The Avocado and Me

Nobody likes a pimple. They can hurt, really, really bad - you know the kind I'm talking about. The great, big, red ones that like to hang out just under the skin, or the blackheads that make themselves comfortable right where your nose connects to your face, or the whiteheads that appear, well, anywhere they gosh darn want. Bleh. I don't even want to think about them. Since I've started my gluten-free, grain-free, low-carbohydrate lifestyle, my spotting has reduce dramatically. But I am not immune to the occasional outbreak. Here are my favorite skin care products to keep your face healthy, happy, and hopefully pimple-less. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash. I absolutely love this cleanser and use it every single day. Once applied, I can almost feel it deeply cleaning my pores, and the soap has never dried out or irritated my skin. Note that everyone's skin is different and Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash will likely not work for each individual. In my experience...

I'm a little bit behind the times when it comes to the world of technology. I don't have Snap Chat, or Instagram, or a YouTube account; although I think posting photos of oneself with bunny ears is really neat, I have never wanted a part in that world. (You know the cyber bullying and digital sexual harassment presentations they always gave in school? Yeah. Those kind of stuck with me.) All I have in this extraordinary era of social media is The Avocado and Me and a Pinterest account, which at the moment, are plenty. But I do read the news. So I'm not entirely oblivious to what goes down in the world of Likes and Followers. Today, I pulled up the news app on my old iPhone, hurriedly scrolled through information on what the, um, struggling,  Trump administration is up to, passed the Food Network recipes, and... BAM. A headline caught my attention. It was from Health , and was titled: "Kim Kardashian Is Being Praised for Her New 'Anorexic' Looks - and That...

I think that most people can agree that summer homework isn't exactly fun. After all, summer should be for long dog walks, drinking in the sunlight, spending time watching movies, and playing games! And yet our teachers insist upon thrusting extra work upon our shoulders. It wasn't until this year that I decided that maybe the homework isn't meant to torture us, but instead to prepare us for the next year's work. Mind you, I'm not completely convinced. But I'm getting there, all thanks to the novel Fast Food Nation  by Eric Schlosser. This summer, I had quite a bit of homework for AP Human Geography - and surprisingly, I found it to be extraordinarily interesting! My instructions stated that I needed to read Fast Food Nation , answer about thirty open-response questions, watch the Robert Kenner documentary "Food Inc.," and respond to approximately eight questions. When I read this, I may or may not have groaned. Talk about a lot of questions! ...

Smoothies are the best! Next school year, I will have to get up at 5 AM to workout. Then I'll shower, and drive to the local Dunkin' Donuts to meet up with the other kids and parents in the carpool group - my new school is about an hour away, which is quite unfortunate. This new schedule means that 1) I will be really groggy, and 2) I will have very little time for breakfast. Now, I have to be honest. I'm kind of disappointed that I won't have time to whip up a cheesy spinach scramble or a cauliflower rice bowl in the mornings. Hot breakfasts are a sure way to bring a smile to my face. But at the same time, a refreshing smoothie is always wonderful for boosting my mood. And it looks like I'll be slurping up an awful lot of them this coming year. So, my friends, prepare yourselves for quite a few posts featuring new smoothie recipes. As much as I love it, I cannot possibly have a Toothsome Chocolate Shake every. Single. Day. I need creativity. I need to mix it...

There's the Ketogenic diet, the Mediterranean diet, Atkins, The Zone diet, the Vegetarian diet, the Vegan diet, the Weight Watchers diet, the Paleo diet, the Primal diet, the South Beach diet, the Raw Food diet... I could go on. The point is, 'diet' is a very prevalent word in our society. And it has a whole lot of definitions. I don't think that anyone really likes the word 'diet.' It's kind of degrading, and has a super negative connotation. Sometimes, when I tell people that no, no thank you, I would not like a cupcake at their birthday party, I get the typical "Are you on a diet?" question. My answer? No. I am not on a diet. Instead, I tell them, I eat according to my goals - I am living a lifestyle.  According to Google Dictionary, a diet is defined as " a special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons." In my mind, I do not restrict myself. If I'm craving a brownie, ...

One of my favorite things about waking up each morning is that inexplicable feeling that something miraculous and wonderful is waiting to happen. Every day is a new adventure; in the words of Titanic 's Jack Dawson, "I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You don't know what hand your gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count." But no matter the day or the new opportunities that come with it, I can always be counted upon to do one thing: have a mug of steaming green tea. Tea time is almost meditative for me. I can forget everything else, even if it is just for ten minutes, and enjoy the deep, earthy flavor of the drink. I call it a deep, earthy flavor, but my mom... well, she would say it tastes like dirt. Everyone has different tastes, I suppose. But I, if you haven't quite gotten the hint, think it is delicious. Apart from being relaxing and yummy, green tea has many fantastic health ...

Morning, all! The school year is fast approaching - I can't believe it! It feels as though summer break just started, but before you know it, I'll be back in the classroom and suffering from a chronic case of homework. Ah, well. It was inevitable. I'm not a huge snack person, but after a long day at school, I occasionally need something to tide me over until dinner. Nuts, which we learned about a few posts back, are delicious and nutrient dense, so they're a good option. And those low-carb Kirkland protein bars I've talked about several times are practically perfect in every way. But they both get old, and FAST. Today, I thought I'd share a recipe from my dad, who is a snack master. At a Costco visit last weekend, he picked up Citterio Salumi Pronti Genoa and Provolone packets. Fancy name, but they are literally little trays of salami and cheese slices; alone, they're alright. Not my favorite. Then Dad experimented a little, and I tried his new inventio...

Hello, everyone! I apologize for the lack of content recently - sometimes, I just don't know what to write about. I lack inspiration. And when I feel like my posts might be a little drab or dull, I just choose not to post. If I'm going to put in the time for an article, I won't settle for mediocre writing. Does that make sense? I don't know. Then I realized - hey! Today's post didn't need to be anything complicated or informative! Learning is fun, exercise is fantastic, and recipes are wonderful, but it's always good to mix things up. Plus, we have around 75 posts now, so I figured it might be fun for you, dear friend, to learn a bit more about the person behind them. I always like when my favorite bloggers publish "10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me" posts; as I read their words all the time, these features are a lovely insight into the writer. So, I'm taking a leaf out of my fellow bloggers' books. Here are 10 things you...