Skinnier 'za

Do the humpty hump. Pretty happy its hump around here. After a long traveling weekend, it takes a bit to get this girl back in the grind routine. Monday and Tuesday consisted of work and workouts, dinner, promptly followed by the couch for some recovery. The rest was needed. But I'm rejuvenated halfway through the week and am looking forward to a friend's jewelry party tonight for some lady time.

 

With Main Man's recent report from the Dr, we've had to change up some of our habits/traditions/regulars around the house....like Sunday night pizza from Casey's (the gas station chain, if you're not from the midwest). It's the best pizza ever, you guys! Their taco pizza has Doritos on it instead of tortilla chips....yeah, they went there. Their canadian bacon and mushroom is my fave, but Main Man likes sausage and banana peppers. But let's be real, I'll eat whatever is in the sell by the slice case when I walk by...there's so much yummy cheese, and I really think it's their sauce that does it for me. Sauce is the most important part, if you ask me, and you should ask me because I fancy myself a pizza expert.

 

Alas, pizza at home is the way to go if you're watching calories, fat, or cholesterol. I cringed when I looked up a slice of Casey's pizza on their nutrition page of the website a while back. The stuff is made by the devil himself, I swear. Soooooo good, but soooooo bad for you. But you gotta kill the cravings somehow, so we've started making our own pies, so we know what's on 'em and in 'em. 

 

We went with a thin multi-grain crust from Whole Foods...it was organic and the fat stats were the best I've found to date. Also, the pre-made crusts sometimes come out cardboardy and/or chewy, and generally don't have great taste to them. This pre-made crust was the exception to that rule...

 

 

The other big switch you can't pull on an ordered pizza (don't ask me why) is turkey pepperoni. I'm telling you, if you can taste the difference, I will send you a high five in the mail. I make awesome paper high fives. You want one, believe me.

 

I have always used Contadina pizza sauce in the squeeze bottle as I've done the taste testing R&D, and it always takes the cake. Or the pie, it takes the pie.

 

The next trick? Pile that pizza pie high with veggies like spinach, peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, garlic, olives, and whatever else you like in your face. The more veggies, the more flavor and nutrients you're packing into each slice...that way you can use a lighter sprinkling of the cheese, and that's what brings alot of the fat and calories with each mouthful. Top with a generous sprinkling of Italian seasoning and you have yourself a pizzaria fresh, craving killer pizza pie, that is a fraction of the guilt that a takeout would be...with no taste sacrifice. Go ahead and try it...I'm accepting paper high fives in thanks.