This post/recipe are part of a sponsored campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and The National Peanut Board.

I love when I get asked to create recipes—especially when they deal with a tasty, affordable treat that I eat almost daily…peanut butter! Peanuts and peanut butter are a great source of protein, and they give me energy to get through the day. A serving of peanuts has almost 7 grams of protein per serving, and I need protein to stay satiated and not eat a bunch of junk food.

I’m not kidding you when I say I literally have peanuts with me literally everywhere. I have peanut snacks in the car and peanut butter at work. You can put peanut butter on just about anything like oatmeal, muffins, crackers, celery, fruit. Or you can be like me and eat it straight off the spoon. I don’t judge! My 3 p.m. snack usually consists of a peanut butter and an apple. Growing up I had pan tostado (toast) slathered with peanut butter and strawberry jelly for breakfast or an after school snack. It was so delicious, and in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I revamped my pan tostado recipe to a more fun, sophisticated dish that still marries together all those tasty flavors.

My peanut butter stuffed French toast brings together creamy, salty, sweet peanut butter with strawberries, bananas, and thick Texas toast. The result is a quick, impressive dish that is sure to please the entire family. I love a hearty, gourmet Sunday breakfast, but I am also really busy and don’t like spending hours in the kitchen. This peanut butter infused breakfast packs fruit, protein, and decadence and is ready in under 20-25 minutes. Plus, it’s a cheap meal for a family of 4.

Peanut Butter Stuffed French Toast
MonicaWantsIt.com
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of Texas toast (thick sliced white bread)
• 1/2 pint of sliced strawberries
• 2 bananas, sliced
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter with honey
• Dash of salt

Directions:

1. Slice strawberries and bananas thinly. Keep them in a bowl until ready to top French toast.
2. In a bowl, use a hand mixer to beat heavy cream until it forms soft peaks and you have whipped cream. Add in 1 tsp of vanilla extract + peanut butter and whip until it becomes peanut butter whipped cream. Resist all temptation to eat all the whipped peanut butter.
3. Preheat a non-stick pan or griddle to get ready to cook French toast. (Medium heat works best)
4. In a pie dish or shallow baking pan, whisk together eggs, milk, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Soak slices of Texas toast in the mixture (make sure to soak each side). Cook on each side about 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. Place one slice of French toast on a plate, top with a heaping tablespoon or 2 of peanut butter whipped cream, then place other slice of French toast on top. Top with a generous serving of strawberries and bananas, and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
6. Eat and enjoy!

Strawberries really go well with the peanut butter because they’re sweet and tart, but the real star of the show is this peanut butter whipped cream!

The peanut butter whipped cream becomes so light and fluffy, so it simply melts into a frothy delight all over the plate. It’s like peanut butter syrup!

I swear to you…it’s as AMAZEBALLS as it looks on here. And I have to thank my amiga Lindsey for coming over to help me create and taste test this dish! We couldn’t get enough.

I thank Latina Bloggers Connect and The National Peanut Board for choosing me for this awesome campaign. You can view more peanut butter info, recipes, and nutrition facts at http://bit.ly/19x0OOp.

What are your favorite snacks or treats that incorporate peanuts or peanut butter? Will you try out my recipe?

I hate to admit that as a child I didn’t like avocados. I fondly remember my granny eating avocado sliced up on a flour tortilla. Literally, I can see her doing that in my head, and it brings back fond memories of my granny in the kitchen. My mom also loves avocados, and she would just make avocado sandwiches.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t recall exactly when I started eating avocados. Maybe in college? Now I see it as 18-19 years I wasted not eating a super delicious food. It tastes good with everything. Unreal.

My granny passed away in 2006, and it makes me sad sometimes to reflect on those memories of her. My husband is fortunate enough to still have both grandmothers alive and well, and during Easter this year, his maternal grandmother made a avocado concoction that nearly burnt my mouth off.

But I wanted more.

So, of course I had to ask what she put in it that made it so deliciously hot. Once she told me her simple secret ingredient, I knew it was a recipe I’d treasure forever.

And now I am going to share it with you…but with a twist. You see, this avocado recipe is fab with fajitas, tortilla chips and in BLT sandwiches, but I bet you didn’t think it’d be tasty in a breakfast burrito.

But oh my gawd, it is.

Ingredients (Enough for 2 hearty servings):

-1 avocado

-2 burrito sized flour tortillas

-4 eggs

-Cheese (however much/little you’d like)

-6 strips of bacon (3 per burrito)

-1 serrano pepper

-Salt/pepper/paprika

To make the star of the show, the avocado mash, you need to FINELY dice your serrano pepper. Or pulverize it in a food processor. I have the little $3 food processor Walmart sells on black Friday and it’s perfect for a small job like this.

In a ramekin, put your avocado, pulverized/finely chopped serrano pepper, a dash of paprika and salt/pepper to taste. Mash, mash, mash!

You’re done!

Now, I crisped up some bacon and cooked up my eggs.

I warmed up my tortilla, and I am done! I have this for dinner because it is filling and even with all that cheese (I used Sargento thin slices), it comes out to about 500 calories.

It is so spicy, so have some water on hand. It’s that kinda spicy that hurts so good. You can’t get enough. It adds so much flavor to traditional eggs and bacon. I’m so glad Daniel’s grandmother was nice enough to divulge her abuelita secrets and pass down a simple recipe I can enjoy with almost any dish.

Delish! Filling, too, and avocado is a super food.

Now I am proud to say #iloveavocados! Especially avocados from Mexico, where my granny was from.

If you’d like to check out more avocado yummyness, you can find Avocados from Mexico in lots of places to get ideas about recipes and even special offers.

http://bit.ly/PNUAoj - Avocados from Mexico site
http://bit.ly/PNU9Kt - Spanish Fan Recipe page
http://bit.ly/N1mf4K - English Fan Recipe page

There are also OODLES of recipes on the I Love Avocados Pinterest boards.

Will you try avocados on breakfast items now? I swear it is creamy and delicious. You’ll be addicted, too.

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post by Latina Bloggers Connect. The recipe creation and photos are all mine.

When my BFF and I used to do Zumba regularly, there’d be certain songs that we’d get giddy about when we heard them come on the speakers.

Some of the are “Baby, I Like It”, “On the Floor”, “Let’s Get Loud”, and there’s many more. We had our favorite songs that made working out so much fun when we went to Zumba.

The other day I tuned into the Zumba station on my Pandora, and I realized something that made super excited for many reasons…

Most of the songs are by Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias.

And Pitbull, too, we all know this right? He’s like in every song! I know, I know. I like him a lot as well. Very catchy.

But back to JLO and Enrique.

I love them! Now I’m not saying they’re like my life role models, but as a Latina woman, I’m proud they’re Hispanic and making FAB music. I’m proud that Jennifer Lopez played Selena, which is hands down one of my favorite movies. I loved Selena and her music!

I just bought one of JLO’s gorgeous necklaces from her line at Kohl’s. In fact, I also have a pair of GORGEOUS red corduroy pants I bought back in college when her clothing line was at Macy’s. I’m talking like in 2003. Those JLO pants are my goal weight pants. Once I fit in them, I will be done with weight loss and elated. ELATED y’all.

^Me in said JLO pants. Skinny Monica, I miss thee! And look at my old school Nokia phone. I thought I was soooo cool.

Enrique has very catchy tunes, and he’s done so well for himself in the music industry, and I’m proud of him, too. I feel like his music is infectious. I don’t think he tries to be like anyone else (Marc Anthony, Pitbull, etc.) And then there was that “Hero” song that we all slow danced to at our high school dances with that guy we liked back in 2001-2002, but he didn’t like us until it was too late and we had moved on.

You know you did.

I’m proud they’re successful Hispanics in the music industry. Bottom line. They’re mi gente you know, and it’s awesome to hear them on the radio and see them on magazine covers. And one song at a time, they help me lose weight. And their songs can make my day brighter because they bring back happy memories with my BFF at Zumba. Oh the stories her and I could tell you!

But overall, I want to fit into those pants!

As you all know, they’re on tour together right now (and they’re both so gorgeous…all that hotness under one roof) and YOU can win tickets to see and meet both of them (I’d die!) in Miami thanks to State Farm. If you’re already going to one of their other tour stops, you can enter to win at the State Farm booths as well. Also, the State Farm Facebook is pretty nifty—that’s how I made that little banner up there. Neat, huh?

I’m lucky enough to have gotten tickets on behalf of State Farm and Latina Bloggers Connect, so I’ll be at the San Antonio show! If you’re going, too, let me know and I’d love to meet you. I’ll be tweeting from the concert live, so if you want to feel like you’re there with me, follow me on Twitter @MonicaBenavidez and you can also follow the #enriquejlotour hashtag.

Disclaimer: I received a pair of tickets to the San Antonio concert, but was not otherwise compensated for this post.

My mom worked 2 jobs when I was growing up. She worked all day long from 8-5 pm and then often went straight to another job from 6-10 pm. I was blessed enough to have my grandmother take care of me while I was at home and not at school. My grandmother made sure I was doing my homework, dreaming big and staying safe. My mother and my grandmother, both extraordinary women and mothers, instilled in me that with hard work and determination, anything was possible. They also taught me that sometimes people were even less fortunate than we were, and we should help if we could.

Helping others, no matter how much help you think you need, is always on my mind and deeply rooted in my heart. It’s simply the way I was brought up. Now as a grown woman, I vow to help the world when I can, and thankfully I can do so often in one way or another. Many organizations, charities and causes are dear to me, and today I wanted to let you know about one that is at the forefront of my thoughts this mother’s day week.

I was sent this gorgeous, unique, handmade piece on behalf of Heart of Haiti. As someone who adores the black/white color combo, I was thrilled to receive this bracelet. It looks great with many of my neutral outfits, and with every comment about how unique or interesting the bracelet is, I get to bring awareness to a wonderful organization. The craftsmanship is truly impeccable and stunning.

You may be thinking to yourself… what exactly is Heart of Haiti? Here’s more information about the initative:

Heart of Haiti is a “Trade, Not Aid” initiative launched by artist and social entrepreneur, Willa Shalit, The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and Macy’s. Already, Heart of Haiti has led to employment of 750 artists in Haiti, providing financial benefits for an estimated 8,500 people in the country.

Each item is a one-of-a-kind design and handmade by a Haitian master artisan from raw materials such as recycled oil drums, wrought iron, papier-mâché and stone. The collection features more than 40 home decor items including quilts, metalwork, ceramics, jewelry and paintings and is made almost entirely from recycled and sustainable items such as old cement bags, cardboard, oil drums and local gommier wood.

If you’d like to get involved and help out this wonderful and powerful initiative, then you should head on over to Macy’s.com to take a look at the beautiful items offered. They range in price from $25-$60, but know that your small purchase makes a large difference to those trying to re-build their lives and hope in Haiti.

I personally think I will be buying 2 of these gorgeous trays. One for me, and one for my mommy who has made me the charitable, Latina woman I am proud to be today. Love you mom!

For more information on Heart of Haiti, follow @HeartofHaiti on Twitter or like the Heart of Haiti Facebook page at http://facebook.com/HeartofHaiti.

Disclosure: I received a free bracelet for review on my blog as part of Latina Bloggers Connect. No other form of compensation was received.