There is a theory that what a woman eats during pregnancy, may shape her babies food preferences later in life. During pregnancy, when a mother eats, those flavors from food get passed to the amniotic fluid, which a baby will gulp a few ounces per day. Not only do babies get a taste for these flavors in utero, but they are also making memories about flavors, ones that could potentially result in future food preferences. There have also been some studies that have shown feeding an infant a wide variety of flavors early on in life can increase the chances that that child will prefer a wider variety of foods and be less likely to turn their nose up at unfamiliar and unusual tastes later in life. Of course, there are always exceptions.

While pregnant with Sebastian, I tried to eat as diverse as possible (except the first trimester when I ate nothing but Pop Tarts and Skittles.) I ate spicy food, sweet foods, garlicky foods, and gingery foods. I varied my diet with different cuisines such as Ethiopian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, and Italian. But aside from the exotic spices, the curries, and the buttery naan, I am still a creature of habit, and would religiously eat my avocado toast with a little flaked salt for breakfast every morning, partly because I am obsessed with avocados, but also because I wanted Sebastian to share my same love, hoping that these theories had some truth. And it's funny, because to this day, avocado is one of Sebastian's favorite foods. I can give it to him chopped up into tiny pieces or mixed into foods, the consistency doesn't bother him. And I'm not going to lie, having a baby that loves avocado is a blessing. Avocado is so easy to prepare, cheap, high in calories and fat, nutrients that are so essential for a growing baby. It has truly made feeding him so easy.

Because Sebastian and I both love avocado, I try to incorporate it into at least one dish per day, whether it's blending into a smoothie or serving with scrambled eggs. Over the past few months, I've come up with more recipes than I can count on one hand that have included avocado. #notsponsored

One of my greatest joys in the kitchen is coming up with a recipe using only a handful of ingredients, those ingredients so fresh, and so flavorful, playing so intensely of one another, that you think to yourself, can this even be possible? Can this really exist?

I kind of had one of those YES moments when I pulled a few simple, but seasonal, ingredients together for this salsa. The idea was inspired by one of my favorite salads - a spinach, strawberry, avocado, and almond salad. It is shocking how well the flavors from avocado and strawberries compliment each other. I've been experimenting lately and have come to some sort of culinary realization that replacing tomatoes with strawberries in a recipe really works. Examples; bruschetta, gazpacho, Caprese, grilled cheese, and salsa. Salsa is such an easy snack to put together. It's one of those dishes that you can serve in the cold winter months or hot summer days. When I have friends over, I like to make a pitcher of margaritas, and some salsa and chips on the side. It's always a crowd pleaser. I'll be curious to see what my friends think next time they're over and I serve up a bowl of strawberry salsa. At first glance, the strawberries look so similar to tomatoes it's hard to tell.

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STRAWBERRY AND AVOCADO SALSA

makes 2 cups

prep time: 10 minutes

cooking time: n/a

10 oz strawberries, diced

1 avocado, diced

2 tbsp red onion, diced

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 tsp salt

pepper

fresh mint or basil for garnish

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients.

Serve cold with tortilla chips.

Can be kept in the fridge overnight, although best if eaten the same day.