Momma Told Me: my blog spark

*** I received Old El Paso product samples, and a taco cooking kit, to help facilitate this post, as a member of My Blog Spark. No further compensation was provided. All images and photos are original content copyrighted to Momma Told Me Blog, 2013.

Momma Told Me: Don't wear your food, eat it!

As a child, my favorite foods were ones I could eat with my hands. Pizza, peanut butter and jelly sammies, hamburgers, chicken fingers, and tacos, to name a few. Let's face it, children under 10 have little sense of modesty, and would happily walk around with a sauce strewn face, if only to see the panicked reaction from Momma. Playing with food is fun; that's part of the reason this big kid never grew out of tinkering in the kitchen with baking projects and zany dinner recipes. There are so many textures, colors, flavors and scents in the culinary world, and typically only one golden rule when it comes to kids; don't tell them anything, ever, is good for them. Always keep the illusion alive, and if that fails, put all the ingredients on a Lazy Susan and let them build their own food. It's one of the reasons Momma instituted weekly Bagel Pizza lunches, and Make Your Own Taco nights during the summer. Often times I'd get so excited about 'making' my own food, I'd entirely forget I was picketing lettuce that week because it was good for me.

Of course, as most things involving food and kids go, hands on (or build-your-own) food was never the simplest route for Momma to take. Our table already had to have layers of place-mats to contain my culinary adventure messes, and meals that allowed me to make my own food- well, I'm surprised Momma never tarped the walls. I don't know how, as such a small young girl, I managed to make such big mealtime messes, but I've been told Momma would find scraps of food in the oddest places. And which make-your-own mealtime proved the messiest? Taco night. Present a child with a roundabout of small diced and sliced ingredients, then tell them to stuff it in an open ended tortilla; brilliant idea. Soft tortillas only encouraged horizontal eating, and the prompt ejection of ingredients from the back of the 'shell,' while hard taco shells typically cracked under the weight of the ingredients and spilled out the bottom.

But those are problems of yester years, now that Old El Paso has devised and released the singular best thing to happen to taco night since my Momma's Secret Sauce invention; Stand 'N Stuff shells. No longer do Mom's have to bib their children and send them outside to eat their tacos; these Soft Flour Tortilla 'boats' are free standing and eliminate the 'open end' taco dilemma. In fact, no hands are required, at all, to stabilize and fill your shells, so you can head to that taco buffet with your plate and two free garnishing hands. It's ingenious, really. Our family has been relying on the Old El Paso brand of taco assistance products for years. We typically buy their Family Taco Kits, which include shells and sauce, but jumped at the opportunity to sample this new taco innovation. My Blog Spark sent our family a package of new Stand 'N Stuf Tortilla shells, some taco preparation kitchen tools, and 3 brand new Old El Paso Mexican Cooking Sauces to sponsor our next taco night.

I tried to explain the ingenuity of these new Stand 'N Stuff shells to Jay, but I fear I failed. Only until he was stuffing his very own fuss free taco did he reach for the package of shells to investigate further. I can't quote the exact comment, but wonder and awe followed those first bites. Not only had the pre-packaged Mexican Sauce pouches made seasoning our ground turkey a piece of cake, but the Stand 'N Stuff tacos brought an extra hint of fun, and considerably less frustration and mess to the meal. These little 'boat' like tortillas also seem to hold more than the average taco shell, making layering and taco building so much simpler. Of course I had Momma's 'secret' taco sauce on hand. It's my little secret that I don't throw out a fast food packet, ever, and have a crate of fast food sauces on hand at all time. Just 10 packets of fast food taco sauce, and a half cup of ranch dressing makes a creamy taco sauce my family goes crazy for.

I also have to say, while the Stand 'N Stuff taco shells were the star of our night, the Chipotle Mexican Cooking Sauce added wonderful flavor to our 1.5lbs of ground turkey. It was a nice time saver not to have to season the meat as it cooked. I usually lose a lot of flavor when I drain the grease prior to serving, and this allowed me to flavor the meat post cooking with a thick and flavorful sauce. Old El Paso products have been a family favorite for years, and I'm happy to see they are still innovating how to make family taco nights a hit. Look for the new products on grocery shelves near you today! Save $1.10 off 2 Stand And Stuff Tortillas today with this limited coupon.

What Daughter Says: Skip the mess, and keep the flavor with new Old El Paso Stand 'N Stuff shells and Mexican cooking sauces.

One Momma Told Me follower will win an Old El Paso taco night prize bundle, and $10 Walmart GC, as shown above!

Momma Told Me: Make sure you get enough fiber!

As silly as it may sound, I am no stranger to fiber. From an early age I developed a curiosity about all that went into Momma's mouth. After all, I spent 70% of my waking time with her during the school year, and sought to emulate her every habit. One such focus for Momma was the constant intake of medication and supplements, intended to help her body navigate post cancer years. Not much older than me, Momma in remission was forced to follow a strict nutrition regimen post-chemo, and faced a big struggle guiding her digestive system back to normal. It didn't take long for smelly, chalky, tubs of powder to don our kitchen counter; fiber supplements for Momma. I recall she had permitted me to try the flavorless variety one time and it certainly hadn't been flavorless, or texture-less. I remember asking what other ways someone might be able to get more fiber in their diet. Primarily Momma rattled off bran muffins, legumes, and various vegetables; all sounded like heaven in comparison.

Then one morning I observed my mother eating a bowl of cereal, instead of her ritualistic bagel consumption. On the counter was a light yellow box, rather plain in my child's mind, with boring lettering and rather dull compressed bran pellets on the front. The cereal reminded me of something we'd line the rabbit's cage with at school, but I didn't dare note this to Momma. As it turned out, this box of Original Fiber One Cereal was the perfect solution for Momma, who still had trouble digesting less bland everyday foods. And, with a little bit of cream and sugar, I quite enjoyed a partial bowl myself. Thankfully, the Fiber One range has expanded quite a bit since my childhood. Now there are all sorts of, genuinely flavorful, ways to get some extra fiber and stay full longer between meals.

If you've ever had to scarf down a quick breakfast, running late, then you've likely experienced the results a few hours later. Hunger stars to hit once more, even in conjunction with an upset stomach as your body tries to process the offending food and kick start digestion. Studies show 9 out of 10 Americans don't get their daily recommended amount of fiber and as silly as it may sound, we need fiber for digestive comfort and even weight management. You've likely heard before that Fiber helps 'bulk' our digestive intake, which means essential nutrients taken in spend more time being absorbed in the small intestine. Fiber, paired with protein, can really fight of those early afternoon snacking urges and help you feel full and focused through the morning surge of energy. I had a chance to sample two new flavors of Fiber One plus Protein bars, Caramel Nut and Coconut Almond, both equally decadent flavors. I was especially surprised how true the coconut flavor was, paired with crunchy almond, and how easy to eat both varieties were.Not only was the texture soft, but the chocolate dipped coating satisfied my early afternoon sweet tooth.

It'll come as no surprise the majority of the Fiber One bar range focuses on a compressed oat base, which reminds me of the granola bars of my childhood. Thankfully flavors such as the real fruit packed Chewy Trail Mix bar, and Oats and Chocolate, offer easy to chew soft bars adults of all ages can enjoy. Sold at fine retailers like Publix, nationwide, the Fiber One range covers dozens of unique flavor combinations and snacks, designed to help make getting the fiber you need a little more palatable. We've been enjoying Fiber One chewy bars in our household for the past few years and I love how they keep me full between meals. The brand even has a line of 100 calorie products designed to fit into diets with low sugar snacking solutions. Be sure to keep an eye out in the cereal and snack bar aisle of your local Publix for these new Fiber One bars!

What Daughter Says: Put flavor back in your fiber supplement with delicious Fiber One chewy bars.