Monday, November 7, 2011

GUILT FREE pizza & 50 calorie muffins!...

I am so happy with these little pizzas that I have to share what I did.

I am one of those eaters who wants to LIKE what I eat, and that is half the battle when weight loss or maintenance is a factor. I LOVE good food, and if it's healthy and low calorie, bring it on!

The other goal is to have the sense of feeling full, not hungry. These pizza's make you feel full and satisfied!

These pizzas were probably someone else's idea, but I have added my own twist, and here's what I did. There is very little fat, and it's full of veggies, which I tend to ignore sometimes, as well as very low calorie...

one pkg. of whole wheat pita breads
bottled spagetti sauce

add as much or little of whatever you like the best of these ingredients:

fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
can of artichoke hearts, chopped
purple onion sliced very thin
mushrooms, also sliced thin
zuccini sliced thin
red & green bell peppers, thin
or any other veggie you like, asparagus, broccoli, etc.
(if you like it better stir fried, toss all the slices into a pan with pam and saute them a couple of minutes first)

add sprinkles of bottled red pepper flakes

(My hubby likes sliced black olives so I added some of those too)

fresh grated parmesan cheese sprinkled lightly over the top of the whole thing. (bottled is fine too)

If you want the extra protein, I add browned Laura's Lean Ground beef sprinkles over the top, or pre-cooked chicken cut into pieces, Both are delicious additions. (add the calories accordingly, but it's protein, so it's good!)

Bake on cookie sheet at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

Slice each pizza into 4, and you can have 2 whole pizzas for about 400 calories!! Or just one with some soup or fruit. Now THIS is the way to eat when you want to be both leaner and healthier!

It's crispy and just perfect! Each pita is 150 calories, (check the cal. on the pkg., they can varie) the only additional is the small amount of sauce and the parm. sprinkles... I never even count the veggies. I am always on the hunt for healthy, filling, very low fat and calories but also delicous things to eat. This one is perfect!




This is a recipe that my mother made all through the years.

It is LOADED with health, and it tastes declicious. I make the little muffins, 24 makes one recipe, or 12 regular. Regular works out to about 50 calories each, or 2 little ones for 50 calories. I have 2 little ones for breakfast.

God is interested in the 'whole man', and that includes what I eat, not to mention how MUCH of it I eat. I know that eating right makes me happier, healthier and more confident. Good grief! I sound like one of those rah rah people who 'preach' fitness. If you knew my track record with 'this issue', you would be laughing out loud with me right now!

SIDE NOTE: My husband does NOT like bran ("shredded hay"... OR raisins, but he asks for these muffins all the time! :)

Try these, and let me know if you like them.




17 comments:

Deborah Ann said...

These recipes look awesome! I haven't had much time in the kitchen lately, been living on Lean Cuisine. They have some pretty good dishes!

Marsha Young said...

Sonja - They sound terrific! I love bran muffins and so does the LOC, so when I get a chance I will have to try these. :)

Saleslady371 said...

These look tasty! I love to try new recipes and we like bran muffins here! Thank you for sharing.

Maryann said...

Both recipes look good, like the idea of using a pita for a pizza shell, each person can dress theirs as they like, quick and easy.

Felisol said...

I love the expression "guilt free food".
I attended a family party yesterday. It was guilt all over the line and heaps of it.
I had to taste some of the cakes ..and deal with the guilt when I came home. After all, it was all home made food.
In Norway we have this thing called butter bread (smørbrød)also used for old fashioned party food. My brother in law makes the most wonderful butter bread with heaps of shrimp on white fish pudding. Real tasty and at least no sugar.

I definitely have to try that pizza once. Guilt free and gluten free.

Kathleen said...

I've gotta try these recipes! In recent months, I've gained back half of the weight I lost two years ago. So now I'm doing my level best to watch what I eat. I'll be watching these mini-pizzas, that's for sure!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Oh dearest, PIZZA is my favorite food of all time. I developed a recipe way back but it was NOT low calorie, although I used nothing but veggies. The calorie load was in the WW flour crust. It was just the volume of dough I used for each pizza....Chicago style deep dish! But the older I get and the less GLUTEN and STARCH I need to ingest put the KABOSH on my nightly pizza feasts! But the broccoli, onions, garlic, tomato sauce and WALNUTS...oh yes, you heard me, WALNUTS..was a treat and sooo good. Now I just eat all of that on a pita!!!

ENJOY! Anita

Anonymous said...

Yum.

LisaShaw said...

Oh boy Sonja, I tried so hard to get my hands around that pizza! Sadly I wouldn't be able to get it down but it looks so good! I will have to add that to my list for future eats!!

Thanks for sharing!!!

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Okay...convicted. I am getting to the gym, but still not eating right. So this now means I can't eat that cream cheese pumpkin bread I just made?

Thanks for the prayers on the baby. She will not survive outside the womb, so continue your prayers for her precious parents, as they walk through the last months of pregnancy.

Just Be Real said...

I can certainly enjoy that pizza. Sonja, thank you always for your encouraging words. Blessings.

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Always on the look out for healthy recipes! I never thought of using pita bread for pizza creations. Love this.

Thanks!

~elaine

Andrea said...

Looks and sounds wonderful. I love pizza, but rarely eat it, b/c most of them are so unhealthy. I love this option.

Hugs,
andrea

Sharon said...

Delicious and low-calorie?? Isn't that the recipe for heaven on earth?!

Yes, we should watch what goes INTO our mouths, AND what comes OUT of it as well!

GOD BLESS!

myletterstoemily said...

yum, yum, yum! i will so be copying these!!

i came over to tell you that i laughed out loud
at your comment at my place. you're not a
dallas cowboy cheerleader? bummer.

Debbie said...

The pizzas look wonderful, and I want to try them. I am just like you in that I want to like what I eat and I want to feel full.

I loved the little notation about the sugar free maple syrup substitution for the honey. I want to try your recipe, and I definitely want to try that substitution since I always have a SF maple syrup around here.

Debbie Petras said...

Thank you for sharing these recipes with us Sonja! Don't you just love to make some of your mother's favorites and to use the recipe cards she used. I have my mom's 3X5 cards with her favorite recipes. Many of them are typed but some of them are hand written and I especially treasure them.

Love you,
Debbie