During the holiday season I make an extra effort to make sure that my family starts their day with a healthy breakfast.   Why? Well, despite our effort to be healthy in our home, treats and goodies during this season tend to end up on our plate. Therefore, I want to make sure that their first meal of the day is super nutritious.

My oatmeal apple spice pancakes have become a favorite recipe in our home during the holidays.  I just love the way the aroma from this super easy and delicious recipe fill up the house on cold mornings.   I make them with a kamut pancake mix because the flour contains a very high amount of whole grain per serving.  It’s a also a great source of fiber and provides such a hearty texture to the recipe. Any instant oatmeal works well, so feel free to get creative! Sometimes I will buy the flavored apple spice oatmeal and it works so well in this recipe. If you don't typically buy apple pie spice, you may substitute a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.

This is what you will need:

1/2 cup of kamut pancake mix

1/2 cup of instant oatmeal

1 teaspoon of apple pie spice

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon of canola oil

1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce

1 cup of low-fat milk

First, place the dry ingredients (pancake mix, oatmeal, and apple pie spice) together in a bowl and mix well.

Add milk and applesauce and mix well.

Add they honey and mix well.  It's at this point when I decide whether to add more milk.   The mixture should be pretty close to what your usual pancake mix looks like, but it will look grainer due to the kamut and oatmeal.  For thinner pancakes you may want to add about 1/4 cup of milk.

Pour batter onto a lightly oiled griddle or pan, about 1/3 cup per pancake.  Turn when bubbles form on surface and the edges begin to dry. Since the recipe calls for a whole grain and oatmeal, the pancakes will have a heartier, denser texture.

Top off these delicious pancakes with just a bit of real maple syrup (real maple syrup lacks the high fructose corn syrup, which is not good for you) and banana slices.....and for added calcium have a glass of cold milk with them - just perfect!

To learn more about milk as part of a healthy lifestyle Link to The Master of the Glass Half Full on Facebook or follow on Twitter.

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

I love decorating for the Christmas season, but I like to stick to a budget when making purchases that add holiday cheer to my home and I have my staple stores that I hit every year. I know from experience that they are going to provide me with a large selection of stylish and quality items at affordable prices.  This year I am adding The Home Depot to my list or preferred places to shop for Christmas decorations.  Did you know that The Home Depot carries a wide selection of decorating items for inside and outside the home?

My daughter and I planned our whole afternoon around our Home Depot trip last Sunday.  First, we stopped for hot cocoa, of course!  We hadn’t even gone into the store when I spotted two things that I love – Christmas trees and poinsettas. The live Christmas tree area was set up in the parking lot and it was busy! Since we already had our tree, I opted for two miniature trees instead. These trees are perfect for adding that holiday charm to other rooms in your home or for greeting your holiday guests at your front door. By the way, I was trying to carry the two mini trees, which were a bit heavy considering they were small, to a cart.  I must have looked like I needed help - a very helpful employee brought me a cart, nice!

Right next to the minature Christmas trees I found my next “must have” item – a potted poinsettia plant. I LOVE the poinsettia, or flor de nochebuena, because they remind me of many Christmas celebrations spent in Mexico.  The flower is everywhere this time of year in Mexico, including my abuelita's courtyard!  Did you know that this popular holiday flower was discovered in Mexico and that the Aztecs prized them for their curative properties and red pigment? Joel Roberto Poinsett (1770-1851),U.S.’s ambassador to Mexico following Mexico´s Independence from Spain, is responsible for introducing this beautiful flower to the US and for making it a symbol of Christmastime! Ok, but I digress with the history lesson…..Seeing the poinsettias in such abundance at the store brought back a wonderful sense of nostalgia from my childhood, so my daughter and I picked this one to decorate our home.

Next, we finally made it inside the store and immediatley we were greeted with the tunes of the season over the speakers - gotta love that Christmas music!  And more poinsettias and my other favorite flower - the amaryllis, so pretty!

We made our way past the large assortment of artificial trees in pretty much any size, shape and style you could want.  Then we headed to the lights, but stopped and checked out the ornaments first! Wow, what a selection! The Martha Stewart brand caught my attention right away - you can pull together a very lovely and coordinated look with ornaments from the Woodland, Celebrate and North Pole collections, all very nice but different to suite any taste.

Ok, on to the lights.  The store had a HUGE selection! My daughter and I browsed for about 15 minutes before settling on some super stylish Martha Stewart lighted garland and mini LED lights for my tree. In my quest to keep things "green" around our home,  I made sure that the lights we pruchased this year were LED.  Did you know that LED lights help save on energy costs, last longer than incandescent bulbs, and are cool to the touch when lit (super important for me because I have young kids)?   The Home Depot had a very large sign above the light section outlining the different types of lights they sold, clearly comparing the various kinds, which was very helpful in guiding my purchase.

We found our lights, now on to fill a missing element in our home - holiday scent! That's right, I LOVE the rich aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, peppermint and vanilla that fill the air, so I was very excited to find a large selection of holiday scented candles and air fresheners.  My daughter loved the vanilla Glade scents, so we stocked up for season!

Now that we had all that we needed we browsed the store for quite some time.  I didn't know that I could buy stockings, doormats and tree skirts too!   I made a mental note that next year I need to start my decorating shopping at The Home Depot.  Then I spotted the perfect gift for my husband - yay!  He reads my blog, so I won't say what I bought!

I thought my daughter and I would be in and out of the store in about 30 minutes, but the trip took us 1.5 hours -  there was just that much to check out!  I was very impressed with their selection of decorating items, and the prices were definitely budget friendly.

So, would you like to check out The Home Depot too this holiday season too?   Enter our contest below to win a (1) $50 gift card!

GIVEAWAY: (1) $50 Home Depot Gift Card 

• visit www.homedepot.com/holiday and comment on this post below with something you learned by visiting the site.
• Follow The Home Depot on Twitter: @HomeDepot
• Like The Home Depot on Facebook
• Giveaway is open to US entries only for residents 18 and up.
• Giveaway ends on Sunday, December 11 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
• Winner will be emailed within 6 hours and have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
• Prize is provided by The Home Depot.

This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and The Home Depot. The Home Depot works with bloggers such as myself to conduct product reviews. They do not tell bloggers what to say about their products or how to say it. The Home Depot fundamentally believes that people should be free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot often provides product - free of charge - to bloggers for review as they did for this post. The Home Depot's policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. The Home Depot provided me with a gift card to shop for the holidays and post my experience. All opinions expressed in this article are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

After my 2^nd child was born I decided that my family needed to become healthier.  This meant gradual changes on a few levels.   In addition to trying to go “green” around the house by replacing light bulbs with energy saving ones, recycling and using eco-friendly cleaning products, we made changes to our health, like deciding to exercise more and drink more milk.

The decision to incorporate more milk into our diet came after my husband and I took a series of healthy living classes. The classes were taught by very well-informed nutritionists, so I was very eager to learn from them. They were really a launching pad for my drive to serve more nutritious and healthy meals to my family, but they also inspired me to rework many of my mom's traditional Mexican recipes into healthier ones. One of our classes was focused solely on quick and easy ways to keep our families healthy.  I was really surprised to learn that young children should really only drink milk or water, no juice.   When I learned more about the lack of nutrients and high amounts of sugars found in juice we made the decision to only give our children milk and water.  I have 4 kids under the age of 8, so organic milk is a staple in our house.  We do allow them to have orange juice and the occasional glass of organic 100% fruit juice, but we try to focus on giving them organic milk at each meal and at snack time.

I found it really refreshing that even cutting edge healthy living classes recommended milk for keeping kids healthy.  The funny thing is that one day I mentioned to my mom about the classes I was taking and their recommendation to give kids only milk and water.  She laughed and said it doesn’t take a genius to know this fact!   I am glad that we are such big milk family, especially considering that my kids LOVE it!

Actually, the holidays are a great way to incorporate more milk into your child’s diet.   Think about all the junk that our families eat this time of year. It seems like between Halloween and Christmas so many unhealthy items can easily pile into our homes.   Instead of another serving of something unhealthy on our plate or your child’s plate, serve a glass milk.  Try making milk based holiday recipes that will provide nutritional value to your family, like arroz con leche made with brown rice. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top and it's surely to be a favorite!

Milk contains so many more good for you nutrients than another cookie, slice of pie or piece candy can provide.   Milk will give you added calcium, which in turn helps give you strong bones, teeth, nails and hair.   Milk always helps me start day off on the right foot too, giving me that perfect boost of energy and at night a warm glass of milk helps me to relax and wind down from a busy day.  My favorite time to have a glass of milk is actually after a great workout, especially after a long run!  Did you know that after a workout muscle tends to break down and that the protein found in milk is a great tool to help your muscles rebuild after physical activity?  Funny, I actually crave my glass of milk on my runs!

To learn more about the benefits of milk Link to The Master of the Glass Half Full on Facebook and on Twitter.

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

We would all love to buy gifts for our family and friends without considering (and sticking to) a budget, but alas, budgeting is a must, otherwise the joys of the Christmas season can be hard to enjoy.

After all, you don’t want to be paying for your Christmas indulgences well into the following year, but you don’t have to be a scrooge either.   Here some easy tips to help you get something special for everyone on your “been good” list this year without going broke!

1Establish an Overall Budget

It is very important that you have an overall budget in place prior to beginning your Christmas shopping. This way, you are less likely to end up overspending and regretting any shopping debt.  When considering your budget, keep these things in mind:

• How much did I spend last year?   How did I feel about that amount?
• Consider what you already have that can be reused.  Do you really need new decorations or can you simply update a few key items?
• Make a complete list of everything you need to buy this season.
• Factor in the “extras” – the ribbon, gift tags, stocking stuffers, tape, greeting cards, and party supplies all add up!
• Make sure to leave a small safety net for unexpected expenses.
• Consider saving for your shopping with anticipation.
• Try saving throughout the year so you don’t feel the financial burden of the season in a few short weeks or get tempted to use credit cards.  Many people like to shop throughout the year too, buying gifts when they find a great deal.
• The smart folks over at Practicalmoneyskills.com suggest that you spend only 1.5% of you annual income on your Christmas budget.  That means that if your family income is $40,000 year you can allocate $600 for your budget; with a  $50,000 income, $750; with a $75,000 income, $1,125.
• Remember that the hard part is not in making your budget, but sticking to it!

2Make a Gift List, and Check It Twice

Decide whom you want or need to buy gifts for and how much you will spend on each person on your list, keeping your overall bottom line in mind.  Without a gift list, we end up spending money on people we really don’t need to buy for or want to buy for – it’s ok to not buy everyone a gift.

• When deciding how much to spend on each person, use personal judgment, but stick to your pre-determined amount once out shopping.
• It’s ok to discuss gift expectations with family members and close friends.  If you can’t or don’t want to spend as much as you have in past years on gifts, let those close to you know that you would like to scale back.
• This way you won’t find yourself giving a small gift to someone and feeling awkward that they gifted you something expensive.
• Instead of buying each child in your extended family a gift, consider buying the family one gift they can all enjoy, like a yearly membership to their local zoo or children’s museum.  If the children are close in age, they may enjoy one larger gift to share, like a movie theater gift card.
• Keep non-family and friend gifts to a minimum. For your co-workers and some groups of friends, consider organizing a gift exchange with a price limit.  Then you only have to get one gift instead of a few.  If your co-workers are simply acquaintances, then make or pick up your favorite edible holiday treat to share with the group.

3Shop On Your Time

While some of us may enjoy the thrill of getting all our Christmas shopping done in one big mall trip, it’s wiser to spread your shopping over a period time.

• Consider that retail stores tend to hold sales on product categories.  So, electronics may be cheaper one week versus home goods the following week.   By spreading your shopping over time you can keep an eye put for great sales!
• Giving yourself more time to shop will allow you to take advantage of any layaway plans at many popular stores.  You can skip using your credit card and make smaller cash or debit card payments for an item until it’s paid off and you can take it home.
• But don’t procrastinate!  You will more stressed out, anxious and overspend it you do.
• It’s better to shop alone than with a group of people.  There is no pressure to outdo each other on gifts purchased, you are on your own schedule and won’t be pressured to buy unnecessary gifts.
• It’s ok to shop AFTER Christmas.  Are you going to see relatives or friends after Christmas?  Then why not wait to hit the great after Christmas sales for their gifts?  The Christmas season doesn’t necessarily end on the 25th; after all, in the Latino community it’s a common tradition to celebrate the season until The Feast of the Three Kings on January 6th!

4Leave The Plastic At Home

Make it your motto to not go into debt this Christmas season.  It’s safe to say that the majority of us have been watching how much we spend more closely the past few years, but the Christmas season is an easy temptation to blow off budgets and say “just charge it.”

• Remember to use your credit card as least as possible or not all.  You may regret that credit card bill come January!
• Use cash if you can to pay for gifts – it helps keep you on budget and reminds you how much you have actually spent.  Spending $50 on a gift versus $100 when you use a credit feels almost the same, but if you pay with cash or your debit card you will notice the price difference immediately
• Try taking out ONLY the cash that you need for a shopping trip from the ATM.  When it’s gone, you know that you’re done.

5Empower Yourself - Resist Impulse Buying

For many of us, this is one of the hardest things to do!  Have a plan on what you want to buy before you hit the mall or your favorite store and stick to it.  Remember a few rules:

• As cute as the cheap stocking stuffers at the check out counter may be, those purchases add up!
• Stores are designed so that you leave your hard earned money at the store, not in your wallet.   Remind yourself that stores want you to buy that one extra and unplanned item that will add to your budget and their profit!
• Remember your budget for each person or item on our list and stick to it, no matter how much better a more expensive gift or item may seem.

6Give Warmly, Not Opulently

Think about how many Christmas gifts you’ve received that you didn’t use or even like.  We can all benefit from the “less is more” motto when it comes to gift giving.   Try these tips when planning your gift list:

• Gift Exchanges are great!   If you can, make a no gifts for adults rule and just buy presents for the little believers.   If you want to include adults, then try drawing names from a hat and then every adult can receive just one nice gift.  
  Do you have a talent or skill that you can share?   Maybe you can offer your family member or friend an hour’s worth of your time/trade/talent.
• Encourage the teenagers in your life to give of their talents and time too – maybe they can mow their grandparents or neighbor’s lawn? Can they babysit for a new mom in the family that lives nearby or offer to run some errands for an older family member?
• DIY gifts are great.   How about making a DVD with your favorite Christmas music? All you need are the appropriate blank CDs, labels and downloaded music.    Last year, my daughters and I made small gift packages of handmade soaps and stationary.  The total cost for the materials for all 10 gifts, including wrapping supplies, was less than $80.  These types of gifts are great for children’s teachers, car pool friends and even colleagues.

7Keep Décor Simple

While many of us would love for our homes to look like the picture perfect decorated ones in magazines this Christmas season, remember that you can keep your decorations simple and tasteful without spending a fortune. Try a few of our tips:

• A simple pinecone arrangement spray painted with very inexpensive gold paint from the craft store and arranged on a mantle is perfect or use it as stylish centerpiece.
• A metallic sash tied around your chairs with simple accent accessories on your dining room table makes for a chic and lovely look.
• Don’t forget the kids - they tend to love doing arts and crafts and that’s a great and simple way to add seasonal flare to your home.
• After the Christmas season, store your decorative items for next year in recycled plastic containers over cardboard boxes. They will help your decorations safe and you won’t have to buy more decorations next year.

8Finally, Avoid Easy Money Drainers

• Just say “no thank you” when the cashier asks you “Would you like to save an extra x% today by signing up for our store credit card?”  Store credit cards usually have higher rates than other credit cards and they all tend to have strict late fees.
• Remember to be Internet savvy, compare prices and look for coupons on sites like Bizrate andCouponCabin.   A simple Google search for those “promo codes” at checkout time can save you a few dollars.
• Most online orders will tag on extra shipping charges after a certain date, so place your order accordingly.
• Before you place your Christmas card order, think about how many you are ordering.  Do you really that many?  Take some time to organize and update your address list this season so you know how many cards to buy, most of us buy too many and they end up getting tossed in the garage.   Choose standard-sized envelopes for your cards, the unique sizes will require extra postage.
• Business related clients and eco-conscious friends might appreciate an e-card rather than a card in the mail.
• Always check if a store offers complimentary gift-wrapping, you’ll be surprised how much you can save!