I have been enjoying breakfast more and more lately.  I use to only eat breakfast on the weekends.  Then I realized that wasn’t very good for my metabolism. Since I don’t always want eggs I had to start thinking of an alternative… plus the whole cholesterol thing is something to consider. Geez, I never thought those words would come out of my mouth. I am trying to eat breakfast every day and eat as soon as I wake up.  That’s sometimes a task.  When time is limited, I turn to my smoothie action.  Throw your ingredients in a blender and presto, you got breakfast in a cup.

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Yes, it’s so hard to get my son to eat. He is very selective about what he will eat and almost every meal is met with opposition, even if it’s something he had eaten the day before with no problem.  I stick to the very basics with him for now, and am always looking for ways to get him to try new foods.  A couple of weeks ago he FINALLY took to eating a popsicle, and he LOVED it so much, partly because it was on a stick, or maybe it was just the sugar rush.  Either way (I didn’t care which it was), this got my mind racing with ideas of all the yummy foods I could put on a stick and I decided the next thing would be a corn dog or cheese bomb. He was bound to like one or the other, right? I was pushing for the cheese.

I made my batter with Maseca (the corn flour) and cut the wieners in half to make it easier for his little mouth to gobble them down and his hands to hold.  Victory! Not only did he like the corn dog, he liked the cheese bomb too!  He now had a choice. If this recipe worked on my son, then it is officially kid proof.

Ingredients for Mini Corn Dogs and Cheese Bombs:

• 6 – frankfurters (beef or turkey) (cut in half)
• 6 – pieces of cheddar cheese (1 inch wide by 3 inch length)
• 18 – popsicle sticks
• 1 – tablespoon corn starch
• 1/2 – cup Maseca (amarillo)
• 1/3 – cup corn meal
• 3/4 – flour
• 2 – tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 – teaspoons baking powder
• 1 – teaspoon salt
• 1/2 – teaspoon baking soda
• 2 – tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 – cup milk
• 1 – egg
• enough oil to fill a small saucepan 3/4 of the way up (about 4 cups)

Directions:

1. Pat frankfurters dry with paper towel. Insert popsicle stick into ends and push half way up. Do the same with the cheese chunks.
2. Sprinkle frankfurters and cheese with corn starch to ensure batter will stick. Set to the side. 
3. In a large mixing bowl combine Maseca, corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
4. Pour in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Mix well till vegetable oil is fully incorporated into flour mixture. Set to the side.
5. In a small bowl mix milk and egg together. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture. Mix well. Batter will be slightly lumpy.
6. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium flame and wait till oil reaches 370 degrees fahrenheit.
7.  Pour batter into tall cup and dip frankfurters and cheese chunks one at a time letting excess batter fall back into the cup.                                                               
8. Deep fry 2 at a time until golden brown.  
9. Place corn dogs and cheese bombs on a paper towel lined plate to drain for a few minutes before eating!
10. Enjoy!

Welcome 2013!  I’m headed into this BRAND SPANKING NEW YEAR with an attitude adjustment. I’m going to change my diet a little by becoming a flexitarian. Which basically means I will lean towards eating more vegetables, grains and fruit as my main diet, and 2 to 3 days out of the week still enjoy my favorite meats.  Just a slight cut back here and there.  I learned about this way of eating at the Dole Healthy Lifestyle Blogger Summit I was invited to a few weeks ago, held at the California Health & Longevity Institute and The Dole Headquarters both  in Westlake Village, CA.

Let me tell you all about it.  The first day we arrived we started the trip with some friendly competition.  We were each teamed up against a fellow blogger, handed the same ingredients and asked to make a certain dish.  I was assigned salad.  I have never been one to enjoy timed cooking or to be judged by a panel of people tasting my food, but in this case it worked out.  I am proud to say I won best salad in my category.  The judges said my salad was perfectly spiced and I was the first person ever to use the grill when making a salad.  That was a good omen that the trip was going to be fantastic

The next day I learned many new facts about healthy substitutions in old recipes. We sampled recipes Dole has been publishing for the past half – century versus the new and improved healthy recipes to see if we could tell the difference and to test which we preferred.

In one of the food driven learning sessions we also learned some interesting tidbits about mushrooms and Vitamin D (known as the Sunshine Vitamin).  Did you know, if you place your mushrooms outside in the sun for 10 minutes before cooking them they will soak up 100% of the Vitamin D your body needs in a day? How cool is that? Vitamin D deficiency is linked to a number of chronic diseases – Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Type 1 Diabetes to name a few.  This is a serious problem worldwide due to lifestyle, geography, and weather, so we are rather fortunate that sometimes our Vitamin D needs can be met through diet.  You will now be able to purchase Vitamin D powder made from portobello mushrooms to sprinkle in your food or even bake with it.  Or you can do things the old fashioned way and just make yourself something laced with lots of mushrooms. That’s what I did today. Nothing like a nice big pot of mushroom soup to keep me and my family healthy. I want to share it with you… so you can keep your family healthy too.

Ingredients for Mushroom Soup:

• 6 – tablespoons of butter
• 1 – large onion sliced
• 1/2 – teaspoon dry basil
• 1/2 – teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 – teaspoon applewood smoked salt or sea salt
• 1/2 – teaspoon Lawry’s
• 2 – large dole portobello mushrooms (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 16 – ounces white mushrooms (quarter sliced)
• 4 – garlic cloves
• 4 – cups vegetable broth
• 2 – tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2 – teaspoon (per bowl) premium olive oil for garnishing

Directions:

1. Place cleaned mushrooms out in the sun
2. In a large pot over a medium flame add butter and allow to melt. Then add in onion, basil, ground pepper, salt, and Lawry’s. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add in all mushrooms and garlic cloves. Saute for 10 to 15 minutes. Stirring every 3 minutes or so. 
4. Add in vegetable broth and let come to a boil. 
5. Once broth is boiling remove from flame and with a ladle scoop out all content from pot and add to a blender. 
6. Blend till smooth. Pour back into pot and add in sour cream. Mix till combined. Serve hot and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil. Pair with cheese toast or a piece of whole grain toasted pita. Enjoy!

Disclosure:  My travel expenses, and meals were all provided graciously by Dole. Thank you Dole, it was a great summit.  As always all opinions and recipe are my own.

I started making this simple salsa many moons ago, as a fast tasty sauce for my tacos. Just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes and you have the ultimate salsa. I love the simplicity of the chile de arbol and tomato combination that this salsita brings to my burritos, eggs, steak, or popcorn…. It makes any meal perfectly spiced. Click here to watch a quick how to make this yummers salsa video.

Ingredients for Chile de Arbol Salsa:

• 4 – cups of water
• 1 – tablespoon salt
• 3 – tomatoes
• 16 – chiles de arbol (stems removed)
• 5 – garlic cloves
• a pinch of oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a pot over a medium high flame add water and salt and bring to a boil.
2. Once water is boiling add tomatoes and chile de arbol, and boil for 30 minutes.
3. Remove pot from flame and add tomatoes and chile de arbol to a blender. Use one cup of water that you boiled the chiles in and add to the blender as well.
4. Add garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to blender, and blend on high till smooth.
5. Pour into a bowl and enjoy on tacos or anything that tickles your fancy.

 This is how it all happened.  I received an email stating that the Milk Truck was coming to Los Angeles and looking for a location to film a video.  I instantly responded in hopes that they would pick me and my neighborhood. I thought of the children of my community, I envisioned their enthusiasm of being a part of a video and learning about the benefits of milk. I wanted to bring a memorable experience to these kids. Seriously, when does a cool truck full of milk come to East Los Angeles and pass out free milk and other night-time treats? I’ve never witnessed it.

I was so electrified when I found out my neighborhood was chosen.  I ran up and down the street letting all the kids know that a Milk truck was coming, and to listen for the truck’s song “Ya es hora de ir a la cama.”  That would be the signal to come outside and get some milk.  I told parents that milk may help their kids sleep better through the night and in turn they would be alert and ready to learn in the morning for school.  This truck was coming to ensure that the kids were going to get some milk before bedtime and guardians could see firsthand if this method works for them.  I even gave them this link to download free books to encourage them to read to their kids before bedtime.  Everyone was happy.  The kids were beyond excited, the parents were delighted with the idea of their children getting a good night sleep and I was pleased to stand back, knowing something good happened in my community.

Here is the actual video and some behind the scenes pictures:

 Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor Board and Latina Mom Blogger. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Sprint and Latina Bloggers Connect for sending me to Blogalicous and for the AWESOME phone!

That’s a picture of my Mom and me.  I’m her only child.  Our bond is unbreakable and as strong as a tsunami.  I think of what a wonderful parent she has been to me my whole life.  She raised me by herself and was a dedicated Mother who did her best to give me everything she could.  People always assume because I’m an only child I must have been spoiled.  I wouldn’t call it spoiled,  I would call it showered with love.  I didn’t grow up with a ton of toys but I did grow up with all of my Mom’s attention.  She always talked to me allowing open dialogue and valued my opinion.  She would recount stories to me of her youth and read me plenty of stories too.  I always remember her reading to me when I was a kid.  My Mom liked stories and she also appreciated good illustration. One of our all time favorite books to enjoy right before bed was an amazing book by the famed author Maurice Sendak called “In the Night Kitchen.”  It’s about a little boy named Mickey who finds himself in the surreal world of the Night Kitchen, when 3 bakers think he is milk and add him as one of the ingredients to make the morning cake.  Right before they are about to put the cake in the oven Mickey makes an airplane out of the dough and uses it to fly out of the cake and up to a big glass container of milk.  Then dives into the milk singing, and takes some of the milk from the container and pours it into the bakers batter so everyone can have cake in the morning. 

I think back on this book and wonder if it was one of the early influences that peaked my interest in baking?  I still love this book and find the illustrations to be close to perfection.  The picture of Mickey swimming in the milk pictured above is one of my favorites.  I am glad that I have found a new collection of modern books to read to my son that also involve milk and amazing illustrations.  Click here to download the books for free.  Who knows?  Maybe one of these books will not only encourage my son to drink milk before bed, which will help him sleep through the night, but they might also spark his interest in becoming an astronaut in search of the milky way or becoming a baker who will use milk in his cake recipe.

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor Board and Latina Mom Bloggers. However, all opinions expressed are my own.