September marks the official return to school! That means busier days and what might seem like not enough time to prepare a healthy meal for the kids. When hungry children and lack of time are issues,

it’s easy to fall back on pizza as the go-to meal. However, as parents, you may be a little wary of serving pizza because of the nutritional value, or lack thereof. If so, we’ve got good news for you! Pizza doesn’t have to be unhealthy.

Make Your Own Crust!

Making a healthy pizza is pretty easy and it’s also a cost-saver. If you have flour (whole wheat or unbleached are preferred), you have the main ingredient needed to make your own pizza crust. If you don’t have flour, use English muffins, flat or pita bread, or French bread for the crust. If you’re really pressed for time, buy a pre-made whole wheat pizza crust from your local grocer.

When making your crust, don’t be afraid to let the kids help. Many important nutrition related lessons and habits can be taught over making pizza crust together!

Sauce

Use a tomato-based sauce or fresh tomatoes and blend them together to make a tasty pizza sauce. Add fresh or frozen vegetables to the sauce and use a blender to mix the vegetables into the sauce.

Toppings

Now the fun part begins! Choose your favorite toppings to make the perfect pizza for you and your family. Use a low-fat cheese, like part-skim mozzarella, as part of your toppings. Add your favorite fruits and/or vegetables and you’re almost done!

If you want a little protein on your pizza, use a lean meat source and spread it out so that you don’t add

more meat than you want.

Conclusion

Making your own pizza can not only be a good bonding experience, but it can also provide you with a much healthier (yet still tasty) pizza that your family will love!

Recipes

Adapted from https://whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/

Homemade Pizza Crust (4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon rapid rise yeast

½ cup lukewarm water

¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon oil

1 cup flour (approximately)

Directions:

1. Mix yeast, water, salt, and oil. Add about 1 cup flour to make a stiff dough. The amount of flour may vary slightly.

2. Knead the dough until it is very elastic (will stretch and not make a hole).

3. Form your dough into a thin or thick crust as desired. Lay it on a greased baking sheet to rise while you prepare toppings for pizza.

4. Bake at 400°F with desired toppings until crust is browned and top is bubbly.

Note: Pizza can be topped with sauce, mozzarella cheese, vegetables, and cooked meats.

137 calories, 2g Total Fat, 0g Saturated Fat, 5g Protein, 148 mg Sodium, 25g Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber

Anytime Pizza (2 servings)

Ingredients:

¼ mini baguette or Italian bread (split lengthwise or 2 split English muffins)

½ cup of pizza sauce

½ cup of mozzarella (part-skim) or cheddar cheese (low-fat), shredded

¼ cup green pepper, chopped

¼ cup of mushrooms (fresh or canned, sliced), and vegetable toppings (other as desired) Italian seasoning (optional)

Directions:

1. Toast the bread or English muffin until slightly brown.

2. Top the bread or muffin with pizza sauce, cheese, and vegetables.

3. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning (optional).

4. Return the bread to the oven at 350°F.

5. Heat until the cheese melts.

180 calories, 7g Total Fat, 3g Saturated Fat, 11g Protein, 502 mg Sodium, 18g Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 251 mg Calcium