This week for our The Culture of Food  Weekly Round-up we searched the blogosphere for delicious meals that cover breakfast, lunch, a snack, dinner and even a simple dessert! Some of these dishes consist of a little twist on traditional recipes. Check them out below to find out what they are. 

Easy Egg Muffin {healthy to-go breakfast}

Mari of Inspired by Family Mag shared this very smart way to feed a family on the go. Instead of bitting into a typical muffin when running out the door, how about getting some protein and veggies in with these egg muffins! Check out the simple recipe here.

Marinated Mushroom and Jack Quesadilla

Who doesn’t love a good quesadilla? They’re so easy to make and tasty! This recipe for a marinated mushroom quesadilla was shared by Carla of Simply Food Love. It’s a simple way to give a traditional quesadilla a little twist.

Apricot Walnut Energy Bars

If you need a little extra something between lunch and dinner check out Fabiola’s recipe for an apricot walnut energy bar. These energy bars are easy to make and very nutritious. Fabiola blogs at Not Just Baked.

Pollo Guisado – Puerto Rican Braised Stewed Chicken

If you’re in the mood to change up your chicken recipe try Elena’s Puerto Rican pollo guisado. Elena shared this recipe on her blog The Posh Latin Cook.

Tejas de Chocolate

Time for dessert! Bocadillo Suculento shared this super easy recipe for a chocolate bar that includes berries and nuts. Check out the recipe here.

Some days it’s just fun to be a mom blogger and get to work on campaigns that you would otherwise have no access to. It’s also a treat to be able to bring this information first-hand to you. That’s why I was thrilled when Kellogg’s sent a box with their four new 2013 cereals for my family to try before they hit the shelves this year. Not only that, but Kellogg is also giving one of you the chance to win a package with these four spanking-new cereals and get a chance to boast you were one of the first in the U.S. to try them!

Check them out …

Kellogg’s Scooby-Doo cereal was the first one my girl wanted to try, of course! She loved the fact that the cereal was shaped like dog bones because she’s obsessed with anything canine right now. The taste was right up her alley since she’s used to being served the less sugary kind of simples and we lean towards simple grains. This one packs 50 percent of the recommended amount of whole grain and 6 grams of sugar per serving; all that and a vanilla flavor to boot! I can totally see this one making the rounds in the snack bags.

I was all over Kellogg’s Mini-Wheats Crunch because I’ve been a fan of Mini-Wheats my whole life — it’s actually my mom’s fault because that’s her staple breakfast! The first one that’s not of the shredded variety, it packs the same fiber and whole grain as regular Mini-Wheats but with a delicious crunch that didn’t go soggy while I munched on it. I love to add blueberries and strawberries to my cereal and this one was made for it.

Kellogg’s Special K Chocolatey Strawberry is actually a limited edition cereal. I see this one more as a treat than a regular breakfast cereal in my cupboard because of the chocolate chunks. Don’t get me wrong, I adore the chocolatey goodness of this cereal and the mix of flavors with the strawberries is right up my alley! It actually only packs 150 calories per serving with skim milk.

Kellogg’s Brown Sugar Cinnamon Jacks cereal combines two of my favorite flavors: cinnamon and brown sugar. I tend to stay away from cereals with too many colors, but we had a treat tasting this one and the flavor combination with milk is a real hit.

Now it’s time for one of you to get a first taste at each of these four cereals. Just tell us which one of the four new Kellogg’s cereals you’re the most excited to try by entering using the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Warm bolillos smothered with refried beans and cheese are a staple in most Mexican families.  Molletes are one of the simplest, inexpensive and most delicious breakfasts you can have.  It’s perfect in every way because kids love them, no silverware is needed and you can customize them with your favorite toppings.  Today, I chose the traditional method by topping them with pico de gallo.  Kids can enjoy them with mild chorizo, small pieces of ham or roasted veggies for a vegetarian option.  Melting cheeses such as Oaxaca and Mozzarella, or Mexican cheeses such as Queso Fresco, Panela or Cotija complement this rustic but amazing meal to the fullest.

Ingredients (Serves 2-4)

2 bolillos cut in half lengthwise

2 tablespoons butter

1-1/2 cups refried beans

1 cup shredded melting cheese

Pico de gallo salsa*

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread 1/2 tablespoon of butter on the sliced side of each bolillo half. Place on a baking sheet butter side down and toast them for 8 minutes or until bread is golden and crispy.

Remove from oven.  Spread refried beans over each bolillo half, dividing them evenly.  Sprinkle cheese over beans and return to oven.  Bake for 8 minutes more or until cheese has melted.

Ingredients for Pico de Gallo Salsa

1 tomato, chopped
½ small onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
pinch of salt

Instructions

In a small bowl, place tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro and salt and mix gently with a fork.  To serve:  Top molletes with 1-2 tablespoons of pico de gallo salsa.

One of the things that concerns me the most is making sure my girl actually has breakfast before heading out to school because I’m just not sure how much of her snack and lunch she’s eating during the day. Since she stays in after school as well, I need to make sure she’s feeding herself, and, from the looks of her lunchbox lately, she prefers to play and socialize than actually eat. This makes breakfast even more important to make sure she’s got the calories and nutrients to keep her going and energized all day.

According to Dayle Hayles, an award-winning author, educator and nutrition coach from the Kellogg’s Breakfast Council, it’s important that kids have breakfast to start out their day in the best possible way, even more so because “when students haven’t had breakfast, they’re listening to their stomachs, not the teachers.”

Not only that, but for my family of three with the crazy schedules, breakfast has become probably the best time for us to eat together, albeit not the most serene moment, but even if it’s only for 15 minutes, it happens a lot more often than dinner does. Plus, it’s not only a good habit for my girl, but also for my husband and I since research shows that people who eat breakfast tend to have healthier weight .

Now, how do we actually make sure that we get in the four essential nutrients we need — calcium, potassium, vitamin D and dietary fiber — every day for breakfast? Yes, a simple bowl of cereal with fruit does provide those four nutrients, but how do we make sure we add variety to every morning while making breakfast easy and simple?

5 Ideas to Make Breakfast Easy

1. Set the table night before and have one less thing to worry about during the morning rush. Seeing the table ready also encourages the little ones to sit and feel it’s part of a comforting routine.

2. Keep fruits like berries, mangoes and even unpeeled bananas frozen and ready to pop into a blender for a nutritious smoothie anytime.

3. Make pancake and waffle batter and freeze it in small batches. We love crepes, and they are so easy to make and even perfect for on-the-go!

4. Make hard boiled eggs in advance. My girl loves helping to peel and put salt on them. They’re also easy to grab and go for those mornings when sitting down at the table just isn’t an option.

5. Have a stock of nutritious cereals in the pantry and serve a bowl with berries and/or slices of bananas.

Would love for you to share in the comments below how you make breakfast happen at your house during the school year?

{Photo by goforchris on flickr}

Disclosure: We are  one of the  Kellogg’s Champions of Great Starts bloggers and proud to have Kellogg’s as a SpanglishBaby sponsor.