Fertility-Friendly Avocado Recipes for National Avocado Day

Hooray! Someone finally decided that avocados are too good not to have a day specially dedicated to them. And considering how tasty and nutritious avocados are, who can blame them?

Not only are avocados are great source of vitamins, folate, and potassium (which are essential for a healthy pregnancy), they make a satisfy addition to so many meals.

In light of National Avocado Day, we've found some surprising facts about this fantastic fruit:

1. An avocado has more potassium than a banana! Avocados have a mighty 975 milligrams of potassium, whereas a banana contains around 545 milligrams.

2. There are over 11 million Instagram posts labeled with #avocado. Now that's crazy!

3. The classic problem: sometimes avocados go brown before we can eat them. Luckily, we've got a juicy little tip to help prevent this. Simply squeeze a lemon or lime across the avocado, seal it in an airtight container, and it should delay the browning process for about a day.

4. Avocados were originally called 'alligator pears.' It doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?

5. If you have any extra avocado you can't finish, you can feed it to your dog or cat, as long as you remember to remove the skin!

What's not to love? We've compiled some of our favorite ways to enjoy avocados so that you can give them a try:

Paleo Baked Eggs in Avocado

We've all tried avocado toast–here’s another way to enjoy avocado for breakfast!

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado, halved and pitted

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives, or to taste

• 1 pinch dried parsley, or to taste

• 1 pinch sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Crack the eggs into a bowl, keeping the yolks intact.

• Arrange avocado halves in a baking dish and gently spoon an egg yolk into each of the halves, then continue spooning egg white into the holes until full.

• Season each avocado with chives, parsley, sea salt, and pepper.

• Gently place baking dish into the oven and for 15 minutes, until the eggs are cooked.

Vegan Spicy Avocado Wrap

A great idea for spicing up a vegan lunch. If you'd prefer a meat option, simply replace the tofu with chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pack of extra-firm tofu, thinly sliced at an angle

• Juice of 1/2 a lime

• ½ tsp mild chilli powder

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 2 seeded wraps

• 1 avocado, halved and stoned

• 1 roasted red pepper, from a jar

• few sprigs coriander, chopped

Method:

• Marinade tofu in lime juice, chilli powder and garlic. Let sit for at least 30 minutes (overnight is best!)

• Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan then fry the pieces for a couple of mins, while you warm the wraps following the pack instructions or if you have a gas hob, heat them over the flame to slightly char them. Do not let them dry out or they are difficult to roll.

• Squash half an avocado onto each wrap, add the peppers to the pan to warm them through then pile onto the wraps with the chicken-style pieces, and sprinkle over the coriander. Roll up, cut in half and eat with your fingers!

Avocado & Salmon Spaghetti

Want a pasta dish with a twist? This avocado-based spaghetti recipe is a light and tasty alternative.

Ingredients:

(serves 2)

• 200g spelt spaghetti

• 1 ripe avocado, stoned and peeled

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 small bunch parsley

• 1 lemon

• 8oz wild caught salmon

Method:

• Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water following pack instructions. Meanwhile, put the avocado in a food processor along with the oil, garlic, half the parsley, a good squeeze of lemon and a large pinch of seasoning.

• When the pasta is cooked, reserve 100ml of the cooking water and drain. Toss the avocado sauce through the pasta with the salmon and the reserved cooking water. Season with lots of black pepper and another squeeze of lemon, to taste. Chop the remaining parsley and stir through to serve.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

An amazingly easy dessert recipe which is sweet and nutritious.

Ingredients:

• flesh of 2 ripe avocados (240g)

• 1/4 cup regular cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup dutch cocoa OR melted chocolate chips (choc chips will give a richer mousse but dutch cocoa is lower in fat and sugar)

• 3-4 tbsp milk of choice (almond milk works really well as a vegan option)

• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1/8 tsp salt

• sweetener of choice to taste (I like 1/4 cup pure maple syrup)

Method:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. 

• If you’re not using a liquid sweetener then you might want to add a little extra milk for a smoother consistency. Voila - you're mousse is made - easy, right?

For more recipe inspiration, along with prenatal and postnatal nutrition guidance, be sure to download the Baby2Body app today!