Smoothie

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup avocado 
1 cup strawberries

1/2 cup frozen pineapple
5 ice cubes

Blend and enjoy!

Fun Facts: Avocados slowly ripen over 4-5 days after being picked. They don’t ripen on the tree. To speed up the process, put the avocado in a paper bag for a day or two. To slow down the process, store it in the refrigerator. If you have leftover avocado slices, pour lemon or lime juice over them and cover them tightly with plastic wrap. You can even freeze avocados. Puree them, add a tablespoon of lemon juice and freeze them in an airtight container.

Always recycle! Felix, the cat, found a comfortable, new home in the avocado box.

Felix the cat

Lose Weight with Ruth: To Your Good Health on Easter

Lose Weight with Ruth: To Your Good Health on Easter: Try this fun Easter treat from guest blogger, Maggie Green, registered dietitian nutritionist and author of The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook...

To Your Good Health on Easter

Try this fun Easter treat from guest blogger, Maggie Green, registered dietitian nutritionist and author of The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook. Sounds delicious and very festive for Easter or anytime that you want to enjoy a food with lots of health benefits. Here's Maggie!!!

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and for those who celebrate this joyous holiday I share a favorite Easter brunch recipe for eggs of course: a sign of new life, a sign new hope, and in the nutrition world: the most perfect protein.

Guacamole Deviled Eggs
Makes 24 deviled eggs halves

Whether called stuffed, salad, or dressed eggs (the word “dressed” is used in the South to avoid dignifying the word “devil” at church functions), it’s a challenge to find someone who doesn’t adore deviled eggs. When I make deviled eggs, I buy extra-large or jumbo eggs. They are not much more expensive plus they have more egg yolk and a bigger egg white to work with. This variation adds an avocado and lime juice for guacamole-style flavor in the filling. When peeled, hard-boiled eggs are slippery little devils. Invest in a deviled egg plate or carrier to transport eggs to a party or picnic. A single-function platter houses indentations to sit the eggs in once they are stuffed. For the Easter table, the egg platter comes in handy or lay the stuffed eggs on a plate lined with finely shredded red cabbage. Pretty, pretty, eggs.                    

12 extra-large or jumbo eggs
1/2 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 green onion, minced
Juice of 1/2 lime
One generous pinch ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook eggs until the yolk is completely set, about 15 to 17 minutes. Drain and run cold tap water over the eggs to cool. Cover with cold water to cool further or place in the refrigerator. Peel eggs. Cut in half and scoop the egg yolks into a bowl. With a fork or electric mixer mix in the avocado, onion, lime juice, coriander, salt, and pepper. Use a small spoon, scoop, or piping bag to fill each egg white with the yolk mixture. Place on a paper-towel lined and top each egg half with a leaf of cilantro. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Lose Weight with Ruth: Snacking My Way Through Natural Products Expo

Lose Weight with Ruth: Snacking My Way Through Natural Products Expo: siggi's yogurt It’s been a couple of weeks since the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, CA, and I still haven’t finished my ba...

Snacking My Way Through Natural Products Expo

siggi's yogurt

It’s been a couple of weeks since the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, CA, and I still haven’t finished my bags of goodies. I always enjoy experiencing trendy, new foods and snacks at the Expo. After spending six exhilarating hours walking up and down row after row upstairs and downstairs, I think that I saw at least half of the 2,700 exhibits.

It seemed like mostly snack items with the usual coconut waters, organic chocolate, yogurt, nut butters and gluten-free foods. A couple of interesting products this year included camel milk and snack bars made with cricket flour. I was told that crickets are similar to shellfish, so people with a shellfish allergy may need to avoid products with crickets.

There seemed to be a lot of flavored popcorn this year, which is good news. I love popcorn. It’s a whole grain and relatively low in calories. I also saw more ancient grains, raw vegan products and flavored olive oils. Flavored olive oils are popular in Spain and Italy and are spreading to the US.

I had some favorites with tasty, unique or interesting flavors.

• Bruce Cost Ginger Ale, Unfiltered, made with fresh ginger – ginger is so healthy!
• LifeIce – freeze and eat natural bite-sized ices – little bursts of flavor!
• GR3EN energy from GR3EN.org. It’s made with green tea, guarana, coconut water and kale – refreshing and delicious!
• Immaculate Brownie Scratch Baking Mix. Wow. Hard to not eat too many!

When I was on my last leg, I ran into the man himself - Siggi from siggi’s yogurt!

Looking forward to next year and another great tasting experience.

Lose Weight with Ruth: Are You Biting Into a Healthy Lifestyle?

Lose Weight with Ruth: Are You Biting Into a Healthy Lifestyle?: Happy National Nutrition Month!! National Nutrition Month March is my month to shine, because it’s National Nutrition Month....