The First of Jay's A-Z Series!

I decided that instead of wonder over what our future holds (re: if Dan gets into med-school this year which would mean a big move; or, if we will begin re-applying and remaining in Vic for another year), I am going to focus on things that I am really passionate about: This blog, my family, & our health...I am going to combine that by creating an A-Z list of my favorite foods, talking about why they are so desirable and also putting up a favorite recipe to try that involves that certain food! Noah is learning the alphabet right now and loves singing the ABCs. When trying to think of a fun count-down, he really inspired me to use the ABCs!!!

Today is the first day (A) so I will talk about a food that starts with the letter A! For each day that follows, I will concentrate on a new food beginning with the next letter of the alphabet! The last day of this series (Z), just happens to fall on May 15th...the day we potentially find out our immediate future (Dan getting accepted). At the end of the day, we really believe that what's meant to be will be and we have done everything we can and now it's really out of our hands. So we have faith, we have family, our health and food!!! So life is good!
I also want to give a shout out to my beautiful, smart and amazing sister-in-law Ally who also may find out on May 15th if she gets into the University of Manitoba med-school (May 15th is the first day that the first applicants find out...so really you can find out anytime after that date)...she is one of the most dedicated, hardest working individuals I have ever met and I am so proud of her and inspired to do better always!
So if you can, say some prayers for Dan and Ally and wish them luck! Really, we're proud of them always and know that when it's meant to be, they will make two amazing doctors who will without a doubt, bring their passion of health into their practice and influence many people to be their best and healthiest!



A is for Avocado!

Avocado used to be a fruit that I despised! I grew up eating a pretty bland diet and had never really had a huge variety of foods so my taste buds were beginners when it came to experimenting. I still remember how much I despised avocado when my friend Amy gave it to me for the first time years ago! I remember thinking that it was way too fatty and I would never enjoy it!!! How wrong was I?!!! Over the course of experimenting, I fell in love with avocado and it's a love that Noah and I both share! Between the two of us, we eat between 1/2 and 1 avocado/day! My husband used to be in love with avocados too until a trip to Mexico a few years...one minute he was devouring some delicious guacamole and the next he was in the hospital! Allergies can develop at any time in your life (scary), and Dan, who never had an allergy growing up, is now allergic to avocados and kiwi!!! Poor guy!
Avocados are loaded with monounsaturated fats, specifically oleic acid which is great for a healthy inflammation response. I notice personally when I eat avocados daily, that my skin looks clearer and much more vibrant than when I fall off the 'avocado band-wagon'! Avocados are rich in the detoxifier glutathione which helps cleanse the body of oxidized fats (oxidized fats are dangerous)! Avocados also contain Potassium which is used to aid in kidney, heart and adrenal function. Potassium is also used to treat high blood pressure and water balance in the body (good for exercisers). Avocados also contain chromium which helps control blood sugar levels by helping insulin to work efficiently.
Mostly it seems to be recommended to eat 1/4 avocado/day. I eat between 1/4-1/2 on average. The high good fat that's in avocados, leaves you feeling really satisfied and healthy after eating some!
There are many ways in which you can turn an avocado into something even more magnificent! I love making home-made guacamole and using that on anything and everything!

Jayanna's Insanely Delicious Guacamole:

5 Avocados, halved, pit and skin removed
3 cloves of garlic
1 red onion, chopped into small pieces
1 roma tomato, chopped into pieces
1 lime

Place the first four ingredients into a food processor and pulse until they make a chunky yet smooth guacamole. Scrape into a bowl and squeeze a lime over. Mix and serve immediately. Leftovers should be placed in an airtight container in the fridge. Even though the avocados will brown, they are still safe to eat for up to 3 days! *If you don't have a food processor, no worries! Just mash all the ingredients in a bowl to the consistency of your liking!

I also just made this 'chocolate pudding' using avocados for Noah a month ago. It was a great success! Another parent told me about this and then I searched around for a yummy recipe! This is so decadent and rich that you only need to have a little taste!

'Chocolate' Avocado Pudding (I got this recipe from the following website - http://www.greenandcrunchy.org/2009/11/raw-vegan-chocolate-avocado-pudding-scrumptious/

Serves 2
-one ripe avocado, pit-removed
-2-4 tbsp. raw organic cacao powder (regular cocoa powder or carob powder would work too)
-1 tsp. of vanilla
-sweeten according to your tastes: a splash of agave, or 1/2 dozen soaked dates, or drizzle with pure organic maple syrup
EXTRAS: Chia seeds, hemp hearts, berries, sliced bananas...be creative!

Noah loves his with hemp hearts or berries! MMM!