HEALTHY RECIPE: MAKE YOUR OWN LOW-FAT GARLIC VEGGIE PIZZA

Happy Friday!!!

I know I haven't done one of my healthy recipe posts in a LONG time, but that is about to change! Woot! Woot! LOL! I have been craving pizza for the past 2 weeks and finally decided to do something about it!

After work I headed to "Trader Joe's," a shopping chain in CA and parts of the US that has healthy, organic foods at really affordable prices, not to mention they have always been so friendly and helpful there! I picked up fresh spinach, sweet bell peppers, onions, garlic, pizza sauce, low-fat mix pizza blend cheese and fresh, whole grain garlic dough to make my very own oh so yummy veggie pizza!

Anwho, I thought I would share the making of it with you and include it in my Healthy Recipes Section to show you how you can eat a yummy pizza, but save a few calories and some money by making it yourself with fresh, healthy ingredients, and it is perfect for everyone, including vegetarians!

Make Your Own Healthy Veggie Pizza Recipe

What You Need:

White Flour

Fat-free cooking spray

1 Onion

1 Package of Mini Tricolored Sweet Bell Peppers

1 Bag of Spinach

Fresh or Minced Garlic

1 Bag of Low-Fat Mix Pizza Blend Cheese or Mozzarella

1 Can of Fat-free Pizza Sauce

Fresh Trader Joe's Garlic Pizza Dough or any Pizza Dough

Putting It Together:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

• Take pizza dough out of fridge to rest for 20 minutes.

• Dice onion, unless already chopped, and slice sweet bell peppers into thin strips.

• Flour counter surface and roll out pizza dough into a rectangle...or square or circle or heart or whatever floats your boat! :)

• Transfer dough onto a baking sheet or pizza baking stone sprayed with fat-free cooking spray.

• Pour a cup of the pizza sauce into a bowl and mix in a tablespoon or more...I love garlic!

• Spread thin layer of mixed pizza sauce on dough leaving a small boarder around the edges.

• Spread raw spinach leaves on the bottom.

• Sprinkle chopped onions on top of the spinach leaves.

• Sprinkle sliced sweet bell peppers on top of the spinach and onions, which adds great color!

• Sprinkle a small amount, doesn't need to cover the entire thing, of low-fat cheese to top off the pizza.

• Place it in the oven on the middle rack for 10 minutes.

• Check pizza after 10 minutes and keep an eye on it until it is heated through, cheese has melted and crust is golden brown, which was at about 12 minutes for me.

• Cut a slice, pair it with your favorite wine or a Diet Coke, another favorite of mine, and enjoy!

For me, pizza is always best paired with Diet Coke in my book, but also a glass of wine from time to time with friends. Since it is summer, I tried a Pinot Grigio since it is light, crisp, cool and refreshing, but I think a red might have paired a little better...and ultimately, a diet coke! LOL!

Always remember that if you don't like any of the above you can just keep them off and substitute or add loads of other fresh veggies to it...the options are endless! Plus, garlic and onions add so much flavor that you won't even know what you are eating is lower in fat and healthy!

Let me know what you think if you give it a try and what other recipes you would like to see healthier versions of or share your own!

People often mistake healthy, lower fat and calorie recipes for tasteless, but I assure you that it doesn't have to be the case, and if you make things like pizza at home you will also save money, which is what this blog is all about! :)

Oh yes, and yesterday was my Marvelous Mother's birthday and even though I didn't post yesterday, I wanted to say, "Happy, Happy Birthday, Mother!!!" :)

Have a Wonderful Weekend, Everyone, and don't forge to enter my Lona de Anna Graphic and Watercolor Prints Giveaway if you haven't already!

CURRENT GIVEAWAY: Lovely Graphic and Watercolor Prints from Lona de Anna...Enter Here if you haven't already!