Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

As many of my regular readers are aware, I am part Cuban! Yes, I know, it probably doesn't come as that much of a surprise, considering that I was born and raised in Miami...but the fact that I can only speak the bare minimum of Spanish throws a lot of people off!

You see, my grandmother came to Miami from Cuba as a young child, and subsequently lost her mother and ended up in foster care at a very young age.

While she lived in Miami and raised her children here, she lost a huge part of her culture and we didn't really grow up "Cuban." It has become increasingly important to me after her passing several years ago that I embrace my Cuban heritage, not just because of her memory, but because it is part of who I am!

This culminated in a trip to Cuba in 2016, where I spent six days eating Cuban food, wandering through Cuban neighborhoods and trying to reconnect with my Abuela (that is grandmother in Spanish).

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Family Celebrations at Publix. The opinions and text are mine.

As my grandmother did not cook many Cuban dishes, my mother didn't grow up learning to cook traditional Cuban fare - which led to my sisters and I not learning either. However...IT IS MIAMI. We have the best Cuban food in the world - as far as I am concerned - and it isn't difficult to learn to cook many of our dishes.

Or to go to one of our many Cuban restaurants and order up any delicious meal we want! Also, Cuban food is relatively simple to cook at home, and our local Publix grocery stores have ALL of the ingredients we need to make up any kind of Cuban dish you could possibly think of, from Picadillo to Flan!

Right now, Publix has a ton of special savings, and they can all be found right at www.getthesavings.com/familycelebrations! Publix has neatly organized them all for your convenience - make sure that you don't miss anything, there are tons of great values.

You can save over $35 with these savings, and that really adds up, especially with back to school season, when we are spending so much money on uniforms and school supplies, sports and club dues, etc.

.75 cents off any ONE (1) La Lechera Dulce de Leche or Sweetened Condensed Milk 13.4-14oz.
$1.00 off any ONE (1) Wesson Vegetable, Canola, Best Blend or Corn Oil 48oz
$1.20 off any ONE (1) Chiquita Maduros or Tostones 2lb
.55 cents off any ONE (1) Kerns Nectar 64oz
$2.00 off any ONE (1) Carbonell Pure Olive Oil 24oz. Tin
$1.50 off any ONE (1) Café Bustelo Espresso Ground Coffee 10oz Can
.55 cents off any ONE (1) package of BELVITA Breakfast Biscuits (any variety 7.04oz)
$2.00 off any ONE (1) NIDO Dry Milk 16-56.3oz
.55 cents off aNY ONE (1) Package of PREMIUM Saltine Crackers 8 oz.
$1.00 off any ONE (1) LALA Yogurt Smoothie 4 pk
.55 cents any ONE (1) Mission Tortillas 6-80 ct.
.55 cents off Any TWO (2) Perrier Carbonated Mineral Water 1L/750mL Bottles
.55 cents off any ONE (1) Perrier Carbonated Mineral Water 4pk
$1.00 off any ONE (1) Perrier Carbonated Mineral Water 6pk
.55 cents off any ONE (1) Perrier Carbonated Mineral Water Slim Cans 10pk
.55 cents off any ONE (1) Nestle Pure Life Purified water 24pk/8oz
.55 cents off any TWO (2) Nestle Splash Flavored Water 6pk/16.9oz
.50 cents off any ONE (1) Badia Mojo Marinade 20oz
.50 cents off any ONE (1) Badia Adobo Seasoning 15oz
.70 cents off any ONE (1) Badia Complete Seasoning 9oz

Now, as much as I love Cuban food, I am ALL ABOUT Mexican food right now. I spent five days in Yucatan in July and became obsessed with the wholesome, simple dishes that are just bursting with flavor from veggies! One of my favorite dishes was actually just Mexican street tacos, and they are one of those things that you can easily recreate at home with a little help from Mission® Tortillas at Publix!

Delicious, right? I stuffed my face every day with an assortment of dishes like this as well as soups...everything is so flavorful, and I love handheld food!

So, I went to Publix and purchased Kerns® Nectar 64oz, Perrier® Carbonated Mineral Water and Mission® Tortillas to whip up a little something to remind me of my time in Mexico.

Why the Kerns and Perrier, you may be wondering...Well, I have experienced quite a few delicious fruity drinks when I have traveled to the Caribbean over the years, and a trick I recently learned was to elevate a simple fruit juice with sparkling water! Sparkling water makes everything taste better, no?

All you need to make a delicious fruity drink is Perrier sparkling mineral water and the Kerns fruit nectar of your choice. On this day, I opted for Mango, and it paired perfectly with the Mexican Street Tacos that I made for lunch!

To make your own sparkling fruit juice beverage, simply pour equal parts Kerns fruit nectar and Perrier sparkling mineral water. Delicious!

Now for the really fun part - the Mexican Street Tacos!

How To Make Your Own Mexican Street Tacos

You will need:

Mission® Tortillas
1 lb. chicken breast (cooked however you'd like, but it is best sautééd or broiled with a bit of Badia® Complete Seasoning)
Lettuce
Mexican Cheese
Avocado

Mexican Street Tacos are very easy to prepare and are perfect for a quick lunch or dinner. To begin, simply cook your chicken (you can also use beef or pork for these tacos, but I am trying to stick to lean proteins at the moment).

In a sauté pan, warm up your Mission Tortillas so that they're nice and toasty.

Now, one of the most important ingredients in these Mexican Street Tacos is the avocado. You will want to use a Haas avocado, and make sure to remove it from the skin very delicately.

Pile it all up on your taco and lunch - or dinner - is served! These tacos are a great way to make a quick and easy meal for your family, and you can get creative with the toppings too!