The Fruit with Oomph

Whenever I think of baby food, the first thing that comes to mind is avocado. 

Not breastmilk or cereals. Definitely not porridge. 

Before I turned mum, I wasn't a big fan of this alligator pear. Besides the occasional slices in the California Roll that I would order at the Japanese restaurants, this fruit and I rarely met. 

If I remember correctly, the first time when I actually learnt to enjoy a whole avocado and all its goodness was when I was living in London. My mother-in-law was having the fruit for breakfast and had kindly offered me some. 

A decade later, I still can't get used to this breakfast alternative, but have fallen deeply in love with the gorgeous fruit. 

I love the smooth, buttery taste so much that I can eat it daily, just on its own, without the need for frivolous dressings or accompaniment. But I have also learnt to incorporate it into my salads whenever I have a ripe one in my kitchen. 

 

Avocado is such a nutritious fruit that some experts even deem it to be a complete food. So when my boys were first weaned, avocado was one of the feature items in my weekly menu. 

There was a time when I would buy 2 to 3 avocados on each shopping trip, several times a week. This way, I would have a ripen fruit to offer the boys almost daily and we would get through at least half a dozen a week. 

Unfortunately, the fruit is not cheap at all and had never been compared to other fruits. It's worse now with the crazy inflation, with some places charging as much as $2.50 for a tiny fruit! And I am not even buying organic varieties! But given its goodness, it is a price I would grudgingly pay. 

I used to refer to it as 'brain food'. With each bite that my babies took, I would imagine all the goodness making its way to strengthening up their little brains. Haha, it's so goofy I know!  :> 

Come to think of it, my boys have eaten more avocados than any other fruits! Perhaps there is a relationship between this and their good memory (in addition to whatever else that I did with them before) after all, though I can never prove it. :> 

Now, M would eat it still, but his interest in the fruit pales in comparison to N's, the real avocado-lover, who once upon a time, would happily finish two avocados in one sitting. Until that one unfortunate day, when he had a taste of a yucky piece of overripe, stringy avocado which put him off for quite a few months. I stopped buying avocados during that period too, after numerous bad experiences with the lousy quality available. 

In the recent months, because I am technically eating for two, I have taken a greater interest in what I put into my body. Upon closer examination of the varieties of food I do eat/not eating enough/should avoid etc... I am placing more avocados in my shopping basket again. 

My favourite way to enjoy the fruit now is simply with an abundance of baby romaine, tomatoes and sunflower seeds, topped with a drizzle of the Japanese salad dressing. Yum......