Pizza, Pizza, Pizza

Flatbread pizza cooked in an oven with all the goodness of your topping choices dates back to ancient times. We’re talking Babylonians, Israelites, and Egyptians! They all ate flat bread baked in mud ovens. Having stood the test of time and tradition, there are so many ways to enjoy this wildly popular favorite. If you’ve been convinced that pizza is “off the table” just because you’re pursuing weight loss - think again! Forget all that nonsense because MRC’s Pizza Kitchen is chock full of favorites we know you’ll love. 

"What's the catch?" you might be thinking. No tricks! We've got several crave-worthy personal pizza recipes to share with you today. We've found that with pizza, it’s all about the base. It's important to find something that can withstand the topping load - and that's where all of those carb-heavy crusts can come in with traditional pizza. Coming in at an impressive 50-60 delicious calories each, Joseph’s Pita’s are our top choice for a pita pizza base! Not only do these pita’s hold up well, but they’re the perfect size for your personal pizza. And you’re getting a lot more than that “one tiny” slice you expect! So, now you can see that at Metabolic Research Center, healthy pizza is definitely ON THE TABLE... and your serving is the WHOLE PIZZA!

Let’s review some MRC Pizza BASICS:

• Joseph’s brand Pita gets our approval. Here’s your PIta Store Locator: https://www.josephsbakery.com/find-in-store/
• For those who like a red sauce bases - Pomi Sauce is going to be you're go to! What is Pomi Sauce? Simply, it's tomato sauce WITHOUT added sugar. You can find it at most grocery stores in the canned tomato section (look towards the top of the shelves or ask your grocer). For clients following program, Pomi is a 1:1 vegetable fit. Meaning, 1 oz. of Pomi sauce counts the same as 1 oz. of raw vegetables. Remember, you CAN split your vegetable servings between different vegetable types (e.g., 2 oz. of Pomi + 6 oz. of other vegetables = 1 full vegetable serving)
• Refer to your menu for exact protein portion sizes - these vary between menus.

Commonly Used Ingredients:

• Red Sauce - Pomi tomato sauce seasoned with Italian seasonings, garlic & onion powder
• BBQ Pizza - Choosing a low calorie and low carb option helps with weight loss. We love the G Hughes BBQ Sauce line!
• Joseph’s Pita - (we've already talked about this one) Joseph’s 60 calorie Pita is our choice. Most menus recommend a 50 calorie serving, so for those on the straight and narrow of program, just pinch off a corner of your pita to reduce it to 50 calories

General Preparation Instructions:

• All of the following recipes suggest toasting your pita pizza in the oven (or you could even use an air fryer!) at 350°-375° for 3-4 minutes. Just long enough to warm your ingredients and melt the cheese without burning your pita or toppings
• If you want a crispier crust, toast pita before adding toppings
• If you don’t want a crispy crust, toast pita after adding sauce, toppings and cheese

Now that we've got the lay of the land set, get ready to enjoy and choose between our favorite healthy Pita Pizza recipes!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 50-calorie serving of pita or flatbread
• 2-3 oz chicken breast*, cooked and shredded
• 1-1.5 oz cheese*, shredded (we love a sharp cheddar or pepperjack with this one!)
• 1 TBSP Ranch or Blue cheese dressing (Walden Farms and Bolthouse are both great program-friendly options)
• 2 TBSP Frank's Wing Sauce, divided
• For garnish: green onions

*MRC Clients: refer to your menu for exact protein portion sizes. This recipe uses 1/2 serving of chicken breast and 1/2 serving of hard cheese. For those whose menu indicates the larger serving, you may not want to put all of the chicken on your pizza. In this case, you can put as much as you want and then munch on the rest while the pizza bakes in the oven!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. For a crispier crust, toast pita for 2 minutes and set aside. 
2. Toss chicken with 1 TBSP wing sauce. Place on pita and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
3. Bake in oven or air fryer for 3-4 minutes, until cheese has melted. Top pizza with dressing, remaining wing sauce, green onions, and enjoy!

Makes 1 Serving | Serving Size: entire recipe | One Serving Replaces: 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2-3 oz. chicken breast*, cooked and diced
• 1-1.5 oz. cheese*, shredded
• 1 50-calorie serving of pita or flat bread
• 1 TBSP barbecue sauce (we love G Hughes brand or Walden Farms)
• For garnish: diced green onion

*MRC Clients: refer to your menu for exact protein portion sizes. This recipe uses 1/2 serving of chicken breast and 1/2 serving of hard cheese. For those whose menu indicates the larger serving, you may not want to put all of the chicken on your pizza. In this case, you can put as much as you want and then munch on the rest while the pizza bakes in the oven!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. For a crispier crust, toast pita for 2 minutes and set aside. 
2. Toss chicken with 1 TBSP barbecue sauce. Place on pita and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
3. Bake in oven or air fryer for 3-4 minutes, until cheese has melted. Top with green onions and a small drizzle of barbecue sauce, and enjoy!

Makes 1 Serving | Serving Size: entire recipe | One Serving Replaces: 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate

Bacon and Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 50-calorie serving of pita or flatbread
• 2 oz. Pomi tomato sauce seasoned with Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder
• 150 calories uncured bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2-3 oz cheese*, shredded

*MRC Clients: refer to your menu for exact protein portion sizes. This recipe uses 1 serving of hard cheese. 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350-375° F. For a crispier crust, toast pita for 2 minutes. Top with seasoned Pomi. Sprinkle on the crumbled bacon and top with shredded cheese.
2. Bake in oven or air fryer for 3-4 minutes, until cheese has melted.
   

Makes 1 Serving | Serving Size: entire recipe | One Serving Replaces: 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate, 1 healthy fat, 1/4 serving vegetables (2 oz.)

Variations:

• Use 1-1.5 oz. of cheese and 2-3 oz. of meat 
• Add vegetables such as mushrooms, sliced peppers, etc.
• If you don't have Pomi, do a thin layer of sliced tomatoes topped with Italian seasoning
• Serve the recipe as it's written above with a small side salad made up of 6 oz. of raw vegetables

Veggie and Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 50-calorie serving of pita or flatbread
• 2 oz. Pomi tomato sauce seasoned with Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder
• 2-3 oz. cheese*, shredded
• 2 oz. veggies (red bell pepper, mushroom, green onion, etc.)
• Optional: top with fresh greens like torn spinach or basil 

*MRC Clients: refer to your menu for exact protein portion sizes. This recipe uses 1 serving of hard cheese. 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350-375° F. For a crispier crust, toast pita for 2 minutes. Top with seasoned Pomi. Top with veggies and sprinkle with shredded cheese. If using torn greens, add these last.
2. Bake in oven or air fryer for 3-4 minutes, until cheese has melted.
   

Makes 1 Serving | Serving Size: entire recipe | One Serving Replaces: 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate, 1/2 serving vegetables (4 oz.)

Bacon Ranch White Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 50-calorie serving of pita or flatbread
• 1-1.5 oz. chicken breast*, cooked and diced
• 1-1.5 oz. lowfat cottage cheese*
• Dry ranch powder
• 1-1.5 oz. hard cheese*, shredded
• 150 calories of uncured bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Optional: Frank's Wing Sauce

*MRC Clients: refer to your menu for exact protein portion sizes. This recipe uses 1/4 serving chicken breast, 1/4 serving cottage cheese, and 1/2 serving hard cheese.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350-375° F. For a crispier crust, toast pita for 2 minutes. In a small bowl, mix ranch powder with cottage cheese. For a smoother sauce, run through a blender or mash with the back of a small fork or spatula. 
2. Spread "sauce" onto pizza, and top with chicken, bacon, and shredded cheese.
3. Bake in oven or air fryer for 3-4 minutes, until cheese has melted. Drizzle wing sauce on top if desired.

Makes 1 Serving | Serving Size: entire recipe | One Serving Replaces: 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate, 1 healthy fat

Vegetable Pizza on a Zucchini Crust

Ingredients:

• 1.5 C. grated raw zucchini OR cooked spaghetti squash
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1.5 C. mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1.5 C. tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 C. mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 C. Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tsp. each: oregano, basil
• Optional: diced green onions, 1.5 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Remove excess moisture from zucchini or squash by squeezing moisutre out through cheesecloth or paper towels. 
2. In a mediuam bowl, combine squash, eggs and mozerella together. Press this mixture into an even layer in the bottom of a pie pan firmly (using either your hands or the bottom of a glass). Bake for 10-15 minutes, crust will have browned and appear "cooked". While your crust is cooking, you can chop, dice, and prepare your toppings.
3. Carefully remove crust from oven and layer remaining veggies and cheeses atop the crust. Sprinkle with oregano and basil. Drizzle oil or spray lightly with butter spray. Bake for an additional 10+ minutes until the cheese has melted and browned and toppings are cooked through to your liking. Drizzle with olive oil and green onions if desired.

Makes 7 Servings | Serving Size: 1/7th of pizza | One Serving Replaces: 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate, 3 oz. vegetables (if using olive oil, then this counts as 1/2 healthy fat)
 

Watch Coach Heather make it here: