Thoughtful Thursdays: Thoughtful Gifts for Christmas + Giveaways for Christmas

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

November 12, 2020 By Tammy Doiel 1 Comment

Christmas is quickly approaching; and although we love to give gifts to our friends and children, many times the best gifts are gifts that we create or gifts that help our kids create.

In the past 7 years that I have been blogging, I have shared different DIY Christmas gifts, creative gift guides, or gifts that make kids think.

I shared this gift guide to make your kids think had different book ideas as well as STEAM book gift guides.
Here are some Devotional Books for Kids that you can give for Christmas.
Here are some Bible games that can be given as presents.

In 2014, I shared these 20 DIY gift ideas for kids.
In 2015, I shared 25 more gift ideas here for kids.
In 2016, I shared 30 more DIY gift ideas for kids.
In 2017, I shared 20 more DIY gift ideas for kids.

Here are 40+ gifts that inspire kids’ creativity — most of these are still available!

I just got given some Christmas coloring books and crafts books that kids and adults will enjoy. I will share those with you soon as well as offer one of each of them for a giveaway! Stay tuned! Until then, enter this fun giveaway:

It’s time for a Christmas giveaway! Are you getting geared up for the shopping season? Do you need extra cash for Christmas?? Don’t we all!

We are so excited to be giving away $675 in cash prizes for you to use starting this Thanksgiving weekend.

Let’s get this party started!!

Here are the prizes:

1 – $200 Gift Card
1 – $150 Gift Card
2 – $100 Gift Card
1 – $75 Gift Card
1 – $50 Gift Card

There will be 6 winners in this giveaway. Each winner will choose an e gift card of their choice and receive the code to use either at the online store or at the actual store of their choice.

Now it’s time to meet our wonderful co-hosts who have made this giveaway possible.

Starting at the top row we have:

Please be sure to stop by and say hi to these wonderful ladies and their blogs.

The giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on November 25th on the day before Thanksgiving. You will have 48 hours to respond to the email claiming the prize. If you respond right away, we will get you the gift card code promptly so that you can shop with it on Black Friday! If we don’t hear in 48 hours, we will have to choose another winner.

Open to anyone who can receive e gift cards from major retailers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Corona virus and Cleanliness: Should I Be Worried About My Fruits and Vegetables?

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

August 7, 2020 By Tammy Doiel

One small benefit of the Coronavirus pandemic is how everyone is cleaning everything — not just their hands, but the carts in the stores, the doors, their cars and phones, the rides in the amusement parks — everything!

Hopefully that will continue even after the pandemic has gotten better. At the onset of the pandemic, many people started wondering, “Is the food that I buy from the grocery store safe? Will I unknowingly bring the virus into my house just by grocery shopping?”

Should we be afraid to buy fruits and vegetables when we go shopping? How should you clean your fruits and veggies? Come read this informative post.

Of course, no one definitively knows anything — as we can see from all the varied opinions on websites and news briefings, but according to the John Hopkins Medicine website, it says,

The coronavirus is a respiratory virus, not a food-borne pathogen and at the time of this article, there is no known evidence that COVID-19 is transmitted through food or our food supply.
Melanie Newkirk, M.S., R.D.N., C.S.P., L.D.N., John Hopkins Medicine

But we all know that Coronavirus is not the only thing that causes illness, right? We can get sick because of pesticides on our foods or other germs. This is what the CDC says about our fresh veggies and fruit:

But sometimes raw fruits and vegetables contain harmful germs that can make you and your family sick, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. CDC estimates that germs on fresh produce cause a large percentage of U.S. foodborne illnesses.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

If you clicked on those links above, you would find a lot more information about those food-borne illnesses including some of the following:

“CDC estimates Salmonella bacteria cause about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year.”
“An estimated 73,480 illnesses due to E. coli O157 infection occur each year in the United States, leading to an estimated 2,168 hospitalizations and 61 deaths annually (5), and it is an important cause of acute renal failure in children (6,7).”
“Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems.”

So even if we don’t need to “worry” about getting COVID from our vegetables and fruits, we still need to properly wash our fruits and veggies to make sure we don’t get other illnesses.

The CDC has a nice infographic that has all the information you need on caring for for fruits and vegetables. You can print it off and attach it to your refrigerator or someplace in your kitchen to remind your husband or your kids or whoever needs reminding about safe practices for caring for fruits and vegetables.

I am part of a 2020 Brand Ambassador Program for a couple of Arm & Hammer products as well as an OxiClean product, all of which are distributed by CR Brands. I received free product as well as compensation for writing this post, but all opinions are strictly my own. This is my honest review of their product.

Sometimes just a little bottle of Fruit & Vegetable Wash on your counter might help you to remember to wash your fruits and veggies — and make it fun for your kids to get involved in the process. It’s simple!

Fruit and Vegetable Wash by Arm & Hammer makes cleaning your fruits and vegetables a breeze!

Nothing can promise to keep you from diseases. Definitely this bottle can’t. But it can remind you to wash your fruit and veggies, and washing your fruits and veggies has been proven to prevent many illnesses most of the time.

The back of this bottle does say the following:

Eliminates over 90% of pesticide residue (If you want to read a helpful article on pesticides, you can read this one by Healthline.)
Cleans 4x better than water alone
Removes wax and soil
Free from harsh chemicals
Leaves no taste or odor
Gluten-free and vegan

Even with this wash, it does recommend that you let it stand for 15 minutes before rinsing for thorough removal of surface pesticides. You can go to their website for more information about the product or for some picture that shows the difference it can make.

Here are some pictures of what my fruit looked like when I used the Arm & Hammer Fruit & Vegetable Wash.

Fruit & Vegetable Wash by Arm & Hammer is an easy way to wash your vegetables and fruits -- and more effective than washing by water alone.

Go ahead and try it! It’s easy enough your kids can clean their own fruit and veggies with it, and it’s safe for them to use!!

The Ultimate Pinterest Party, Week 300

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

May 29, 2020 By Tammy Doiel

Here’s what’s new on Creative K Kids:

This week on Tasty Tuesdays, I shared a recipe for our family’s favorite brownie recipe. You can link up to the Tasty Tuesday’s linky party HERE.
On this week’s Thoughtful Thursdays, I shared some favorite thoughtful posts that have been linked up to the past several months of parties. You can go see that post HERE and link up any thoughtful posts you have written.

This is our 300th party, so I have a tiny giveaway for you!

I have had 4 items sent to me to give my honest review, and three of them said I could do a giveaway of the items.

The first item was FOODIE SURPRISE FOOD CARTS. We were supposed to making what looked like sushi with our food cart. You make gummies out of what they send you in the cart, and then put the gummies together to look like whatever the kit was. My daughter had fun making the gummies, but we only liked the taste of a couple of the gummies.

The second item we received was AQUABEADS TROLLS WORLD TOUR. My third child made one of these while my fifth child was making the gummies. She enjoyed making these and it worked well if you followed the directions. Even 4 years old children would be able to do most of this by themselves (They would need some help with the setup and the end process), and my daughter who is 12 years old also enjoyed making one of these.

The third item we received was three sets of Bicycle playing cards. My kids play war, golf, and slapjack. But there are so many more games you can play! Bicycle has a free educational page where there are directions on how to play 101 games with playing cards! There are so many varieties of playing cards too. (You can buy some HERE.) Some were ooh-la-la with shiny foil accents.

I also received the book 3-D Papercraft: Create Fun Paper Cutouts from Plain Paper from Dover Publications. You can make some really pretty decor just from paper and this book. You would copy the paper at the size the directions show (for example, some say 150%). Then cut and fold as directed. Some of the creations are amazing — and beautiful!

You can enter the following giveaway for 3 items:

2 sets of standard Bicycle Cards
1 copy of 3D Paper Crafts Book
1 Trolls Aquabeads World Tour

a Rafflecopter giveaway

These giveaways are coming from three different companies. 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.

Thank you for participating in The Ultimate Pinterest Party!

Please share this party with your blogger friends!! If you would like to receive an email reminding you to link up, you can sign up HERE.

Link up 2 pins to The Ultimate Pinterest Party from Friday at 8 am ET - Saturday 8 am ET

HERE ARE THE FAVORITE PINS FROM LAST WEEK’S PARTY:

Favorite pins from The Ultimate Pinterest Party, Week 300

How to Easily Count Your Crochet Stitches from Craft-a-Boo had 5 saves from our party board last week.
Birdbath Centerpieces from South House Designs and Sauteed Lemon Pepper Asparagus from Home Crafts by Ali both had 4 saves from our party board last week.

HERE ARE THE FEATURED PINS FROM LAST WEEK’S PARTY:

Featured pins from The Ultimate Pinterest Party, Week 300

RULES:

Rule #1: Link up only 2 PINS (not blog posts. Pins that are duplicates from a previous week will not be repinned.)
Rule #2: Do NOT re-pin from the linky below.
Rule #3: You must commit to re-pinning from WEEK 300, THE ULTIMATE PINTEREST PARTY on SATURDAY or SUNDAY. (Re-pin from the pins that say “The Ultimate Party, Week 300 pins.”)
Rule #4: Please only link up your own original pins that contain your images to this party. Do not link up pictures of other bloggers that you may have included in a round-up. Your collage of pictures for a round-up would be fine.
Rule #5: Please do not link up sale posts from your blog or sale posts that go to Etsy or Ebay –only pins that go to actual blog posts on your blog. Thank you.

Details to Observe:

Before you link up the pin, click on the pin and make sure it takes you to your post, not your home page.
Linking up to this party gives the hosts permission to use a picture and a link to your post if they feature your post on their blogs or social media.
Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.

Thanks for making this party such a success!!

PLEASE SHARE! You can share on all the social medias (facebook, google+, etc.) but here is a Twitter button to make it easy!

NOW LET’S GET TO OUR PARTY!

Follow your hosts on Pinterest. (Click “Follow All” and then go back and unfollow individual boards if you don’t want to see some of our pins):

Tammy from Creative K Kids — Click HERE to follow on Pinterest.

Ali from Home Crafts by Ali — Click HERE to follow on Pinterest.

We will have all the pins pinned by 8 am Eastern time Saturday morning.
Please re-pin sometime on Saturday or Sunday. If you know that you do not have the time to re-pin pins, then DO NOT LINK UP!
I can decide to not pin a pin if it goes against my beliefs or against the rules of this party.
Please grab the button to help bring awareness to this party. Put on your party page, sidebar, or post!

<div align="center"><a href="https://creativekkids.com/category/linky-party-2/the-ultimate-pinterest-party/" " title="Creative K KIds"><img src="https://creativekkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/ultimate-pinterest-button.jpg" alt="Creative K KIds" style="border: none;" /></a></div>

PLEASE LINK UP ONLY 2 PINS! (THAT ARE NON-ALCOHOLIC!)

Please sign up HERE to receive emails about the party being open on Friday morning! An email will also be sent on Saturday morning to remind you to repin a few links!

Recipes Kids can Make for Mom + Mother’s Day Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

April 23, 2020 By Tammy Doiel

Twice a year, I like to participate with other bloggers for a Christmas and a Mother’s Day Giveaway. It doesn’t seem like Mother’s Day is almost here. I know for me, the Coronavirus pandemic has made everything seem strange. Giveaways like this become even more special in these unusual times.

Moms right now all deserve special recognition. Many of you are working from home while entertaining and schooling your kids. I hope that at least on Mother’s Day, you can have a relaxing day.

Maybe your kids are old enough to cook for you! Previously, I shared a couple of desserts your kids could make for you.

Two Easy Desserts using cake mixes even kids can make that everyone will enjoy!

Raddish also has a cooking club where normally you would pay and they would send 3 laminated recipe cards and a quality kitchen tool — and a few other small items. It encourages your children of any age to cook, and there is also an educational element to the kits.

This month, Raddish is offering some free recipes that kids can make for moms on their website. There are 3 breakfast recipes (I want my kids to make me some Cinnamon Donut Holes!), 3 dinner recipes, and activities to make Mother’s Day more special such as a Love Latte and a door tag that goes along with these recipes.

This is a great way to let your kids start cooking and feel like they can actually do something special for mom when everything is closed. The pictures and step-by-step directions are easy for kids to follow.

Now on to the giveaway!

We are so excited to be giving away $350 in gift cards for Mother’s Day to four lucky readers. The giveaway will run from April 23rd – May 8th.

The prizes are:

1 – $125 gift card
1 – $125 gift card
1 – $50 gift card
1 – $50 gift card

Each winner will choose the gift card you want. Please choose a gift card which comes from an online store and can be paid by US dollars. EX: Amazon, Target, Walmart, Macy’s, Kohls, etc. You may ask for more than one gift card but must add up to your prize amount.

Now its time to meet our co-hosts who have made this giveaway possible.

Please stop by and say hi to these wonderful co-hosts and their blogs.

The giveaway will end midnight on Friday, May 8th, a few days before Mother’s Day. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email claiming their prize. If we don’t hear in 48 hours, we will choose another winner. The giveaway is open to anyone over 18 years of age and able to receive e-gift cards from the U.S.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are also some Mother’s Day crafts you can have your kids make for Grandma or someone else!

Send a loved one far away a hug with your child's handprints. Free printable handprint poems!

Tasty Tuesdays: The Everything Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

February 18, 2020 By Tammy Doiel

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!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

Tasty Tuesdays: No Bake Cheesecake in a Jar + Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

January 21, 2020 By Tammy Doiel

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?

5 from 3 votes

No Bake Cheesecake in a Jar

Prep Time

15 mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 110 kcal

Ingredients

1 10 oz. package frozen whole strawberries, thawed (2 cups)
1 tbsp bottled lemon juice (not from concentrate)
4 oz. Neufchâtel (light cream cheese) divided
1/2 c plain 0% fat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp fruit-sweetened apricot fruit spread (jam)
1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 c Homemade Fruit-Sweetened Granola in the same cookbook on page 106 or no-sugar-added granola

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the strawberries with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Spoon into juice glasses, about 1/3 cup each.
In a large mixing bowl, add the Neufchâtel, yogurt, fruit spread, vanilla, and remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Blend with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Spoon on top of the strawberries, about 3 tablespoons each.
When ready to serve, sprinkle with the granola, about 1 tablespoon each.

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

You can enter the giveaway below:

Enter to win a copy of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook. 1/21/20 - 2/3/20

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

Giveaway: 2 Quilting Books! (Coloring Book + How-to Book)

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

December 17, 2019 By Tammy Doiel

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

Here are a couple other books that were given to me for me to review and offer as a giveaway to my readers. With how busy I have been, I have not been able to get up these review posts like I should. This giveaway will also only run for a week so that I can pick a winner on Christmas Eve and notify them before Christmas. You can go enter the Instant Pot Recipe Book giveaway HERE.

When I first got married, my mom and I made a beautiful quilt for my queen bed. It no longer is on my bed, but it is one that I will never get rid of as I think of the love that was put into that quilt. For my three oldest girls, I have made strip quilts; and I have material to do the same for my youngest two children. Eventually, I plan to make another quilt for my bed as well.

There’s something about quilting that shows someone how much you care. All of that time and thought has love sewn into it. Since I knew I wanted to do another quilt for my husband and my bed, I was very glad to get the 24-How Quilting Projects book.

The 24-How Quilting Projects book has pictures of how each of these 24 quilts will look when they are completed plus instructions on how to make each one of the quilts. In the back of the book, there is a section of general quilt-making directions. If you have never made a quilt, but you know how to use a sewing machine, you would be able to make a quilt using this book. Here are some pictures of what the inside of the book is like:

There is also a fun coloring book called Patchwork Quilt Designs Coloring Book. If you like to color, then you will like this book. It is a relaxing activity, and if you like to quilt and color, then this is the book for you. You can relax while you can color, and maybe it will help you even decide what colors of material you should put in your next quilt! Here are a couple of pictures that tell you more about this book:

You can enter the giveaway below to win a copy of both of these books!

This giveaway will end on December 23rd, so don’t wait to enter! You can also enter this giveaway which also ends on December 23rd.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tasty Tuesdays: The “I Love My Instant Pot” Soups, Stews, and Chilis Recipe Book Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

December 17, 2019 By Tammy Doiel

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!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

Cash for Christmas Giveaway 2019

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

November 15, 2019 By Tammy Doiel

I have participated in this giveaway ever since it started. I shared yesterday and in other recent posts how that blogging has taken more of a back seat in the recent years as I have had to go back to work. This is not necessarily for financial reasons, but because I am needed to teach our children in our little church school.

I almost did not participate in this giveaway, but since I haven’t given up totally on blogging — and I need to make at least enough money on ads and sponsored posts to cover the expenses of blogging — I decided to participate again. So I signed up at the last minute. That is why I am the last picture on this giveaway form instead of being one of the first ones like I have always been before.

I don’t have new Christmas recipes or posts to share, but you can go look at many of these delicious goodies I have made in past years. I will come back later (today is my oldest daughter’s 17th birthday celebration), and share some of my other fun Christmas posts.

Here are a few of my favorite Christmas desserts that I make every year!

Go >>HERE<< to see some of my favorite Christmas desserts.

It’s time for a Christmas giveaway!

Are you getting geared up for the shopping season? Do you need extra cash for Christmas?? Don’t we all!

We are so excited to be giving away $430 in cash prizes for you to use starting this Thanksgiving weekend.

Here are the prizes:

1 – $150 Amazon Gift Card
1 – $100 Target Gift Card
2 – $50 Walmart Gift Card
1 – $50 Kohls Gift Card
2 – $15 Starbucks Gift Cards

There will be 7 winners in this giveaway. Each winner will receive a gift card code to use either in the online store or in the actual store.

Now its time to meet our wonderful co-hosts who have made this giveaway possible.

Starting at the top row we have:

Please stop by and say hi to these wonderful ladies and their blogs.

The giveaway will end at 11:59pm on November 27th on the day before Thanksgiving. You will have 48 hours to respond to the email claiming the prize. If you respond right away, we will get you the gift card code promptly so that you can shop with it on Black Friday! If we don’t hear in 48 hours, we will have to choose another winner.

Open to anyone who can receive gift cards from Amazon, Target, Walmart, Kohls, and Starbucks

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tasty Tuesdays: Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs + The “I Love My Instant Pot” Cookbook Review and Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

November 12, 2019 By Tammy Doiel

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.

Here is an easy Instant Pot recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs. I like how all the flavors cooked together.

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!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

If you clicked on those links above, you would find a lot more information about those food-borne illnesses including some of the following:

Sometimes just a little bottle of Fruit & Vegetable Wash on your counter might help you to remember to wash your fruits and veggies — and make it fun for your kids to get involved in the process. It’s simple!

The back of this bottle does say the following:

Here are some pictures of what my fruit looked like when I used the Arm & Hammer Fruit & Vegetable Wash.

Here’s what’s new on Creative K Kids:

This is our 300th party, so I have a tiny giveaway for you!

I have had 4 items sent to me to give my honest review, and three of them said I could do a giveaway of the items.

You can enter the following giveaway for 3 items:

Thank you for participating in The Ultimate Pinterest Party!

Please share this party with your blogger friends!! If you would like to receive an email reminding you to link up, you can sign up HERE.

HERE ARE THE FAVORITE PINS FROM LAST WEEK’S PARTY:

HERE ARE THE FEATURED PINS FROM LAST WEEK’S PARTY:

RULES:

Details to Observe:

Thanks for making this party such a success!!

NOW LET’S GET TO OUR PARTY!

PLEASE LINK UP ONLY 2 PINS! (THAT ARE NON-ALCOHOLIC!)

Please sign up HERE to receive emails about the party being open on Friday morning! An email will also be sent on Saturday morning to remind you to repin a few links!

Maybe your kids are old enough to cook for you! Previously, I shared a couple of desserts your kids could make for you.

Now on to the giveaway!

The prizes are:

Here are also some Mother’s Day crafts you can have your kids make for Grandma or someone else!

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

Of course all of these recipes can be made in 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!

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

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

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

You can enter the giveaway below:

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

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

You can enter the giveaway below to win a copy of both of these books!

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

Only 8 days to Christmas! Crazy!

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!

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

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!

Go >>HERE<< to see some of my favorite Christmas desserts.

It’s time for a Christmas giveaway!

Now its time to meet our wonderful co-hosts who have made this giveaway possible.

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?

And just like that, you have Spaghetti and Meatballs!

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

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

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

Websites where I share my giveaways:

Amazon Affiliate: