Eatable Alphabet: A is for Avocado

This is part of our Eatable Alphabet™ blog series developed in partnership with ChopChop Family. ChopChop Family collaborated with the American Academy of Pediatrics to create these amazing activity cards which get kids to engage with whole foods, one of the easiest ways to encourage healthy eating. ChopChop makes it fun, fun, fun and we LOVE what they do and hope you do, too!

If avocados aren’t a staple in your home yet, it’s time to take the leap. They’re a nutrient-dense superfood and a great source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, folate, and vitamin K. They support healthy growth and bone health, as well as supporting the immune system. In total, avocados contribute nearly 20 nutrients to your little one’s diet.

Enjoy this post all about the amazing avocado and ways to get your kid excited about it! (And don’t miss the special offer at the bottom to get your very own Eatable Alphabet cards!)

3 Fast Facts About Avocados

Avocado trees can live up to 400 years.
Most people think Avocado is a vegetable since it’s not sweet, but it’s actually a fruit.
Avocados were once a luxury food reserved for the tables of royalty. (Perhaps you should dress up before eating it ;)

Tips for Choosing Avocados

How do you know when an avocado is ripe? When you gently press the stem end, an avocado should feel just a little soft—not too hard (which means it’s unripe) and not too soft (which means it’s overripe).
If your avocados are hard when you get them home from the store, don’t refrigerate them; put them in a brown paper bag to ripen. This traps ethylene, the gas the avocados produce, and helps them ripen faster. To really speed things along, put an unpeeled banana in the bag with them! The banana makes extra ethylene. Once the avocados are ripe, store them in the fridge.
If you'd like to eat avocados all week, pick avocados in various stages of ripeness.

How to Prep Avocados

As with all fruits and veggies, wash the skin before cutting.

The easiest and safest way to remove the avocado pit is to quarter the avocado.
Cut around the avocado, end to end, slicing all the way to the pit.
Twist the halves to separate them
Cut the half with the pit in half again, then remove the pit.
Use a spoon to separate the avocado from its peel, then slice or dice it however you like.

Oodles of Easy Ways to Eat Avocados

We love buttery, green avocados. We love them in sandwiches and quesadillas, and on our burgers, nachos, toast, and tacos. We love them sliced, diced, mashed (they’re a great first food for babies!), and even mixed up into smoothies. We love them so much we even eat them completely plain—although they’re better with a squeeze of lemon or lime and a sprinkle of salt. Here are 3 kid-approved ChopChop recipes:

Mashed Avocado Toast – A ripe avocado is as easy to mash as butter! And it’s rich, yummy, and filling — the perfect topper for a piece of toast. This makes a good breakfast, lunch, or snack.
Grapefruit and Avocado Salad – Rich, creamy avocado goes beautifully with juicy, tangy grapefruit in this simple and delicious salad.
Avocado Apple Smoothie – It might seem weird to add avocado to a smoothie, but trust us: it’s the secret ingredient that turns this fruit shake into a creamy-dreamy treat.

Find more recipes on ChopChop!

Tips for Having Fun (and Learning!) with Avocados

Touch the skin. What does it feel like compared to yours? The avocado is also called an “alligator pear” because of its pear-like shape and thick, lizardy skin.
Grow some greenery. Yep! You can use avocado pits to grow houseplants. They probably won’t produce fruit, but they’re still lovely.
Boil the leftover bits. Avocado peels and pits can be boiled to create a natural dye that’s a surprising and delicate pink hue.
Go global. To satisfy a sweet tooth, consider cuisine from countries like Indonesia and The Philippines, where avocado is often blended with sugar and milk to make a dessert or sweet drink.

Do you have more ideas or recipes? Please share them in the comments below! And if you're interested in more Eatable Alphabet posts, click here.

About ChopChop Family
ChopChop Family, is the non-profit publisher of Eatable Alphabet Kitchen Activity Cards for Kids and the award-winning ChopChop: The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families. Their mission is to inspire and educate families to cook and eat real food together. ChopChop The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and winner of the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for Publication of the Year. Visit their shop and use code HELLOBELLO15 for 15% off their Activity Cards, magazine subscription, and more!

About Eatable Alphabet

Developed in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, and with funding from the CDC, Eatable Alphabet™ teaches toddlers that cooking real food is fun.

The cards offer a portable, accessible way to: