We are officially in my favorite food season. All the fresh vegetables! I have to say, in Florida we are in this season most of the year, but when the weather is as hot as it is right now all I crave is cool, refreshing salads like this Cucumber Avocado Salad.

I have made this simple salad several times over the last few weeks and each time I make it my daughter and husband dish out the compliments. They are currently the only salad eaters in the family (in addition to me) although my oldest son does like his veggies, just served in a more deconstructed version and not in salad form. I’m good with it.

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I’ve been slightly obsessed with avocados lately. I can’t get enough of them really. A couple of months ago my mom brought me a few of hers from her Costco haul and stuck them in my fridge…I was skeptical of how they would keep but I have to tell you, it has been a game changer. They keep well and longer in the fridge and I just try to remember to pull out my avocado at least a few hours before I’m going to use it to get it down to room temperature.

Another game changer? This green little gadget. I’m not one to collect gadgets unless they are super practical…this avocado cutter/pitter/slicer is amazing. (I won it in a giveaway years ago and just came across it unopened, so glad I did!!)

Is tuna good with avocado?

YES! I love using avocado as a healthier substitute for mayo in tuna salad. To make avocado tuna salad all you do is combine tuna, avocado and lemon juice in a small bowl and mash together with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Delicious.

I’ve been adding avocado to salad recipes like this Spinach and Arugula Citrus Salad and smeared on toast like this Avocado Feta Toast with Zaatar for a while, but recently I tried mixing it with tuna as a mayo replacement and for an extra nutritional protein boost. Yet, another game changer. If you love avocado and tuna you will love this recipe (or should I say “non-recipe”)! Throw it on a salad like this Avocado Tuna Salad with Spinach or on some multigrain bread or with some crackers. It’s a great (quick) protein packed lunch (or dinner) option.

Nutritional note: don’t be afraid of the fat in avocados. Avocados are full of MUFAS (monounsaturated fatty acids) and our bodies need and benefit from them in countless ways.

(More benefits of avocados found here.)

I’m always looking for ways to add more avocado to my life and this Avocado and Three Bean Salad and this Smoky Cucumber, Radish and Avocado Salad are high on my to-make list!

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Pin this Chicken Pear and Avocado Salad recipe for later!

Originally published October 27, 2014

Since summer, my husband and I have been really working hard at eating well and losing weight (using a Fitbit and tracking in My Fitness Pal). I can’t tell you how much easier and more motivating it is to accomplish this when you have a partner. Especially when your partner lives in your house and is your husband.

It’s one thing for me to make healthy choices just for myself…but when I know that my cooking and meal prep also helps my husband achieve his healthy living goals, well for some reason that pushes me a little more. I know he appreciates it too.

This salad. This chicken and pear salad with avocado and walnuts is a product of our healthy living partnership.

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This recipe was created in partnership with Genova Seafood.

Click Here to Pin this Kale Salad recipe!

This Lemony Tuna and White Bean Kale Salad with Avocado has been my go-to salad the last couple of weeks. I’ve made it for quick lunches and I’ve also packed leftovers to take with me to my daughter’s volleyball tournament over the weekend. You know I felt so much better eating this salad in the bleachers instead of concession stand food!

There is a lot of quality protein in this kale salad. Tuna, specifically this Genova Yellowfin Tuna, is one of my favorite proteins to salads each week. I have partnered up with Genova for this recipe but I discovered this tuna a few years back when my grocery store had it on sale (this is the salad I first made with this tuna!). I picked up a few cans back then and I have been hooked on its rich, savory taste ever since. You can find where Genova is sold near you here.

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Click here to pin this Mango Salsa Shrimp Tacos recipe.

Every time I go to Costco, I come home with their big container of mango peach salsa. You know the one, right? It’s so good. My friend Sandy uses it a lot in her recipes like this Smoked Turkey Mango Chili recipe and this Crock Pot Salsa Chicken on Brown Rice and always inspires me to use it more in my cooking. Salsa is a staple in my kitchen and I go through so much of it weekly between using it as dressing for my taco salad or when I make something like our favorite Salsa Chicken and Bean Tostadas.

If you don’t shop at Costco, no worries, Newman’s Own makes a mango salsa and a peach salsa, and I’ve seen some at Target as well.

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I’ve officially been logging my food into My Fitness Pal for 36 days. That’s a huge accomplishment for me! The first week I started, it felt cumbersome and time consuming but by my 5th week it’s become a breeze. Most of the food I eat regularly is already there and I’m finding I try to eat a lot of the same or at least similar meals (I’ve read that eating similar “predictable” meals each day is a habit of fit people – I agree!). I’m down about 5lbs and feeling really good.

One meal I have in rotation this past month are these Sriracha Shrimp and Hummus Lettuce Wraps. They are pretty basic and easy to put together, and quick! You can use frozen cooked shrimp that you’ve defrosted (that is what I’ve been doing) or roast up a bunch of shrimp and eat in salad or wraps like this over a couple of days. I’ve been loving lettuce wraps like this lately as a change up from my usual salad.

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For the past month I’ve been on a ‘quest‘ to lose some weight that I put on during the second half of last year. My quest (which can be appropriately defined as a journey towards a goal) is not only to lose weight, but to lose body fat, gain muscle and basically become the fittest version of myself that I’ve ever been. I like being active, and I want to feel fit and strong (and good) while being active. Especially with my family. I have 3 incredible kids to keep up with and I want to feel good while keeping up with them.

I’ve never had a problem getting motivated to workout, but I found myself in a bit of a rut so I signed up with a personal trainer I know from my previous gym, Jeff Higuera, last month. I started training with personal trainers 2 years ago and it’s been the best investment I have made for myself. Working out is just part of the equation and since I’ve made a goal to get in 5 workouts at the gym (sometimes I only make it to 4 and I’m okay with that) and hit 10k steps daily my activity level is covered. What I’ve been struggling with (ironically) is nutrition. Obviously I enjoy healthy food, my biggest problem is I enjoy too much of it. I also enjoy pizza but that’s another story. Two weeks ago Jeff challenged me to track my meals in My Fitness Pal for 31 days. That’s all I needed to hear so here I am 15 days in and down about 5lbs. The first week of tracking was the hardest, but now that I’ve got most of my everyday foods logged in and I know what to stock my fridge with each week I’m in a good groove. I’ve read and agree that a big part of weight loss is eating the same type of foods every day. It doesn’t mean it has to be boring, but sticking to the same types of structured meals has helped me stay on track.

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I originally shared this Buffalo Chicken Salad recipe back in February of 2012. As I’m getting myself “back in the salad” this week, I’ve been browsing my salad archives to find some of my favorite go-to salad recipes. This slaw based Buffalo Chicken Salad is a little different than my usual lettuce based salad and is so easy to put together – which is why I love it so much.

Since Super Bowl Sunday I’ve been having major cravings for buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing. I am not a huge wing person (I don’t really care for chicken on the bone), but I love anything doused in hot wing sauce and dunked in blue cheese dressing. My love of buffalo sauce and blue cheese was born when I was in college working at a sports bar (the Gainesville Ale House – fun times!). There, I fulfilled my cravings daily with a basket of crispy french fries dunked in hot wing sauce and blue cheese…hello amazing (and hello 15lbs on the scale).

This Buffalo Chicken Salad (slaw salad actually) has become my current – waistline friendly – answer to my cravings. I ate this salad for lunch everyday for a week.

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Click here to pin this Shrimp and Avocado Pasta recipe!

If you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty obsessed with avocado. So much that I have a board on Pinterest solely dedicated to all things avocado. There are so many ways to enjoy avocado from the infamous avocado toast to using it as a substitute for mayonnaise in tuna salad or this chickpea salad. Of course, taco night would not be complete without avocado, but we already knew that.

My love affair with avocado continues and has evolved with this light and fresh, but hearty Shrimp and Avocado Pasta dish.

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At breakfast, I’m typically an egg and toast girl. Every now and then I go through an oatmeal phase but for the most part I stick to a quick fried egg and a slice of lightly buttered Ezekiel bread with my cup of coffee. Eggs are also my choice when it comes to breakfast for dinner…which is when I started making these easy Black Bean and Egg Tostadas.

If you have all the ingredients on hand, which is highly possible, you can put these little tostadas together in literally just a few minutes. The recipe is for one tostada, but I can usually make (and eat) 2 at a time.

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