Giveaways – A Blog, A Magazine. It's JustsumInspiration!

Everyone Keep Calm – We Have A Winner!

Published on October 31, 2019November 13, 2019 by Roshonda BLeave a comment

**Available on Amazon – Click on pic to Grab yours today!**

Did you miss the book and lollipop giveaway? Well, unfortunately, it’s over now and we have a winner ya’ll! but before I announce who the winner is, let’s take a little trip backward to make a BIG, HUGE LEAP FORWARD….into the Winner’s Lane. You know I can’t JUST announce and move on…hehe

I gotta start where it all began…

Early in October, I was gifted to read another one of Jacqueline Pirtle’s books. I was elated to read the first one – ‘365 Days of Happiness’ and now she has a new book out entitled “Parenting Through The Eyes of Lollipops” – which was just as much an exciting read as her first one. I did a book review for both, in which you can read and catch up below…

I thought I’d up the anty a little do a giveaway with Jacqueline’s second book, so I spoke with her about it and she was ALL IN! She’s such a delight =) So, fast-forward, I did a post announcing the giveaway and the rules to enter, here you go below if you missed it!

ISSA Giveaway: How About A Book & Some Lollipops!!

And now we’re at the end of the journey, someone went for the challenge and struck GOLD! and what Purr-fect day to announce the winner than on Halloween…..except this one is all treat and no tricks!!

So without further ado, the winner of Jacqueline Pirtle’s new book ‘Parenting Through the Eyes of Lollipops’ IS…..DRUMROLL……

Althea will not only be receiving Jacqueline’s new book but as an added bonus, Jacqueline will be sending her a bag of lollipops to go with it! Congratulations Althea! – Althea Jones is also a blogger, woo-hoo!! You can visit her lovely blog – Momof3Kings. While there, catch up on one of her posts and leave her a comment, as well as a congratulation!!

I want to give a HUGE, HUMBLING shout-out to author Jacqueline Pirtle for her willingness to do this amazing giveaway! Say, are you sad? Don’t let Sadness get you down.

You can still get Jacqueline’s book for yourself or a friend. It’ll also make a great stocking stuffer this holiday for every parent and parent-to-be! Grab one, two or three copies today! & While you’re there – you can pick up her other book ‘365 Days of Happiness‘ as well. It’s likely to get you on a good path to happiness starting in 2020!

Jacqueline Pirtle’s latest book ‘Parenting Through the Eyes of Lollipops’ was released in September 2019 and is available right now for sale on Amazon!

Feel free to follow Jacqueline Pirtle on one or all of the social sites below:

Facebook: freakyhealer

Instagram: freakyhealer

Website: www.freakyhealer.com

linktree: https://linktr.ee/freakyhealer

ISSA Giveaway: How About A Book & Some Lollipops!!

Published on October 17, 2019October 29, 2019 by Roshonda B3 Comments

Featured Image Credit: Roshonda – B Creative

So, this post will be very short – don’t blink or you’ll miss it!!

Last week I did a book review for Jacqueline Pirtle‘s new book ‘Parenting Through the Eyes of Lollipops’ – Did you read it? Well, if not you might want too!

As the title states, I’m having a GIVEAWAY!! or I guess I should say Jacqueline, the author of ‘Parenting Through the Eyes of Lollipops’ is giving away a signed copy of her new book, the book that just came out last month, a book that is flying off the shelves, just as her first book ‘365 Days of Happiness’ did!

And guess what, you get to have your very own copy! Andddd, to make this deal even sweeter, Jacqueline is going to not only mail you the book but you’re going to get a bag of lollipops to go with it, HOW. COOL. IS. THAT!! (Those dots are me clapping, lol)

Too cool, right?? So, if you want a copy – this is what you have to do! You know there are rules and stipulations…he hehe…

Okay, here are the rules. First things first…

You MUST like and leave a comment on last week’s post >>> Here You Go!!
Follow Jacqueline on IG >> Here You Go!! and/or FB >> Here You Go!!
Leave a comment under this >> > post – after your comment use the hashtag #lollipoplollipop @justsuminspiration2u

And THAT’S IT!! Easy Right?? – You must follow all the steps in order to win! If you follow Jacqueline on FB, please put #lollipoplollipop @roshondabcreates after your comment. I think FB will alert me to my name being used.

There will be “one” winner and names will be picked at random. The deadline to do this is October 22nd by noon!

Remember you have to use the hashtag #lollipoplollipop and @justsuminspiration2u for IG or @roshondabcreates for FB, in order for me to know you did it!

Oh and P.S. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, due to mailing procedures but hey, even if you’re not in the states, still show Jacqueline some love!

I can’t wait to pick a winner! – Will it be YOU???

Talk Soon! & Good Luck!!

You Scream, We Scream! – We All Want Pumpkin Ice-Cream!

Published on October 26, 2017 by Roshonda B2 Comments

photo above courtesy of vegkitchen

If you’re like me and I believe maybe 80% of you are, I absolutely love sweets especially CHOCOLATE! I mean, don’t get me wrong I’ve gotten a lot better but I always have to have something sweet after dinner, a cookie – brownie – honey bun or even a piece of candy was all I needed to top of the evening meal, dinner is not dinner unless there’s dessert right after or if you’re like some people, dessert comes first!

As stated, I’ve gotten a lot better with my “sweet” choices as now I try to opt for more “healthier” options and that’s been going well, but I do have cheat days and that’s when I let my hair down to have a piece of cake or some chocolate, and while cheat days are on Sundays, I’ve found myself craving for sweets during the week, me and my body have been having some serious talks, as it wants to move back to “old habits” lane. A place in which I totally let myself go and eat whatever my heart desires, but that place comes at a hefty price, especially when my health is involved. So, when that taste of wanting something not so good for me rears its ugly head, I have found other alternatives that help keep those cravings at bay and one of those things is pumpkin ice cream.

Because I’m a big fan of sweetsville, ice cream is another one of my all-time favorite treats but just because I can’t have the real thing when I want, doesn’t mean I can’t “healtherize” (if there’s such a word) an old favorite. Let me tell you, I honestly didn’t know how this was going to turn out, I mean as I’ve told you before – I’m no Rachel Ray nor Martha Stewart for that matter so I’m not that great at making things from scratch, which is why I settle for recipes that only require 4-5 ingredients as this girl can get pretty messy, literally….if the recipe calls for more than that. Hey, I know my limits….

But needless to say, this ice cream turned out better than I expected and yes, they do have pumpkin ice cream in the stores but do you really know what’s in them? I mean most of them contain a lot of ingredients that I myself can’t even pronounce however; this recipe was very simple and only required very few ingredients all of which you can easily recognize, spell and pronounce and I don’t know about you, but I like to know what’s in my food.

So, if you have a craving for ice-cream and want something that’s going to be not only healthy but lactose free and taste good? Then this recipe is for you.

The Ingredients you’ll need are here:

Pumpkin Ice Cream3 — ***6 Ingredients & You’re headed to Yummyville!***

Here are the Recipe Details:

1 can pumpkin puree

1 large banana

3/4 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons maple syrup, raw honey or a few drops of stevia

1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon – or more if you’d like.

Optional Note: I added, 1 tsp of coconut sugar – I love my ice-cream to be sweet.

Directions are as Follows:

Fill an ice cube tray evenly with the pumpkin puree and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Place banana in a Ziploc bag and place the banana and the ice cube tray in the freezer overnight.
Remove the cubes and banana from the freezer and let sit for 5 minutes.
Remove from ice tray and plastic bag and place everything in high power blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Enjoy right away or place in freezer for a couple of hours to create a harder ice cream.

Now, for my Before and After Pics ~

Pumpkin Ice Cream — **Everything all blended together Nicely. So Creamy!**

Pumpkin Ice Cream2 — ***After sitting in the freezer for over 8 hours – Here it Is!***

Now you can eat it as is but if you like to live on the wild side, then you can push the envelope a little, just as I did.

Pumpkin Ice Cream4 — ***Let me introduce you to – Pumpkin Banana Split!!!***

Pumpkin Ice Cream5 — ***Another picture, just in case you were drooling over the first one…lol.***

Okay, so I have to say – I didn’t necessarily follow the directions above as I just blended everything together and put it in a bowl to let it refrigerate – had a picture of it but it didn’t turn out very well. However; I will say – I fixed this the night before and left it in the freezer for over 8 hours. It was extremely hard when I got it out, too hard to put a scoop through so I had to let it sit in some hot water (the bowl that is) until it thawed a little. But afterwards it was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo (okay, so you get it), it was extremely good….no joke and to top off the night – It was kid approved!!, as my son and daughter loved it and they can be picky eaters.

To make the pumpkin split, I cut up half a banana, some strawberries, threw in some walnuts, semi-sweet chocolate chips, whip cream and a cherry on top. Out of all the recipes, this one tops the list as my favorite, I will definitely be fixing this again – even after fall! As a matter of fact, I’m going to eat some more after boot camp today….it’ll be my guilty pleasure for putting my body through combat..lol.

If you would like to make this recipe – you can find it at Renewing All Things (4 Ingredient Fast Pumpkin Ice-Cream). Well this is the last recipe for the month, I do hope that you enjoyed every post and hopefully it gave you new ideas as to what to do with a can of pumpkin. As you can see, it not only has many benefits to your body but even better ones for your taste buds! as well.

This is the LAST CALL! Have You Entered The Giveaway??

To kick off the pumpkin festivities I thought I would do a giveaway – I love to receive things and I know you might too. I’m giving away a $25.00 gift card, here’s what you have to do and how to enter:

Follow @justsuminspiration2u on Instagram

Post a picture of you with one of the 5 recipes featured this month with the caption: “Pumpkins Up! @justsuminspiration2u is doing a giveaway! Enter for a chance to win at justsuminspiration.com.”

That’s It! That’s all you have to do – Remember, you have to make one of the recipes, follow me on Instagram, post your picture of you and the recipe of choice and include the italicized statement with your post. Good Luck!!

The Winner will be announced November 3, 2017 at 1:00pm on the Justsuminspiration blog, Facebook and Instagram pages. Winners will be selected randomly from the list of entries submitted.

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Let’s Live Well, Laugh Loud, Love Hard & Inspire Often!

If you missed the other recipe posts, you can view them here:

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

There’s a Pumpkin in my Oatmeal!

Let’s Fall In Love, with Pumpkin Soup!!

I’ll have Pumpkin Mac & Cheese Please!, How about You?

Yes, I’ll Have Pumpkin Mac & Cheese Please! – How About You?

Published on October 24, 2017October 24, 2017 by Roshonda B6 Comments

Photo above courtesy of Yellow Bliss Road

Macaroni and Cheese has always been one of my favorite southern comfort foods, I am a big fan of cheese and when you mix that with some pasta, let’s just say….it’s a match made in heaven. While I can’t have mac and cheese on a regular like I would like due to me having to keep a close watch on the carbs, I was very happy when I found this recipe in which incorporated pumpkin in the recipe and with all of pumpkins great benefits, this recipe was proving to not only be good for the body but decrease sugar levels as well.

So I was very excited to be able to fix this recipe but mostly I couldn’t wait to taste it – I mean, I have to be real with you – it’s not every day that you hear about people putting pumpkin in the ooey, gooey mac and cheese so I was a little skeptical at first, I’m a person that falls in love with food based on the taste, not the look – so I knew if the taste wasn’t great then this recipe was going to go down in smokes as there was no plan B!

But to my surprise, this recipe was not only easy (my favorite word) but exceeded my taste expectations as well. If you need a quick, wholesome and nutritious meal to fix or dinner tonight or any night this week, then grab your pens and paper and follow me below as I share the ingredients and cooking instructions to this cheesy surprise!

The Ingredients you’ll need are here:

Pumpkin Mac-Cheese — **8 Ingredients are all you need!!**

And the Recipe goes a little something like this:

1 package (16 oz) elbow macaroni

1/4 cup butter (unsalted)

1/4 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

Directions are as Follows:

Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package, using minimum cook time.
Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with whisk. Remove from heat; stir in milk. Heat to simmering; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg, mustard and pumpkin. Add 1 3/4 cups of the cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.
Add macaroni to cheese sauce and stir until coated. Pour into greased 3-quart casserole. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Optional: If you choose to use bread crumbs, as I did. You’ll melt a tablespoon of unsalted butter in a small pan until all melted then you’ll add in a 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and stir them around in the butter until they are coated, like below..

Now, for my Before and After Pics ~

Pumpkin Mac-Cheese1 — **Step #2 – All ingredients mixed in**

Pumpkin Mac-Cheese2 — **Everything is mixed & Looking Good!**

Pumpkin Mac-Cheese4 — **Step #3 Macaroni added, making this look even more delicious!**

Pumpkin Mac-Cheese5 — **Before: Moved to Oiled pan with Breadcrumbs**

Pumpkin Mac-Cheese6 — **After: Baked for 20min, Umm, So Good!**

Now, Let’s Dress this Yummy Goodness Up!!

I completed this Cheesy dish with a side of Spinach salad and a piece of boneless, skinless baked chicken thigh and topped it off with a glass of Key Lime Sparkling water and VIOLA! dinner is served!!! This dish was so good, you could taste the pumpkin a little, it was cheesy and surely a better alternative than using powdered cheese, I really loved how healthy this dish was, It was truly a very good “guilty” pleasure.

As you can see, a little pumpkin can go a long way…I would suggest adding it in a couple of your meals for an extra added boost of nutrition. This recipe was provided by Betty Croker and if you want to make it for yourself or your family, just go here

Now I have to say, my son and daughter didn’t care for this so well, so if you have children, it may be a less non-desired taste for them but there are many ways you can boost this recipe up, by simply adding more cheese and maybe some bacon as your topping. You also don’t have to use a whole can or cup of pumpkin – you can reduce that to a smaller portion of a 1/2 cup or less. I hope you enjoy this nice twist to a very common southern classic. You might even want to plate up some tonight!

Thursday is the last recipe for the month – I’ll be ending the great pumpkin series with a little dessert, so stay tuned!

Did you hear about the giveaway??

Follow @justsuminspiration2u on Instagram

The Winner will be announced November 3, 2017 at 1:00pm on the Justsuminspiration blog, Facebook and Instagram pages. Winners will be selected randomly from the list of entries submitted.

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Let’s Live Well, Laugh Loud, Love Hard & Inspire Often!

If you missed the other recipe posts, you can view them here:

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

There’s a Pumpkin in my Oatmeal!

Let’s Fall In Love, with Pumpkin Soup!!

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice, It’s Time for the Great Pumpkin!

Let’s All Fall In Love, With Pumpkin Soup!!

Published on October 19, 2017 by Roshonda B7 Comments

photo above courtesy of simplyrecipes.com

If you can tell from the other recipe posts I have done already, I love the word “simple” and this pumpkin soup didn’t disappoint as it fell in line with my other three favorite words: Good, Delicious and Quick!

I was done with this recipe so fast until it surprised me, I mean it literally took me no more than 5-10 minutes to complete, just in time to pop in a movie before 8pm. Now that’s my type of cooking!

YESS — *My Face when something actually works! – Photo courtesy of Bing*

If you’re like me after having a long day at work, coming home to find something quick to cook can be a chore but when you have simple recipes such as this one, that long day in the office doesn’t seem quite stressful as this recipe will make cooking for the night a breeze. This soup can be made for a party of one or a family of six. All you’ll need are these simple ingredients:

This Super Easy Breezy Pumpkin Soup recipe goes as follows:

1 medium onion, grated on a box grater

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (29-oz.) can pure pumpkin

2 (14.5-oz.) cans chicken broth (or 4 cups)

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, 3 minutes or until soft.

Stir in the pure pumpkin, chicken broth, cream, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until soup simmers.

Put into bowls and top as desired. Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Below are my before and after pics:

Pumpkin Soup3 — **BEFORE:** All ingredients mixed together – I did transfer this over to a bigger pot.

Pumpkin Soup2 — **AFTER #1:** Topped with Heavy Cream.

Pumpkin Soup4 — **AFTER #2:** Topped with Croutons & Sour Cream

I apologize for the different picture contrast variations, my phone was dying out – so I used my daughters phone for the last pic. While I used croutons and sour cream to top off this delicious soup, you can use pumpkin seeds, bacon or whatever you choose – it’s going to be good no matter what you put on top. This recipe was taken from Good Housekeeping in which you can view here

The soup is good for 3 days so you’ll be able to take some for lunch the next day and maybe share some with your friends and show off your amazing cooking skills!!

Next week, I’ll be cooking up the last two pumpkin recipes of the month – Something cheesy for dinner and a favorite treat in which everyone loves – ICE CREAM! So stay tuned as the YUMMY continues!

Did you hear about the giveaway??

Follow @justsuminspiration2u on Instagram

The Winner will be announced November 3, 2017 at 1:00pm on the Justsuminspiration blog, Facebook and Instagram pages. Winners will be selected randomly from the list of entries submitted.

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Let’s Live Well, Laugh Loud, Love Hard & Inspire Often!