As kids we develop this affinity for pizza and I don’t think it ever really goes away! I mean, at least not for me! While my pizza preferences have changed over time, it still remains, I LOVE MY PIZZA!

My hubby and I have learned how to make pizza a staple in our household as an easy prep me that either or or I can do in just a few minutes time with very little cook time! The idea is to keep it simple and pile on the veggies - whatever veggies you may have in your fridge!

For crust, we like a variety of crusts. Some of my favorites are cauliflower crust from Trader Joe’s, the whole grain wood fire pizza crust and the pre-made cheese pizza when were in a real hurry so we just pile with meat and veggies.

Here' are the pros and cons to each.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza - Trader Joe’s

Pros: Simple ingredients - Cauliflower, tastes great, low carb, low sugar, crust holds together pretty well considering its cauliflower

Cons: Takes a bit longer to prepare, too much cauliflower for some can be a lot on the digestive system, taste is a bit flat but if you’re' used to cauliflower crusts to don’t mind it.

Wood Fire Crust - Trader Joes

Pros: Damn good. Probably my favorite. Light, fluffy. Super fast to make. Just throw on toppings and cook on the rack for 8 minutes. Contains 2 for the price of one:)

Cons: A bit longer list of ingredients (see below), contains wheat so not gluten free

UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN,REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, WHEAT FLOUR, OLIVE OIL, YEAST, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SEA SALT, CULTURED WHEAT STARCH (FOR FRESHNESS),SUNFLOWER OIL, WHEAT GLUTEN, SUGAR, CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR (FOR FRESHNESS),

Gluten Free Cheese Pizza - Trader Joes

Pros: Damn good. Prob one of my favorites and my hubby’s. Super simple and easy to make. Just pile on ingredients and cook in less than 10 minutes time. No prep time. Although a longer list of ingredients, still a good list (see below)

CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST (CAULIFLOWER, LOW MOISTURE WHOLE MILK MOZZARELLA CHEESE [MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, MICROBIAL RENNET], POTATO FLOUR, CHICKPEA FLOUR, BROWN RICE FLOUR [BROWN RICE, STABILIZED RICE BRAN], EGG WHITES, XANTHAN GUM, SPICES), PIZZA SAUCE (TOMATO PUREE, SALT, SUGAR, EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, SPICES, GARLIC POWDER), MOZZARELLA CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, MICROBIAL RENNET), PROVOLONE CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, MICROBIAL RENNET), OREGANO, ROSEMARY.

Cons: Processed, packaged food. Longer list of ingredients.

There is ONE more crust that I do really love that is also considered on my healthy list and here it is below.

Whole Foods 365 Beet Crust Pizza

Pros: Simple ingredients. Gluten free. One of my personal favorites because I love beets. Texture is very much like cauliflower crust pizza. No pre-baking. Just pile on ingredients and bake for 8 and serve.

Cons: If you are looking for a Di journos’ this is not it, nor are any of the above! Thin crust and a little on the smaller side as like all of above. If you don’t like beets, this maybe isn’t for you yet the beet taste is not overpowering.

After choosing your crust you can get to making your pizza! Open up the fridge and take a look at what veggies you have in there that maybe are about to go bad OR maybe you want to buy new veggies to get the full color spectrum of veggies on your pizza.

In addition to crusts, I do have some of my favorites when it comes to adding the cheese.

Non-dairy cheese: images Shown Below) I love the Almond Cheese and Non Dairy Cheese from Trader Joe’s as well as Daiya. Keep in mind this dones’t melt like cheese does so just to set expectations!

Low Lactose Cheese: Goat Cheese

Diary Cheese: Buffalo Mozzarella. Always Organic! My favorite! I also like to use feta as well once in a while to mix things up!

Next, let’s get to the instructions!

This is how I generally put together a pizza. The only crust you have to cook ahead is the cauliflower crust. 10 minutes each side at 425 on the rack.

Depending on what YOU have in your fridge or what you like on your pizza yours may look different than mine! Because of that I’m going to write a couple key things to think about when putting together your pizza to keep it healthy!.

Sauce - You can use a pesto sauce or look for a tomato paste or just plain tomato sauce in a can. These have the lease amount of sugar and will make the pizza one that you can enjoy without guilt! Trader Joes Makes an excellent Pesto! Or you can always go with any store bought pesto!
Pick your cheese. I like to keep dairy at a minimum so some alternatives to keep from spreading the cheese opt for feta or goat cheese with less lactose. I also like to use non-dairy cheese (see above). The other option is just to opt for a nutritional yeast which serves as a “Parmesan cheese” as an alternative.
Pile on the veggies! Every color. As many as possible. I always include a green and at least 2 or 3 other colors. For instance white - mushrooms or artichokes. Red - red pepper or tomatoes. Green is usually kale or spinach!
Pick your proteins. If you are doing an animal protein, look for the lease processed. If you are looking for a vegetarian protein same thing - less processed is better. I love using tofu, grain meats and etc. or no meat at all.

Here are the steps with coordinating pictures in order:

Make your sauce. Use tomato paste and about 1/2 cup of water and bring to a low simmer. Add in dry or fresh basil and chopped garlic. Voila. Done!
*if you are not making your own sauce like above you can try using a pesto or just using marinara and sprinkle basil, garlic and some pepper to the sauce once you’ve spread it on the crust.
Chop your veggies and set them aside.
Spread the sauce on the crust.
Top with your seasonings. Here’s where you can add in the seasonings if you are not making your own sauce.
Add your proteins.
Add your vegetables - as many as possible
Add your cheese. Non-dairy, dairy whatever you choose here!
Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

And that is it! I hope you enjoy your pizza as much as I do! TAG me and I’d love to see your creations on Instagram using @AngieReneeFitLife ! I’d also love to hear comments from my readers!

Thanks for following along!