Red White & Green Striped Pizza

I see a lot of people/fitness experts encouraging eating small meals every 2-3 hours which is fine I suppose if you like that and it works for you.  Me?  No thanks.  I went that route my whole life and all it did most of the time was leave me even hungrier than when I first started eating.  Or if I did find myself satisfied after a baby meal of 100-300 calories, I was guaranteed to be starving within an hour or so.  This does not make for a happy me throughout the day.  I HATE that feeling of eating, wanting more, and never truly feeling satiety throughout the day.  I HATE feeling like I’m an animal thats ready to rip someones head off if I don’t get something into my stomach.  My family can vouch for falling victim to my “snaps” on occasion.

My remedy?  BIGGER and less frequent meals.  I also consider myself an expert VOLUME eater now which basically means that I always try and maximize the amount of food I’m eating at each sitting using ingredients that produce the most bang for my buck so to speak.  Now I eat 2-3 bigger meals a day (maybe 400-600 calories each) and then graze here and there on snacks like popcorn, chips, baked treats I’ve made, nuts, fruit, yogurt, cereal, etc.  This just suits me better and I don’t have to ever worry about still feeling hungry when I take my last bite of food.  I’m always absolutely full and satisfied after every meal AND can easily last 4-5 hours without feeling overly hungry or wanting to kill someone.  My family likes me much better this way as well.

Of course vegetables are my #1 go to food for providing you with tons of food (volume) for not a lot of calories, I still try and find products and substitutions anytime I can for variety.   That’s what volume eaters do!  A couple of months ago, when I discovered the Thin Slim Foods company, I was absolutely intrigued with their line of products.  I found great variety with what the company offered, everything from muffins to brownies to breads & buns, bagels, and even PIZZA dough!   What?  A low carb pizza dough?   Wait huh?  No way.  As soon as I saw it on their site, I knew it would soon be mine.  Unfortunately for me, it was all sold out when I placed my original order so I had to wait a few weeks for it to be restocked.  No problem though, the sampler pack I got held me over with goodies until I was able to place another order right when the pizza dough was restocked!!!

**  FYI… Buns, onion pockets, and bread are HIGHLY recommended!  I’ve actually replaced any and all buns I would normally eat with Thin Slim Foods at this point.  Instead of one regular bun I would be using for a meal, I can now have TWO if I wanted OR fill my macros with other food if I wanted.  There is a link in the sidebar here on my blog for you to get 50% OFF your first sampler pack as well!!!  Definitely take advantage of that… if you are dieting right now and need some bread in your life but don’t have a lot of macros to spare, do yourself this favor!!! **

Anyways, while hamburgers will always & forever have my heart, I’ve been known to put away a few slices of pizza here and there as well.  BBQ chicken is probably my favorite with a Hawaiian pizza very close behind.  I’ve also never been steered wrong with a good old Margherita style pie.  So, as soon as my second Thin Slim Foods order arrived with my highly anticipated pizza dough, I had already decided what flavors I would be going with.  I could have gone with one of my classic favorites, but with macros like the ones on this crust?

Yeah, get a load of this…

CRAZY right?  Yup, this is certainly a VOLUME food and I am more than happy to keep all of it to myself which means I can get a little more exotic with my meal without having to worry if a husband or kid won’t like something.  Mine all mine!!!!  I decided on a pesto, marinara, chicken combination!  Again, because I had to wait a few weeks for the dough to be restocked and shipped anyways, I was able to plan ahead and prep most of my toppings a few days before my order even arrived!  Because everything was prepped, I was literally eating my pizza within 1/2 an hour of the post man leaving my door.

This is what you will need for my “Red White & Green Striped Pizza”

** recipes for my sauces are at the bottom of this post **

1. Thin Slim Foods Pizza Dough

2. Pesto sauce (GREAT sauce for meal/food prep that can be used on pizza, pasta, sandwiches, etc.)

3. 3/4 cup marinara sauce (GREAT meal/food prep sauce.  I double or triple my batches, use a portion for a family meal/dinner, then store a jar in the fridge and/or one in the freezer.)

4. Chicken breast (I prep 4-6 chicken breasts either on the grill or in the crockpot every Sunday and then again on Wednesday for a quick and easy protein option I can use in meals, sandwiches, salads, etc. during the week.)

5. Medium tomato (thinly sliced)

6. 1/2 cup fat free shredded mozzarella cheese

7. 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

8. A few pieces of greens of choice for garnish and extra burst of flavor (arugula or basil would be best)

METHOD:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and place a pizza stone in the center of your oven if you have/want to use one
• Spoon marinara sauce over crust leaving a 1″ border on the edges
• Add chicken
• Add mozzarella cheese
• Add sliced tomatoes
• Drizzle with pesto sauce
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
• Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how toasted and crisp you want the edges
• Garnish with greens

And this is was my finished product… so much good all over the place AND it was ALL mine!

Quick & Easy Pesto

Print recipe

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 60g basil
• 25g arugula
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons reduced fat parmesan cheese
• 4-5 tablespoons water

Directions

Step 1
	In a small food processor, combine pine nuts, basil, arugula, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Blend until smooth and add water according to how thick/thin you want your sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (makes 4 small servings): calories- 113, carbs- 3 grams, protein- 3 grams, fat- 10 grams (per serving)

Basic Marinara

Print recipe

Ingredients

• 1 medium slice carrot
• 1 Small onion
• 1 Large clove garlic
• 1/4 cup white or red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 14 1/2oz can diced tomatoes
• 28oz can crushed tomatoes

Directions

Step 1
	Heat a large sauce pan under medium heat and spray with non stick spray.
Step 2
	Roughly chop carrot, onion, and garlic.
Step 3
	Saute carrot and onion in pan for 3-5 minutes until slightly softened. Add garlic and stir for another 1-2 minutes.
Step 4
	Stir in tomato paste to coat the carrot, onion, and garlic. Add all of the spices.
Step 5
	Add the wine and cook for 1-2 minutes until liquid is dissolved.
Step 6
	Add in diced and crushed tomatoes. Stir until combined, cover, and let simmer under low heat for 15-20 minutes.
Step 7
	Adjust seasonings to taste.