Easy Peasy Pizza Pie!

A while back I was watching a Dr. Oz episode on all of the unhealthy convenient foods marketed to our kids. I always knew in the back of my head that there probably was some 'not so good' stuff going into the foods I regularly buy for my kids, but honestly, like many other parents, I never actually looked! Until a couple of days ago. I watched a video on the effects of preservatives, olean(and the like), and all of the other chemicals that we cannot pronounce. I basically learned that preservatives prevent your body from absorbing nutrients and that Olean (and all of the other names that they call it) is the worst carbohydrate you can put in your body. According to the Dr. in the video, these chemicals aren't recognized by the body, therefore, they are stored as fat. They can also cause awful side effects. This is the first time I've actually had it hit me right in the face like that. It was beyond eye opening. The company is called Nucific. Look it up and watch some of the videos. It is both informative and shocking! Of course, they are selling a supplement, but I did not purchase it. The information is worth taking a look at on the things in our foods. Anyway, I happen to have one of the pickiest kids in the world. He's very particular about brands and eats the same thing all the time. In fear of him not eating, I've fed him what he likes most of the time because he refuses to try anything new. Well, that changed today! I started talking to him about food and what's in it. He was very interested, and I was shocked at how much it made sense to him. We really underestimate our kids and the capacity they have to grasp things. He said, "So you're saying that the food I've been eating can make me sick because of all the junk in it, right?" I said, "Exactly." Then I convinced him to help me make homemade pizzas. I was so sure that he'd love the activity of actually making them, but then refuse to even taste the end product. I was so wrong! He prepped all of them all by himself, and I cooked a couple for today and packed the rest for the freezer. Then he ate his whole portion and asked for seconds! I plan to let him help me make homemade chicken nuggets next time! I hope he is as open about it as he was today. My goal is to replace all of the pre-packaged junk in our freezer and fridge with healthy alternatives. I'm also removing all high fructose corn syrup from the house, as I learned that it is 8 times as addictive as cocaine or heroine! What?! That blows my mind. We had a recipe a couple of nights ago that called for hamburger buns. We always have left over buns with nothing to do with. I hate to throw things out, so I decided to try to make pizzas with them. I always buy whole wheat bread, but just recently discovered that even some of it has corn syrup in it, so I'll be careful about that now also. The bread I had did not have that in it, thankfully. I used Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns, Classico Traditional Pizza Sauce (which had natural ingredients I could pronounce), and Simple Truth Organic Low-moisture, Part-skim Mozzarella Cheese. We just put about a Tablespoon of the sauce on the buns, individually, and topped them with cheese. Then baked in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. The rest of them were placed on a jelly roll pan atop a piece of parchment paper and put in the freezer until frozen. I then wrapped them individually in foil and put them all in a freezer bag to take out as I need them. If you happen to try this at home, you can use anything from a bagel to an english muffin for the crust! You could even get fancy and make a cauliflower crust or your own original pizza crust. It's up to you! You can also add toppings or seasonings, of course! My kids just like sauce and cheese. It felt good to know that my kids were eating something that won't harm them in any way. Honestly, that felt better than the pride of making any dish I've ever made. Knowing that I am not only contributing to their health and well-being in the present, but teaching them how to eat and nourish their bodies in the future feels so great. That is an invaluable gift that can be passed down for generations. I hope you enjoy making these with your kiddos! MMM!

#comfort #Family #cooking #kids #pizza #easy