Every few days or so I ask Justin the same question, "what're you craving for this meal plan?" This time he challenged me a bit by saying Pizza!
I am a firm believer that sometimes when you're on a diet and you're really craving something, the substitution just won't cut it and you'll even end up just eating what you're craving, too . Take a cookie, for example. I am always craving cookies (um duh! because what is better than a warm chocolate chip cookie?!) and sure there are alternatives like those cookie thins pouches which work fine on most days. Sometimes, though, you have such a hankering for something you'll get through the pouch of thin cookies and just still want your Nestle Tollhouse fresh out of the oven treat!
The remedy? Just eat the dang cookie! You're wasting more calories, carbs, fat, so be it, trying to find a substitution when you can just eat and enjoy your treat and that will be the end of it. I am not saying to give into every whim, because that will derail you, I am just saying to give yourself a break sometimes and listen to your body.
Anyways, now that I got that out of the way, back to my pizza. I am in no way saying this pizza will have you swearing off that greasy cheesy slice of your favorite pizza. But it can satisfy your craving while allowing you to still stay on track AND it's delicious! The inspiration comes from a tradition we had when I was younger and my dad would come home from his restaurant with a to go container filled with fried pitas, another with veg, one more with meats and lastly cheese! All the siblings would gather around and make our own pizzas and wait impatiently for them to come out of the oven!
The trick in this recipe is the yummy meatballs, fresh tomato, basil and creamy WHOLE FAT ricotta - oh yea, you heard me, all the fat! When it comes to certain things, especially dairy products, I would rather eat a smaller amount of full fat than get more of a low fat option which:
doesn't taste as good
has more sugar to make up for the loss in fat
& is more heavily processed
S0, in conclusion, when in doubt just get the full fat and eat less of it.
Our meal plans are split into 40% Carbs, 30-35% Protein and 25-30% Fat. This dish is a lovely example of just that. You get a good amount of carbs from the tomatoes as well as the wrap we use as the base, protein galore from the turkey meatballs, and fat from the yummy cheese. Balance is key people - balance allows you to develop a lifestyle you can follow forever instead of a diet you have to work hard to stick to.
What we did was crisp up our low carb tortilla wraps in a pan before putting the toppings on in order to create almost a seal so the sauce wouldn't make it soggy. During the weeknights we often skip making our own sauce, but if you have the time absolutely do it, it makes all the difference ( I will put up some sauce recipes as we go on for sure!). The meatballs are seared then baked in the oven before being placed in the sauce. This way, they have a nice crisp exterior and sop up all the yummy tomato goodness while also further flavoring your sauce. Then cheese and fresh basil, where could you go wrong?
For meal prep these can easily be made ahead of time, just do everything as per the recipe then cool down the pizzas and wrap them individually for freezing . Bake them off anytime you want at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 min and you are good to go!
Please comment and rate the recipe below, we would love your feedback!
