photo by: instructables.com

So my strategy for becoming a whole foods, health-nut is to take staples that would otherwise make my life easier, and complicate it by making said staples from scratch.. starting with grinding my own flour. Makes sense right? Actually this has been a great way to change with out a lot of change.. baby steps.

My family loves pizza. My husband desires that we partake on a weekly basis. So I started there.. well, actually I started with bread which is eaten daily.. But I've blogged about that before and since the same 2 people that read that blog read this blog, I'm moving on.

My family really likes the taste of this crust (see below). I think it's excellent. I use white winter wheat flour that I grind up in my trusty nutrimill. White winter wheat is not my favorite in bread. I love the nutty flavor of hard red winter wheat, But for some things that you would prefer a more subtle flavor, white winter wheat is fantastic. So what I do, is make like 4x the recipe (takes an afternoon), divide into individual sizes (we all like different toppings), par bake them, and freeze in gallon Ziploc freezer bags, and when you're ready for a nutritious, easy, delicious meal on a Friday night, pull them out, decorate with your toppings of choice and bake for 8-10 min.

Pizza Dough

3 C. whole wheat flour (I grind my own)

2 1/4 tsp (or 1 (.25 oz.) pkg active dry yeast (I get mine at Costco in bulk because I make bread

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Honey

1 C. very warm water

Directions:

Combine flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil, honey, and warm water. (I do this in my kitchen aid with the dough hook.) Cover and let sit for 1/2 hr. Then roll it into the size(s) you want. puncture with a fork a few times and add toppings as desired and bake at 375 for 20-25 min. (if it's one large pizza. if it's individual, probably 15 min.. give or take, as oven temps may vary.) If you are going to partially bake them, puncture with a fork, and bake for about 5 min for individual size.

Exquisite Pizza Sauce

(allrecipes.com)

I love this recipe, because you don't have to heat anything up. just add all the ingredients and let sit on the counter for a little while to blend flavors. I usually X10 this recipe and put it in quart sized freezer bags (about 1 1/2 - 2 cups) and stick them in the freezer, so on pizza night, I just pull it out (let it thaw) and done. And NO SUGAR!! woohoo! oh, and it' s pretty good. my family likes it and it goes well with the pizza dough.

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste 1/4 tsp dried oregano

6 fluid ounces warm water 1/4 tsp dried marjoram

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan 1/4 tsp dried basil

1 tsp minced garlic 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp honey salt to taste

3/4 tsp onion powder tomato sauce to taste

mix it all in a bowl and let flavors combine.

Our (Andrea and my.. and probably most of our readers) Aunt Carmen makes this amazing oil/balsamic vinegar dressing, You can put it on sandwiches, salads, anything really.. but I love to put it on my pizza dough (instead of red sauce), topped with cut grape tomatoes, mushrooms, (canned) artichokes, and arugula (then drizzled more dressing and sprinkled feta cheese) and it is HEAVEN. enjoy with a little Pelegrino and it's pretty fancy schmancy. SO easy, and healthy.

Aunt Carmen's oil/vinegar

(i don't know the measurements, I just throw stuff in.)

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Chopped parsley

Chopped garlic

lemon juice (fresh)

Salt

Pepper

I would now like to take this opportunity to apologize for any grammatical errors, discombobulation, or other imperfections. I have sick, whiny, noisy, arguing, needy, kids wiping their noses on my shirt, and I can't think straight.

Sorry to complain.

I love my kids.

They deserve my attention.

just sayin'