Excited about PIZZA!

Pizza is one of those things that gets a bad rap.  When you think of eating pizza, it's almost always associated with being unhealthy.  But that does not have to be the case!   While, yes, when you order pizza from your local delivery place, it is probably loaded with at least twice as much cheese as it needs, not to mention, often times, sausage and pepperoni.  Considering that there are 11 grams of fat and 135 calories JUST in the pepperoni that are on two pieces of pizza, plus who knows what goes in to making it, obviously it doesn't come off of the cow or pig like that.... (what is pepperoni made out of anyway??  I don't even know!) Yikes!  So obviously when you add up the sausage, pepperoni, heavy cheese, oil topped crusts also containing the unknown, it's not going to be good for your body.  One easy/obvious way to lighten it up if you're getting delivery is to ditch the processed meat products and opt for vegetable toppings instead.  Then ask for light cheese, and you've made an improvement.

But I like to make pizza at home, that way I can control what and how much of everything goes on, and I know all of the ingredients involved.  Often times I buy whole wheat pita bread and use those for the crust of individual size pizzas.  (as in, the whole round pocket, so you have to make sure you don't buy the ones that are already cut in half)  then I spread pizza sauce from a jar or even spaghetti sauce works just as well, and I usually put baby spinach on it and lightly steamed broccoli (because I always have those on hand, but I also add sauteed mushrooms and onions if I have them) and light cheese and pop them in the oven for about 5 mins, until the cheese is melted.  Tyler even likes this and it's fun for him because he can help make his own pizza.  :)    You can also buy a large pre-made pizza crust and make a family size pizza if you want something everyone can enjoy/share.  With those though, if you're eating clean, you'll want to make sure you buy one from your local natural food store, because the ones sold in regular grocery stores are full of crappy ingredients.  Also, I remember seeing ready-made dough for whole wheat pizza crust at Trader Joe's for $1 once, but I've never tried it. 

We've been enjoying homemade pizza for quite some time, and I can tell you, it tastes delicious, without leaving me feeling weighed down or feeling guilty for eating poorly.  But now I've found another pizza to make at home that's different and soooo delicious!!

BBQ Pizza with Black Beans & Corn!!!  This is awesome and so simple!!!

-1 Large Organic/natural pre-made pizza crust
-Organic/natural BBQ sauce 
-black beans (drained and rinsed if you're using canned, or cooked if you're using dried)
-Corn (either fresh off the cob, or frozen)
-Reduced fat/part skim mozarella cheese (Daiya Mozarella style would also be a good vegan option!)

Assemble in that order, put it in oven directly on the shelf, and bake until the cheese is melted.  Usually less than 10 minutes.

Some optional toppings you could add would be to sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro on top when it comes out, chopped tomatoes and even squeezing some fresh lime juice would be good!!  Red onions would also make a nice topping to go along with the black beans & corn.  This pizza is awesome, different, healthy and easy!!  I think it's something the whole family would love!