We bet that you didn’t know March is the designated month to celebrate flour. But, it’s true! Aaand, what is made of flour? Just a little hint: you love it and we use it every single day! That’s right, it’s tortillas!

​These tortillas are soft, chewy and delicious. Try them in any of your favorite wrapped meals, but we of course like to flatten them thin enough, so they make great Toastillas! For us, the thinner the better, but it’s hard to pass up a tortilla as chewy as these. In fact, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and were afraid these little cakes won’t even make it to your toaster. 

​It’s funny how quickly life can get away with you. From a trade show in Minneapolis (In February, yes, that happened), to the kids, and getting Toastilla out to the masses, it’s been a busy month. One thing we hadn’t realized is how many food-inspired days of celebration hit the end of February. I don’t know if it’s because people are craving the fresh produce and picnics that are a baseball’s toss away, or if people are just tired of hiding the effects of winter hibernation under sweaters and coats. 

​So, today, we end with the last food celebration of the month – National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day – and is there a better one to celebrate? From PB&J to a spoonful of Jiff before bed, peanut butter is truly an American favorite. In fact, one of the first Toastillas we came up with was the Peanut Butter and Jelly Toastilla Pocket and it continues to be a favorite with everyone in our family. 

​Even though peanut butter is a beloved food around the world, believe it or not, there are people out there who fear peanut butter. Of course, nut allergies can be severe, so we’ll give that to about 1.5% of the country who suffer from this tragedy as having significant fear. But, have you ever heard of Archibutyrophobia? It’s the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth. Yep, that’s a real thing!

​Still, for those of us who don’t have to worry about the effect of peanut butter on our lives we have a lot to be grateful for – Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups, Reece’s Pieces, PB&J, and of course using our index finger to slide out the remainder of deliciousness in the jar of Skippy. 

​So, while we can’t get enough of the taste of peanut butter, around the Gallego house we also like to stretch our trivia. Here are a few fun facts about peanut butter.

Strawberries are one of the most nutritious foods in the world. They are jammed with antioxidants, are heart healthy, helps to increase good cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and can also help prevent against cancer. So, to say they are healthy is a bit of an understatement. And for such a small plant, strawberries are oddly durable and can be found nearly anywhere that you will find people.

So, naturally, with all the health benefits of this amazing berry, there is a day of celebration. And while we love the health benefits, what we love more is the versatility of this fruit. Strawberries pack a combination of sweet and tart which enable it to be used as a succulent dessert, an addition to a refreshing salad, and can even accompany warm dishes. That doesn’t even include, jellies, jams, sauces and everything else they are used for.
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So, while you’re waiting for your toaster to pop out our Fresh Berry Toastilla Pocket, we thought we’d give you a few facts about this delicious berry. 

February 24 is National Tortilla Chip Day and you can bet this is a big day in our home! As you can probably guess, tortillas play an integral part of our everyday life, considering our business depends on them! And while the tortilla is the base for our Toastilla, we would be lying if we didn’t admit our affinity for tortilla’s little cousin – the tortilla chip.

Tortilla chips are traditionally made of corn, usually yellow, but you can also find white, red and blue corn tortilla chips. While now chips come in all shapes from triangular and circular to scoops – a personal favorite, this wasn’t always the case. And, like many of the great foods of today, it took a creative entrepreneur to realize that either a waste of something or a mistake in processing could lend the world greater purpose. So, in the 1940s a woman named Rebecca Webb Carranza took the rejected tortillas from her automated tortilla maker, cut them into triangle and fried these delicious little chips.

By the 1970s, tortilla chips made their way from California to the other side of the country and the rest is history.  In 1994 Rebecca Carranza received the first Golden Tortilla award for her contribution to the Mexican food industry and we can’t imagine a better recipient.
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In celebration of National Tortilla Chip Day here is one of our favorite tortilla chip Toastillas. It’s like a bowl of nachos in your mouth!

Directions:
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Everyone loves their nachos a bit different, so we won’t bore you with amounts with this recipe. What we will say is that these Toastilla Nachos seem to work best if you start with salsa laid first onto the tortilla, layer the other ingredients and then top with cheese before folding and toasting. 

The great thing about Toastilla Nachos is that they are as versatile as regular nachos. Additional ingredients such as jalapenos, nacho cheese, refried beans and even sauces like barbecue and ranch will only add to the flavor.
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While these are great any day of the week, they are especially welcome as appetizers when you’re throwing a party – especially one on February 24 – National Tortilla Chip Day!

You’ve heard this before, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Unfortunately, studies show that nearly 10% of Americans skip breakfast entirely – that’s 31-million people. Surprisingly, the biggest culprits are those food vacuums us parents refer to as teenagers. In fact, that can be expanded even further, and with a larger percentage to men between the ages of 18 and 34 are the most likely to skip breakfast – nearly 28%!

While we all know that that particular age group will make up those calories later in the day with burgers, hot dogs and anything else that crosses their paths, it’s also known that this is the problem with skipping breakfast. You see, skipping breakfast does several things for your body such as breaking the nightly fast, replenishing glucose and supplying your body with essential energy-rich nutrients to keep you going through the day. Oh, and one more vital importance to eating breakfast – weight management. This is the reason why, even though men between the ages of 18 and 34, despite grabbing their calories through the day, are likely to find a nice flotation device hitting their mid-section as they near their thirties.

Breakfast is a time to break fast with healthy nutrients such as protein and fiber that both fill you up and help your metabolism and digestive system get rollin’. Without this morning process people are more likely to start snacking and overindulging at lunch because they are hungry and can’t gauge how much they should eat.

So, today, I’d like to talk about how a few morning minutes with Toastilla can help start you off to a fantastically healthy day.
Putting together a power-breakfast is all about choosing the right ingredients with a powerful mix of nutrients. What we look at are ingredients dense in calcium, iron, B-vitamins, and the two biggies, protein and fiber.

A little guide we like to look at is mixing and matching the big five. Of course, we are looking at meals that can be served warm, so we might not include a protein-intense Greek yogurt, but when you’re on the run, digging through a yogurt cup or cereal bowl isn’t as easy as munching on a Toastilla while you run out the door. We want to give you 25 different options to mix, so some foods such as cheese, bacon and eggs which could fit into multiple categories will only be placed under one.
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By mixing the ingredients in the chart below you should be able to put together a simple, quick and delicious meal that tastes even better when you’re running late for work or school. 

​This mix and match list can be used to find a perfect match or create dozens of favorites if you are the type of person who enjoys diversity in your life. A little rule of thumb when assembling your Toastilla is add something that will bind your ingredients. For example, if you are craving apples, you might want to add peanut butter and molasses. Or, if you want to go traditional, cheese is a great way to keep ham eggs and avocado together. 

​Comment below and let us know what some of your favorite Toastilla favorites are. 

Almonds…’nough said.

Almonds are the peanuts of the 21st century and as you try to work out the kinks of your grocery cart wheels you may be amazed at how many of the products you pass down the grocery aisle are made with this fragrantly delicious nut. Just think about this for a moment; Almond milk, flour, pasta, butter, oil and meal (flour ground with the almond skins). So, what’s behind the fascination with almonds aside from their deliciousness?

Well, it’s also about the health. Nutrition experts love the heart health of this nut which contains calcium, vitamin B, vitamin E, magnesium and fiber—five vitamins and minerals that will keep you young and full of energy.
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So, with all the hoopla about almonds, you better believe that this little jewel of flavor has a few interesting facts bouncing around the web for us to relay to you. Here are eight of our favorites.

​Now this recipe is inspired by an Italian friend whose grandmother would make halved figs topped with goat cheese, an almond and then drizzled with honey. Sounds delish! But, we here at Toastilla, couldn’t help by try to put our own touch on this seemingly “old country” recipe. We exchanged the goat cheese with cream cheese for personal preference and since figs are usually a seasonal fruit—June to October—there are a couple fruity alternatives. 

​This is a great recipe if you are looking for a quick appetizer, or a little energy boost in the middle of the day. But, of course, it can be eaten anytime you want, you know…because it’s a Toastilla family recipe!

​Up until now you’ve probably thought of your Toastilla as a nice addition to your kitchen. It’s portable, fits nicely in a drawer, and does a great job helping to create hundreds of tasty snacks and meals. But, let’s think outside the box for a moment. Have you ever thought about taking your Toastilla cuisine outside of the house? That’s right, the Toastilla was not just made as another kitchen tool, but also something to help you keep those same comfort foods with you as you explore the world. While our short list is by no means exhaustive, we would like to share with you some ideas on how to use your Toastilla outside of the house. We’re willing to bet you’ll have that, “why didn’t I think of that” moment!

​We’d love to hear some of your great ideas on where you take your Toastilla when you leave the house. Please contact us or comment on this post. We’d love to do a follow-up with some of your great ideas!

​Okay, okay, every “bad” parent gets it. We feed our kids processed mac and cheese and chicken nuggets from two-years-old until we boot them off to college at 18. I’m pretty sure that is the American dream. But, in our household we do like to try and eat healthy. Sure, we might slip a bit, but for the most part we really do try to eat healthy – even though it’s so much more fun to be bad! Green Bay Packer fans get it, am I right? Cheese curds…mmm!

Anyway, it can be difficult to convince your children that eating healthy can be just as tasty as living off Spaghettios (with meatballs…we aren’t savages you know). With kids, there will always be a learning curve to find out exactly what works. The good thing is that, just like watching Moana, once your child finds that special combination they will eat it over and over and over…parents, you get it. 

Adults like to eat something that looks nice, we all do. But, with kids, looks will always dictate what they feel is edible. Even if chocolate cake doesn’t look right they won’t touch it. A good example is a friend of our who needs to add pink food coloring to every bowl of oatmeal, pancake batter and mac & cheese he makes for his four-year-old daughter. You can probably figure out what her favorite color is. 

​The thing is, you need to make it look kid friendly and of course they should help you make their own Toastillas. That’s always important! So, here are a few kid combinations to ease your child into a world healthy options. To start, we suggest using puree (tomato, spinach, etc.) or whole wheat tortillas. 

The BLT is a classic sandwich and contrary to popular belief bacon is actually pretty good for you. You’ll have to trust me on this. Simple, right? Bacon, lettuce and tomato…and mayo – ehhhhh! (That’s my buzzer sound). Yes, that mayo, while it works perfect with this combo can be criticized for its calories and fat content (you know because it is all fat). One way to improve on the BLT is to prepare a mix of Hidden Valley Dry Ranch powder and sour cream. Add only enough powder to the sour cream for taste and then let your kids dip away instead of adding it to the toastilla. Because of the tomato and lettuce, you might want to cook this Toastilla at a half-setting than normal. 

This is more like a Thanksgiving Toastilla, but just like your after Thanksgiving thought of cooking a turkey every month, you can actually have it year round. Grab one of those small roasted chickens from the grocery store, and layer in cooked wild rice. Then fill a ramekin with a prepared cranberry sauce – light on sugar, heavy on taste.

Okay, so you’ll have to be a little secretive with this one and swap out your everyday hotdogs with veggie hotdogs. Trust us, your kids will probably have no idea. Then top with Bush’s Baked Beans. Yes, there are additional calories in the baked bean sugars, but did you know that a half a cup of beans a day is linked to significant longevity. In fact, beans are the cornerstone of Blue Zone diets. The blue zones are the parts of the world that have abnormally high rates of people living to be 100-years-old or older. 

This version of an apple pie has just enough natural sweetener for your kids to maintain their energy, as well as get a tasty and healthy after-school snack. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on the center of your tortilla and then layer with thin slices of apple. Sprinkle cinnamon on the apples and dribble a little honey before folding and toasting. 

The Spaghetti Taco was made famous by the kids TV show iCarly, but it was Rudy who brought it to Toastilla. We suggest using a tomato tortilla. Spread pasta sauce on the tortilla, and then layer spinach veggie spaghetti and parmesan cheese before folding and toasting. It’s pretty darn good and if you want you can fill a ramekin with warmed pasta sauce for dipping. 

​The first thing I want to say is how much we love our Toastilla users. And one of these days we’ll come up with a name for all of you. Maybe something like the Toastilla-nators, the Toastilla-dors, or even Toasteos… well, the last one sounds more like a cereal. Anyway, I’m running on a tangent here. What I really want to say is that we appreciate you, your business and the referrals that you’ve been spreading. 

​So, lately… okay, maybe a little longer than lately, we’ve been watching all these infomercials, QVC, HSN and really any show that talks about kitchen accessories. Those fun kitchen gadgets are great, aren’t they? I mean you can probably find a gadget that will peel a clove of garlic, juice a lemon and milk a cow all at the same time. Now that’s convenient. Okay, so kidding aside, kitchen gadgets, tools and accompaniments are really a chef’s dream. So, we got to thinking, “What kitchen tools and gadgets would accompany Toastilla?” Well, after hours of research (okay five minutes in our kitchen) we came up with a list of our top five kitchen tools and gadgets everyone should own to become an official Toastilla-nator. The best thing is that you probably have all of these items and if not we know you want them.

​So, how did we decide on this list? Well, first off, we use our Toastillas all the time, so, if we aren’t using the tool more than a couple times a week then it won’t make the list. Second, it must make sense. Sure, we’d love to toss a fresh ginger grater on the list, but how often do we put fresh ginger in a Toastilla? Well, not enough to make this list. Lastly, we really want these items to fit in a small area, like those little nooks that people make for their K-cup machines, cups and K-cups. So, if you’re looking for a brand-spankin’ new meat slicer, you won’t find it on this list. Although that does sound like an awesome tool to have in the kitchen. 

In short: useful, relevant and small.
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With no further ado – and in no particular order - here’s our list of the top 5 kitchen gadgets and tools for your Toastilla kitchen: 

​But, let’s put all those other foods aside and talk about one of our favorite sweets—Nutella. It so happens that about a week ago, Nutella was all over the French news, and not because it is just amazing (Although, that might have been part of it). Rather, Nutella was on the news because it was at the source of several supermarket riots. Yes! You read that right. Throughout France, Intermarché supermarkets offered a huge 70% discount on Nutella. The price went from €4.50 to €1.40. If you’re a little slow with your Euro-to-dollar calculator that is $5.62 to $1.75.

​According to BBC, Nutella is eaten in nearly 160 countries and the amount eaten last year is comparable to the weight of the Empire State Building. So, yeah that’s a lot. 

​From humble beginnings to mass riots in France we really wanted to bring to light a special day for our family and for those who love chocolate and hazelnuts. February 5, 2018 is recognized as “World Nutella Day.”

​Much like World Nutella Day, it’s your time to turn to social media and launch a new campaign to show the world your awesome Nutella creations using Toastilla! Post pictures on Instagram, tell your friends on Facebook and share your recipes on Pinterest. We want to see you reach out and share what it is you love about Toastilla and Nutella. 

​To celebrate the day, you can be sure we will be enjoying our family favorite “Nutella and Strawberry Toastilla.”
​And don’t forget to leave your mark #Toastilla and #WorldNutellaDay.