Favorite Uses for Avocados

Do you love a good avocado? I definitely do! Avocados can be used for so many things from savory dishes to desserts, and in a beauty regime. I’m going to share with you some of my favorite uses. I hope you enjoy them and can use some of these ideas for your avocados.

Avocados! Let’s talk about them. 

Picking 

Do you know how to pick an avocado? Let me start by saying my favorite type of avocados to eat are Hass. Maybe because I’m a Cali girl at heart and I hear Hass avocados were first grown in California. I seriously don’t know how true that is….so don’t quote me lol!

Going back to picking avocados…I choose them by applying slight pressure to the skin. If the avocado is firm but not hard it is perfect. If you purchase an avocado that is hard, place it in a brown paper bag and allow it to ripen. Lastly, if you remove the brown stem from the avocado you can see what color the inside is without cutting into it. Ripe avocados are slightly darker green in color while unripe avocado skins are brighter green. Soft dark avocados are overripe.

Storage

When you find the right avocado and cut into it sometimes you use the whole thing. What happens when you don’t need the whole avocado? You can’t just put it in the fridge because it will turn brown. The best way I found to store an avocado is by cutting it up, placing it in a bag, then freezing it. When you want to use it again take out the amount you want and let it unthaw on the counter. It takes very little time and a big plus…it stays green.

If you happen to be in a hurry you can place it in the microwave on defrost. It takes seconds and you will have fresh avocado.

Favorite uses in food

Avocados make delicious guacamole and are good in salads but there are other ways to use avocados that I love.

Mayo replacement: Using avocados instead of mayonnaise on a sandwich is delicious and healthier alternative. Just mash it and spread it on your bread then add the rest of the condiments

Smoothies: Avocados give smoothies a wonderfully smooth texture. They have a mild taste. A good combination is an avocado, strawberries, mangos, and almond milk. This is a sweet fruity treat that contains some healthy fat. Another combination like chocolate almond milk, avocado, and your favorite nut butter is just as enjoyable. These smoothies are thicker in consistency so adding a little water or additional almond milk with thin it out a bit.

Smoothies with a thicker consistency make for really good popsicles. Make a large batch and freeze the excess in popsicle molds. The perfect treat for a warm summer day.

Avocados in beauty

This wouldn’t be a beauty and lifestyle blog if I didn’t encourage you to rub avocado all over your face… because that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Avocados make excellent face and hair mask. Avocados contain natural fats and oils so they are very moisturizing.

Moisturizing face mask: Take one Avocado and mash it with a fork. Next, add 1-2 tablespoons of oatmeal. Add a little water if the mask is too thick. Once you mix it to the right consistency apply it to your face and allow it to sit for 15-20 mins. Then rinse. 

Moisturizing hair mask: Take one avocado and mash it with a fork. Then take honey and add it until you achieve a nice spreadable consistency. Start with a few tablespoons. The more honey you add the tackier the mask will be. After it is mixed apply it to your hair in sections then cover your hair with a shower cap. Allow it to sit for 15-20 mins. Then rinse well.

This mask can be used on your face as well.

Do you have a favorite way to use avocados? Let me know 🙂

Thanks for hanging out today!
XO Terreana