Have you found a suitable replacement for take out pizza?
 

My family usually orders take out pizza from Pizza Hut or Papa John's at least 3x/month. I love pizza. I can't resist having some when we get it. But I log everything, so I know how much fat/calories/carbs/sodium are in a slice, and then I have guilt and regret when I'm done. I've been on a quest for a suitable replacement so that I can get a taste of pizza without all the crap that comes along with it.

I recently made a crustless pizza, where the crust was made with a couple eggs and cream cheese. You had to eat it with a fork...couldn't pick it up, but it tasted really good. And then when I calculated all the calories, holy crow was I ever shocked! Definitely very low in carbs, but the calories were astronomical.

Then I got some Xtreme Wellness low carb/high fiber tortillas. I gave each side of it a quick spray with pan spray, put in the oven and got it crispy on both sides. Used some jarred sauce, and some mozzarella cheese and thought I'd made myself a healthy pizza. Boy, was I ever wrong. One slice of Pizza Hut hand tossed cheese pizza has 320 calories, 12g fat, 6g sat. fat., 38g carbs and 15g protein. One of my little tortillas was even worse with 350 calories, 21.5g fat, 11.5g sat. fat., and it was better on carbs with 21 and better on protein with 19. What the heck??? So much for that idea.

Question is, have you found any good alternatives to take out pizza? I would love to hear your ideas. Pizza night is coming quick.

Wow, that sounds like a lot of calories for a pizza with the Ole tortillas! If you're going to spend calories, might as well have Pizza Hut, right?

I have been back and forth on this, using tortillas, skim milk cheese, etc, etc. But personally, I don't think there's a way to make low cal pizza that tastes good, so I'm interested in what people will post.

I make pizza at home mostly when we have it, unless it's a rush night and we're on the verge of starving or running out the door...you know those nights. I use this: Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe - Allrecipes.com (I change the proportions of white and wheat to include a bit more wheat, but not all wheat bcs it gets too hard, and I roll it thin enough to do 2 pizzas) and then for the sauce, I just take a can of crushed tomatoes and add spices (oregano, basil, red pepper, black pepper). I usually use fresh mozzarella, but sparingly. The 2% cheese is okay; I've done it that way, too, but usually prefer the way the fresh mozz tastes. Also, putting veggies on it helps bulk it up without many calories, but I tend to be a purist and just do the cheese and fresh basil.

Calorie-wise mine comes out to like 470 for 2 slices, and they are plenty filling, especially when adding a salad. And I always know ahead of time when we are having it so I can adjust the rest of the day for carbs, etc.

Hope to hear some other ideas as well; this is just what I do.

We have pizza night twice a month. I use a whole grain flat bread for the crust. I don't generally like meat on my pizza anyway, so I usually just have some roasted veggies and crumbled goat cheese, maybe a few olives. I try to buy a lower sodium organic sauce, and add some fresh basil. It is yummy and nutritious so I don't feel guilty about it even though there is a bit more carbs then I would normally eat in one meal. And at our local farmer's market there is some really yummy lean turkey pepperoni, if I ever feel the desire for some meat on my pizza.

My family use to be really big on eating frozen pizza. We would eat it weekly. Now that I'm making changes to what I'm eating, I have replaced the frozen pizza whole pizza's with the lean pizza hot pockets.

Try to find a store where you can buy pizza dough to cook at home.My store sells it in plastic bags.
You can have fun making your own pizza, and cut down on the higher calorie ingredients.
Put more sauce, and vegetables on it.Use some flavorful smoked ham from the deli counter, not greasy pepperoni.Lower fat cheese.
Buy a pizza pan if you don't own one.They make it easy to make a great pizza.
It's easier to order.But it's fun, and way better for you to make your own pizza at home.

Also, I can highly recommend a pizza stone. Less than $15 ; put it on your list for Santa ;).

Good ideas, everyone!

I'll second the pizza stone. Definitely makes home made taste like it came from a pizzeria. I have also gone back and forth on pizza. Basically if I really need to drop some pounds it comes off the menu, like Cassie said I haven't found a way to cut the calories w/o ruining the taste.

But when I am just making sure I eat healthy, I make the crust in my bread machine - 30% whole wheat and I usually add milled flax (unbeknownst to DH - he thinks he doesn't like it :rolleyes:) for a nutritional boost. We almost always make "white pizza" - no tomato sauce. Skim ricotta and mozzerella help keep the fat down but makes for a lovely creamy texture that goes well with a pile of veggies.

It really can be a healthy meal, you just have to watch the protions ;).

These are all good ideas. I found one myself, too, that I thought I'd share with you all. I toast both halves of a whole grain sandwich round (those really thin round pieces of bread). Some of them are good on fiber and protein if you read the labels (I get Nature's Own 100% whole grain). They are usually about 110 calories for both. I use Classico traditional pizza sauce, about 1 Tbsp per piece of toasted bread. Then I add on 1 slice of Sargento Ultra Thin Provolone to each piece. I microwave for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese. The ultra thin cheese is only 40 calories per slice! It gets creamy and gooey when heated, too. 220 calories, 5.5g fiber, 11.3g protein, and 27.7g carbs. It would be really good with veggies on it too.

I had a pizza stone at one time and I loved it. I used it for so many things besides that. I'll have to look into getting one again.

Pam, I like how you're sneaking healthy things into your dh's food. :p

I love this one.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness/forums...wer-pizza.html

Thanks for reposting this. I had lost the link.

I work at a grocery store and have recently seen a lot of "organic" "naturals" and "healthy choice" pizzas. They all seem to have multigrain or whole grain crust, low-fat or non-dairy cheese, and sauce made from real tomatoes. I haven't really checked into them because I never buy pizza (I used to work at a Pizza Hut- I don't really get pizza cravings) but those might be something to look into.

You could also buy your own pizza dough balls made from whole grain (you can portion them out and freeze some for another night) along with some real tomato juice (not pizza/pasta sauce, actual tomato juice or puree!), low-fat REAL cheese, and various spices. The dough balls aren't difficult to work with (one of my roommates uses them for calzones) and if you use healthier ingredients and get some veggies in there, the calories might not be so bad. I would top it with tomato slices, peppers, even spinach to get your extra veggies!

Oh! They also make flat bread pre-made pizza crusts with nothing on them that you buy in individual packages, some even made from pita. I'll bet you could find one that's low-carb!

So many terrific ideas for pizza! We have a grocery store that makes pizza from scratch, so, we buy a ham & pineapple pizza and before hand I serve a big Greek salad (vinegar and a touch of extra virgin olive oil dressing) so I am pretty full before the pizza is ready. I must be doing something right because I have lost 37 lbs this past year, without trying too hard ... Mostly eating my large salad before dinner. I have 2 slices of pizza, guilt free!

Life is short, enjoy it :)

Cheers,
Nancy

Thanks for the suggestion Nancy - I made Greek salad with my homemade pizza today!