Pizza! Pizza! (But Without All the Calories, Fat, and "Bad" Carbs)


Eating healthy does NOT have to be boring.

In fact, healthy "substitute" foods are pointless if they don't taste good because we won't eat them, at least more than once.

If I'm going to sacrifice real-deal full fat pizza for something healthy, I want to enjoy it. I also want it to be easy to fix, and I don't want to make my own pizza dough. Cooking, I'm afraid, is not my passion.

Eating is, though.

Thanks to Kevin and Shari, "Monday Masters" Weight Watchers' members at the York, Pennsylvania, chapter (Commerce Plaza), I have discovered a product so amazing that building a tasty, low-cal, low-points pizza is a cinch: Flatout Flatbread (pictured above, straight from my refrig to my scanner).

The recipe is fast and easy: from refrig to plate, about 30-35 minutes, depending how fancy you want your pizza.

I'll just give you a basic 5-point recipe (200 calories), and you can tweak it to your own tastes (for example, I like more spices and a sweeter sauce, which can be accomplished with artificial sweetner).

For two servings, ingredients needed:
--2 Flatout flatbreads.

--16 turkey pepperoni slices (low fat).

--1/2 cup of pizza sauce.
I look for sauce without added corn/cane sugar. Don't get me wrong: I'm not anti-sugar, just anti hidden sugar. But, again, it's your choice. The points and calories are basically the same.
--56 grams (about 2 ounces) non-fat Mozzarella.
If you prefer low fat or even full-fat cheese, it will cost more calories/points.
--Chopped sweet onions to taste (optional).

--Any other veggies that you would like (optional).
Instructions:
--Before gathering your ingredients, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

--Spray a large cookie sheet (or two smaller ones) and place the Flatout flatbreads on it/them.

--In a small non-stick pan, sprayed with oil, saute the onions and any additional seasonings (basil and oregano) until browned. You could skip this step by placing the raw onions directly on the pizza.

--To the sauteed onions, add pizza sauce and 1/2 cup of water. If you like a sweeter sauce, add 1 or 2 packets of artificial sweetner to the sauce. Cook until onions are soft and some of the water has cooked away.

--After the sauce has thickened up a bit, spread equal amounts of the sauce on each Flatout, leaving a small edge all around.

--Sprinkle 28 grams of Mozzarella cheese on each Flatout.

--Place 8 turkey pepperoni slices on each Flatout.
If you would like more meat or cheese, you can add 8 more pepperoni slices (1 additional point, 35 calories) and/or 28 additional grams of cheese (1 additional point, 45 calories).
--Add any other veggies you like, such as peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, etc.

--For a crispy crust, bake for about 20 minutes. If you like a softer crust, you will need to experiment with your baking time.
Nutrition facts for the basic 5-point/200-calorie recipe (not including the chopped onion):
--Fat: 5.5g (less than 1g saturated fat)

--Fiber: 10g

--Carbs: 23.5g

--Protein: 23.5g
In addition to the Flatout flatbread, I used the following brands: Ragu 100% Natural Pizza Sauce (jar), Margherita Turkey Pepperoni, and Kraft Fat Free Mozzarella cheese. You may be able to find comparable alternate brands or generic versions of these products.

This pizza tasted so good that I would not hesitate to order it in a restaurant; it's also a substantial meal that looks attractive, one of the few times you will have to use a large plate.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: On Weight Watchers (and perhaps on some other programs), no food is deemed "illegal," and if you love regular pizza, it's okay to enjoy it--within reason.

However, this "diet" pizza--dare I say this 4-letter word?--is totally healthy and great for everyday meals and cravings.

If you have tried this recipe, let me know how you liked it (or didn't like it).

Later!

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