VIVA LAS VEGAS! How to put on 1.5 lbs in 4 days and look cute at the same time.

I feel like I've been away for AAAAAGES! So what have I been up to? Ummm...putting on 1.5 pounds?


WAIT! Hear me out!


Sometimes 1.5 pounds is a bargain when you also gain a TON of fun and learning. That's exactly what I got while spending 4 days at the inaugural Latina Lifestyle Bloggers Conference in VEGAS, baby! I've been a part of this awesome, dynamic group since it started and was NOT going to miss the opportunity to party in person with these FABULOUS blogueras!

Opening night dinner courtesy of sponsor BUCA DI BEPPO! (photo via Curves Ahead Makeup)

Four days with an absolutely brilliant and inspiring (not to mention FOXY) group of women, working on our skills and learning tools to become better bloggers and businesswomen. The seminars were awesome! First, there was the keynote speech by acclaimed author Alisa Valdes, of "Dirty Girls' Social Club" fame. WOW! We were super pumped after her talk!

Thanks for taking time to talk to each of us, Ms. Valdes!

We learned about branding, SEO and business planning.

Seminars is our EXCLUSIVE suite! Photo via Curves Ahead Makeup

 And the FOOD! It was too yummy to resist. The conference was held at the Tropicana, which I absolutely LOVED! The interiors were so fresh and sunny-feeling. And I adored every restaurant in the place. We even toured the "Mob Experience" museum at the Trop which totally fed my love for "Vintage Vegas"-WOW!

Hangin' at the Trop. Photo via Curves Ahead Makeup

But then? There was the FASHION. This was a pretty intimidating crowd, style-wise. Many of the ladies were fulltime fashion bloggers and they Turned. It. Out.

Like the aforementioned Curves Ahead Makeup. She and her partner run a business called Fancy Steps which offers unbelievable shoes like these:

They wore heels like these ALL THE TIME! Photo via Curves Ahead Makeup

Speaking of shoes....I was muy flattered when Illsay from Full Figured Potential asked to snap of photo of ME for her blog! WHAT?

Photo via Full Figured Potential

I was just trying to be comfy! And here this fancy fashion blogger wanted to feature my outfit on her blog! I was wearing pieces from this season's Jockey Person to Person Collection (of course). I like to be colorful but I think what really made the outfit (if I do say so) was the SHOES.

I want you to know, I was a little skeptical about taking these shoes to Vegas. I had been sent the pair of glittery "Sea Star" sandals to review by the company, Fibi and Clo, but only decided to take them at the last minute. OMG you guys! I could not BELIEVE how many compliments I got on these sandals! But what I really couldn't believe was how incredibly comfortable they were!  I wore them all over Las Vegas-even during our fabulous tour of the 2 million square foot Fashion Show mall...

Next time you go to Vegas, do NOT miss Fashion Show mall!! Photo via Curves Ahead Makeup

Now, I am not a "flip-flop" kind of a gal. I own only one pair of thong sandals and they are a VERY expensive pair of flats by Tory Burch, which are cute but tiring to wear after a couple of hours. I wore these Fibi and Clo sandals (which were even cuter than my TBs and only $45) all day and night! I literally walked MILES in these without getting tired at all. LOVE THEM! I hope you'll take a moment to check out their website and see some of their other yummy styles. I was wary of getting them without trying them on but found them to be true to size and even prettier than the photo.


It was such a fantastic conference, and NOT just for the fashion! Thank you so much Ana Lydia, Sujeiry and everyone else from Latina Lifestyle Bloggers for working so hard to make such a productive and unforgettable conference. I'd especially like to thank all the wonderful sponsors for being so generous in extending themselves to all of us.


And those 1.5 pounds? I'm back on track to remove them, counting Weight Watchers pointsplus AND working the Sensa weightloss system! They were one of our fabulous sponsors-but there'll be more on them later. :)


WHEW! I'm tired just writing about it! But it was totally worth it. I hope you'll check out some of the links I've mentioned here, and who knows? Maybe you can join us at the next conference!


Wishing you love with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama



PS-THANK YOU so much to Curves Ahead Makeup and Full Figured Potential for sharing your photos with me!


Disclosure: I was sent the Sea Star sandals for review by Fibi and Clo. I purchased my own ticket and hotel for the conference and everything above is my personal and honest opinion.

Nacho Mama's Original Recipe: QUESADILLA-DE-LOS-MUERTOS! #DayoftheDead

Here's a secret-my husband has the BEST ideas! He was the one who came up for the name of this blog and he also came up with the idea for this recipe. Read on and you'll see why I love this gringo so much!


We eat a LOT of quesadillas in our house. It's probably the only food that ALL 4 of us enjoy, even my picky kids. My 2-year-old refers to them as "Dia-Dias" - which prompted my husband to say, "You should make a Quesadilla De Los Muertos!" 


Now, you KNOW I can't ignore a challenge like that! It took me a minute to figure out the best way to do it and, since I was making myself a quesadilla for dinner tonight anyway, I decided to give it a try. It was so easy!


First of all, I'd like you to know that I like to make quesadillas that are complete meals. Tonight's quesadilla was filled with cheddar-jack cheese, ground turkey, spinach and arugula. YUM! 


After cooking the quesadilla on the comal (you could use a skillet), I took out my pizza cutter and sliced 2 curved slivers out of each side, making a perfect calavera!


Then, in a sealed sandwich baggie, I mixed 2 tablespoons of light sour cream with LOADS of chili powder, to give it color and flavor. You could also mix the sour cream with adobo or mole sauce, but I was out of both! After snipping a tiny corner off the bag, I piped the face and decorations onto the quesadilla. Yes, I could have written my name but I was in a hurry because I was so HUNGRY after a long day of coupon shopping!


The result? NACHO MAMA'S QUESADILLA-DE-LOS-MUERTOS!

It was SO TASTY!


I hope you'll consider cooking up a Quesadilla-de-los-Muertos yourself over these next few days. Do YOU  have anything special that you make for the Day of the Dead? Please share! I'd love more traditions to share with my family.


Wishing you love with extra cheese on YOUR quesadilla!
Nacho Mama

Why our glass (of milk) is always half full #Positivisimo

I may have mentioned before that when I was a kid? I HATED milk!!! I can't even tell you why because I honestly don't ever remember even trying it. So sad. I would only drink chocolate milk or cafe con leche. Today I still love cafe con leche but chocolate milk is too sweet for me-I prefer PLAIN milk now! Go figure! Turns out what The Master says is really true: Saying Yes is Easier Than Saying No.

When my kids came along, I decided to wait and see what their attitude about milk would be. As it turns out-they both LOVE plain milk! And husband's favorite dessert is a bowl of cereal with milk. So in my house we probably go through 2.5 gallons a week. I buy 2% for the grownups and give the kids whole milk. That's just the milk we drink. If I cook something with milk? Then we're talking 3 gallons a week, people.

In my fridge this morning...

I'm extremely relieved that my children were not so closed minded about milk as I was when I was a little kid. The best part is that they are both very strong and healthy and have good eating habits (unlike their mami) that I hope they'll have for the rest of their lives. 

All this talk about milk has made me decide to cook up some macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight! I guess it's going to be a 3 gallon week after all.

Nacho Mama's Mac and Cheese-with ground beef and spinach and MILK!

Don't forget to enter YOUR kids in the "Little Masters" Facebook Photo contest! Prizes include a stainless

steel refrigerator, professional blender, bicycle and more! Entering is easy—just follow the

instructions to upload a picture of your “Little Master”. Enter HERE.

And you can follow The Master yourself on:

Facebook 

Twitter 

Wishing you love with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor’s Board and

Latina Mom Bloggers.

CALM DOWN. Favorite sayings from our childhoods.

I have been noticing that my kids are developing their own "family" sayings. This has gotten me thinking about some of my favorite sayings from when was  kid, hanging with my cousins in Oxnard, CA. My favorite?

CALM DOWN.

It's not meant in the sense you probably think, though. It's kind of like our "Aloha"-it can be super positive OR scathingly negative! For example:

Let's say you pick up your cousin to go out dancing and her outfit is AWESOME. You might say, "Ay prima? Calm down!"

OR

"Did you see Robert's new girlfriend? Calm down with the eyelash extensions!"

Get the picture?

What are some of your favorite family sayings?

Wishing you love with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama