I received a surprise in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago — a copy of The Everything Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook.

I often get cookbooks to review on my Tasty Tuesday posts — and I’m more than happy to give you my honest review. I also get to offer most of them as giveaways to my readers.

This book I do not remember asking for — and to be honest, Mediterranean food is not my favorite kind of food. There probably won’t be many recipes in this cookbook that will excite me, but maybe they will excite you.

There are 300 recipes included in this cookbook, so there are some I want to try such as Baked Eggs with Ham and Kale, many of the bean dips and hummus recipes, Garlic Shrimp, Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Feta and Shrimp, Mini Turkey Loaves, Easy Pesto Chicken and Potatoes, and Pork and Cabbage Egg Roll in a Bowl.

And we all know that the Mediterranean diet has been proven to be one of the most successful diets in the world for those looking to improve their health, lose weight, and boost energy. The first chapter in this book shows how to put the Mediterranean diet into practice.

Of course all of these recipes can be made in an Instant Pot.

Not only are the recipes good for you to eat, they will be easy and quick to make! Now there is no excuse to use processed foods. The first chapter also includes Instant Pot directions for those who are new to using an Instant Pot.

If you want to try some Mediterranean recipes or if you are already a fan of Mediterranean dishes, enter to win a copy of the cookbook below!

Winner must reside in the United States. Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

• PLEASE follow the hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below. They will visit your post and pin it. Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

**Tammy from Creative K Kids (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Audrey from That Recipe (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram 

**Lisa from Blogghetti (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

• Please link up to three food-related posts that have never been linked up here before.  Posts containing alcohol also will not be pinned.
• Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site–either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.

<div align="center"><a href="https://creativekkids.com/category/tasty-tuesdays/" title="Creative K Kids"><img src="https://creativekkids.com/tasty tuesdays.jpg" alt="Creative K Kids" /></a></div>

• As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board. Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!
• Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.
• By linking up, you agree to let any of the hosts or co-hosts  use your pictures and links if they decide to feature your post. Your photo may also be used for promotion on any of their social media outlets.
• If you would like to receive an email reminding you to link up to this party, please click HERE and add your email address to the list! I will only send you an email about linking up to this party.

Last week, I shared how I received a free copy of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook for my honest review.

This week I am allowed to share a recipe from the cookbook and offer a giveaway of the cookbook. The recipe they sent me was No Bake Cheesecake in a Jar. Doesn’t it look good?

Here you can see what kind of recipes are included in the cookbook:

You can enter the giveaway below:

Winner must reside in the United States. Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

• PLEASE follow the hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below. They will visit your post and pin it. Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

**Tammy from Creative K Kids (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Audrey from That Recipe (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram 

**Lisa from Blogghetti (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

• Please link up to three food-related posts that have never been linked up here before.  Posts containing alcohol also will not be pinned.
• Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site–either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.

<div align="center"><a href="https://creativekkids.com/category/tasty-tuesdays/" title="Creative K Kids"><img src="https://creativekkids.com/tasty tuesdays.jpg" alt="Creative K Kids" /></a></div>

• As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board. Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!
• Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.
• By linking up, you agree to let any of the hosts or co-hosts  use your pictures and links if they decide to feature your post. Your photo may also be used for promotion on any of their social media outlets.
• If you would like to receive an email reminding you to link up to this party, please click HERE and add your email address to the list! I will only send you an email about linking up to this party.

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review. I receive no monetary compensation.

Only 8 days to Christmas! Crazy!

I have a ton still to do as we are flying to be with our family for Christmas. My baking is done, but I am finishing up presents for my class at school and I have to pack and finish wrapping presents. I also have to address all my Christmas cards.

I received in the mail another “I Love My Instant Pot” recipe book. This one is The “I LOVE MY INSTANT POT” Soups, Stews, and Chilis Recipe Book. Since we are going up north for Christmas, soup and chili recipes will be great to have on hand! This book will be released on December 24.

I love soup recipes. I grew up eating soup every Wednesday for dinner. Now that I have an instant pot, it is much quicker to make those delicious and filling soup recipes. You can see a little bit of what is included in the book by looking at the picture below. There are 175 recipes included in the book!

I want to try the recipes for Egg Drop Soup and for Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup. I also want to try the Cheesy Macaroni and Chili. So many great choices!

You can preorder this cookbook HERE. It includes 175 soup, stew, and chili recipes that can be made in the Instant Pot. It will be released on December 24.

If you have an Instant Pot or know of someone who does, enter the giveaway below!

This giveaway will only run for one week as I want to be able to email the winner on Christmas Eve!

Winner must reside in the United States. Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

You can enter another giveaway HERE.

There will be no party next Tuesday as it is Christmas Eve. Have a wonderful Christmas!

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

• PLEASE follow the hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below. They will visit your post and pin it. Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

**Tammy from Creative K Kids (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Audrey from That Recipe (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram 

**Lisa from Blogghetti (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

• Please link up to three food-related posts that have never been linked up here before.  Posts containing alcohol also will not be pinned.
• Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site–either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.

<div align="center"><a href="https://creativekkids.com/category/tasty-tuesdays/" title="Creative K Kids"><img src="https://creativekkids.com/tasty tuesdays.jpg" alt="Creative K Kids" /></a></div>

• As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board. Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!
• Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.
• By linking up, you agree to let any of the hosts or co-hosts  use your pictures and links if they decide to feature your post. Your photo may also be used for promotion on any of their social media outlets.
• If you would like to receive an email reminding you to link up to this party, please click HERE and add your email address to the list! I will only send you an email about linking up to this party.

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review. I receive no monetary compensation.

Have you jumped on the Instant Pot band wagon?

I bought a 6 quart one a year ago, and I’ve used it a handful of times. I haven’t really fallen in love with it as I fall back to making my favorites.

So when I was asked to review The “I Love my Instant Pot” Affordable Meals Recipe Book, I was glad to do it. I received it a couple of weeks ago, and I have had fun looking through the recipes and thinking about which ones I want to try.

This cookbook was written by recipe developer and food blogger, Aileen Clark. She has her own blog called Aileen Cooks. Her mission is to connect with other moms in a way that helps make their lives easier and more fun.

Tonight I tried the Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe. Spaghetti is just as fast to make on top of the stove, but I thought it was neat that the meatballs, spaghetti, and sauce were all prepared together in the same pot.

The finished product tasted good! My only problem was that the noodles weren’t quite done. I did let the mixture sauté for 3 minutes at the end which helped cook them a little bit more, but next time, I will either pressure cook the mixture longer or saute it longer.

It was a very easy recipe, and it tasted good too! You can find the recipe in the book for the meatballs. However, you could probably use your favorite meatball recipe. This recipe used 1 pound of ground meat for the meatballs. I used 88/12 beef that I bought at Costco. It was a basic recipe that included some bread crumbs, milk and seasonings. After the meatballs are formed, you put them on the very bottom of the Instant Pot.

Next, take 1 pound of spaghetti and break it in half. Place it on top of the meatballs. Pour 3 cups of water over the spaghetti. Pour one 24 ounce jar of sauce over the spaghetti noodles. Pressure cook for 5 minutes. (Of course, it will take longer for 5 minutes as it takes 10 minutes or more to build up the pressure.) Then release the steam. I stirred the noodles, and they were still rather hard, so I sautéd everything for 3-4 more minutes. I probably could have done a couple more minutes.

And just like that, you have Spaghetti and Meatballs!

In this book, there are recipes for every meal of the day, including favorites like:

• Ham and Egg Breakfast Burritos
• Spicy Mushroom Rice
• Cajun Chicken Pasta
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Look HERE to find this cookbook that includes 175 easy, family-favorite meals that can all be made in an Instant Pot for under $12/meal!

You can enter a giveaway to win a copy of The “I Love My Instant Pot” Affordable Meals Recipe Book!

Winner must reside in the United States. Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

• PLEASE follow the hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below. They will visit your post and pin it. Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

**Tammy from Creative K Kids (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Audrey from That Recipe (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram 

**Lisa from Blogghetti (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

• Please link up to three food-related posts that have never been linked up here before.  Posts containing alcohol also will not be pinned.
• Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site–either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.

<div align="center"><a href="https://creativekkids.com/category/tasty-tuesdays/" title="Creative K Kids"><img src="https://creativekkids.com/tasty tuesdays.jpg" alt="Creative K Kids" /></a></div>

• As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board. Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!
• Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.
• By linking up, you agree to let any of the hosts or co-hosts  use your pictures and links if they decide to feature your post. Your photo may also be used for promotion on any of their social media outlets.
• If you would like to receive an email reminding you to link up to this party, please click HERE and add your email address to the list! I will only send you an email about linking up to this party.

Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive is an instructional book sharing 8 essential strategies to eating healthy plus sharing recipes that actually implement those strategies.

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review, and after reading word for word about half of the book, I can honestly say that if I did what this book teaches, I think it would be life-changing for me.

I picked it up with the idea of just scanning over it to share with you what was in it and once I got started reading, I couldn’t put it down.

Why did I feel this way?

I don’t eat healthy (for the most part), and I partly don’t eat healthy because I don’t like many healthy foods. So I was immediately intrigued with the idea of retraining my tastebuds. Can it be done? I am a skeptic, but I want to give it a try!

I also loved it when Mareya Ibrahim said in her introduction, “No one should do anything that starts with ‘die’.”

This is not a diet book. This is a lifestyle book with a clear way to go about eating healthy that doesn’t have you counting points or calories or buying into a pyramid program to drink their drinks.

I am not knocking those aids, necessarily. I just don’t want to be tied to a program. I want to be healthy because what I put into my body is what God intended for me to put into my body.

I want to give this book a try and do what Mareya Ibrahim lays out in the 8 essential strategies to eating healthy, but I won’t be able to start until the middle of July — and I think I will be on my own in my family, although I might be able to get my husband to do it with me. With my rotator shoulder surgery, I can’t do the meal prep I would have to do to get this started and I can’t drive to get the additional groceries I need. But when I do it, I’ll let you know if I stuck to it.

Even if you choose to not do all of these 8 strategies, you would still like to get a copy of this book for the excellent recipes.

Mareya Ibrahim, nutritionist, award-winning inventor, and the signature chef and meal plan designer for the bestselling diet book The Daniel Plan, included eighty “forking delicious” recipes in her cookbook. For not being the healthiest eater, I thought I would like many of these recipes — without even having retrained my taste buds. Here are a few of them:

• Zucchini Noodles with Romesco Sauce
• Low-Sodium Umami Bone Broth
• You Glow Smoothie
• No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive Cookbook — 8 essential strategies to a eating healthy

• Strategy 1: Retrain your taste buds. the book includes an eight-day taste bud reconditioning meal plan.
• Strategy 2: Stocking your kitchen. Not only does the book include a “steer-clear list” but it also includes a checklist called “your essential refrigerator” as well as instruction on how to organize your refrigerator.
• Strategy 3: Get up on Greens — The recipes in this section included those all-important green, and they looked yummy!
• Strategy 4: The Fast Break — Directions on how to do intermittent fasting. It is very doable using the plan showed in this book. You wouldn’t even feel like you were fasting!
• Strategy 5: Go Gluten Free Super Grains — There is a short list you can use to know which grains are good to eat.
• Strategy 6: Fat Fillers — There is good fat! Do you know the difference between good and bad fats?
• Strategy 7: Be Real Dense — nutritionally dense foods that feed you to the core.
• Strategy 8: The 90/10 Rule –about 3 of your meals per week can be what you want them to be. See how to decide what that 10% can be.

Here is one recipe from Eat Like You Give a Fork!

I will definitely give these No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies a try!

5 from 2 votes

Print

No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Healthy no-bake cookies!

Course: Dessert

Servings: 12

Author: Mareya Ibrahim

Ingredients

• 1/2 c canned unsweetened full fat coconut milk
• 1/2 c + 2 tbsp. natural creamy peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter, for a nut-free option), at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. raw coconut oil
• 2 tsp. granulated stevia or monkfruit sweetener
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
• 3 c. quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 c. no-sugar-added dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, wax paper, or a silicone mat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, ½ cup of the peanut butter, and ½ cup water until smooth. Add the coconut oil, stevia, vanilla, and salt and mix until smooth.

3. Using a spatula, fold in the oats, making sure all the oats are well soaked. Let sit for about 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes firm. Fold in the chocolate chips and mix with a spatula to evenly distribute them.

4. Using an ice cream scoop, portion cookies onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, and press down lightly to flatten them.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut butter and ½ teaspoon water. Drizzle the peanut butter over the tops of the cookies and let set at room temperature, about 15 minutes. Store wrapped in parchment paper to keep them fresh up to a week

   
   
   

   
   
   

Recipe Notes

From EAT LIKE YOU GIVE A FORK: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive.  Copyright © 2019 by Mareya Ibrahim and reprinted with permission from St. Martin’s Griffin.

Enter to win a copy of Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive Cookbook!

Winner must live in the United States. Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize. Winner will be contacted with by email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

Here is 1 other giveaway you can enter:

1 set of Wrap Buddies

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

• PLEASE follow the hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below. They will visit your post and pin it. Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

**Tammy from Creative K Kids (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Audrey from That Recipe (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram 

**Lisa from Blogghetti (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

• Please link up to three food-related posts that have never been linked up here before.  Posts containing alcohol also will not be pinned.
• Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site–either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.

<div align="center"><a href="https://creativekkids.com/category/tasty-tuesdays/" title="Creative K Kids"><img src="https://creativekkids.com/tasty tuesdays.jpg" alt="Creative K Kids" /></a></div>

• As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board. Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!
• Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.
• By linking up, you agree to let any of the hosts or co-hosts  use your pictures and links if they decide to feature your post. Your photo may also be used for promotion on any of their social media outlets.
• If you would like to receive an email reminding you to link up to this party, please click HERE and add your email address to the list! I will only send you an email about linking up to this party.