CBS: Washington DC: Host a Healthy Cinco de Mayo

Avocados From Mexico, Dandy Produce, Real Food From The Ground Up, Simply Organic, Lifeway Kefir and Agave In The Raw

Tip 1: Build your appetizers around produce.

This holiday is incomplete without guacamole made with Avocados From Mexico, which are always in season, delicious and always worth it. I shared my favorite guacamole – one of over 140 guacamole recipes from AvocadosFromMexico.com. One serving of avocado has nearly 20 different vitamins and minerals.

Another easy produce-forward appetizer is corn and radish kebobs made with Dandy’s non-gmo super sweet corn, which comes in the first ever-recyclable tray, and the whole ready radishes, which also come in mini sticks and coins great for tossing into salsas and salads.

Produce can even come in the form of chips! I shared cauliflower-based grain free tortilla chips by Real Food from the Ground Up, which you can find locally at Whole foods. My favorite is the lime but they also come in sea salt and nacho. They are all non-gmo, gluten free and vegan friendly with 130 calories per serving.

Tip 2: Build your entrees using spices and seasonings.

They add a ton of flavor for virtually zero calories.  I love using Simply Organic spices which are ethically and sustainably grown because purchasing helps support organic and sustainable farming communities.

Tip 3: Serve up desserts with benefits

I shared my strawberry probiotic panna cottas made with Lifeway Kefir which is a dairy beverage that contains more than twice the probiotics found in most yogurt. These add 11 grams of protein per serving to my desserts and are non-GMO and lactose and gluten free.

Tip 4: Build your cocktails around organic, low glycemic sweeteners

Agave In The Raw® which is pressed from the core of the Blue Agave plant, native to Mexico.  It’s gluten free, non-gmo and because it’s 25% sweeter than sugar, a little goes a long way.