Garlic-Herb WW Pizza Crust

If you've been reading my blog over the past few weeks, you are probably looking at the title of the blog and saying to yourself, "There she goes again!  Eating junk food..."

Never fear, I have not slipped back into my old, indulgent ways... I'm eating healthy and the weight is slowly but surely coming off.  There's actually a story behind this meal.  And actually, it's a pretty good-for-you meal, too!

It was the Monday after Thanksgiving and my fridge looked like this:

Kinda empty, huh?

I hadn't gotten around to grocery shopping, I'd had a crazy-busy day, and all I had in the freezer for quick cooking was chicken and turkey.  My husband insisted that he was "sick of bird" and requested something else for dinner.

So I dug around in my fridge a little and found some leftover pepperoni and some mozzarella cheese.  Okay, pizza it was.  But how to make the pizza low calorie?  The two biggest culprits in pizza calories are the crust and the cheese.  I could do something about those.  For starters, I wanted to make a 100% whole wheat crust.  A thin 100% whole wheat crust. And I wanted it to be basically fat-free. But because I knew it wouldn't go over well with such a strong whole wheat flavor, I had to add some extra flavor to the crust.  Yum, yum, and double-yum.  The Honey liked it, Horse Lover tolerated it, and The Monkey, Handsome Man and I loved it!   This is a definite keeper.

Garlic-Herb Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

(Makes 12 servings, 110 calories each)

1 c. warm water

1 tsp. honey

1 Tbsp yeast (or 1 packet of yeast)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 c. applesauce

3 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. pizza seasoning

Cooking spray

Note: This was really easy for me to mix up because I have a KitchenAid counter-top mixer.  If you don't have something like that, I recommend checking out my Homemade Bread Tutorial for tips on how to make this with a regular mixer.

In mixing bowl, combine water, honey, and yeast.  Let sit 5-10 minutes until foamy.  Add remaining ingredients and beat for 3-4 minutes.  It should look something like this:

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a nicely rounded ball.  If you look really closely you can see the pizza seasoning in the dough.

If you're cooking for a large group and have a large pizza pan or stone, you can use this whole amount for your crust.  Since I was cooking for 2 adults and 3 children, I opted to use 2/3 of the crust for dinner and spread it into a cookie sheet, nice and thin.  Because this recipe has no oil in it, you'll want to be sure to coat your pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Then, once you got the dough spread out a little , coat the top of the dough with the cooking spray, too.  This will make it easier for you to spread it out without the dough sticking to your fingers, and adds a minimal amount of fat.

 Important: Once I prepared the crust, I let it rise for about 10-15 minutes before adding the toppings.  By nature, whole wheat is more dense than breads made with white flour, and I wanted as much air in this crust as possible so it wouldn't feel like we were eating flavored cardboard!

So what did I do with the rest of the crust?

I stuck it in a sandwich bag (coated with cooking spray, of course) and stuck it in the fridge.  Then I pulled it out the next day for lunch and made another pizza for me and the kids.

So now you have your low-cal pizza crust.  What are you going to put on it?  Here's a couple ideas - along with the total calories per serving.

Traditional Pepperoni Mushroom Pizza

(When prepared with full crust recipe, yield is 12 slices of about 230 calories each.)

1 c. pureed Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 small can mushrooms, drained

36 sliced of pepperoni

3 c. shredded mozzarella

Spread pureed tomatoes on top of prepared crust.  Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.

Add pepperoni and mushrooms.  As you can see from the picture, only 1/2 my family likes mushrooms, so I actually only used 1/2 a can.

Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 c. of cheese.

Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted, and possibly lightly browned in spots.

Greek Red Pepper and Mushroom Pizza

(When prepared with full crust recipe, yield is 12 slices of about 160 calories each.)

1 c. pureed Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 small can mushrooms, drained

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese

Layer sauce, shredded mozzarella, peppers, and mushrooms.  Top with crumbled feta.

Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted, and possibly lightly browned in spots.

p.s. My neighbor plugged the ingredients into the Weight Watchers website to calculate the points.  It comes out to ONE point per serving!!

Low-Fat Blender Waffles - Frozen?

Sometimes you just need convenience food. The trick to keeping it healthy without breaking your budget is to fix it yourself, and then converting it to convenience food. Like frozen toaster waffles, for example. About a month ago I had a couple pears that needed to be used but weren't juicy enough for me to slice and eat with Handsome Man. Since no one else in the house will eat fresh pears, I decided to try them out in my waffles and the recipe for Pear Blender Waffles was born.

Since then, I've been a little out of control. Because these waffles don't actually taste fruity, the kids love them. Because they're lower in fat and do have fruit in them, I love them. I have tried pears, apples, and frozen peaches in this recipe. And so no matter how hard I try I can't actually take the time to fix breakfast from scratch every day, I decided to make a double-batch of these every week and freeze the extra. They'll get the kids and I through about 3 days, which is great because I can plan on pulling them out on the crazy days.


Low-fat Blender Waffles
(Makes 8 to 10 Belgian-style waffles, about 100-110 calories each.)

1 c. frozen peaches OR
1 fresh peach, apple or pear, peeled and sliced
1 c. milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/4 c. flour, white or whole wheat
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

If you are using frozen peaches, thaw for about 30 seconds in the microwave before using. Otherwise, place prepared fruit in the blender. Add milk, egg, and butter.

Blend for 30 to 60 seconds until fruit is completely mixed in.

Add 1/2 cup only of the flour, along with salt and baking powder. This makes sure everything gets mixed in well. Blend until combined.

Add remaining 3/4 cup flour and blend until combined. You may need to take off the lid and scrape the sides while it's running to make sure no flour clumps are left hanging on for dear life.

Pour into a pre-heated waffle iron and cook according to waffle iron specifications.

Hopefully your waffle iron will cook a little more evenly than my (brand new!) contraption...

Serve for breakfast or freeze.

To freeze, line a cookie sheet with wax paper and lay waffles out in a layer. If you still have waffles left, place another sheet of wax paper on top and make another layer. Repeat until all the waffles are laying flat between or on layers of wax paper.

Stick in the freezer for about 2-3 hours. Once waffles are frozen, place into a Ziploc bag and store in the freezer until ready to use.

To prepare frozen waffles:
If you have the thicker Belgian-style waffle maker like I do, you will need to microwave them for a few seconds before toasting them. I usually microwave a plate of 4 waffles for 30 seconds or 2 waffles for 15 seconds. Then toast like you would the store-bought frozen waffles.

Pear Blender Waffles

I have recently renewed my efforts to cut back our grocery budget. Again. Every so often I realize that I have fallen back into the habit of buying certain convenience foods, and I have to make an effort to shift gears. This time I realized that I could do much better with breakfast: I have now sworn off most cold cereals and frozen waffles!

The Honey is a die-hard cereal eater during the week, and he is gone and out the door by 7:00 a.m. anyway, so I don't even bother trying to fix him something for breakfast every day. But Horse Lover and The Monkey don't have to be to school until 9am and we live just 3 blocks away. I've got plenty of time for making breakfast, so there's no excuses. Of course, if the girls want cereal they can have some of his Frosted Miniwheats or Honey Nut Cheerios (generic, of course). But generally they are just stuck with what I'm fixing for breakfast.

I recently purchased waffle iron to replace the one that broke in our move to Oklahoma. We've been living without for a year. The problem I have with a lot of waffle and pancake recipes is the amount of oil that is used. It adds to the overall fat and calories of the meals, and it's really just unnecessary. You have to use some fat so the waffles won't stick, but in general you can cut back on the oil in a pancake or waffle recipe by adding some sort of fruit puree, like applesauce. So I took the "Basic Waffle Recipe" that came with my waffle maker and made some adjustments.

An added bonus for this recipe is that you make it entirely in the blender - so much easier to cook and clean up!


Pear Blender Waffles
(Makes about 8 Belgian-style waffles of 120 calories each.)

1 fresh pear
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp real butter (not the spreadable type!)
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda

Peel and core pear.

In a blender, combine milk, egg, butter, and pear. (I cut each half of my pear into about 4-5 pieces before putting into the blender.)

Blend for a full minute.

Add flour, salt, and baking powder. Blend another minute. Be sure to scrape the sides to make sure all of the flour gets combined.

Pour into a preheated waffle iron and cook!

Tip: If you are a big fan of the convenience of toaster waffles, you can freeze these and reheat in the toaster. Just lay flat on a cookie sheet and pop in the freezer for about an hour. Once they are firm, you can bag them up and store them.

Homemade Bread Tutorial

I grew up with a mother that made homemade bread to die for. This was before the age of bread machines. I'm sure she often made it out of necessity (money was always tight), but to us it was like manna from heaven when she would pull it out of the oven and serve it to us warm with butter and honey.

Ironically, when I became a mother myself and wanted to duplicate her feat, I made whole wheat bricks rather than fluffy loaves of bread. I was confounded. I grew up kneading bread side-by-side with my mother. What was I doing wrong?

It wasn't until about a year or so ago I started getting my bread-making endeavors right every time. And when I say I started getting it right, I mean I now make moist, soft, delectable bread without fail. And wonder of wonders - I use almost 100% whole wheat flour and I barely knead my bread! (And I don't use a bread-maker either. They're smarter than me so I've given up!)

So how do I do it?

First, you start with good whole wheat flour. If you don't have finely ground whole wheat flour, I recommend using white flour for at least 1/4 to 1/2 the flour the recipe calls for. How much you use will depend on the quality of your flour.

When I haven't been able to grind my own whole wheat I've used the Hogsdon Mill whole wheat flour for sale in most grocery stores. It's not as fine as what I can grind at home, but it's adequate for my needs.

The next thing you need is a good recipe or two. I have my favorite whole wheat bread recipe that I use for almost everything except French Bread. (That recipe will be forthcoming!)

Regardless of what order your bread recipe tells you to add your ingredients, you must start by combining only the water, sugar or honey, and yeast. Make sure your water is warm, not hot. If it's too hot, it will kill the yeast, and we need the yeast to be active! So how hot is too hot? If you can't comfortably stick your finger in the water and leave it there, it's too hot. Combine these three ingredients in a bowl and stir for a minute to help the yeast dissolve. Then let it sit for 5-10 minutes to let the yeast start to react with the sugar. It will start to look foamy after a few minutes. This tells you the yeast is working.

Once you've let the yeast get foamy, go ahead and add the rest of your other ingredients (salt, oil, etc.) and about 1/2 the flour called for. If you're doing a mix of white and wheat flour, add the wheat flour first. Then, with an electric mixer, mix the bread batter for about four or five minutes. This will seem tedious and useless, but this is what replaces the kneading time. Don't skimp - it's necessary so your bread will hold together well!


With a plastic or wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can by hand. Don't worry if you don't use all the flour called for in the recipe!










Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface.










Remove your rings and watches, and lightly flour your hands. Knead the dough for just a few strokes until it looks smooth.

To knead the dough: lift the back edge of the dough and, using the heel of your hand, push it into the center. Give the dough a quarter-turn and repeat. Add more flour as needed a couple tablespoons at a time.



















You'll know you're done with the bread dough looks smooth and is kind of elastic. It may be slightly sticky, but should not come off on your hand if you touch the outside. I generally only have to do this about 30 seconds or so to get it the right consistency. You do not want to add too much flour at this stage! This is what makes whole wheat bricks. If you aren't sure, err on the side of caution. You can always add more flour later.











Once the bread dough is smooth, it needs to rise. Drizzle a little oil in a bowl.











Place the bread dough in with the smooth side on the bottom. Give it a little turn to coat the bottom, and then flip it over so the smooth side is on top.



















Then cover with a clean dish towel and let rise until at least double in size.










If you aren't ready to finish cooking it by the time it has doubled, simply punch it down into the bowl and let it rise again. Shape into loaves, cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, or whatever your heart desires!

Best Homemade Bread

This is another one of those oh-so-fabulous recipes given to me by Melissa Coombs (modified a little by me). I use this for everything from rolls to loaves to Sunday morning cinnamon rolls. I will list the recipe here in 2 quantities: the full recipe which makes the equivalent of 3 loaves of bread, and 1/3 recipe that is good for when you've got to make just one thing and don't want to have to bake the leftover dough. I'm sure you could adapt it to a bread maker, but I've just never gotten technology-savvy enough with one of those to make it work right. What I like best about this recipe is that it requires very little kneading. Instead, you use a mixer early on in the recipe for about 4-5 minutes.

Best Homemade Bread (full recipe)

3 c. warm water
1/3 c. honey
1 Tbsp yeast (to decrease rising time, increase to 2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. applesauce
8-9 c. whole wheat flour, white flour, or combination (I usually use about 6 c. wheat flour and 2-3 c. white)

In a large bowl, combine warm water, honey, and yeast. Stir slightly to dissolve honey and yeast, then let sit for 5-10 minutes while yeast "foams". Add salt, oil, applesauce, and 4 cups flour. With an electric mixer, beat 4-5 minutes. Add 2 more cups flour and mix well with a spoon. Add 2 more cups of flour (if adding white flour, this is when I do it) and mix well. On a lightly floured surface, knead in another 1/2 to 1 cup of flour (or less) until dough no longer sticks to your hands. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat both sides. Cover and let rise until double. Punch down and divide into thirds. Shape into loaves or rolls, and let rise until double in the pans. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees for loaves, or 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees for rolls.


Best Homemade Bread (1/3 recipe)

1 c. warm water
2 Tbsp honey
1-2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
4 tsp oil
3 Tbsp applesauce
2-3 c. flour

Follow same directions as above.

Sunday Morning Pancakes

This recipe was originally given to me by a friend, Melissa Coombs, and it is absolutely the BEST pancakes we have ever made! I've tweaked it a little (of course) and it makes a large batch, so if you don't want leftovers you may want to half the recipe.


Sunday Morning Pancakes (aka Great Pancakes)

2 cups flour, white or whole wheat
3 Tbsp sugar or 2 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 c. milk
1/3 c. oil

Mix dry ingredients together first, then add wet ingredients and stir. Let sit for a few minutes (the batter will thicken some). Pour onto hot griddle and enjoy!


*Tip: When I had sweet potato or butternut squash puree around the house for Handsome Man, I would toss 1/2 cup or so into the batter. I don't know why, but it makes them better! And no one ever knew it was in there except me.


Apple Cinnamon Pancakes (Variation)

2 cups flour, white or whole wheat
3 Tbsp sugar or 2 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup oil
1/2 c applesauce

Mix dry ingredients together first, then add wet ingredients and stir. Let sit for a few minutes (batter will thicken some). Pour onto hot griddle and enjoy!

A quick word about whole wheat flour...

I love to cook with whole wheat flour. It's more nutritious and more filling that white flour, and I think it tastes better. I happen to have a good friend with a great wheat grinder, and I can easily purchase whole wheat grain through my church. The flour that I can grind with a good grinder at home is superior in both quality and texture than what I can purchase at my grocery store. (Once grain is ground into flour the nutrients start to break down if kept at room temperature.)

For a while I did not have access to a wheat grinder, and would simply purchase my whole wheat flour at the store. When I did that, I found it much coarser than what I was used to, and it was necessary for me to use equal parts whole wheat flour and white flour in my usual recipes. However, the great thing about most of my recipes is that it doesn't really matter what kind of flour you use. Just be aware that it doesn't usually take quite as much whole wheat flour to thicken a dough as it would white flour, so be prepared to give or take a little flour as needed.