I received the below mentioned products in exchange for an honest review.  No other compensation was received.  Any opinions expressed are my own.  Giveaway is sponsored by Spike Seasoning Magic.

My name is Angie and I’m afraid of spices.  Seriously, I don’t experiment with them.  It’s not that I don’t use them it’s that I only use ones the recipes tell me to use.  I don’t think I’ve ever used Thyme in my life, not even sure if I know what it tastes like.  I think I’ve used cilantro once or twice.  I must have because there’s a small barely used bottle in my cupboard. Salt, pepper, paprika (hey I’m part Hungarian), garlic, onion powder, and red pepper. That’s about it. I mean clove and cinnamon for baking but I really don’t know what to “do” with some spices.  That’s a bit embarrassing for me to admit but it’s the truth.  I don’t usually have complaints with my cooking except occasionally from my hubby who likes a little bit of potatoes with his salt..if you get what I”m saying.

I was asked to review Spike Seasoning Magic and I was actually a little nervous.  As I said, I’m afraid of spices.  I agreed to it though because the seasoning are all natural, made without preservatives or additives. They also have zero calories per serving.  Checking out Spike Seasoning Magic website they seemed pretty easy to use.

I received all 10 of the Spike Seasoning Magic products.  The list of products includes:

• Spike ® Original Magic!
• Spike ® Hot’n Spicy Magic!
• Spike ® Vege-Sal Magic!
• Spike® Onion Magic!
• Spike ® Lemon Pepper Magic!
• Spike ® Salt-Free Magic!
• Spike ® Vegit Magic!
• Spike ® Garlic Magic!
• Spike ® 5 Herb Magic!
• Spike ® Tenderizer magic!

I was debating on where to start with using them. The first day I received them, I was making supper. One of my family’s favorites, Chicken Paprikas.  I was hesitant to try anything new in the recipe since it’s an old family recipe.  It already calls for salt, pepper, and paprika.  It also calls for onions.  It’s was time for us to go grocery shopping and we didn’t have any more onions.  I decided to try the Spike Onion Magic.  I then added the Spike Original Magic and cut back on some of the salt the recipe called for with the chicken.  It looked and smelled good. No different in what in normally did so that was good.

 

So that turned out ok.  The kids were praising the Chicken Paprikas as they always did.  I told them I had used the new spices I got and they said it was good.  The only complaint I had was from my hubby who said “did you forget to add salt?”  As I said my hubby likes a little food with his salt.

The next day I was making mashed potatoes for supper.  I thought maybe they’d be good with some of the Spike Garlic Magic in them.  I tried that and again cut back on the salt I would normally use.  I think they turned out great.  the kids said they liked those as well.

Spike Garlic Magic was a nice addition to the mashed potatoes.  I’m gonna have to try this for the mashed potatoes I make with the holiday meals.  My sister is doing Thanksgiving dinner this year but I’m doing Christmas dinner.

Alright so the last thing I did with these seasonings was something I thought would make a good last minute “uh oh guests showed up I need a snack to feed them”  We usually have a few boxes of crackers sitting around.  We’re fans of cheese and crackers, spreads, and dips.  As I told you we were due to go grocery shopping.  I was having a snack craving but we didn’t have much in the house.  I pulled out the crackers and thought I could probably figure out a dip.  I put some low fat sour cream on a plate and mixed in some of the Spike Onion Magic and some of the Spike Veg-it Magic with it. It made a really tasty and easy dip for the crackers.  It was honestly really good.  Even my youngest son asked “Mom what are you eating? Can I have some?”  So I made him up his own and he ate it all.

 

I can’t wait to try the Spike Magic Tenderizer for the ham for Christmas.  I’m finding all kinds of uses for these perfectly mixed seasonings.  I can say, I’m not afraid of seasonings anymore. Yay!

You an find Spike seasonings on these sites:

Website: spike-it-up.com

Facebook: facebook.com/SpikeSeasoningMagics

Would you like to win Spike Magic seasonings to help with your holiday meals?

GIVEAWAY

1 US Luv Saving Money reader will win

all 10 of the Spike Magic seasonings the I received

 

Yes we do Santa here.  I was raised believing in Santa as a child.  There’s something about the idea and magic of Santa that just made Christmas seem that much more special.  Yes my kids know the true meaning of Christmas and we attend Christmas Eve candlelight service.  I also talk to my kids about the spirit of Santa. To me, Santa is real, but in the form of a feeling.  That giving urge people get around the holidays. That 2nd thought to dig into your purse or wallet to put change in the collection kettle or buy an extra toy to donate to Toys for Tots.

If you do Santa too you might want to check out this site.  Santawillwrite.com sends personalized letters from Santa to your child.  We did this last year and this year.  It’s a beautiful package and each year it puts a big smile on my youngest son’s face.  The letter comes in a metallic envelope, bright and shiny, addressed to your child.  My son got his package in the mail today. There are three different package sizes.  The one received is the Deluxe but there is a Magic Package which is one under and an Ultra Deluxe Package too which is the next package up.

 

My son got home from school today and I told him he got something in the mail.  This was already something special for him to get something in the mail.  When I told him it was from Santa he could hardly wait to open it.  You can see from the pic above he had a look of “come on mom, take the picture so I can see what it is” look.  I helped him open his shiny envelope.  Inside was a letter from Santa personalized for him, a letter from Rudolph signed with a hoof print, stickers, holiday tattoos, a certificate with his name on it saying he’s on the “nice” list, and a little bit of glitter to add to the magic.

I read my son his letter from both Santa and Rudolph.  He listened very intently.  I love that the letter included specific things he wanted for Christmas, that Santa named the town we were in and that he would be stopping, and even encouraged the good things he does like “helping mommy around the house”  😉

Just look how proud my son is that he is on Santa’s nice list!  I think it’s a great way to reward good behavior!

This is such an affordable way to make my son’s day AND help add to the magic of Christmas.  Just FYI, I’m sure you know but the certificate does not have a big black smudge on it, I blacked out his name for privacy for him.

If you’d like to have Santa send one of these packages to your child, grandchild, or niece/nephew I have a coupon code for you to save even more.  Use code: SantaLSM to save 15% off when you order your letter from Santa at Santawillwrite.com

Alternatively, you can also just get a postcard from Santa with code: pcSantaLSM to save you 15% off at santawillwrite.com/postcard

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win 

A Deluxe Package from Santa personalized for your recipient

US only

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.