"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Saturday, October 27, 2012

IM World Championships, Parties and Clean Eating

Today is the broadcast of the Ironman World Championships on NBC. Watching the Ironman World Championships is so inspiring and the coverage is peppered with human interest stories that tug at your heart strings. I am sure to shed a few tears before it is done...I am headed over to a fellow triathlete's house to watch with the local triathlon club the Lakeland Landsharks. The party is BYOB and a snack to share. I was debating about what to bring the past couple of days. My first thought was Kona carrot cake cupcakes (those sound delicious, don't they- maybe another time). But since I had to work this morning, I opted for something more simple. I could have just picked up a jar of salsa and called it good. But I was thinking about an interview that I did yesterday for Florida Southern's Wellness TV show about clean eating. Basically clean eating is all about consuming whole food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible. This means eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins instead of pre-packaged, processed foods or fast food. Many people who follow a clean eating plan don't count calories, but instead trust in good quality, healthy food. I think that clean eating is a great movement and will result in more people cooking meals at home instead of eating out. Plus people will eat more nutrient dense foods instead of processed foods loaded with sodium, sugar and other preservatives.
So back to my recipe, I decided to make a salsa. My boss gave me a Florida avocado from her brother's tree so I first thought about guacamole, but I finally decided to make a salsa with avocado, tomato, red onion and cilantro. This is a quick and easy recipe, taking only about 10 minutes to make.
 
 

Tomato, Avocado & Red Onion Salsa

1 tomato, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
almost 1/2 of Florida avocado, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp smoked paprika (this ingredient gives it a kick- If you have never tried it before, I highly recommend it. The smokiness enhances the flavor and I use it in tacos, chili and even on my scrambled eggs).

Finely chop the tomato, red onion and avocado since it will be a salsa served with chips. Juice the lime and add the spices. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour so that the flavors will develop. Or if you have time, make it a day ahead- the flavor will be even better. Serve with chips.



Check out the cute serving dish that my mom gave me (that's what mom's are for- giving you cute stuff that comes in handy every once and awhile:). Have a great weekend everyone!

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