Friday Favorites 12/26/14

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I spent the week with my family in Virginia. Currently, we're all snuggled up by the fire watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. We've had a blast reuniting with my high school friends, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and spending time with the family.

Here's my weekly roundup of my favorite links from around the web. For more, follow me on twitter, pinterest, and facebook.

Sweet Potato Rounds with Herbed Ricotta and Walnuts (The Roasted Root) --> Almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

Avocado Salad Dressing (Healthfully Ever After) --> One of my favorite ways to enjoy avocado, other than shoveling it in by the spoonful with sea salt and black pepper, is as a mayo sub. This creamy dressing also has floral meyer lemon juice, which I bet is perfect with the avocado.

Easy Greek Hummus (Living Well Kitchen) --> We make a version of this appetizer for basically every social event and it's always a huge hit.

Cauliflower Fried Rice (Gourmande in the Kitchen) --> If you haven't tried cauliflower rice yet, you really need to hop on that train.

Marrakesh Carrot Salad (Sprouted Kitchen) --> I'm usually not a huge carrot salad fan, but with dates, lentils and feta, I think I need to give this one a try.

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Avocado Aioli (Blissful Basil) --> I know I'm about 24 hours too late on this, but how cute would this be as a Christmas side with all that gorgeous red and green?

Carbohydrates, Part II (Nutrition Stripped) --> There are few nutrients that are more misunderstood than carbohydrates. This post answers all your burning questions.

What Happens When You Weigh Yourself 15 Times In One Day (Women's Health) --> Fascinating. If you're looking for a reason to toss the scale, this is it.

Family Criticizing Your Weight? You Might Add More Pounds (Science Daily) --> Worried about a loved one's weight? Dish out compassion, rather than criticism.

Back to Basics January (Uproot From Oregon) --> Love this idea of using January to get back to basics and start cooking at home. With no major holidays and few social events, I can't think of a better month.

The Teen Years: Nine Cringe Inducing Realizations (Wait But Why) --> Nothing to do with nutrition, but as a slightly more awkward teenager than most, I died laughing at this. I recently found my box of notes recently and all I wanted to do was go back in time and smack myself across the head.

On Avocado This Week:

Tofu Tom Kha Gai --> Although my stepmom just informed me gai means chicken, so it's more like Tom Kha Tofu. Whoops.

How to Honor Your Body on Christmas --> Helpful strategies to remember at any family get together.

81 Vegetarian Tacos That Bring Taco Tuesday To A New Level --> If I had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life, vegetarian tacos would be right behind cheese.

Healthy Salads Recipe Roundup (The Adventures of MJ and Hungryman) --> Who said salads are boring?