How to make your pizza healthier and tastier

So pizza is one of my forever loves. I love all types, with extra cheese and extra sauce please. I havent yet tasted a pizza I don't love. Spicy, sweet, meaty, vegetarian, fruity, herby everything is delicious. However, that delicious tends to run mighty high in calories.

So when making it at home (because 99% of the time when you go from ordering out to making your own, your already saving tons of calories and cutting fat), here are some tasty substitutions that knock out the calories but increase the tastiness.

1. Start from the bottom up. Making your own dough, your sure of what goes in, and what doesnt. Making a cauliflower crust is a definitive option which would cut out all the carbs from that source. But, no time? Use whole wheat whole grain tortilla, or pita. Takes no time, tastes delicious.

2. Store bought pizza sauce is often loaded with sugar and weird stuff, so making your own is a much better alternative. Once again, no time? Use salsa. Little caloric content with huge flavor. Again, make your own, its very easy, but should you buy it, watch out for the sodium content! I found that Tostitos brand has a much higher sodium count than other brands, so check that label!

3. Use fresh veggies (or fruits) for your toppings, the more the better. Check out which combination you like, my favorite is asparagus, caramelized onions, red pepper, cauliflower, and chicken. Instead of pepperoni, bacon, salami, try chicken, turkey, ham!

4. Measure out your cheese before putting it on. Its sooo very easy to grab a few handfuls and spread the love, but that can rapidly escalate into massive calories and a soggy top. 1/2 cup is enough for one large tortilla, the point is to add to everything already on there, not drown it out. You can also try different cheeses, like goat and feta, and try placing your cheese like a marguerita pizza.

5. Finally, for the last zing for your tastebuds, add fresh or dried herbs to the top of the pizza. Try parsley, basil, cilantro, oregano. The combos are endless! Pizza is truly a blank slate for you to be creative and test out different flavors. All you have to do is try!

Tonight's creation: salsa sauce, red pepper, mushrooms, red onion,
jalapenos, montery jack cheese, with fresh parsley on tortilla