avocado

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Lemon and Garlic

March 29, 2017 by Danielle

This creamy avocado pasta with lemon and garlic is ready in less than 30 minutes with the help of our sponsor, Barilla, available at Walmart.

You know when you’ve been so busy the whole weekend and then realize you completely forgot to come up with a game plan for dinner on Monday night? This is the meal I make when that happens. And wouldn’t you know? it happens more often than not.

Luckily avocados are in season right now and we can go pick a few off our neighbor’s tree (after asking of course) to use when we need them. Our lemon tree is doing quite well too so pairing the two flavors together make for a pretty delicious meal pairing.

One thing I love about this meal is that it uses ingredients I either always have on hand or have readily available with little effort. We try and stock our pantry with must-have items like Barilla Whole Grain pasta and sauces. Not only are they great for meals in a pinch, but I also know that my family is getting a meal that meets their nutritional needs.

Barilla Whole Grain pasta is a great source of fiber and is made with 100% whole wheat. My family is getting 56g of whole grain in each serving of pasta. It also pairs perfectly with lean proteins like salmon or chicken but can hold it’s own as a full meal as well, just like this recipe.

Normally we make creamy avocado pasta and pair it with salmon when we have it on hand, but if we don’t, we can forgo the lean protein and just eat this dish as a full meal. I’ve also been known to throw some shrimp into the dish as an alternative option. The creaminess of the avocado adds to the delicacy of the seafood. And who doesn’t love the flavor of garlic and lemon with salmon and shrimp?

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Lemon and Garlic

6 ounces Barilla Whole Grain Linguini
4 tablespoons olive oil (divided in half)
1/4 cup onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons Barilla pesto
1/2 avocado (diced & mashed)
salt to taste
Saute onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Set aside.

Saute onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Set aside.
Cook Barilla Whole Grain Linguini according to package directions. Drain and add to a heated pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Add sauteed onions and garlic and Barilla pesto to pasta and cook 1-2 minutes.
Add mashed avocado and stir to combine. Remove from heat and serve.

Serving size: 1/2 cup of pasta

What’s your favorite springtime flavor to pair with pasta?

Looking to save a little more than time on this quick and easy dinner? Grab a coupon from Ibotta to use at Walmart when you’re stocking up on your favorite Barilla pasta and sauces!

Find more great recipes to enjoy with your Barilla pasta and sauces by following this Pinterest board for simple, delicious pasta dishes inspired by Barilla.

Love this recipe? Check out a few more:

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Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With: 30 Minute Meals, avocado, Barilla, Dinner, easy dinner, easy recipes, lemon, Pasta

No Cook Chocolate Avocado Pudding: A Healthier Alternative

January 25, 2016 by Danielle

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The a2 Milk Company™. All opinions are 100% mine.

Dessert is one of my family’s favorite parts of our meal. And most of the time when we all get together for a family meal, dessert is served. However I’ve noticed a few relatives who’ve declined dessert over the past few get togethers. After chatting with one of them about the reason, I found out that they’ve realized that they have an issue with lactose and since most of the desserts served have some sort of milk product, it’s easier to say no than deal with the consequences later. While they haven’t been formally diagnosed with lactose intolerance, by avoiding dairy they’ve reduced their tummy troubles.

Because I hate seeing people feeling left out I figured I’d play around with one of my favorite pudding recipes and replace the dairy with a2 Milk®. Then I went a step further and figured out a way to make it thick and creamy without cooking it! Since I already use bananas and avocados in my smoothies to make them creamy and thick, I thought they’d be amazing together in this pudding recipe as well. And the best part? I mix everything together in the blender! Takes less than 5 minutes for everything to come together.

Haven’t heard of a2 Milk® before? It’s pretty awesome. Originally, all milk contained only the A2 protein. Over time a genetic mutation occurred in cows and a new type of protein developed called A1. This A1 protein causes digestive discomfort and is in all cows’ milk in-stores today, even organic milk. a2 Milk® is the only fluid milk on the US market that is guaranteed A1 protein free.

How do they do it?

The a2 Milk Company™ has partnered with U.S. family dairy farmers in upstate New York and the Midwest to expand the a2™ herd. Their cows naturally produce milk with only the A2 protein. And their farmers are certified in the humane treatment of animals, their cows are fed a vegetarian diet and never given hormones or rBST, and the milk is antibiotic free and contains no artificial ingredients or additives. Pretty cool huh? And it tastes no different than regular milk! My kids love it and haven’t caught on that it’s any different.

No Cook Chocolate Avocado Pudding

1 avocado
1 banana
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup honey* (or other sweetener)
1/2 cup a2 Milk®

Add all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process until completely blended. Serve right away with some berries or chill in the fridge if you prefer cold pudding.

* If you’re making this for children under 1, use an alternative to honey like agave or maple syrup.

The results are an amazingly creamy and chocolaty pudding that the kids (and adults) all gobble down! I call that a success.

What’s your go-to dessert when family come over?

Interested in more info about a2 Milk®? Check them out on Twitter and Facebook or find where you can purchase it by using their Product Locator! Or check out the great recipes they have on Pinterest. And right now you can take advantage of this a2 Milk® $1 Off Coupon.

Filed Under: Desserts, Health & Wellness, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: A2 Milk, avocado, Banana, chocolate, Chocolate Pudding, Dessert, dessert recipes, easy recipes, healthy recipes, pudding

Creamy Tomatillo Avocado Sauce

February 2, 2014 by Danielle

I created this delicious #SauceSquad creamy tomatillo avocado sauce as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars by Crowdtap #BottledAwesome

I love Mexican food. Like LURVE it! So when I was asked to create a delicious dish inspired by the new Taco Bell sauces my mind started to go into a thousand different directions before I found the inspiration to create this creamy tomatillo avocado sauce.

What I love about this sauce is that it pairs perfectly with my tequila lime pork tacos. The tomatillos and green chilies in Taco Bell’s salsa verde match the flavor combo found in my tequila lime marinade. And how can this pork not taste amazing coated with this creamy sauce and nestled into a tortilla of love.

And if you have any left overs or want to serve it to a crowd, feel free to serve this sauce as a dip. Because its great as both a sauce drizzled over your meal or as a dip on it’s own. I’m even considering using it as a salad dressing this week with a nice squeeze of lime on top. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: avocado, dips, sauces, Taco Bell, Taco Bell sauces, tomatillo

Chocolate Avocado Pudding Recipe

June 27, 2013 by Danielle

In an effort to get a bit creative with our desserts we decided to try a new way of making chocolate pudding… we added avocados! Since avocados are in season right now we made this chocolate avocado pudding for dessert and couldn’t be happier.

The taste was smooth and silky and the chocolate flavor was enhanced by the avocado. Plus? It was SO easy to make. It took no time at all and it didn’t need to chill.

Now I know exactly what I’ll do with avocados when I don’t want to make guacamole or put it on my sandwich and the kids are asking for dessert… it’ll be pudding time!