Remember Jump Rope for Heart? I used to love it; instead of school I got to jump rope and just play with my friends. When you’re 8, what’s not to love about that?
If my memory serves me right, I think it was always around this time of year, possibly because February is Heart Health Month. And since heart disease is the number one killer of women {scary}, I thought I’d give you some tips to help prevent heart disease:
- Eat Better
- Get Active
- Control Cholesterol
- Manage Blood Pressure
- Lose Weight
- Reduce Blood Sugar
- Quit Smoking
From The American Heart Association
Those are pretty broad recommendations, so let’s talk about Eating Better…
Some things I’ve talked about before are eating more fruits & veggies, eating breakfast, and cooking {healthier} at home more often. Other things you can do include:
- replacing unhealthy fat with healthy fat {nuts, seeds, avocados, olive & canola oil}
- eating foods high in omega-3′s {salmon, tuna, trout, sardines, walnuts, ground flax seed}
- eating whole grain foods instead of refined grains {white bread & pasta, cookies, snack foods}
- drinking more water and less sugar-sweetened beverages
Eating better can be easy if you focus on what you can have instead of what you can’t have.
Let’s focus on what we can have – avocados! I love avocados. And since they are high in heart-healthy fat, I feel great about eating them often – I’m just helping my heart 
.
Here is a delicious & quick recipe to make for lunch or dinner:
Lemon-Herb Avocado Pasta
Keywords: entree egg-free healthy lower-sodium no-sugar-added nut-free soy-free vegan vegetarian whole grain whole wheat pasta
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- 4 oz whole wheat pasta (I used spaghetti)
- 1 small ripe avocado, pitted & peeled
- 1 small lemon, juiced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley, cilantro, or basil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- pinch ground black pepper
- 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken breast or chickpeas, rinsed & drained {optional}
- 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast {optional}
Instructions
Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add pasta. Follow package directions, omitting salt & fat, and cook until Al Dente.
Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients to a mini food processor. Process until smooth. Taste & adjust seasonings as needed.
When pasta is cooked, drain, do not rinse, & return to pot. Add the avocado mixture to the pasta, and toss until it is completely coated. If desired, top with chicken, chickpeas, Parmesan cheese, and/or nutritional yeast. Serve & Enjoy!
Based on this recipe from PreventionRD
This recipe is linked to Eat at Home’s Ingredient Spotlight: Avocado and Fresh Herbs 2012
Sounds like a great recipe! I’ve eaten leftover avocado dishes before too and you’re right – they aren’t pretty
But they taste just fine.
I need to make this again…so good! And so healthy! Glad you loved it