Healthy Stovetop Pizza

Let me start by saying Happy New Year to all of you!!!

New Year is a time for new beginnings whether on a grand scale like starting a full body transformation or just cleaning up our diet after a bulk. We all need good eats to fuel us regardless of our goals.

I love pizza but frozen and delivered options are generally NOT friendly to clean living or losing weight. This is more of a technique than recipe. You'll be able to tweak this to your macros so I'm not posting them as ingredients will differ.

You'll need tortillas, sauce, cheese, protein, and maybe veggies. I have a few caveats about sauce and cheese. BBQ sauce is yummy but it can be high in sugar so I often mix it with plain tomato sauce in equal parts or one part BBQ sauce to three parts tomato sauce. As for cheese, you may be tempted to reach for fat-free cheddar. It's been my experience that it doesn't melt well so I save it for salads. Reduced-fat cheddar and part-skim mozzarella are favorites at my house.

I use a cast iron griddle and the microwave here when I don't want to heat my house or wait for the oven to heat up. If you don't have cast iron, then a non-stick pan is a must. You can use your oven if you like. I came up with this method when the pizza craving hit in the middle of summer and have been perfecting it since then. I cook for five so if you're cooking for less, you may be able to do it quicker.

Spray your tortillas lightly on both sides. Get your pan good and hot. You'll be turning it down to melt the cheese. Get your tortillas good and crispy. Got them all crispy? Good! Set them on your counter or cutting board. Now put about a tablespoon or two of your sauce of choice, then your protein and then about an ounce or two of cheese. No more or your pizza may not turn out.

Here is where you have a choice. You can either return your pizza to the pan with a lower heat under it OR you can microwave it until the cheese is melty. If you opt for the pan, you'll need to cover it with a lid and babysit it. If you use "Chef Mike" (the microwave), you will find that it softens your crust a little. Use full power to minimize the time spent in the microwave and your crust will stay crispier.

The topping options are endless. Depending on the size of your tortillas, you can fit about 2 to 3 ounces of shredded chicken without collapsing your crust. I find 8 inches to be a good size for this method. I should also mention that keeping the amount of toppings down is beneficial for the same reason.

Share your favorite toppings below as I'm always looking for new ideas and I would love to hear from you!!