Fresh & Healthy Italian Pizza

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Who doesn't love a homemade pizza fresh out of the oven? It's the combination of the smell, the fresh ingredients and all that cheese, that gets you drooling for the meal that is coming. It's just a shame pizza is full of all those unnecessary fats and empty carbs.

Wouldn't it be good if you could have pizza while you're trying to lose weight without all that guilt?

Well with some smart swaps you can still enjoy a super tasty pizza and not feel as though all your hard work of dieting has gone to waste. The secret is knowing where the calories are and what you can swap.

Pizza Bases This is where a bulk of the calories hide; however these days you have plenty of options made from a range of ingredients. You can buy bases made from more traditional white or wholemeal flours or go super thin and use *sandwich wraps. Or, don't be afraid to try something different and try bases made from Cauliflower; these are pleasantly tasty and very low in sugar.

*Remember with sandwich wraps that they are smaller in size at 50 grams, and you only get the benefit of the lower calories if you limit your self to 1 or 2 per meal.

Meat Cured meats like Pepperoni are what typically pops into our minds when we think pizza, but are much higher in fat and even higher again in Calories. Shredded Chicken and even turkey are leaner, taste great and could be a better option when you're thinking about weight loss.

Still, want Pepperoni? How about only having 50 grams and then having 150 grams of Turkey?

Cheese This is where all the fat is hiding, however, what is a pizza without cheese? So remember to limit how much you use and take a closer look at what types you use.

Adam's Super Tasty Italian Pizza - Perfect with a couple of Pale Ales for a treat meal at the end of the week.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 pizza bases * 4 tablespoons tomato pizza paste * 1 red onion small diced * 10 button mushrooms, sliced * 10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half * 200g shaved meat, rough chopped * 3 handfuls spinach * 2 cups cheese, grated

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and put your pizza stone or oven tray in to get hot. Tip - this will help make your pizza bases crispy and cook the pizza evenly. 2. Spread tomato paste evenly over pizza bases. 3. Top with onion, mushrooms, spinach, shaved meat and tomatoes 4. Sprinkle with cheese 6. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes until cheese has melted or for 15 minutes if you like your pizza more crispy.