Amy's Pizza Mushroom and Olive Review

Amy's Pizza Mushroom and Olive

On my quest to find non GMO food products I came across Amy's.  There are days when I just do not want to cook and throwing a pizza in the oven is easy and no mess required.  

Why I will continue to buy Amy's:

1.  They do not have GMO's in their products.

2.  Healthy ingredients in all their products.

3.  It still tastes good!

Who said healthy can't taste just as good?  Pop this pizza in your oven for 12-14 minutes and you are ready to enjoy.  I like that the crust was tender and the bottom had a nice crunch too it without getting burnt or tasting like cardboard.  Often frozen pizzas miss the mark on taste but Amy's did a pretty good job.  The sauce, cheese, mushrooms, and olives came together quite nicely.  This is another product I feel good about when feeding my children.  I feel confident in the labeling that their brand is healthy and safe to eat.  

Taken from their website:

"At Amy's, we think ingredients are best the way nature intended – organically grown and straight from the farm.  We do not purchase or use any genetically modified or engineered ingredients and believe we have the right to know what is in our food. "

Have you ever tried Amy's pizza before?  Or any of their products?  What did you think?

Apple Fritters and Beer Batter

Apple Fritters

I watch so much Food Network you would think I would be a Master Chef by now.  Ha!  Not really, but always  trying to improve and expand myself as a baker.  I was watching an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Made and was inspired by Sunny Anderson's recipe.  I changed a few things along the way.  I think I used Apple Pie Spice instead of Pumpkin Spice.    

Beer batter is super quick to whip up.  I used 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of beer...but added a little more flour because I realized the consistency needed to be thicker.  When I'm in the kitchen, everything is a fun little experiment.  

Beer for batter and the husband

Check out this yummy beer that we used for the batter.  I say we because my hubby joined in the fun.  He also likes this beer by itself.  He also helped rescue the caramel peanut butter sauce.  Rescued it from me.  Let's just say, I could never be a candy maker.  Once done frying, everything came out great.  I will be experimenting with all different types of beer for batters.  Maybe next time will be onion rings or fish n chips.  

Do you like to fry things?  Dip things in batter?  

The Stomach Virus

Ever since my son has been in Pre-K, we have gotten all sorts of yucky colds.  This past week takes the cake though. I call it the stomach virus from hell.  We all had a slight variation but nonetheless, we all still felt poopy.  That is my rated G description of how I felt.  My poor son took a long time to get back to himself.  I am very happy my 11 month old did not get it bad.

Ok, so if you are vomitting or have diarrhea, remember to keep it light when eating.  Dry toast, rice porridge, water, and garlic are some helpful foods.  If you can't keep food down just stay hydrated.  My son would only drink water and tried toast too.  I ate garlic because I know it has anti-viral properties.

School is almost done and part of me is excited.  Although playgrounds are probably just as infested with germs.  What is your go to method for a fast recovery?  Do you use natural remedies?

Sweet Tooth Tuesday

Welcome to week 2 of Sweet Tooth Tuesdays! I was thrilled with the first party last week, we had almost 40 posts linked up. Let's see if we can beat that this week. 

First up, I want to share a few of my favorite link-ups from last week. All the ideas were amazing, but here are some of the extra special projects and recipes that were found on the party.

Strawberry Julius from Busy Mom's Helper

Ho Ho Layer Cake from Tastes of Lizzy T

Dry Erase Board Desk from If It's Not Baroque

Terra Cotta Pot S'mores from My World - Made By Hand

If you were featured, make sure and get a button to display on your site.

<a href="http://sarahlynnssweets.blogspot.com/search/label/sweettoothtuesdays" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5442/8750299087_99bbb99e6d_q.jpg" alt="Sweet Tooth Tuesdays" width="150" height="150" /></a>

Please make sure and follow me to get updates and see who is featured! Each week I will share features on my social media sites (Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook). These features will also be displayed in the following week's party.

Here's a quick way to follow me on my social media sites:

Follow @sarahlynn630
Sarah Lynn's Sweets

Again this week, I have Shauna as a co-host. Please welcome Shauna from Barefoot and Loving It.

Check out her blog for posts on parenting, baking, crafting, reviews, and more! We'd appreciate you following her as well. Here's a couple quick ways to follow Barefoot and Loving It:

Shauna Follow @purplegyrl31

Link up and have fun checking out the other projects!

My First Time...Cooking Fried Calamari

Squid Bodies

Saturday morning was my alone time.  I went to Whole Foods to do a little shopping.  Along the fish section I saw a lot of great things including lobster, scallops, and squid.  Lobster was ten bucks a tail, so that was a no go for me.  I chose the squid because it would be a new adventure in cooking.  Three quarters of a pound turned out to be around $6.50.  

Flour Mixture

Grab some flour, salt, and pepper.  Mix it up.  Cut your squid bodies into 1/2 inch rings or whatever thickness you are happy with.  Toss the rings in your flour mixture.

Frying the Calamari

Drop the rings into oil.  I used vegetable oil.  I read that the oil should be 350 degrees.  I didn't check the degrees and just put the oil on medium heat.  Calamari cooks fast!  The first few rings I put in were cooked too long and that was only a minute.  So just keep your eye on them and do a few test batches.  

Fried Calamari with a Soy Chili Sauce

The end result...yummy!  Normally Fried Calamari is served with marinara sauce.  My husband mixed some San-J Organic Shoyu with chili sauce.  It made a nice, slightly spicy dipping sauce.  

Calamari in Olive Oil

There was a few bodies left and I decided to try it another way.  I heard on the Dr. Oz show that calamari cooked with some olive oil is a cancer preventative food.  They did a whole episode for all the good things to buy.  Here is a link to the list.  I actually loved this way of cooking the squid.  Addicted to olive oil?  Yes, just a little bit.  

Are you a seafood lover like me?  What will you try or not try?  

Wordless Wednesday Remembering Spain

Spain 2003

It's been 10 years since I was last in Europe, Spain to be exact.  I had gone with my two friends, Kate & Leah.  It was a beautiful vacation.  Someday I hope to bring my husband and children to one of my favorite places.  

Sweet Tooth Tuesdays

I'm very excited to be hosting the first ever Sweet Tooth Tuesdays! Have some fun and link up your sweet treat recipe, or anything that you have created (DIY, crafts, sewing, recipes, etc). I can't wait to check out all the creative projects. Feel free to share my link party with others, you will find my Sweet Tooth Tuesday button in my sidebar.

Please make sure and follow me to get updates and see who is featured! Each week I will share features on my social media sites (Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook) over the weekend once the party has ended. These features will also be displayed in the following week's party.

Here's a quick way to follow me on my social media sites:

Follow @sarahlynn630
Sarah Lynn's Sweets

I'm excited I also have a co-host for the party! Please welcome Shauna from Barefoot and Loving It.

Check out her blog for posts on parenting, baking, crafting, reviews, and more! We'd appreciate you following her as well. Here's a couple quick ways to follow Barefoot and Loving It:

Shauna

Link up and have fun checking out the other projects!

A Healthier Mac and Cheese

Annie's Mac & Cheese

I saw Annie's on sale at Target a few weeks ago.  Bought a few boxes of this healthier mac and cheese.  Growing up, I always enjoyed Kraft Mac and Cheese and if I were really lucky my dad would make me Velveeta.  I liked the Velveeta with the shells.  These days I am on the track of getting my family eating better.  Trying out different organic food products along the way.  Sometimes I find things I'm not too into, usually do to taste.  This time I found a company that I like and will continue to buy their products.  Go check out their mission statement page here.

Yummy In My Tummy

I had this for lunch and shared it with my daughter who is 10 months old.  We both really enjoyed it.  I feel safe and confident in feeding Annie's to my whole family.  Eating healthy and recycling are two ongoing goals of mine.  Do you try to eat organic?  If so, what are your favorite brands?

Wordless Wednesday Looking Back

They Grow Up To Fast

Noah in front of Bamboo Forest

My how time does fly.  I find myself saying that a lot these days.  My little boy is 4 now.  I think in these photos he was around 2 years old.  I now take my children to the same spots I hung out as a teenager.  

Nature Lovers

Noah and Mama

This past weekend we went to a couple of local parks and reserves.  My son enjoys feeding the ducks and walking around when it's nice out.  It always feels nice to get outside with the family.

Turtles On Some Branches

I know the pictures aren't in great focus.  This was all taken with my phone camera, which is better then the dinosaur camera I have at the moment.  The turtles on the branches were pretty neat to see.  We saw turtles at both parks.  

My Hubby Carrying Nia

Another thing I love...baby carriers.  Whether you have a sling or carrier, these things are so wonderful.  I didn't wear my son too much but use the carrier a lot more with my daughter.  

We had a lovely little weekend.  The Beatles were right on target with the song "All You Need Is Love".  My family makes my heart complete.

A Quick Breakfast Parfait

This weekend I decided to shop at Trader Joe's.  I like the fact that they say "No" to GMO products.  Our family is trying to get on a more organic and healthy meal plan.  I picked up some strawberries, granola, and vanilla yogurt.  Separately, I enjoy all three of these.  Together they make a yummy little parfait.  Perfect for me during breakfast because I can't eat too much in the morning.  

My Ingredients:

Vanilla Yogurt

Granola

Strawberries

Start layering your ingredients in a cup or glass of your choice.  Some yogurt, granola, yogurt, strawberries, and so forth.  The wonderful thing about parfait is creating your perfect combo.  You can use any type of fruit and yogurt you desire.  I was happy with the taste of all three mixing together.  Next time around I will choose regular yogurt instead of the nonfat yogurt.  It just seemed to thin for my taste.  The granola was a total hit, I can snack on that all day.

Cheers!

So the next time you want a quickie in the morning, and I do mean a quick breakfast treat, make yourself a parfait. 

Just Some Beso Fun

I was on my Beso Account today just browsing the different fashion finds.  They have a new theme every week where you can pick 10 items and publish them to your collection.  Browse the different categories and find products that you like.  This week's theme is The ten things that are always in my carry on bag.  While I don't have these exact items,  these are the things I would like in my carry on.  A girl can dream can't she?  

Update: beso website no longer exists

Viggle App

Do you have cable TV and a smartphone?  Than why not download the Viggle App.  Viggle is an app where you use your smartphone to check in to a TV show that you are watching.  You get points for what you watch and they usually have bonus points for Prime Time TV or special shows that they are promoting.  I don't use it too often but I am almost to the point where I can get a reward.  The Viggle Reward shop offers e-gift cards to places like Starbucks, Sephora, CVS,    Barnes and Noble, and much more.  I think I might use my points for a Sephora eGift Card.  

Ghirardelli Brownie Mix

This was our first time picking up a Ghirardeli Brownie Mix.  Usually we get the Duncan Hines brownie mix.  Ghirardelli is known for their chocolate and well, I'm a bit of a chocoholic.  I've gotten this box at my local grocery store but I have also seen them being sold at Target.  

Brownie a la mode

One of my favorite things to do with a warm brownie is to make it a la mode.  Put a little vanilla ice cream of your choice on top.  Maybe add some hot fudge or in this case I had some Hershey's syrup on hand.  My first bite was heavenly.  The Ghirardelli brownies are awesome.  The chocolate was intense but good and the cold vanilla ice cream made it perfect for my taste buds.  

Do you love brownies?  How do you eat your brownies?

My First Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday is nice because sometimes pictures speak louder then words.  I decided to give my cat a little Blog attention.  We got Chloe when she was a kitten.  Chloe is a polydactyl cat.  I've always loved her extra toes.  

Chloe Cat Curled Up

Trying to Claim the Diaper Bag 

Sleeping on Top of the Dresser