It’s National Guacamole Day during the Weekly Menu 09.14.25, so naturally, we’re paying homage to our favorite green fruit.
What fruit are we giving huge props to during the Weekly Menu 09.14.25? The avocado! Didn’t know it was a fruit?
While avocados are often prepared with salt and spice and consumed like, and alongside, vegetables, avocados are biologically fruits since they contain seeds and develop from the ovary of a flowering plant. The avocado fruit grows on trees, as a matter of fact! What might be even more surprising is that avocados are actually considered single-seeded berries in the same family as sassafras, the bay laurel, and various species of cinnamon tree.
Confusion persists because of their savory taste, culinary applications, and the fact that they don’t fall neatly into either fruit category. For example, while avocados are generally classified as berries, they have a single seed, so some sources classify avocados as drupes. The existence of a fleshy endocarp, while tiny and bearing little resemblance to other berries, such as blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries, is the final deciding factor that classifies them as a berry.
In the United States, there are two main types of avocados.
The two most popular types of avocados, especially in the United States, are the Hass and Fuerte varieties. The Hass avocado is known for its pebbly, dark skin that turns purple-black when ripe and its rich, buttery, nutty flavor. The Fuerte avocado has smooth, green skin that stays green when ripe, a pear shape, and a slightly sweeter, less creamy, mild flavor.
Hass Avocado
Flavor & Texture:Creamy, rich, and slightly nutty flavor.
Appearance:Round-shaped with thick, pebbly skin that turns from green to a dark purplish-black as it ripens.
Fuerte Avocado
Appearance: Pear-shaped with smooth, thinner skin that remains green when fully ripe.
Flavor & Texture:Velvety, thick, yellow flesh with a milder, slightly sweeter taste than the Hass.
Avocados are highly nutritious fruits that are packed with beneficial nutrients and plant compounds that can have a positive impact on your health:
Rich in Healthy Fats
Avocados are high in monounsaturated fats, specifically oleic acid, which is linked to reduced cholesterol and lower risk of heart disease, particularly when they replace saturated fats in the diet. These fats also help your body absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K (5).
High in Fiber
Avocados are a great source of dietary fiber, which is essential for digestive health, weight management, and blood sugar level regulation (8). One avocado provides approximately 10g of fiber (4).
Loaded with Antioxidants
Avocados are rich in antioxidants, including carotenoids, vitamin C, and vitamin E, which neutralize harmful free radicals in the body, reducing oxidative stress and potentially lowering the risk of chronic diseases (5).
So, what’s for eats during the Weekly Menu 09.14.25? We’re keeping it low-key healthy, and watching our sodium when we can. Sunday dinner is a garlic honey roast pork that is a crowd pleaser as well as a Mom pleaser – it’s a one pan dish that roasts the veggies, potatoes and meat all together. It tastes great too!
National Guacamole Day is Tuesday, fortuitously, so we’re pairing a super easy guac with dinner. My favorite way to whip together a Tuesday avocado treat is by scooping out the fruit and adding some green salsa to loosen it up. It’s easy, non-chunky and totally dippable. You can make your own tomatillo salsa to better limit the sodium.
Take the skin off the tomatillos and rinse well. Put them, a quartered onion, and a few jalapenos on a foil wrapped sheet pan, and pop them under the broiler until lightly charred. Let them cool a little bit and blend all together well. I do add a 1/4 teaspoon of salt for a better flavor.
We’re going old school on Wednesday: spaghetti and meatsauce. I’m making this a little healthier by using no-salt added tomato sauce in my Marinara Recipe and using 90/10 ground beef, which I’ll saute and then be sure to remove any excess fat from before adding the marinara.
I’m still going to salt the pasta water – but I’ll pull it back a little bit from my normal 1/4 cup. LOL.
