It’s New Year’s Eve!  I am thinking about this past year feeling extremely grateful for everyone and everything.  I am getting really excited about 2015 too.  There are so many new things coming up personally and professionally.  As I think about upcoming events, like moving from my home of 10 years, I am super excited about the next kitchen that I will move into.  I am envisioning a wonderful new workspace and living space for 2015.  It isn’t big or extravagant.  It is simple, warm and charming with lovely patinas.  I am envisioning happy healthy clients living their dreams with Grits and Honey’s help.  As the New Year approaches, I feel more excited about all the wonderful things that are on the horizon.

As I read through different cookbooks, like David Lebovitz’s  My Paris Kitchen, I feel so inspired to try new recipes and play with different spices.  I feel so heartened that I am on the right path of living and eating well.  I love these little inspirations and I want to sway those around me to go get inspired!  Let’s do it together.  I don’t want to make this another year gone by with dreams undone.  Let’s begin living those dreams even if it is just one simple one.  And let’s gently remind eachother when we find ourselves off track.

This past week, I decided to eat healthier before the 1st of the year so that I could get a head start on feeling good.  I also just felt like crap from all the sugar, booze and family drama I had been consuming to get through the holidays.  I find that I go through peaks and valleys of healthy eating.  The valleys are a little less and maybe that is why they affect me so greatly.  When I do eat crap, I can really feel it.  I don’t really believe in diets though.  I believe in lifestyle changes.  Life style changes won’t happen by feeling restricted or deprived.  At least, it doesn’t work for me.  Sometimes I want a little family drama and booze.

But back to being healthy…let’s take Guacamole.  An avocado is rich in so many vitamins, minerals and healthy fat.  I am hesitant to include the “fat” in the sentence because of the stigma that comes with it.  Do you know how important that fat is?  Most importantly, we need fat to live.  I am not talking about saturated fat.  I am talking about good fats from avocados, almonds, salmon, etc.  The kind of fat that makes your skin look good, lower cholesterol and improve your thinking.  Some of you already know this, but there are so many that are misinformed about food.  That topic is for another blog.

Back to the Guacamole. This snack is so easy to make, delicious, healthy, and simple.  4 ingredients plus your veggies to use for dipping.

Ingredients

2 Avocados

1/2 fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic

salt to taste

Directions

You have two choices on direction. 1)add all ingredients into a food processor and blitz or 2) chop up your garlic finely then mix in other ingredients by mashing the avocado and lemon juice into the garlic.  The later direction will make your guacamole a little more chunky but both are delicious.

You could leave the dip as is or if you have other ingredients you want to use, throw in that cilantro, jalapeño, tomato, or cayenne pepper.  Go crazy, or not, depending on your mood.  There is a time and place for both.

Dont always use it as a dip for corn chips!  Use it for dipping carrots, celery, or raw zucchini.  This is a great healthy filling snack or appetizer for yourself and the family.

Envision making more of this in 2015 and it will happen.  Envision yourself as healthy, happy and living your dreams and it will come true, sometimes with a better outcome than you had imagined.  Happy New Year and here’s to making and living our dreams!  Cheers!