Pizza Party Filed under ( main dishes )

I LOVE pizza. To demonstrate my love for pizza, I worked for a pizza company for over two years, had pizza almost everyday I worked there, and never once got sick of it! It's one of my favorites without a doubt. However, as I get older and a little more conscious of what I eat, along with calories and such, I have become much more wary of my cheesy guilty pleasure.

So, to curb the guilt, I have been working hard to make a pizza that is delicious and easy to make, without feeling like I've swallowed an entire brick of greasy cheese and meat. Here are ways I have found to do that...

1. I really like the store bought crusts, which they now have in wheat. They are fairly low in calories and a nice blank slate for whatever you want to add to your pizza.

2. Use a lot of tomato sauce, which adds TONS of flavor, with no added fat and few calories. I love my pizza sauce which is basically tomato sauce, italian seasonings, minced garlic and salt and pepper.

3. Add as many veggies as you can. My favorite pizza veggies are spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, olives, fresh tomatoes, green pepper, scallions, red and white onions and even broccoli. After all those veggies, you may not even need to add any meat!

4. If you do add meat, there are lots of "turkey substitutes" like turkey pepperoni and sausage that are really quite good.

5. Go easy on the cheese. I like to think of the cheese as a "glue" that holds it all together. Once you have just enough to do that, you're good!

6. Have fun experimenting by making less traditional pizza, like BLT style, BBQ chicken, Philly cheesesteak (had to throw that in!) etc. It's pretty tough to screw up a pizza.

6. Two words: FRESH GARLIC. Adds so much to a pizza, you'll be amazed when you try it.

My all time favorite pizza (which defies a few of my rules...oops!), is Margherita style pizza. It is basically sliced or chopped plum or roma tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, whole or chopped, mozzerella cheese and fresh garlic. No sauce on this pizza. You'll be amazed how GOOD this pizza is, and so easy to make. My kids love it as well.

So get yourself a big salad, some ice cream and a fun movie to go along with the new pizzas you're going to cook up for your family. They'll love it!