Inexpensive Pizza That's Nutritious and Delicious

Most everyone loves pizza. On any given night when I give my kids a choice "pizza" is usually the first word out of their mouth (even if that wasn't one of the options).

We live in a rural area where pizza delivery isn't an option. Even if it were, for what you get good pizza can be pretty expensive (yes, I said GOOD pizza).

I love making homemade pizza, but it takes a lot of time. So, what I've started doing is making several batches of dough at a time (which is the part that takes so long) and freezing them. Then, in the morning before I go to work I remove a frozen dough ball from the fridge and it's thawed and ready to roll out and use that evening.

Here's my recipe (this is a double recipe, for which I get about 4 good-sized dough balls):

Dissolve two packets of yeast (usually 4.5 tsp) into two cups of warm water. Add two teaspoons of sugar and stir. Allow the yeast to "bloom" or get good and foamy, usually within five minutes or so.



Place all that in a bowl (I use a stand mixer which makes this process infinitely easier) and add two tablespoons of kosher salt and four tablespoons of olive oil. Gradually add five cups of flour (I usually use a mixture of white and wheat), mixing as you go.



When all the flour is incorporated, add a sixth cup of flour gradually until the dough forms a ball and no longer sticks to the inside of the bowl.


Dump the ball of dough into a greased bowl, turning once. Cover with plastic wrap (or damp towel) in a warm spot and wait about an hour til it is about twice the size.




Punch the dough down and roll it out to make your pizza. Bake the pizza at 475 degrees (yes, hot) for 10 minutes or so.



With the dough you have left over, form it into balls and tightly wrap it with plastic wrap and drop the wrapped balls into a freezer bag. These'll stay good for a few months (but chances are you'll use them long before they go bad).

Making Your Oven Multitask

When I do my weekend cooking or baking, I plan how things are going to be cooking in my oven. When your oven is on, you are using electricity and heating up your kitchen (bad in summer, not as bad in winter). So, if you can put several things in the oven at once, you will be saving not only money, but time as well.

In the photo below (excuse the mess my poor oven is in) I've got a lasagna baking as well as a loaf of bread, a head of garlic roasting and a large sweet potato we will eat later this week. I'm sure I could have stuck something else in there like a pan of brownies or something. You get the idea though. Sometimes it takes adjusting (not everything cooks at 350 degrees), but you can usually get it to work pretty well for you.

Save Time by Making Extra

I don't get home from work until after 5:00 each day. By then, everyone is hungry and it's hard for me to cook a nice nutritious dinner when my two and three year olds are tugging at my pants and wanting snacks.

Most of the cooking I do, I do on the weekends. I'll make a lasagna or roast a chicken or make a pot of chili and it will last for at least a couple meals during the week. When I do cook, I always make extra and freeze it.

Last weekend I made a lasagna to eat, and one to freeze. Here's a tip to avoid freezing your entire pan and having to go without.

Line a pan (I use 9 x 9 but you can use any size) with aluminum foil. Use two pieces placed perpendicular to each other and make sure the entire pan is covered.



Fill the pan with your casserole, lasagna or whatever it is you're making that day.



Wrap it with the foil and place it in your freezer. Once it's frozen, remove it from the pan, foil and all, and wrap the foil tightly around the frozen food.



If you use a 9 x 9 pan you should be able to easily slide this into a gallon-sized freezer bag (which is why I use this size pan). Otherwise, you'll want to wrap it in another layer to prevent freezer burn. Don't forget your label, and place it back into the freezer.