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Family Fun at iT’Z Pizza Pasadena TX

Looking for family fun in the Houston area? iT’Z Pizza Pasadena TX is where it’s at. Endless pizza, pasta, salad, desserts, and more, plus video games, laser tag, bowling, bumper cars, and even a bar. iT’z the affordable place to be in Houston!

Endless Food at iT’Z Family Food & Fun

The minute you walk in the door, you’re greeted by a friendly staff where you can check in or buy your tickets for the day. Once the business-like stuff is over, it’s time to dive in…to endless food! Literally, endless pizza, salad, pasta, chicken, mashed potatoes, desserts, and more. It’s all buffet style, it’s replenished regularly, and even with my picky bunch (I’m probably the worst!), there’s plenty for everyone to eat.

Just so you know, I’m a pizza snob. A snob, I say. Growing up in upstate New York will do that to a person. That said, I like the pizza at iT’Z. It’s fresh, cheesy, plenty of toppings, and if they don’t have what you like, they’ll make you whatever you want (as long as they have the ingredients – don’t go all psycho on the topping choices!). I was super hungry so I got excited to see that they had a veggie pizza (my fave) with marinara. I have no clue why most pizza buffets use Alfredo for veggie pizzas. Duh, we’re vegetarians, we absolutely do like tomatoes! But I digress…

Of course, they have the meat lovers covered too. There were literally about 20 varieties of pizzas out at any given moment and all were fresh. You don’t get that over at the place with the mouse!

The salad is FRESH and there are so many options, from the lettuce to the toppings to the dressing. Soooo good! You can’t eat pizza without salad. It’s a scientific fact. I’m glad the folks at iT’Z gets that.

Can we just talk about this hummus for a sec? Creamy, rich, roasted red pepper hummus and pita chips. If you have an addictive personality, stay away from this hummus.

Just in case I haven’t talked about food enough (you’d think a 95-pound grown up woman could think of something else to talk about), there’s dessert. All the dessert. So many desserts. And did I mention it’s endless? That’s right. If you buy the Biggest Deal Package for just $28.99 each, you get unlimited video games, mini bowling, laser tag, and more, plus you get one free game of regular bowling with shoe rental AND unlimited food and fountain drinks….for the whole day. The whole day, people!

The fun starts here!

OK, sorry about all of the food talk, this girl was hangry when we got there, but the real fun starts here!

Why iT’Z Pasadena TX for us?

Well, here’s the thing. We live on an island, a tourist town, and although there is a lot to do in Galveston, we’ve pretty much done it all and sometimes we need a change of scenery. We don’t want to break the bank and we need to find something that two adults, a brassy tween cheerleader, and an elementary school straight A student can all enjoy. That’s a hefty task, but iT’Z offers us that. We can all have fun; together, alone, and in pairs. It’s a beautiful thing!

Eyes on the prize!

The straight A student is a serious gamer. Like, we all believe we’ll be living in wings of his mansion when he grows up. When he’s playing for tickets, it’s eyes on the prize, baby…EYES ON THE PRIZE! Note: If you buy the Biggest Deal Package, you get a $5 fun card which equals 20 points to play the ticket games.

The fun goes on forever. Air hockey, anyone?

Bubby would literally spend ALL DAY at laser tag. Well, he kinda did, but that’s OK because he had fun!

Bumper cars? You betcha!

Kylee loves hitting things, so the bumper cars are therapeutic for her.

Regular bowling is very colorful at iT’Z Pasadena TX.

But if handling 10-lb balls isn’t your thing (yes, I really said that), they have mini bowling too!

What’s in it for the adults?

For us, lots of shoot-em-up video games (don’t judge) are great. Stress relievers are fun and I oddly find shooting dinosaurs amazing! Also, at the end of the day, if you have a DD, there’s an adults-only bar outside of the bowling alley that you might want to stop by. Looks like a lot of fun!

Grab the deal and have some fun!

Not in the Pasadena TX area so you’re a little bummed about missing this deals and fun? They have locations in Euless TX and Willowbrook (Houston) TX too and you can take advantage of the fun and BOGO Biggest Deal savings right now at any of their locations. Buy one Biggest Deal at regular price ($28.99 plus tax) and get one Biggest Deal Free! All day food, fun, and family together time. It doesn’t get much better than that, so what are you waiting for?

Disclosure: I received a family 4-pack to iT’Z Family Food & Fun through a partnership with US Family Guide, however, all opinions are my own.

Are Your Boos Ready with Halloween Costumes?

By Christy Leave a Comment

Busy Mom Alert: You can still be your kids’ Halloween hero without leaving the couch! Did you know that there are affordable options for Halloween Costumes online? Just so you know, the kind folks at Oriental Trading® did send me costumes for this post, but the opinions are entirely my own.

Halloween! It’s everything, right? OK, it’s not Christmas, but it’s a really close second. I have a Halloween baby and it’s a big deal in my house. A really big deal. But what’s a busy mom to do when she wants to make sure her kids are clad in the best costumes in town, but she doesn’t have a bunch of time for shopping, traveling from shop to shop, or worrying about sizing? She turns to Oriental Trading®, of course, right from her couch! The fact that her kids look amazing on Halloween (OK, I’m talking about myself and my own kids here) is a true win. Want to be a Halloween hero this year, and every year, too? Follow my advice because these costumes are amazing, affordable, and SIMPLE for mom. I’m a Halloween hero and I didn’t even try!

See, just like with my Halloween decor, I logged into Oriental Trading®, and I let the kids do the work. They picked out their costumes, I pressed a button, and done. DONE. Ninja, Gothic Prom Queen, and skeletons…oh my. Oh, how I love my simple life!

Are Your Boos Ready with Halloween Costumes?

I ordered the costumes, headed to the dollar store to pick up some extra props, and I’m a Halloween hero without taking out a second mortgage. Seriously, this holiday stuff can get expensive if you don’t know where to shop! Plus, how cute is he? I know, I know…cute as a button, in a threatening sort of way, of course.

Plus, having all of the best (and affordable decor) for photo ops is amazing because we, as moms, need all of the pictures we can muster to savor every memory!

I can’t wait for the actual night of all Hallow’s Eve. With the outside decor, plus the amazing backdrops in the house, there are so many memories to be made and cherished for years to come. What are you waiting for? The clock is ticking. Halloween is JUST around the corner. Be a Halloween hero this year! Your kids will thank you for it, and so will your bank account!

The Best Low Sodium Cheese Steak Sandwiches

By Christy 2 Comments

Just so you know, I received some amazing soapstone cookware from UncommonGoods that allowed me to make the best Low Sodium Cheese Steak Sandwiches in under 30 minutes and share the recipe here with you today!

With the perfect mix of fresh and frozen foods, and the help of some magical soapstone cookware, these Low Sodium Cheese Steak Sandwiches are a satisfying and healthy weeknight meal that can be on your table in less than 30 minutes. Sautéed fresh onions, mushrooms, and peppers, along with glorious melted cheese, sit atop steak patties on a toasted bun covered in spicy mustard. Stop drooling. I know. This might just be the perfect meal, right? Something you’d find at your favorite deli? One of those greasy tabu indulgences that you only get to enjoy once a year? Yea, those.

But today’s your lucky day. You know why? Because this amazing sandwich is NOT greasy, it’s incredibly economical, it houses all of the required food groups (you’re welcome, moms), it’s low in sodium (your heart can thank me now), AND it all comes together in less than 30 minutes…in one pan. Seriously, if you’re a ninja in the kitchen, this meal will be on the table in 20 minutes, but I have to give you that fluff factor so you don’t hold me to that 20-minute thing.

The Best Low Sodium Cheese Steak Sandwiches

Author: Christy

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 6 mins

Total time: 11 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

6 Steak-umm® Sliced Steaks
½ Red Onion, sliced
1 Bell Pepper, sliced thin
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp Avocado Oil
4 slices Pepper Jack Cheese
4 Cheese Steak (or sub) Buns
1 tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard, optional

Instructions

In a soapstone sauté pan, heat avocado oil on low heat.
Slice vegetables and place in pan with spices, heat for 5 minutes until tender, and remove from pan and set aside.
Place 2 steak slices in pan and cook on one side for 1 minute, flip, cook another 15 seconds, then cut into slices.
Add ¼ of the vegetable mixture back into pan with the steak slices and top with one slice of cheese; heat until melted.
Place cheese steak mixture on a toasted bun with mustard (optional) and enjoy the awesome.
Repeat for each sandwich.

Notes

The average Cheese Steak Sandwich has approximately 1200 mg sodium, 600 calories, 60 grams carb, 90 mg cholesterol.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 sandwich Calories: 517 Fat: 30 g Carbohydrates: 37 g Sodium: 492 mg Cholesterol: 70 mg

Oh, so you say YOU can cook the perfect Cheese Steak Sandwich and you can make yours lower in sodium than traditional recipes too? Good for you and I’d love to try your recipe (please share your recipe with me), but I’m going to be pretty bold and pompous here when I tell you that I’m pretty certain that yours can’t cook as evenly and perfectly as mine. Don’t get mad. It’s not you, it’s me and my new magical cookware that cooks perfectly and evenly every time, even without my help.

Perfectly sautéed steak patties, red onions, bell peppers, and fresh mushrooms, all covered in melted cheese in one beautiful soapstone pan from UncommonGoods that’s easy to clean up and cooks effortlessly and evenly every single time. You see, these pans give family meals an Old World upgrade with their handcrafted beauty (as in, they’re so pretty, I leave them on my countertop as decorations when I’m not using them). Highlighted with hammered copper handles, this soapstone design serves as a timeless oven (or stove top) to table essential. Soapstone emits no odor and is able to withstand temperatures of up to 1832ºF (you never cook that high, no need to look that up), making it a versatile addition to your cooking arsenal. I’m in love and I don’t care who knows (Elf reference intended…it’s always Christmas here)!

Now, before I leave you with your drooling, I know you can Google soapstone cookware (YOU NEED THIS STUFF) and find it a little bit cheaper than my set (yes, I have a set…don’t hate), but there are reasons why I associate myself with certain brands and I do my homework so you don’t have to. Don’t buy from those other guys (PLEASE?!?!) because UncommonGoods is committed to offering you a creative and exciting merchandise assortment (they have SO much stuff) and are working with their suppliers – from artists to small manufacturers – to make their products in a more socially and environmentally responsible manner. AND they have a Better to Give Program that they started in 2001, which allows you to select a non-profit organization to receive a $1 donation from them at checkout. You’re welcome.

If you think you have the “perfect” Cheese Steak Sandwich recipe, please share it with me here. If you think your cookware for your perfect sandwich is better than mine, I challenge you to a cook-off. Now, what other low sodium recipes can we cook in our new cookware? I’d love to try your recipes, so be sure to share!