Making PEACE with PIZZA (recipe inside!)
Who likes pizza? (Big hand raised here!)
If you’re like many people, the idea of eating pizza might stir up a few emotions for you. Maybe you think of it as a “bad” food, or one that you will feel guilty for eating. Maybe you don’t trust yourself to eat pizza because its been off limits for a while and you believe you will overeat on it. Maybe you only give yourself permission to eat pizza on days when you work out or think you “deserve” it.
These are all common, and understandable, beliefs to have. But what I want to emphasize is that they aren’t helpful.
If you’ve spent any time on my website or social media, you know that I am super passionate about helping others find FREEDOM associated with food, eating, and their bodies. I implement the principles of Intuitive Eating with many of the people I work with because I am SO passionate about it and have seen both first and secondhand the transformative power it has in people’s lives and health (including my own).
The 3rd principle of Intuitive Eating is to make PEACE with food. This means giving yourself unconditional permission to eat what you want (including pizza). Beating yourself up for eating certain foods leads to guilt and shame, which often leads to deprivation, followed by cravings, and eventual overeating. It’s a vicious cycle, and it may sound familiar.
But this post isn’t just about Intuitive Eating.
It’s about highlighting one of my favorite foods….PIZZA! While I am a firm believer that “all foods fit”, I am also super passionate about health and wellness and enjoy creating healthier versions of foods I love, not because they need to be “low carb” or “low fat” (that's definitely not true), but because I genuinely ENJOY maximizing the nutrition I take in.
Enter this pizza recipe…
It’s made with a cauliflower crust, which is just another way to get those extra veggies in (& also makes for a great gluten free option for those who need it). Now, I have nothing against eating a wheat based crust (I do so often), but as I mentioned, sometimes I like to experiment with making recipes even a little bit healthier, not because I have to, but because I want to. You can absolutely make this same recipe using a wheat based crust, just follow baking instructions specific to that alternate crust.
I have tried a lot of cauliflower pizza crusts, and not many have worked out well for me. They either fell apart, never got crispy, or just didn’t bake into a “pizza” like I wanted. But then I tried Cali’flour crusts, and now I’m a believer! The trick is that you have to bake it specifically according to the instructions outlined in this post, or else it won’t work out right.
Recipe below (Serves 2-3, or however hungry you are)
2 frozen Cali’flour pizza crusts (do not thaw!)*
Sauce as preferred (I used marinara here but you can use pesto, hummus, alfredo, or whatever sounds good)
Sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil (may use dried if needed, but fresh is always best)
Extra protein option if desired (I used Trader Joes #organic italian chicken sausage)
TONS of your favorite veggies as toppings. My personal favorites are a combination of sliced red onion, sun dried tomatoes*, chopped fresh broccoli or zucchini, spinach, diced bell peppers, and artichoke hearts. (*Note that sun dried tomatoes should be added after baking to avoid burning)
(Optional) Balsamic glaze to drizzle on top (I’m a sucker for this stuff!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray 2 vented pizza pans (the kind with holes in the bottom) with cooking spray and place each frozen cali’flour crust on them. Bake for 10 mins when the oven is heated.
Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 8-10 mins. This is very important since it allows the crust to crisp up to prevent falling apart when you top it.
Turn the oven setting to broil and then begin topping your pizzas as desired. Try not to overload it or it will become too heavy.
Broil prepared pizza for 3-4 mins and remove from the oven. Let cool for another couple of minutes before slicing and enjoying!
*May sub wheat-based crust as desired, just follow those unique baking instructions
If you’re interested in trying Cali’flour Pizza Crust (or any of their other products!) head to this link: https://glnk.io/9pw/joannafoleynutrition and be sure to use code JFN10 for 10% off of your order!