“Try It” Challenge {Week 4}

You’ve made it! We are at the final week of our “Try It’ challenge! Congrats to those of you who have stayed along the journey with me. I hope it was a fun thing to add into your life! (If you need to catch up on the other 3 weeks of the challenge, click here)

Here we go. Let’s get onto the final “Try It” item.

Avocados are rich in the heart-healthy fat (monounsaturated) which actually LOWERS cholesterol levels! They are loaded with antioxidants such as lutein, beta-carotene and vitamin E. All these are HUGE in disease-fighting! And get this. A recent Ohio State University study showed that eaten with other healthy vegetables, avocados will help your body absorb the antioxidants in THOSE foods. We’ve got ourselves a win-win here!

Be careful to eat them in moderation. Even as wonderful as they are, they are still high in fat. A serving size is about 2 tablespoons (which has 55 calories and 5 grams of fat). If you aren’t sure about avocados, check out this website. They show how to choose and cut one, recipes, and lots of other helpful information!

Here are some ways to introduce it into your diet this week!

♦ My most requested recipe, Black Bean Dip

♦ A fresh, summer salad!

♦ Introduce as one of baby’s first SOLID foods!! It’s easy to mash up, a healthy fat and they will LOVE it!

♦ Replace it as a spread (mayo, butter, cream cheese etc) on your sandwiches or bagels. Much healthier!

I am dying to hear the recipes you guys have for avocados! One of my favorite summer foods!!

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Spiritual Try It:

Pray scripture this week!! Do you ever get in the grind of praying the same things over and over? You know there’s much more you could say–or ways you could say it better and more specifically, but you are at a loss for words. The beauty of scripture is that it is God’s inspired Word. We have real emotion, feeling and expression all in one book that He knows all about!

Now, if you’re like me, this is definitely not a common thing in your spiritual life. I did it a few weeks ago in church and was reminded of how powerful it was.  Of course there are many resources out there to help you out more. One in particular is “Praying God’s Word” by Beth Moore. I’d encourage you to pick that up if you have more interest!

It can be daunting to figure out which scriptures to pray for what, so I’ve taken some time to help you out:

♦ Praying that you would mature as a woman of God or wife? Look in Proverbs 31

♦ Praying for your husband or children? Check out Galatians 6:22-26

♦ Struggling with depression or low self-esteem? See Philippians 4:8

♦ Not sure how to express your hurts and pain to the Lord? Echo David’s sentiments in Psalm 6

♦ Praying for a non-believer? Pray 2 Corinthians 4:4

If any of you include this regularly into your spiritual disciplines, I’d LOVE to hear about how you do it! Please share!

Be sure to link up if you are a blogger! Add any comments below, find me on facebook or twitter! It has been WONDERFUL being with you all this month. Thank YOU!!