The Great Taco Experiment-RESULTS! #30TacoTrucks30Days #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner

Hello dear ones!

btw-If you haven't seen the "Soy Yo" video just stop reading this and go watch it HERE

How are we all holding up? We're in the election home stretch and, as promised, I'm here to share the results of my Great Taco  Experiment! Yes, I did it, I ate a meal at a taco truck every day for 30 consecutive days. Those of you who follow me on Instagram and Twitter got to come along for the ride, but for brevity's sake, here's a quick slide show of the entire experience:

So what were my takeaways (pun intended) from this little project? Here's 10 things I learned.

1. I had no idea how many people (by which I mean anyone) would view my eating tacos as a political act targeted against them personally instead of targeted at the narrative that is being churned out by a particular political figure. Really? I'm just eating tacos and poking fun at a demagogue's racist rhetoric. I thought that was something we could all get behind, right? Wrong.

2. Turns out people don't like even the suggestion that they might be racist by association. Even if by "suggestion" you mean "eating tacos". I quickly realized how naive I had been going into this. I mean, if people are this offended by my eating tacos and posting it on social media, then they must really agree with this guy, no?

3. You know what really helps when you realize people you've known for years and years may be racist and may harbor racist feelings about you specifically? Eating more tacos.  I'm totally not kidding, it really helped.

4. Tacos trucks  provide delicious, actually rather nutritious food to the masses at unbelievably low prices. The best fish taco in town (at Kiko's Place) will run you an entire $1.75. And two tacos make more than a meal.

5. Taco trucks are a meeting place for every social and economic class to gather over their love of tacos, learn about each other and create a sense of community. Not once did I hear anyone getting into a political argument or putting down their fellow man while standing around a taco truck. Which is not something I can say about my local post office, frozen yogurt store or home improvement mega-store.

6. Free soup while you wait. DELICIOUS. HOMEMADE. FREE. SOUP.

7. There are nowhere near enough taco trucks in San Diego, let alone the USA. In fact the only downside to my taco truck odyssey was the amount of time I had to spend looking for taco trucks.

8. Taco tucks provide valuable income for surrounding businesses. A great taco truck is a boon to anyone's brick-and-mortar biz, no matter what it is.

9. Taco Trucks are as American as Apple Pie and Marshmallow Fluff. Especially in the West, also known as "used to be Mexico".

10. While not all the taco trucks I visited were operated by immigrants (some were Latino Americans born in the USA), many were. Like most immigrants from anywhere in any field, they worked tirelessly to provide quality service, even during a week-long extreme heatwave in which hundreds of other businesses closed. Workers who had the day off of course didn't want to spend the hot day cooking at home, so guess where they went?

Then there was this day:

This is the taco that had me sobbing in the parking lot.

If there's one main takeaway from this whole experience, it was this: FOOD IS POWERFUL. As a necessity of life, it has the power to bring us together and it's absence means the end of all civilization. Nothing evokes memories, good or bad, as effectively as food. As I mowed my way through 38 tacos, I remembered the first time I had a fish taco (made for me by a childhood friend's dad who was a fisherman). I remembered my high school years when I ate the "California Taco"- like the "California Burrito", which made it's debut during my adolescence, it contained carne asada and french fries. No wonder I gained two pounds.

I was completely caught off guard, however, by the taco in the photo above. It was at a taco truck I'd driven by countless times during the last couple of years, but had never visited. When I finally pulled into the parking lot I was astonished to discover that Tacos El Ranchero (at the Telegraph Canyon Road on-ramp to the 805) served, pretty much exclusively, exactly the dishes I grew up eating and almost never find in restaurants. Tacos made from cabeza (yep, head) and lengua (tongue) were never my favorite as a kid (though my late dad adored them), so I chose tripa (tripe).

I took the tiny taco (only about 4 inches wide) to my car and couldn't resist sneaking a bite. Immediately, tears flooded my eyes and before I knew it, I was sobbing into my tripa right there in the parking lot at Tacos El Ranchero. I couldn't figure out why at first, but eventually the memories of childhood barbecues started surfacing. All my cousins (I have 18 first cousins alone) and aunts and uncles singing and talking loudly and running and even fighting while my grandfather happily grilled tripa on the barbecue he'd built himself in the backyard. When my grandfather got too old to stand over the grill, my Uncle Chuy took over tripa duty-and his recipe was even better. Like my dad, both my grandfather and my Uncle Chuy are long gone. I never realized until that moment in the parking lot just how deeply I missed them, that I never thought I'd ever taste tripa again, and how grateful I am to have grown up in this country, at this time, in this family, eating this food.

My grandfather (standing) and my dad (the kid in the foreground)  at Thanksgiving-
the only holiday where we didn't eat tacos.

They would have gotten such a kick out of this whole taco truck thing. My dad and his brother were the first members of the family to attend college-for their generation just finishing high school was a huge accomplishment. My grandfather was a cowboy and in many ways a very traditional, macho, Latino man, but he was also the biggest champion of diversity I've ever known. All three men faced a great deal of discrimination during their lives, but they never let it stop them from pursuing their dreams and setting an example for the rest of us.

My Uncle Chuy (center, with saxophone) in his ground-breaking, multi-racial band, The Mixtures.
He later became a professor at San Diego State University.

When you encounter folks with an "us against them" view of their fellow citizens, for whatever reason, I hope you'll respond as my dad, grandfather and uncle always did, with patience and compassion and the offer of a taco.

Wishing you love with extra cheese,
Nacho Mama

Hyland's 4 Kids Bumps ʼn Bruises with Arnica Ointment Stick

Hello all!

Recently, the folks at Hyland's 4 Kids sent along one of their newest products for me and my family to try: Hyland's 4 Kids Bumps ʼn Bruises with Arnica Ointment Stick. 

I've always kept arnica gel in my medicine cabinet for when my kids, and their parents, get painful "ouchies". I've even found it to be effective in relieving swelling. My kids say it helps the pain go away very quickly. The only problem is that arnica gel can be a little messy and difficult to apply to squirmy kids. So when I saw the way Hyland's 4 Kids had re-invented this amazing product, I was very interested to see how it would work for my family. To learn more about the Arnica Ointment Stick, visit the Hyland's 4 Kids site HERE.

The result? Both my kids LOVED this natural product. It was easy to apply and fast-acting. My daughter even threw one in her backpack when for a recent camping trip. She said it really came in handy and all her friends kept asking to use it.

As many of you already know, I've been a fan of Hyland's 4 Kids products for years. My parents always had Hyland's 4 Kids in the house,too. I also love that these sticks, which I'm using on my kids' delicate skin, is free of paba, phthalates, dyes, petrolatum in comes in a push up paper tube that is completely free of plastic.

Look for the Hyland's 4 Kids Bumps 'n Bruises Arnica Ointment Stick exclusively at Target (Made to Matter collection) in the First Aid Aisle. Click HERE to get a coupon for $1 off Hyland's 4 Kids Bumps n Bruises with Arnica. Only at Target, expires 10/31/15.

Nobody likes bumps, bruises or ouchies, but when you get them, you'll be glad to have one of these on hand!

Wishing you love with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hyland's 4 Kids. The uses for these products are based on traditional homeopathic practice. They have not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration.

GIVEAWAY! Celebrate the launch of MiHylands.com with these great health products

Hola everyone!

I have a wonderful giveaway I am very excited tell you about!

My family has regularly used Hyland's natural health care products for many, many years. So when the company contacted me to let me review and GIVEAWAY some products to celebrate the launch of their new SPANISH website, www.MiHylands.com, I didn't hesitate to accept.

Some of my favorite Hyland's products are included in this basket!

I've used Calm's Forte for YEARS, it's particularly helpful for those times when you just can't settle down to sleep. 

If you follow my Youtube channel, you know I was VERY sick during winter and spring! My doctor recommended taking trace minerals to help my body recover from all that ick. Hyland's Bioplasma was just the ticket-I feel so much better!

My tween has been experiencing painful growing pains that have been interrupting her sleep. She says that the Hyland's Leg Cramps tablets were super effective and fast acting.

GIVEAWAY TIME! Here's your chance to score some wonderful Hyland's products to try.

GIVEAWAY includes:

Calm's Forte: 100 CT

Nerve Tonic: 100 CT

Arnica 30X: 50CT

Muscle Therapy Gel: 3oz

Bioplasma: 500CT

Bioplasma Sport: 12pk

Leg Cramps: 50CT

Restful Legs: 50CT

Leg Cramps PM

RETAIL VALUE: $92.61

To win, submit your entries via Rafflecopter below. And don't forget to visit Mi Hylands on Facebook at Facebook.com/mihylands for more great product info! Winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter on June 29. Continental US only, thanks!

Wishing you BUENA SUERTE with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

Disclosure: I was given these products for review and conducting this giveaway. The above is my honest opinion and reflects my personal experience, not that of any company. Always consult professional guidance in using these or any health products, see product packaging for specific benefit claims.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Everything's still great, but it's been a hard day.

Warning-this might be a bit of a bummer, I'll try to salvage it by the end, but I can't make any promises.

Let me start by saying that everything is still great, but February 8th is always a hard day for me. It's the day my dad died. Usually I manage to pretend February 8th isn't happening; maybe I might be a little more irritable than usual, but I get through it. This year I couldn't run from February 8th. Today it's officially been 10 years since my dad died from prostate cancer at the absurdly young age of 57.

Side note: my husband says he has no memory of me looking like this.

This is me (obviously) with my dad and my daughter on the steps of the tiny house Dad was born in, in the Colonia barrio of Oxnard, Ca. He was the baby of the family and, as a toddler, would sit under the shade of an overturned orange crate while his parents worked in the farm fields that still surround Oxnard. The farm workers were constantly sprayed with harmful chemicals meant to protect the crops. When this photo was taken, Dad had already outlived the doctors' prognosis by 18 months. I remember walking along what had been his street and hearing how virtually every family that lived there during his youth had been touched by cancer.

I miss him so much and am still surprised at how angry I am to have lost him. Every now and then my son, who is five and looks exactly like my dad, will do something so adorable and I'll think, "Wait til Dad sees this!" Then I remember he's gone and never got a chance to meet either of his grandsons. 

Dad's the little guy in the foreground.

I have no regrets about leaving anything unsaid, we were very close. I also know that Todd and I both did everything we could possibly do to help my dad and my mom. When I think back on those awful last days and the 2 years of hell that followed his death, I'm still not sure how we did it. 

I do have some regret when I think about the whole experience, though. I was so much younger and so naive about health in general in those days. Also, we simply did not have the access to information that we have today. If I knew then what I know now about wellness and nutrition, I could have done so much more for Dad. Maybe he wouldn't have lived any longer, but he might have enjoyed that time so much more than he got to. He might not have suffered as much as he had. 

And if I had had access to blogging and the wonderful network of friends that I've made through social media? It would have been so much easier to bear.

I know I really can't allow myself to go down that road and I know we did more than our best. All I can do now is my very best to keep my own kids from ever having the same experience. Then maybe try and help others and their kids, too.

So now that it's been 10 years, naturally I'm re-evaluating everything. Trying to work out how I might do the most good with what I know and what I've experienced. It's going to a take a while to figure out, I think. 

I started pondering it this morning as I went on a walk to Balboa Park. When I was a kid my dad used to take me there on the days he was "in charge" of me. We'd get sandwiches from the deli across the street and eat them in the park. After lunch, he'd chase me around the lawn and push me on the swings.

Balboa Park was beautiful this morning. 

I could really feel like my dad was with me as I walked alongside the towering eucalyptus trees. I silently asked my dad to prove he was there by showing me a flowering cactus. I don't know what made me pick that. There are TONS of cacti, all varieties, around here, but they don't usually bloom til mid-April. I saw scores of unadorned cactus on my walk. 

When I got to the playground I swung on the swingset for a while til I became frightened of how high I was swinging.  I jumped off the swing, sticking a perfect Marylou Retton landing, and suddenly realized that I would never have fit in that swing a few years ago, much less have been able to leap from it.

That cheered me up. 

I gave up on my cactus hunt and decided to walk home via 5th Avenue, which is mostly commercial with no gardens. Then I spotted this in the parking lot of a dentist's office.

As I got closer I could see this.

And this.

And yes, I stood there on 5th Avenue, right in front of the dentist's office, with tears and snot running down my face for about 5 minutes. Hell, it was before 8am on a Sunday and no one gets their teeth worked on then. I wouldn't have lost it so if it hadn't been for the fact that this particular cactus is a nopal. My dad's parents always grew nopales in their backyard. My grandfather would can them and my grandmother would cook with them.  All that plus the fact that I love to eat them, means nopales are very special to me.

I'm not sure what it means, but I'm sure it means something. Whatever it means, I'm grateful.

(If you're reading this anywhere but on NachoMamasBlog.com, then this content has been STOLEN. What kind of a jerk would steal a personal post like this?)

Wishing you ALL love with extra cheese,

Nacho Mama

But the godchildren, tho. #VIDEO

So here's the thing, I've said it before but it bears repeating:

I have the most beautiful and talented godchildren on the planet. If you have godchildren of your own, I pity you. You will never know the joy of being godmother to perfect children. Sorry 'bout it.

Okay, I say children, but two out of three of them are now old enough to vote. 

If you're new to this blog, you might have missed the hautingly entertaining "Little Red Riding Hood" video made by Halisia, my oldest godchild.

Now her sister has burst on to the Youtube scene with this gem-This is my goddaughter Mielle playing ALL the parts of this brass quintet. Last year she played in a little affair called the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Perhaps you've heard of it?

Boo-ya. You're welcome, internet.

Wishing you love with extra cheese,
Nacho Mama

"What I Didn't Say" aka "the one where Steve & Sue make me cry" #JustTrollin

WARNING: this is a long one, folks.

Fitbloggin 2014-photo by Carrie D Photography

Yes, I still have more Fitbloggin posts to write. Recaps of the conference in general (which I'll probably do on the podcast) and sharing my experiences in Savannah. But before I do, there's some unfinished business I have to take care of. Stick with me, I'm...

#JustTrollin

I was really lucky in that I pretty much loved all the sessions I attended during Fitbloggin. Having years of experience at this blogging business has helped me hone my "session-picking" skills at these types of events, so I rarely end up feeling as though my time was wasted. That doesn't mean that every session was a barrel of laughs or a wealth of data. Sometimes the most valuable sessions are the ones that force you to take a good, hard look at yourself. "Fitblogger Tough Love" was such a session.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Hope you're spending the day together with the people you love!

Wishing you HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

Will I be my Valentine? #gratitude

This could have been me, but it wasn't!

HAPPY VALENTINES WEEKEND everyone!


Hope you've been enjoying the Valentines/Presidents Day(s) long weekend combo. I had the BEST Valentines Day, so good I wanted to share it with you.


I didn't get a card.
I didn't get candy.
I didn't get flowers.


Now, I know it doesn't look like much on paper, but hear me out! When I was a kid, my parents used to make the HUGEST deal about Valentines Day! My dad would always get candy and flowers for my mom and my sister and I would usually wake up to cards and presents. As you can imagine, that made me feel pretty special. The problem is, I mistakenly thought the cards/candy/presents were what made me special, rather than the emotion behind them. This set up a rather unfortunate standard for my poor husband, who has suffered through many holidays since with a wife who was pouting because he didn't "do Valentines/Easter/Christmas right". I know! Poor guy.


Because here's the thing about my husband:


1. He's ridiculously supportive. Seriously, if I called him into the room right now and told him I'd decided my life's calling was to teach pole-dancing to the Amish? He'd be all, "Um...okay. So when do you need me to watch the kids?"


2. He leaves me sweet notes and texts and facebook posts telling me he loves me ALL THE TIME. Just because! He also surprises me with flowers on random days, just because. Sigh.


3. He knows that if he brought me candy? I'd definitely be thrilled, until it was gone. Then, in my sugar crash, I'd be the one whining, "WHY would you give me candy?!! Do you HATE me?"


So listen to what he did on Valentines. First, he let me SLEEP IN. And then? He did something that NO card or bunch of flowers or California Brittle (my favorite See's candy, fyi) could ever do:


He took our daughter out to lunch. Just the two of them. Yes, he did this for Valentines Day, but this is something he does ALL the time. Takes time just for her, to do what she wants, to listen to her and to make her feel special. And seeing her smile to herself when they came home? Best. Valentine. Ever.


Do you see where I'm going with this? For years, I was so hung up on whether all the boxes had been checked that I almost missed the really good stuff!


I also came across this uh-mazing post by Leonie Dawson on the true meaning of Valentines Day-I think she says it way better than I'm doing here. So just go read what she wrote-seriously, you won't be sorry! You might even discover you had a better Valentines Day than you thought.
http://leoniedawson.com/soulmates/


Hope you ALL had a wonderful Valentines weekend, and that you feel loved. Because you are!




Wishing you love with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama

PODCAST Episode 54: Special Guest Heather Robertson of HALF SIZE ME!

More Health Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with NachoMamasPodcast on BlogTalkRadio

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Today we welcome our very special guest, Heather Robinson of the wildly popular weightloss podcast HALF SIZE ME! Join us as we learn Heather's story and get her unique perspective on weightloss and body image, plus her tips for SURVIVING THANKSGIVING when you're trying to lose weight.

PODCAST Episode 52: Gwyn of Gwynspiration

New Health Internet Radio with NachoMamasPodcast on BlogTalkRadio

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Today our special guest will be Gwyn of Gwyinspiration, a blogger and Weight Watchers member who has lost over 100 pounds! She'll share her experience and how she's using her passion for fitness to help others.

PODCAST EPISODE 51: Emotional Eating w/Jen from Perfect In Our Imperfections

Discover Health Internet Radio with NachoMamasPodcast on BlogTalkRadio

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I'm baaaack!

I was on staycation (where I gained a few pounds-more on that later). I did manage to get a podcast done, though! Jen from Perfect In Our Imperfections made some time to talk Emotional Eating with me, thanks Jen! She even wrote a recap on her blog, which you can read HERE.

REVIEW: "In The Heights" at San Diego REP

For more info and tickets, please visit: www.sdrep.org

 
Wishing you love with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama

Disclosure: I was gifted tickets to this event for review purposes. The above is my honest opinion-honest!

PODCAST EPISODE 34: Holiday Survival Guide

Listen to internet radio with NachoMamasPodcast on Blog Talk Radio

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Don't let this happen to you-My Grandpa, 1974

Feel like you can't escape the mountains of candy at the supermarket? Can't believe artificial Christmas trees are already on sale? TERRIFIED of what all that stress, family and FOOD are going to do to your health and fitness goals? Never fear! Join me during the LIVE broadcast in the chatroom as we discuss tips and tricks to help you get through the coming holiday season with your waistline, and your sanity, intact.

Summer fun and eats! How was your weekend?

Happy Monday everybody!

Well, it was a real scorcher here in San Diego! I know, I know, a lot of you live in the South and on the East Coast and are thinking, "Boo-hoo! You don't know what hot is, lady!" It never gets as bad here as it did when we lived in Boston or New York, but since we've been back in San Diego for a few years now, I've become a bit of a weather wimp. I even had to break out my Mexican muu-muu...

Does anyone remember what these dresses are really called? I'm drawing a total blank...

This weekend we packed in a TON of summer fun! The kids' godfather was visiting from New York, with his boyfriend and his brother. They rented an adorable little cottage on Mission Beach and we spent the entire weekend playing in the water, digging in the sand and catching up with each other.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! I keep hearing this song...

Happy Father's Day everyone! Hope your dad is alive and well and that you are enjoying spending time with him. Or if not your dad, then your baby-daddy! We are postponing our own celebration a few days because our daughter has a very nasty stomach flu and is not in a partying kind of mood. But Father's Day can be whenever you make it! We'll just have to celebrate extra big-especially since my husband is the best (nacho) daddy ever! I got him this card on Etsy...

How cute is this? Seriously!

Because he is a GIGANTE Star Wars fan (he watched the dvds over and over again to calm his nerves while I was in labor with each of the kids) and he is the dad of a boy and a girl-just like Darth!

Lately, I keep hearing this song...

Sunday is EARTH DAY! Hoot! Hoot! #llblog #EarthDay

At the risk of seriously dating myself, I vividly remember how visiting San Diego's beautiful beaches meant you had to keep out a keen eye for broken glass and smoldering cigarette butts. Swimming in the ocean, I was as likely to get caught in trash as kelp. It was a time when "cleaning up the car" meant chucking your fast food wrappers and containers out of the window as you sped down the highway, not even pausing to notice that crying "Indian".

But then, in my lifetime, there was a huge shift in the public consciousness. We stopped littering, complained about pollution, changed legislation and started recycling. Why?

Eye Didn't Know That! #TransitionsLens

Did you wear glasses as a kid?  I always had perfect vision in elementary school. I passed all the vision exams (administered by the school nurse) with flying colors year after year. When I transferred to a Catholic school, the nurse no longer tested our vision on a regular basis. Then one day when I was a sophomore in high school, I was waking up and realized that I couldn't read the calendar on the wall of my room with my left eye. In fact, I could hardly see anything with my left eye at all-it was a very scary surprise!  Even though I was already a teenager, I had a hard time explaining what I was experiencing to my parents. Finally they decided to take me to an eye doctor to get some answers and we discovered that I had astigmatism and serious vision loss in my left eye. My right eye was also losing some vision from having to compensate for the left one. I've worn glasses ever since. I'll never forget the first time I put on my glasses, it was like I was really seeing the world for the first time. I remember wondering, "How long has this been going on? And what have I been missing all this time?"

<>

Oh Mama! Reader submitted #VIDEO

I just love reading all of your comments and emails-they really make my day! This past week I was stressing out a lot trying to plan the "perfect" birthday party for my son. I thought it might be fun to go to Mission Beach here in San Diego, where they have a great playground right next to the water, but for some reason I had this nagging feeling that Mission Beach might be a terrible idea! But WHY?

Sure, it's a great car, but what's on the roof?

Then I got a very sweet email from reader Mark Nevin in England (really? Wow!) with a video of a song he wrote he wrote for his wife called "Oh Mama!" - he said he hoped it would put a smile on my face. It did! Not only because I loved the song and the video, but because it helped me remember what was bugging me about having my son's birthday party at Mission Beach! Check it out:

When worlds I love collide: My Mama Lola, Mama's Kitchen, Richard Simmons and COUPONS!

I am about to have SUCH a "full-circle moment"!! (btw-do any of you miss Oprah as much as I do?) I know I spoke to you all about Mama's Kitchen before Thanksgiving. Remember this?

I think this pie looks SO much better on my head than on my rear, don't you?

Mama's Kitchen is a WONDERFUL organization here in San Diego that provides healthy meals to HIV & cancer patients and their children. I've been donating food to Mama's Kitchen for many years and was proud to pariticipate in their annual pie sale last fall.

WELL...it seems Mama's Kitchen heard tell of my passion for coupons via my podcast on Blogtalk Radio. Apparently, they have a long time donor (a man) who has been couponing food donations for Mama's Kitchen for ages.  Folks, I have been challenged!

Nacho Mama's Podcast EPISODE 3: Getting Organized in 2012

Today we're talking about getting your home, your stuff and yourself in gear and ORGANIZED in 2012! Our special guest is Candice from Fashionably Organized. She has some FABULOUS tips to help you tackle the seemingly insurmountable task or getting organized!