Afternoon Delight: No-Guilt Pizza

I made the most amazing lunch today that I just had to share. As you can tell by this picture of our pizza stone, we make homemade pizza A LOT in our house.

However, the delicious crust made by my wonderful boyfriend is a little too carb heavy and makes me feel full and a little guilty (because it's so delicious you can't stop at just a little!). So, I've been limiting the amount of pizza allowed in our house. Sometimes it's okay to indulge. But today, I discovered a simple way to make a personal pizza that is just as yummy and a lot better for you, so you can eat it more often! 

You'll need a pizza stone. There is probably another way to make it, if you don't have a pizza stone, but I can't tell you exactly how. Feel free to experiment with different techniques! But if you would like to purchase a pizza stone, I got mine for $10 at Big Lots. It might be worth it to just go on out and buy one. Trust me, you'll want to make this personal pizza again and again. At least I know I will.

Then, you'll need your pizza ingredients. Whatever you would like to put on your pizza. I chose to make a caprese style (my favorite!). 

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Tomato

Spinach

Mushrooms

Fresh Mozzarella

Basil

Ancient Grains Tortilla (Any whole grain wrap would work! I just love these. They are made with a blend of whole grain wheat, spelt, kamut, amaranth, quinoa, millet, and flaxseed. I bought them at Giant Eagle!)

 First, you need to preheat your oven to 450 with the pizza stone on the bottom rack while the oven heats up. Meanwhile, you can prepare your ingredients. If you have a flat baking sheet, that is perfect to prepare your pizza on so that you can just slide it onto the pizza stone. I don't have a flat baking sheet, so I just prepared the pizza right on the pizza stone after it heats up. If you do it this way, you just have to be careful because the stone will be very hot so the tortilla will start cooking immediately. It's not a problem, you just have to be quick in putting on your ingredients and be careful not to burn yourself. I did it this way, and it turned out just fine.   

Once the oven is preheated, pull out the stone. If you have a baking sheet, carefully slide the constructed pizza onto the stone and place back in the oven. If you are constructing on the pizza stone like I did, carefully place the tortilla on the pizza stone and begin construction. First, drizzle olive oil (or sauce of your choice) onto the tortilla. Use a brush or your fingers to evenly spread the oil across the tortilla. Just be careful because the tortilla will start to heat up at this point. Also, make sure to not put too much olive oil; you don't want your crust to be soggy. After the olive oil, add the rest of your ingredients. I laid down the spinach first, then tomatoes and mushrooms, and lastly I spread the fresh mozzarella chunks sporadically across the tortilla so that when it melts, it will cover most of my pizza. You don't want to put the basil on until after the pizza is done cooking.

Once the pizza is constructed and on the pizza stone, you put it in the oven for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortilla starts to brown around the edges. Take out of the oven and immediately move the pizza to a cool pan or plate. You can use your flat baking sheet to move it off by lifting an edge of the pizza and sliding the baking sheet under it. Or you can use two large spatulas, like I did, to transfer it to a plate. Then you can add your basil, maybe sprinkle it with parmesan cheese or whatever else you would like, and you're done!

Look how beautiful?!

All that's left to do is cut and enjoy. Easy, right? And I promise, it was delicious.

It's a beautiful day here in Ohio, so I took my pizza outside to eat in the sunshine. I enjoyed mine with a big glass of ice water and some grapes on the side.  I can't wait to make this again and again. I hope you guys try it out and enjoy it as much as I did!!!