Just Add Cayenne: How to Order a Healthy(er) Pizza

Today, we started things off by heading up to the Breckenridge Nordic Center to go snowshoeing. Kelley and I had been two years ago and loved the sites and peaceful surrounding of tall Evergreens covered in blankets of snow. We tried cross-country skiing last year (when I had MRSA) and decided it wasn't for us. Maybe with actual training, but snowshoeing works for us.

What a great couple!

This time we went with Steve and Kathy to snowshoe on the fresh snow covered trails surrounded by blistering wind. After Steve and Kathy turned around, Kelley and I trekked on until we wore ourselves out. It ended up taking us two hours total by the time we returned; this was approximately four miles. It sounds slow, but anyone who has snowshoed before understands how several feet of snow can slow you down.

Our winter view of Breck.

Me attempting to do a snowshoe handstand, and....

....me 1 second after handstand attempt.

After our journey, Kelley had pizza from Giampietro Pizzeria on the mind and I couldn't argue. Last year we went there and finished a big 16 inch pizza between the two of us. This year was no different; another pizza met it's ~~maker~~ orderer by the way of our stomachs.

This is pretty unusual since any frequent reader of my posts or if you just know me, knows that I despise eating at places where I can't control how my food is prepared. Luckily, Giampietro's was accommodating to our requests on how we wanted our pizza.

First off, New York style is the thin crust pizza and will save several hundred calories compared to a deep dish Chicago style pizza. Plus, most pizzas are just dough with white flour and Chicago's extra dough hides the wonderful flavors of the sauce and toppings. For our thin crust (I asked for whole wheat but is wasn't an option here) we ordered sliced garlic cloves and extra sauce for our topping choices. In addition, we asked for very Very little cheese and a well done crust.

Here is the end result....delicious! We each had four of the eight slices and loved each garlicky bite. I admit, I removed some of the little cheese we got just because I wasn't a fan of it.

Kelley couldn't wait for me to take a picture.....

If you are faced with having to go out or take out pizza, here are several ideas to help make it a little better for you without sacrificing taste.

Poor pizza never saw it coming....

- Ask for little or no cheese; make sure you let it be known you do not want a lot.

- Order extra sauce; this is healthier than being covered in cheese and still tastes great; make sure you request the basic tomato sauce and nothing creamy and white

- Order thin crust; you can save approximately 100 calories per slice when ordering thin crust over deep dish and 60 calories over "hand-tossed"

- Avoid processed meats or meat altogether; pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, etc all have a high fat percentage, opt for Canadian bacon or grilled chicken if you need to have meat.

- Pile on the veggies; any produce topping offered is a great way to boost nutrition on your pie. After roasting in a pizza oven, most veggies will have their natural sugars caramelize and add loads of healthy flavor

- Ask for the pizza well-done if you like it crispy; most places will have no problem with this

- If you can, ask how the dough is made and request whole wheat whenever available; some places

might just order their dough which could mean a lot of additives and hydrogenated oils

- Add fruit for flavor; I only know of pineapple as a common topping, but I love having pineapple with Canadian bacon, tomato sauce, and no cheese

- Skip the dip; dipping sauces offered along with some pizzas don't offer much in nutrition and usually aren't needed. A standard garlic dipping cup a Domino's is 200 calories and a ranch cup is 250 calories. If needed, Tabasco sauces add extra flavor with little to no added calories.

If you are making pizza at home, try a crust less pizza by using the pizza sauce, a little cheese, and other toppings to put on top of a salad or a healthy tortilla. Beware, most tortillas at the grocery store have shortening or hydrogentated oils in the ingredients. The best tortilla is a corn tortilla as it should only contain ground corn (corn flour), water, lime, and salt. Make it a Mexican pizza!