I previously shared with you the news about Walmart partnering with ConAgra, Kraft, General Mills, and Kellogg’s in an effort to fight hunger in America. Through tonight, you’re still able to vote on the Walmart Fighting Hunger Facebook App for your local community to receive funds for local food banks, but another way you can help is by shopping at Walmart for select products from the four brands. Each brand has ways that buying their products will help with fighting hunger in the United States.

On a recent trip to my Walmart, I grabbed a couple of items from ConAgra and General Mills, which have codes you can then enter into their respective fighting hunger sites (linked). The codes provide meal donations to local food banks. Super easy, right? Check out this video of my daughter and I entering the codes from the products we purchased and see how simple it is to help fight hunger!

How do you involve your children in such efforts? Do they help you with donations, collecting and delivering items, or in another way?

Disclosure: As a member of the Walmart Moms program, ModernMami™.com was compensated for this post. As always, all opinions, ideas, and stories are our own.

It’s sad to find out that more than fifty million Americans don’t know where their next meal will come from. I know hunger is an issue and that with more families facing financial hardship, it’s an issue that affects many. I just didn’t know the number of people in America who are dealing with hunger on an everyday basis. Fifty million is a lot.

I’m glad to share with you that Walmart is working to help fight hunger in America and has committed $2 billion in donations through the year 2015. This spring, as part of their efforts, Walmart has partnered with major brands ConAgra, General Mills, Kellogg’s and Kraft to help customers give more than 42 million meals to local food banks. Through April 30, if you purchase select products in Walmart stores from these brands, you can help fight hunger as well.

Products from these brands are specially-marked with information on fighting hunger (each brand has their own program name) and instructions for how your purchased products can donate meals to food banks. For example, both ConAgra and General Mills have codes on their packages that you can enter on their respective fighting hunger sites.

Another way you can help is by visiting the Fighting Hunger Together App on Walmart’s Facebook page. Through this app, you can vote for your local community to receive funding. Two hundred communities with the highest unemployment rates have been identified and through the Facebook voting aspect, twenty-one communities will receive funds – one community will receive $1 million, while twenty other communities will each receive $50,000, totaling $2 million that Walmart is providing to these communities.

I’ve already voted for our local community to receive funding. I hope you take a couple of seconds to vote for yours. It’s super easy!

In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing more about our experience in purchasing products from the brands Walmart has partnered with and entering the product codes to donate food to food banks. I am excited to walk through this process with my daughter and teach her more about hunger as an issue in America, and worldwide. Perhaps we can all take this as an opportunity to talk more with our kids about such issues and how we can help, even in a small way.

Remember, check out Walmart’s Fighting Hunger Together App on Facebook and vote for your local community!

What have you told your children about hunger in America?

Disclosure: As a member of the Walmart Moms program, ModernMami™.com was compensated for this post. As always, all opinions, ideas, and stories are our own.

Late last year, General Mills launched its first Spanish-language application for the iPad, providing more than 900 Latin-inspired recipes completely in Spanish. The app, Qué Rica Vida Recetario, is free and includes a variety of recipes, from appetizers to desserts. The Qué Rica Vida brand is General Mills’ Hispanic marketing platform, providing a Spanish-language web site and free magazine for consumers. You may remember I mentioned Qué Rica Vida last year after our introduction to the brand and highlighted them as a brand that gets it when it comes to marketing to Latinas and engaging Latina bloggers. Since their launch event in Miami, they have continued to support our digital Latina community and have been both personal sponsors to many bloggers, including myself, as well as conference and event sponsors; they sponsored both the Blogalicious 2010 conference and the ­¡Parranda! party I co-hosted during the conference.

The recipes provided in the app are all in Spanish, but you can find many of the same recipes in English on the Qué Rica Vida web site. What I like about the app is that you can search not just by category, but also by ingredient. The app also provides a conversion tool in case you need to figure out how to go from pounds to ounces or cups, etc. A fun aspect is that you can share each recipe via Facebook directly from the app, which is good for sharing with your friends and especially good for food bloggers to share with their communities. I’ve been playing around with the app for a few months now and wanted to share with you a few recipes that are quick and easy to make. This is important to me, because though I enjoy cooking, I don’t necessarily want to be in the kitchen for hours cooking just one meal. I grew up eating rice nearly every day, but I equally love pasta dishes. It helps that I find pasta dishes are just as easy and fast to cook as rice.

The following are a few pasta recipes from the Qué Rica Vida Recetario app that will give you a break from the traditional spaghetti meal. For the English versions, just click on each recipe’s name and choose to view it in English.

Espagueti con Pollo en Salsa de Chile Poblano (Spaghetti and Chicken in Poblano Sauce)

Ingredientes:

Modo de preparación:

Pasta Ramen con Carne y Verduras (Ramen Stir Fry)

Ingredientes:

Modo de preparación:

Fideos con Chipotle (Vermicelli with Chipotle Sauce)

Ingredientes:

Modo de preparación:

Do you have staple dishes that you often cook because they are quick to make?

Disclosure: Qué Rica Vida sponsored me to attend the Blogalicious 2010 conference.

All recipes courtesy of General Mills/Qué Rica Vida. © 2011 ®/™ General Mills

This post was co-written with Ana Lilian Flores of SpanglishBaby.

When I began blogging in 2006, it was hard for me to find other Latino bloggers. There were some, but in the last year and a half there has been an explosion in how many Latino-owned blogs are now published. In fact, the Blogs By Latinas directory had only 156 registered blogs in October 2009 and, less than a year later, has added 505 new ones, with that number increasing by the day. I think it’s all very exciting and couldn’t be happier about it.

I’ve been able to meet some amazing bloggers – and particularly women – who I wouldn’t have met otherwise. They are inspiring, smart, and generous. This is something that is not unique to them because they are Latinas, but the fact that they are, provides for an almost-immediate connection amongst us. We are able to relate on various levels, principally on living a bi-cultural life.

But you see, Latina bloggers are outpacing the general market in our growth. According to Sophia Mind, Hispanic women in the U.S. are one of the fastest-growing online demographics, and more than 85 percent of Latinas visit social networks on a regular basis. It makes sense then, that Latina bloggers are now seeing much more interest and engagement from brands and companies. Why? For the same reasons we connect with each other; we are Americans who easily maneuver two cultures – often times two languages as well – and we love our social media, which is perfect for spreading the right message.

Let’s take a look at two companies in particular that have successfully engaged with Latina bloggers: General Mills and V-Me.

This past May, General Mills invited 32 Latina bloggers from around the country – flying most of us to Miami at company expense – to participate in the re-launch of Que Rica Vida, its Hispanic-focused family website. The event was unique in that it was the first time in the blogging world that a company focused so heavily on marketing to Latinas. Through attending, we were able to learn about the brand’s initiatives, connect with other Latinos (bloggers and journalists), and use our social media presence to share relevant information with our various online communities.

In addition to the efforts of General Mills, there is a group of seven influential Latina bloggers who are being sponsored to attend the BlogHer 2010 conference by V-me, a Spanish-language TV network in partnership with public television. This is the first time any media company is sponsoring a group of bloggers at a major blog conference, let alone a group that is culture-specific. It’s a timely decision, as this year, there will be more Latina bloggers at BlogHer than ever before. We will also have a more active role in the conference with the inclusion of the first all-Latina panel session at BlogHer and the Social Fiesta, BlogHer’s first Latina-inspired community party in celebration of Latina and Hispanic culture.

By selecting these seven women, each with their own following and niche expertise, V-me is building a relationship in which the bloggers act as advocates and create awareness for a brand they already know and trust. “V-Me’s partnership with popular American Latina bloggers is a sign of what is to come — the massive recognition by corporations that Latina brand ambassadors are a smart investment in reaching a powerful market that speaks in two dominant languages and thrives in two cultures,’’ said Carrie Ferguson Weir, publisher of Tiki Tiki Blog, an award-winning site about growing up, and living, Latino in the United States.

So, who are these women that have partnered with V-Me? The seven Latina bloggers chosen by V-me to represent the network are:

• Ana Lilian Flores – SpanglishBaby
• Carol Cain – The Adventures of a NYCity Mama
• Carrie Ferguson Weir – Tiki Tiki Blog
• Melanie Edwards – ModernMami.com and 40weeks Plus
• Rory Lassanske – Mamá Contemporánea
• Roxana A. Soto – SpanglishBaby and MimosBlog
• Silvia Martinez – Mamá Latina Tips and Disneylandia al Día

You’ve already heard from some of these bloggers above, but what do the rest of these Latina bloggers have to say about the recent surge in marketing to Latinas? In their own words:

“Marketers and PR agencies are turning their attention to the Latina blogosphere in a big way because they have noticed what a diverse, opinionated and influential group we are. As the Hispanic population continues its upward trend, brands will continue to reach out to bloggers who capture the true spirit of this diverse group and that know how to talk to us in a way that reflects who we are. Such is the case with V-me’s decision to choose seven of the most influential Latina bloggers, each with a voice of our own, to represent them as Ambassadors during BlogHer 10. This is a huge opportunity for us to show how professionally we approach blogging as a career and how far our reach can go.” – Ana Lilian Flores

“I believe that the support of bloggers by major brands and corporations legitimizes and recognizes the work, dedication, passion, and enthusiasm that goes into so many of the blogs out there. Blogs are the products of many creative people, people who inspire, people who support, and people who have something of value to share. When brands support blogs – good, well written blogs- they also help the entrepreneurs and creative writers behind them.

When those bloggers are Latinas, or women of color, they support something more. A voice not often well-represented or heard. I am excited to be a member of the V-Me group not because it gave me a way to get to a conference, but because it gave me an opportunity to stand side-by-side other Latinas who, despite our common culture, represent a variety of interests, lifestyles, and voices different from my own. A difference that was specifically sought out and is enthusiastically supported. Together we represent the differences in our culture on many levels, just as V-Me does. This type of blog-brand relationship is one I hope to see more of in the near future.” – Carol Cain

Are you a Latina blogger? What has been your experience with brands so far? If you’re on the brand or marketing side, what appeals to you about engaging with Latina bloggers?

Disclosure: I attended the Que Rica Vida launch event in Miami, FL as a guest of General Mills. All opinions and thoughts are my own and I was not required to post about the event. In addition, V-Me TV is a sponsor of mine for the BlogHer 2010 conference.

Photos by Dariela Cruz and used with permission.

As a member of MyBlogSpark by General Mills, I received a couple of boxes of their new Chex Mix Bars to try out. But, I also have some to give you! Be sure to read all the way to enter the contest.

So what are these Chex Mix Bars? As described in the information I got from MyBlogSpark, they are a “…delicious snack [that] combines crunchy Chex pieces, pretzels and peanuts with chewy and indulgent ingredients like caramel and chocolate.” Mmmm…. caramel, chocolate, and pretzels? I do like chocolate-covered pretzels. They also said some stuff about each bar having less than 150 calories and 8 grams of whole grains, but I was stuck on chocolate.

What did my family think? Well, the bars aren’t that bad. But, I can’t say the are super great either. We got the Turtle flavored bars to taste. The chocolate and caramel definitely help make them taste better, but they still come out a bit, hmmm what’s the word, grainy. For me and my husband anyway. He ate a few – as I did – and we kept hoping, but in the end each bar continued to taste the same. Our daughter tried a few bites the first time we broke open a box, but she wasn’t interested in trying it a second time around another day.

However, the bars did make for a convenient grab-and-go breakfast for me as I ran out the door for work. Not great, I know, but better than nothing which is what I have most days for breakfast.

Now, is this a healthy snack? I can’t pretend it is. Even though, yes, it’s got whole grain and is cholesterol free and all that good stuff. But, it’s also full of chocolate, caramel, and has plenty of sugar in one bar. Probably better than a candy bar, though.

Overall, I guess the bars are a decent alternative to other snacks and candies. Though I thought they were a little grainy, they’re far from horrible. But, don’t take my word for it. Try them for yourself.

And here’s your chance to win some and do just that!

The Prize

I’ve got six boxes to give away. Which means that three of you will each win two boxes of Chex Mix Bars.

How to Enter

1. If you’d like to enter this contest, simply leave a comment below and let me know how you like to indulge every now and again. What is your guilty little pleasure?
2. For an extra entry, you can tweet about this contest with a link back to this post and include @modernmami in your tweet. You must leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet for your entry to count.

All entries must be in by Wednesday, August 26th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your comment.)

Good luck!

Update 8/29/09: Contest is closed and winners have been notified.